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Saint Joseph (Mar. 19)

Homily for the Feast of St. Joseph

by Fr. Josh Leigeber

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What an incredible example Saint Joseph is of humble faith! And an example that hits home, perhaps, a little bit more than some of the other saints we remember. Because, admittedly, a good many of the saints’ days observed in the Church’s calendar are apostles, priests, bishops, theological doctors, martyrs—and as a result, in some ways, they may sometimes seem far-removed from our day to day experience, and even, perhaps, other-worldly.

But Joseph, who, other than the Blessed Virgin, is one of the most consequential saints remembered in the liturgical year, was none of those things. He was simply a husband, and a layman, and a simple worker. His saintly example is all bound up in the fact that Joseph quietly fulfilled his family vocations of being a guardian, protector, and provider for the Blessed Mother and for our Lord Jesus Himself. As such, we see in Saint Joseph a shadow of the Heavenly Father who is the guardian, protector, and provider for us all, and an image of what being a faithful husband and father looks like. 

In particular, we see how within those vocations, Joseph’s faithfulness comes as a result of—and together with—his humbly and faithfully listening to the Word of God and doing whatever it is that God has given him to do. Joseph never hesitates to obey, and he never draws attention to Himself. The only word he is recorded as saying in the Sacred Scriptures is at the birth of our Lord when he calls His name JESUS, in accordance with the divine angelic pronouncement that the Child will save His people from their sins. Joseph simply follows God’s direction and command, and as a result, he lives a life of strong and yet modest care and self-giving to Mary and Jesus. He just fulfills his vocations and follows the Word of God.

Husbands and fathers: you too are called to be guardians, protectors, and providers for your wife and your children. This is the vocation you have been given and what God has called you to. And you are to fulfill those responsibilities never from a posture of being overbearing or harsh, but from a position of strong yet humble love and self-giving. And in that Saint Joseph is your model. This means that you are called to lead your household; to guard your family (with God’s help) from the influences of the devil and the world. And most of all, it means that you are to hear and heed God’s Word and to make Christ and the Word of Christ central within your family’s life.

Everyone: like Blessed Joseph, you too are called to be faithful laypeople who listen to the Word of God, cling to Christ, and do whatever it is God has given you to do within your various vocations. You have not been called to be apostles, priests, bishops, theological doctors, or God-willing, martyrs, but you have all been given particular callings from God and vitally important responsibilities within those various callings. As you seek to carry them out, strive to follow the example of Saint Joseph by submitting to God’s Word in all humility and, within your daily life and the living out of your vocations, to guard and protect, like Joseph, the dignity of the sacred life and confession of Jesus. And as you do, through Jesus, who has saved you from your sins, you will be temporally and eternally blessed. 

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Saints Perpetua and Felicitas

Perpetua and Felicitas were Christian women who lived in Roman-controlled Carthage in North Africa in the late second and early third centuries. Perpetua was a young, married noblewoman and new mother; Felicitas was a slave, who was pregnant when she was arrested. The two were catechumens, part of a group of newly converted Christians preparing for Baptism who were arrested for their illegal faith. Christianity was seen as anti-social by the Roman government, who enforced a polytheistic paganism that blended together lots of cultures’ native religions, in an attempt to keep the peace across their huge empire.

Perpetua’s father, who was not a Christian, visited her in prison three times to convince her to renounce her faith and save her life. He tried violence to scare her, he tried asking her to think of him and of her infant son, he tried grieving and great shows of emotion. Perpetua was deeply upset, but she refused to change course: She confessed that she was a Christian, prayed for and tried to comfort her father, and still refused to offer sacrifices to Caesar or renounce Jesus. For this, Felicitas and the others were condemned to the wild beasts in the amphitheater games held in honor of the emperor’s birthday. During their time in prison awaiting their fates, Perpetua was baptized, and Felicitas gave birth while in prison. It was illegal to execute a pregnant woman, and Felicitas had been worried that she would not be able to face martyrdom with her friends. She went into labor a month early, and so faced death alongside her brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Christians eventually went to their deaths in the colosseum with quiet joy and courage, in sure hope of Christ’s love and His promise of resurrection. While facing down the wild animals, Perpetua stopped to fix her hair, so that she would not appear disheveled or in mourning, and helped Felicitas back on her feet after she was trampled. They ultimately died by the gladiator’s sword. The editor of Perpetua’s prison diary describes the Christians’ deaths, noting that, before they died, they kissed one another with the kiss of peace.

(Adapted from The Lutheran Witness; “Our Great Heritage: Perpetua and Felicitas”, by Molly Lackey)

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Eulogius of Cordoba, Martyr

The story of Eulogius is one of constant, faithful Christian confession under the hand of Muslim persecution. By the middle of the ninth century, the Muslim Moors had taken over almost the whole of Spain. Christians were allowed some latitude to remain in their faith, as long as they did it quietly and didn’t offend the name of Muhammed (which would carry the death penalty). However, they were heavily taxed, mocked, and otherwise poorly treated. Eulogius was a priest in Cordoba, Spain at the time–a devout, gentle, reverent, well-educated priest steeped in the Sacred Scriptures–who cared deeply about the plight of the Christian people. During this time, an increasing number of young people began to have a more passionate zeal for the Christian Faith, to the extent that they were growing weary of having to keep quiet about it. They saw it as disingenuous to keep their faith secret. After all, Jesus said, “Whoever confesses me before men, I will confess before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I will deny before my Father in heaven.” As their passion for the faith grew, the threat of martyrdom grew also. In fact, many of these young “radical” Christians were willing and even glad to die a martyr’s death for the sake Christ. Eulogius advised them and, at times, protected them. As time went on, he would also accompany them to their execution and later write the story of their faith and life. Dozens upon dozens of Christians were killed in Cordoba alone during this time (the 850s). They were accused of insulting Muhammad or something similar. Eulogius wrote many of their stories, showing the bravery and steadfastness with which they confessed their hope in Jesus. Eventually, Eulogius himself was taken prisoner and condemned to death. According to Butler’s Lives of the Saints, “arriving at the place of execution, he knelt down, extended his arms, made a large sign of the cross, prayed silently, and offered his neck to the sword.” Eulogius was put to death March 11, 859.”