SEVEN SUNDAY DEVOTION

YEAR OF SAINT JOSEPH

2020-2021
FIRST SUNDAY
His sorrow when he decided to leave the Blessed
Virgin; (Matt. 1:19)
His joy when the angel told him the mystery
of the Incarnation. (Matt. 1:20)

Introductory Prayer
O chaste spouse of Mary,
great was the trouble and anguish of your heart
when you were considering
quietly sending away your inviolate spouse;
yet your joy was unspeakable,
when the surpassing mystery of the Incarnation
was made known to you by the angel.

By this sorrow and this joy,

we beseech you to comfort our souls,
both now and in the sorrows of our final hour,
with the joy of a good life and a holy death
after the pattern of your own life
and death in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Reading Mt 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.
When his mother Mary had been betrothed to
Joseph, before they came together she was found to
be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband
Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to
shame, resolved to send her away quietly.
But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph,
son of David, do not fear to take Mary, your wife,
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his
name Jesus, for he will save his people from their
sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had

spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be
called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us).

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel

of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but
knew her not until she had borne a son; and he
called his name Jesus.

Consideration
"In the course of that pilgrimage of faith that was his
life, Joseph, like Mary, remained faithful to God's call
until the end. While Mary's life was the bringing to
fullness of that fiat first spoken at the Annunciation, at
the moment of Joseph's own ‘annunciation' he said
nothing; instead he simply ‘did as the angel of the
Lord commanded him' (Mt 1:24). And this first ‘doing'
became the beginning of ‘Joseph's way.'" 2

"In the words of the ‘annunciation' by night, Joseph

not only heard the divine truth concerning his wife's
indescribable vocation; he also heard once again the
truth about his own vocation. This ‘just' man, who, in
the spirit of the noblest traditions of the Chosen
People, loved the Virgin of Nazareth and was bound
to her by a husband's love, was once again called by
God to this love.

2. Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation "Guardian of the

Redeemer" (=GR), 17, 1989.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be . . .

SECOND SUNDAY
His sorrow when he saw Jesus born in poverty; (Luke
2:7)
His joy when the angels announced Jesus' birth. (Luke
2:10-11)

Introductory Prayer
O most blessed patriarch, glorious Saint Joseph,
who were chosen to be the foster father
of the Word made flesh,
your sorrow at seeing the child Jesus
born in such poverty
was suddenly changed into heavenly exultation
when you heard the angelic hymn
and beheld the glories of that resplendent night.

By this sorrow and this joy,

we implore you to obtain for us
the grace to pass over from life's pathway
to hear angelic songs of praise
and to rejoice in the shining splendor
of celestial glory.

Reading Lk 2:1-20
In those days a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This
was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was
governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each
to his own city. And Joseph also went up from
Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judaea, to the
city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he
was of the house and lineage of David, to be
enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with
child. And while they were there, the time came for
her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her
firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was
no place for them in the inn. And in that region
there were shepherds out in the field, keeping
watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of
the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for

behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which
will come to all the people; for to you is born this
day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a
babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a
manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God and
saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace among men with whom he is pleased!"

When the angels went away from them into heaven,

the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to
Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord has made known to us." And they
went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and
the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it
they made known the saying which had been told
them concerning this child; and all who heard it
wondered at what the shepherds told them. But
Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her
heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it
had been told them.

Consideration
"Journeying to Bethlehem for the census in obedience
to the orders of legitimate authority, Joseph fulfilled
for the child the significant task of officially inserting
the name ‘Jesus, son of Joseph of Nazareth' (cf. Jn
1:45) in the registry of the Roman Empire. This
registration clearly shows that Jesus belongs to the
human race as a man among men, a citizen of this
world, subject to laws and civil institutions, but also
‘Savior of the world.'" 5

"As guardian of the mystery hidden for ages in the

mind of God, which begins to unfold before his eyes
‘in the fullness of time,' Joseph, together with Mary, is a
privileged witness to the birth of the Son of God into
the world on Christmas night in Bethlehem. . . .

"Joseph was an eyewitness to this birth, which took

place in conditions that, humanly speaking, were
embarrassing-a first announcement of that ‘self-
emptying' (cf. Phil 2:5-8) that Christ freely accepted
for the forgiveness of sins. Joseph also witnessed the
adoration of the shepherds, who arrived at Jesus'
birthplace after the angels had brought them the great
and happy news (cf. Lk 2:15-16). Later he
also witnessed the homage of the magi who came from the
East (cf. Mt 2:11)." 6

Concluding Prayer
V. Pray for us, blessed Joseph,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of
Christ.

Let us pray.

Almighty God,
in your infinite wisdom and love
you chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary,
the mother of your Son.
As we enjoy his protection on earth,
may we have the help of his prayers in heaven.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

5. GR, 9.
6. GR, 10.
 Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be . . .

THIRD SUNDAY
His sorrow when he saw Jesus' blood shed in
circumcision; (Luke 2:21)
His joy in giving him the name Jesus. (Matt. 1:25)

Introductory Prayer
O glorious Saint Joseph,
who faithfully obeyed the law of God,
your heart was pierced
at the sight of the most precious blood
that was shed by the infant Savior during
his circumcision,
but the name of Jesus gave you new life
and filled you with quiet joy.

By this sorrow and this joy,

obtain for us the grace
to be freed from all sin during life
and to die rejoicing,
with the holy name of Jesus in our hearts
and on our lips.

Reading Lk 2:21
And at the end of eight days, when he was
circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by
the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Consideration
"A son's circumcision was the first religious obligation
of a father, and with this ceremony (cf. Lk 2:21)
Joseph exercised his right and duty with regard to
Jesus.

"The principle that holds that all the rites of the Old
Testament are a shadow of the reality (cf. Heb 9:9 f.;
10:1) serves to explain why Jesus would accept them.
As with all the other rites, circumcision, too, is
‘fulfilled' in Jesus. God's covenant with Abraham, of
which circumcision was the sign (cf. Gn 17:13),
reaches its full effect and perfect realization in Jesus,
who is the ‘yes' of all the ancient promises (cf. 2 Cor
1:20)." 7

"At the circumcision, Joseph names the child ‘Jesus.'

This is the only name in which there is salvation (cf.
Acts 4:12). Its significance had been revealed to
Joseph at the moment of his ‘annunciation': ‘You shall
call the child Jesus, for he will save his people from
their sins' (cf. Mt 1:21). In conferring the name, Joseph
declares his own legal fatherhood over Jesus, and in
speaking the name he proclaims the child's mission as
Savior."8

Concluding Prayer
V. Pray for us, blessed Joseph,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of
Christ.
Let us pray.

Almighty God,
in your infinite wisdom and love
you chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary,
the mother of your Son.
As we enjoy his protection on earth,
may we have the help of his prayers in heaven.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

7. GR, 11.
8. GR, 12.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be . . .

FOURTH SUNDAY
His sorrow when he heard the prophecy of Simeon;
(Luke 2:34)
His joy when he learned that many would be saved
through the sufferings of Jesus. (Luke 2:38)

Introductory Prayer
O most faithful Saint Joseph,
who shared the mysteries of our redemption,
the prophecy of Simeon,
touching the sufferings of Jesus and Mary,
caused you to shudder with mortal dread
but at the same time filled you with a blessed joy
for the salvation and glorious resurrection
that would be attained by countless souls.

By this sorrow and this joy,

obtain for us that we may be
of the number of those who,
through the merits of Jesus
and the intercession of Mary the Virgin Mother,
are predestined to a glorious resurrection.

Reading Lk 2:22-35
And when the time came for their purification
according to the law of Moses, they brought him up
to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is
written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that
opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord")
and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in
the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two
young pigeons."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name

was Simeon, and this man was righteous and
devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the
Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed
to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see
death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And
inspired by the Spirit he came into the Temple; and
when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do
for him according to the custom of the law, he took
him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,

according to thy word;
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation
which thou hast prepared in the presence of all
peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to thy people Israel."

And his father and his mother marveled at what was

said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said
to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the
fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that
is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through
your own soul also), that thoughts out of many
hearts may be revealed."

Consideration
"This rite, to which Luke refers, includes the ransom
of the firstborn and sheds light on the subsequent stay
of Jesus in the Temple at the age of twelve.

"The ransoming of the firstborn is another obligation of

the father, and it is fulfilled by Joseph. Represented in
the firstborn is the people of the covenant, ransomed
from slavery in order to belong to God. Here, too,
Jesus-who is the true ‘price' of ransom (cf. 1 Cor 6:20;
7:23; 1 Pt 1:19)-not only ‘fulfills' the Old Testament
rite, but at the same time transcends it, since he is not
a subject to be redeemed, but the very author of
redemption.

"The gospel writer notes that ‘his father and his

mother marveled at what was said about him' (Lk
2:23), in particular at what Simeon said in his canticle to
God, when he referred to Jesus as the ‘salvation
which you have prepared in the presence of all
peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for
glory to your people Israel' and as a ‘sign that is
spoken against' (cf. Lk 2:30-34)."9

"‘It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom to reveal

himself and to make known the mystery of his will (cf. Eph
1:9). His Will was that all should have access to the
Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the
Holy Spirit, and, thus become sharers in the divine
nature (cf. Eph 2:18; 2 Pt 1:4)'10

"Together with Mary, Joseph is the first guardian of this

divine mystery. Together with Mary, and in relation to
Mary, he shares in this final phase of God‘s self-revelation
in Christ, and he does so from the very beginning."11

Concluding Prayer
V. Pray for us, blessed Joseph,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of
Christ.

Let us pray.

Almighty God,
in your infinite wisdom and love
you chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary,
the mother of your Son.
As we enjoy his protection on earth,
may we have the help of his prayers in heaven.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

9. GR, 13.
10. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dei Verbum, 5.
11. GR, 5.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be . . .

FIFTH SUNDAY
His sorrow when he had to flee to Egypt; (Matt. 2:14)
His joy in being always with Jesus and Mary. (Is. 19:1)

Introductory Prayer
O most watchful guardian of the Son of God,
glorious Saint Joseph,
great was your toil in supporting
and waiting upon the Son of God,
especially during the flight into Egypt!
Yet, how you rejoiced
to have God himself always near you.

By this sorrow and this joy,

obtain for us the grace that would keep us safe
from the devil,
especially the help we need to flee
from dangerous situations.
May we serve Jesus and Mary,
and for them alone may we live and happily die.
Reading Mt 2:13-15
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the
Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise,
take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and
remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to
search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and
took the child and his mother by night, and departed
to Egypt, and remained there until the death of
Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken
by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."

Consideration
"Herod learned from the magi, who came from the
East, about the birth of the ‘king of the Jews' (Mt 2:2).

And when the magi departed, he ‘sent and killed all

the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region
who were two years old or under' (Mt 2:16). By killing
them all, he wished to kill the newborn ‘king of the
Jews,' whom he had heard about."12

"The Church deeply venerates this Family and

proposes it as the model of all families. Inserted
directly in the mystery of the Incarnation, the Family
of Nazareth has its own special mystery. And in this
mystery, as in the Incarnation, one finds a true
fatherhood: the human form of the family of the Son of
God, a true human family, formed by the divine
mystery. In this family, Joseph is the father: his
fatherhood is not one that derives from begetting
offspring, but neither is it an ‘apparent' or merely
‘substitute' fatherhood. Rather, it is one that fully
shares in authentic human fatherhood and the mission of
a father in the family. This is a consequence of the
hypostatic union: humanity taken up into the unity of
the Divine Person of the Word-Son, Jesus Christ.
Together with human nature, all that is human, and
especially the family-as the first dimension of man's
existence in the world-is also taken up in Christ. Within
this context, Joseph's human fatherhood was also
‘taken up' in the mystery of Christ's Incarnation."13

Concluding Prayer
V. Pray for us, blessed Joseph,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of
Christ.

Let us pray.

Almighty God,
in your infinite wisdom and love
you chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary,
the mother of your Son.
As we enjoy his protection on earth,
may we have the help of his prayers in heaven.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

12. GR, 14.

13. GR, 21.
 Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be . . .

SIXTH SUNDAY
His sorrow when he was afraid to return to his
homeland; (Matt. 2:22)
His joy on being told by the angel to go to Nazareth.
(Luke 2:39)

Introductory Prayer
O glorious Saint Joseph,
you marveled to see the King of heaven
obedient to your commands.
Your consolation in bringing Jesus
out of the land of Egypt
was troubled by your fear of Archelaus.
Nevertheless, being assured by an angel,
you lived in gladness at Nazareth
with Jesus and Mary.

By this sorrow and this joy,

obtain for us that our hearts
may be delivered from harmful fears,
so that we may rejoice in peace of conscience
and may live with Jesus and Mary,
and, like you, may die in their company.
Reading Mt 2:19-23; Lk 2:40
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord
appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
"Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the
land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life
are dead." And he rose and took the child and his
mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he
heard that Archelaus reigned over Judaea in place of
his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and
being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district
of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in a city called
Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets
might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

And the child grew and became strong, filled with

wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Consideration
"Work was the daily expression of love in the life of
the Family of Nazareth. The Gospel specifies the kind
of work Joseph did in order to support his family: he
was a carpenter. This simple word sums up Joseph's
entire life. For Jesus, these were hidden years, the
years to which Luke refers after recounting the
episode that occurred in the Temple: ‘And he went
down with them and came to Nazareth, and was
obedient to them' (Lk 2:51). This ‘submission' or
obedience of Jesus in the house of Nazareth should be
understood as a sharing in the work of Joseph.
Having learned the work of his presumed father, he
was known as ‘the carpenter's son.' If the Family of
Nazareth is an example and model for human
families, in the order of salvation and holiness, so,
too, by analogy, is Jesus' work at the side of Joseph
the carpenter. In our own day, the Church has
emphasized this by instituting the liturgical memorial
of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1. Human work, and
especially manual labor, receives special prominence
in the Gospel. Along with the humanity of the Son of
God, work, too, has been taken up in the mystery of
the Incarnation, and has also been redeemed in a
special way. At the workbench where he plied his
trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human
work closer to the mystery of the Redemption."14

"In the human growth of Jesus ‘in wisdom, age and

grace,' the virtue of industriousness played a notable
role, since ‘work is a human good,' which ‘transforms
nature' and makes man ‘in a sense, more human.'"15

"What is crucially important here is the sanctification

of daily life, a sanctification that each person must
acquire according to his or her own state, and one
which can be promoted according to a model
accessible to all people: ‘St. Joseph is the model of
those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great
destinies; . . . he is the proof that, in order to be a good
and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of
great things-it is enough to have the common, simple
and human virtues, but they must be true and
authentic.'"16
Concluding Prayer
V. Pray for us, blessed Joseph,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of
Christ.

Let us pray.

Almighty God,
in your infinite wisdom and love
you chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary,
the mother of your Son.
As we enjoy his protection on earth,
may we have the help of his prayers in heaven.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

14. GR, 22.

15. GR, 23.
16. GR, 24.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be . . .

SEVENTH SUNDAY
His sorrow when he lost the Child Jesus; (Luke 2:45)
His joy in finding him in the temple. (Luke 2:46)

Introductory Prayer
O glorious Saint Joseph,
pattern of all holiness,
when you lost the child Jesus,
you sought him sorrowing
for the space of three days,
until with great joy you found him again
in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the doctors.

By this sorrow and this joy,

we ask you, with our hearts upon our lips,
to keep us from ever having the misfortune
of losing Jesus through mortal sin.
Grant also that we always may seek him
with unceasing sorrow,
when we commit a serious sin,
until we find him again,
ready to show us his great mercy
in the sacrament of Reconciliation.

Reading Lk 2:41-50
Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the
feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years
old, they went up according to custom; and when
the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy
Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did
not know it, but, supposing him to be in the
company, they went a day's journey, and they
sought him among their kinsfolk and
acquaintances; and when they did not find him,
they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. After three
days they found him in the Temple, sitting among
the teachers, listening to them and asking them
questions; and all who heard him were amazed at
his understanding and his answers. And when they
saw him they were astonished; and his mother said
to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold,
your father and I have been looking for you
anxiously."

And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me?

Did you not know that I must be in my Father's
house?" And they did not understand the saying
which he spoke to them.

Consideration
"Joseph, of whom Mary had just used the words ‘your
father,' heard this answer. That, after all, is what all
the people said and thought: Jesus was ‘the son (as
was supposed) of Joseph' (Lk 3:23). Nonetheless, the
reply of Jesus in the Temple brought once again to the
mind of his ‘presumed father' what he had heard on
that night twelve years earlier:

‘Joseph . . . do not fear to take Mary as your wife,

for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Spirit.' From that time onwards he knew that he was a
guardian of the mystery of God, and it was precisely
this mystery that the twelve-year-old Jesus brought to
mind: ‘I must be in my Father's house.'"17

Concluding Prayer
V. Pray for us, blessed Joseph,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of
Christ.

Let us pray.
Almighty God,
in your infinite wisdom and love
you chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary,
the mother of your Son.
As we enjoy his protection on earth,
may we have the help of his prayers in heaven.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

17. GR, 15.

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be . . .

HOLY FAMILY BY: JUAN SIMON GUTIERREZ