Prayer for peace
The prayer for peace is held in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Feast of Saint Joseph, Mary's husband, who in humility "took the child with him."
Reading of the Word of God
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
This is the Gospel of the poor,
liberation for the imprisoned,
sight for the blind,
freedom for the oppressed.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Matthew 1,16.18-21
and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ. This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.'
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
The Son of Man came to serve,
whoever wants to be great
should become servant of all.
Praise to you, o Lord, King of eternal glory
Today the Church celebrates the feast of Joseph, Mary's husband. He is a silent and important character at the beginning. His story is guided by dreams, and his greatness is in making God's dream of the future of our humanity his own. The Word of God interprets the dreams of people. And Joseph's dream, like that of so many men and women is to have a family, not to be alone. It is also the dream of so many families fleeing war, seeking a future of peace. So many dreams that seem unattainable; there is always a law that seems to say, it is not possible. So it was also for Joseph, a just man, but who thought of sending Mary away in secret, because the law condemned women who were expecting children before marriage. A cold law that does not know how to interpret people's dreams. That is why God sends his angel for Joseph to dream again: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary, your wife, with you. For the child conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." So, Joseph takes Mary and her son and takes them with him! How beautiful is this expression: "he takes with him!" You are not alone! I take you with me! True love is that which is shared with others: Joseph makes room in his heart for Mary and for the one who is to come. Do not be afraid, the angel told him. We are so often afraid to take responsibility, to care for others. The Gospel frees us from fear and helps us to make God's dream for the world our own. And out of love we can all change. Let it be the same for us: let us take the Lord who is born as a child with us, so that he may change our hearts, make them wider and more welcoming, so that we may learn to love as he has loved us.