Pope Francis catechesis about the mystery of the origins of Jesus

At the General Hearing of this Pope Francis reflected on the mystery of the origins of Jesus, narrated by the Gospels of Childhood.

Next, the catechesis of Pope Francis:

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! Today we will continue to contemplate Jesus, our hope, in the mystery of his origins, narrated by the Gospels of Childhood.

While Luke shows us from the perspective of the mother, the Virgin Mary, Matthew is in the perspective of Joseph, the man who assumes the legal paternity of Jesus, grafting him in the trunk of Jesé and linking him to the promise made to David .

Jesus, in effect, is the hope of Israel that is fulfilled: it is the descendant promised to David (cf.2sam 7,12; 1c 17,11), which makes his house “blessed forever” (2Sam 7,29 ); It is the outbreak that is born from the trunk of Jesé (cf. is 11,1), the “fair germ” destined to reign as true king, who knows how to practice law and justice (cf. Jr. 23,5; 33,15) .

Joseph enters the Gospel of Matthew as Maria’s boyfriend. For the Jews, the commitment was a true legal link, which prepared for what would happen a year later, that is, the celebration of marriage.

It was then that the woman went from her father’s custody to that of her husband, moving with him and making themselves available to the gift of motherhood. It was precisely during this time when Joseph discovered Maria’s pregnancy and her love was subjected to a hard test. Given this situation, which would have led to the breakdown of the commitment, the law suggested two possible solutions: either a public legal act, such as citing women before the court, or a private action, such as giving the woman a letter from repudiation.

Matthew defines Joseph as “fair” (Zaddiq), that is, a man who lives according to the law of the Lord, who is inspired by her on all occasions of his life.

Following the Word of God, Joseph acts weightly: he does not allow himself to be overcome by instinctive feelings nor fears taking Maria with him, but prefers to be guided by divine wisdom. He chooses to separate from Maria without clamor, that is, in private (cf. Mt 1,19).

This wisdom allows him not to make mistakes and become open and docile to the voice of the Lord, which resonates in him through the dream channel. In this way, José de Nazareth reminds us of another Joseph, son of Jacob, nickname In the Pharaoh court.

Now, what does José de Nazareth dream? He dreams of the miracle that God performs in the life of Mary, and also with the miracle he performs in his own life: to assume a paternity capable of keeping, protecting and transmitting a material and spiritual inheritance.

His wife’s belly is pregnant with God’s promise, a promise that bears a name in which the certainty of salvation is given (cf. Acts 4,12): Jesus, God our salvation.

During his dream José hears these words: «José, son of David, do not be afraid to take Maria, your wife, because engendered in her is from the Holy Spirit; She will give light a son, whom you will give the name of Jesus, because he will save his people from all his sins ”(Mt 1,20-21). Given this revelation, Joseph asks for more evidence, trusts God, accepts God’s dream about his life and that of his fiancee.

Thus enters the grace of who knows how to live the divine promise with faith, hope and love. José, in all this, does not utter any word, but believes, wait and love. He does not speak with “words to the wind”, but with concrete facts.

He belongs to the lineage of which the apostle Santiago calls verbi factors (cf. Stg 1,22), which ‘put the word into practice’, translating it into facts, in flesh, in life. Joseph trusts in God and obeys: “His inner surveillance for God … spontaneously becomes obedience” (Benedict XVI, the childhood of Jesus, Milan-City of the Vatican 2012, 57). Let us also ask the Lord to hear more than we speak, to dream the dreams of God and to responsibly welcome Christ that, from the moment of baptism, he lives and grows in our lives.