Solemnity of Saint Joseph
Solemnity of Saint Joseph
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
La Crosse, Wisconsin
March 19, 2026
2 Sm 7, 4-5. 12-14. 16
Ps 89 [88], 2-3. 4-5. 27. 29
Rom 4, 13 16-18. 22
Mt 1, 16. 18-21. 24
Homily
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Church of the Shrine of Saint Joseph in Kalisz, Poland, Saint Joseph is strikingly depicted in a manner which expresses the mystery of our Catholic faith. The oil painting depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, her true spouse, standing with the Child Jesus between them. Above the Child Jesus is an image of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, expressing the truth that the Most Holy Trinity and the Holy Family are united by a common member – God the Son, Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Who, Incarnate, is Jesus, Whose Mother is Mary and Whose Virginal Father is Saint Joseph.
The painting is rich in significance for us. First of all, it reminds us that the saving work of God the Father through the Incarnation of God the Son in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of God the Holy Spirit is accomplished, first and foremost, through the family, through the union of man and woman in the faithful, lifelong, and procreative love of marriage. Secondly, it reminds us of the unique cooperation of the Virgin Mary in the work of the Redemptive Incarnation, for, by the election of God the Father and the work of God the Holy Spirit, she, while remaining a virgin, became the Mother of God. She alone bears the title of Co-Redemptrix. Thirdly, it reminds us that Saint Joseph also cooperated in a unique manner, secondary to the cooperation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the work of our redemption by his virginal marriage to Mary and his virginal paternity of God the Son Incarnate. He is a co-worker with the Virgin Mary in the work of the Redemptive Incarnation, even as we are called to be, although not in the unique way of Saint Joseph. Fourthly, by their singular cooperation in the divine work of the Redemptive Incarnation, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of the Church, the Blessed Mother of all those whom God the Father adopts as true sons and daughters in His only-begotten Son through the Sacrament of Baptism, and Saint Joseph is the fatherly Protector of the Holy Church and of each member of the Mystical Body of Christ which is the Church. Lastly, the Divine Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Virginal Paternity of Saint Joseph, True Spouse of the Virgin Mary, make it possible for us to be, with them, true disciples of Christ, soldiers of Christ, “fellow workers in the truth.”[1]
Our reflection today on Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is not, therefore, rooted in some idea or sentiment regarding Saint Joseph in his relationship to us but in the reality of his true marriage with the Blessed Virgin Mary and his virginal paternity of Jesus. To celebrate more fittingly and wholeheartedly the Feast of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us reflect upon a particular and most beautiful article of our faith, the truth of the marriage of Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary, about which sadly there is a significant amount of confusion and error in our time.
The teaching of the truth of the marriage of Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary, with particular reference to the mystery of the Redemptive Incarnation, is the objective and solid foundation of our loving devotion to Saint Joseph. It also inspires our life in the Church, in the life of grace of which the Blessed Virgin Mother is the Mediatrix and Saint Joseph is the fatherly Guardian. It is important, therefore, to respond to a rather widespread confusion and error in the matter of the relationship of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph not only among dissenters from solid doctrine but also among members of the faithful who sincerely desire to know the faith and teach it with integrity but who are poorly catechized on the question.
The account of the Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ which expresses the reality of the Mystery of the Incarnation is particularly rich and detailed, thanks to the contact with the memories of the Mother of God which Saint Luke clearly enjoyed.[2] The Archangel Gabriel, sent by God, appeared to the Virgin Mary, addressing her as “full of grace,”[3] making reference to the mystery of the Immaculate Conception in its essential relationship with the mystery of the Redemptive Incarnation. In other words, Mary is indeed totally filled with divine grace because she was privileged from the moment of her conception to enjoy, in anticipation, the grace of the eternal salvation which her Divine Son, to be virginally conceived in her womb, would win for all men by His Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. She enjoyed the singular favor of conception without any stain of original sin, in order that she might be the fitting vessel to receive God the Son at His conception. Under her Immaculate Heart, in her sinless womb, God the Son became man through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.[4]
As Mary was pondering the meaning of the Archangel’s salutation,[5] Gabriel proceeded to declare:
Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son; and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.[6]
Mary responded to the angel with the words: “How will this be, since I do not know man.”[7]
Mary’s response to the Archangel’s announcement does not question the truth of what the Archangel has declared and does not resist the truth with a contrary will but only seeks to understand how what the Archangel has declared can take place since, although she was married to Saint Joseph, she did not know man. In other words, although Saint Joseph and she had married, they did so with full respect for the consecration of her virginity to God, made in her youth. In other words, Saint Joseph had married Mary with the intention to honor throughout their marriage her consecrated virginity.
In fact, the Gospel of Saint Matthew declares:
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 fulfil what the Lord has 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 his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.[8]
From the text of Saint Matthew, it is clear that Mary was already married to Saint Joseph at the time of the Annunciation, but that he had not yet brought her to his home.
Pope Saint John Paul II, in his Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, described briefly the Jewish marriage practice thus:
According to Jewish custom, marriage took place in two stages: first, the legal, or true marriage was celebrated, and then, only after a certain period of time, the husband brought the wife into his own house. Thus, before he lived with Mary, Joseph was already her “husband.”[9]
For that reason, upon learning of her pregnancy, Joseph, for the sake of decency, thought to divorce her in as discreet a manner as possible. To be clear, the word “betrothed” is not rightly understood as “engaged,” but rather as “espoused” or “married,” as the rest of the language of the text makes clear.
It should also be made clear that the statement that “he did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn son,” is intended solely to underline that the conception was not the result of any carnal knowledge of Mary by Saint Joseph prior to the virginal conception of Christ in her womb. It does not at all mean to imply that he later had carnal knowledge of Mary, for he had married Mary with full respect for her virginity. In any case, once Mary had conceived God the Son in her womb and given birth to Him, it was not possible that she would consider carnal relations with her husband, for she remained always a virgin as was fitting for the Mother of God.
The text of Saint Matthew reflects the wonderful care of God the Father to provide for the virginal conception of His Divine Son and, at the same time, to provide for Him a virginal father, so that He might be, from the first moment of His conception, a member of the family of Joseph and Mary.
Why all the concern about the marital status of Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary at the time of the Incarnation? First of all, the most important event in the history of the world certainly merits the most careful study in all its details. Even more so, the Christian wishes to understand as fully as possible the work of God in time for the eternal salvation of men. The study makes clear two essential aspects of the mystery of the Redemptive Incarnation. First of all, the Blessed Virgin Mary had given her whole being to the Lord through the consecration to a life of virginity. And, secondly, Mary is indeed the spouse of Saint Joseph and, therefore, the Divine Child conceived in her womb by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit is a member of the family of Joseph and Mary, and enjoys the virginal fatherhood or guardianship of Saint Joseph. In beginning the work of salvation, God the Father takes care that the conception of His only-begotten Son in human flesh, while virginal as it must be, is also completely legitimate. He is conceived in the womb of Mary, Wife of Saint Joseph. It is inconceivable that God the Son, at His Incarnation, would not respect fully, indeed would not bring to perfection, both the virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the sanctity of her virginal marriage to Saint Joseph. The importance of an accurate understanding of the marital status of Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary is evident for a correct understanding of the great mystery of the Redemptive Incarnation.
Let us now, under the fatherly care of Saint Joseph, unite our hearts, one with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. May we follow the example of Saint Joseph and enjoy the help of his intercession, so that we may become ever more faithful, generous, and pure co-workers of Christ in His mission of the salvation of the world.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Raymond Leo Cardinal BURKE
[1] 3 Jn 8.
[2] It should be recalled that Saint Luke alone provides the account of the Annunciation, and the texts of the extraordinarily beautiful hymns: the Magnificat of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Lk 1, 46-55), the Benedictus of Zechariah, father of Saint John the Baptist (Lk 1, 68-79), the Nunc Dimittis of Simeon (Lk 2, 29-35), and the Angelic Hymn, Gloria in excelsis Deo, at the Birth of the Lord (Lk 2, 14).
[3] Lk 1, 28.
[4] Cf. Giovanni Paolo II, “Angelus Domini. La giustizia si rivela come amore infinito,” 14 July 1985, Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, Vol. VIII, 2 (Luglio-Dicembre 1985) (Cittá del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1985), p. 125, no. 1.
[5]Cf. Lk 1, 29.
[6] Lk 1, 30-33.
[7] Lk 1, 34.
[8] Mt 1, 18-25.
[9] “Ex Hebraici populi more duobus gressibus contrahebatur matrimonium: primum celebrabatur legitimum conubium (verum ipsum matrimonium), ac deinde solum post certum temporis spatium uxorem perducebat vir suam in domum. Antequam igitur cum Maria communiter vivebat, iam eius Iosephus erat «coniux»; …” Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Adhortatio Apostolica Redemptoris custos, “De persona sancti Ioseph et opera in Christi Iesu Ecclesiaeque vita,” 15 Augusti 1989, Acta Apostolicae Sedis 82 (1990), 22, n. 18. English translation: Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, “On the Person and Mission of Saint Joseph in the Life of Christ and of the Church,” Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortations (Trivandrum, Kerala, India: Carmel International Publishing House, 2005), p. 831, no. 18.