St. Joseph Fulfiller of Prophecy
Are you planning on using the Litany of St. Joseph to prepare for the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker?
In this litany among the many supplications and titles for our patron, one title you will not find is Fulfiller of Prophecy.
Yet, this is what God made St. Joseph as a result of obediently following his divine will. The man of “no words”, speaks volumes in carrying out daily actions. Each of his actions points directly to God and the fulfillment of his promises.
Of course, we can look at the obvious role he plays in being the valiant Protector of the Immaculate Conception and the Incarnation, but have you ever taken the time to consider how profoundly his life intimately reveals the living God?
As intimately connected as our Lady is to the redeemer dwelling within her womb, so too is Joseph intimately connected to our Lord in the fulfillment of God’s promises by carrying out his divine will.
Jesus told his followers that he “has not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.”
Marked by his silence, obedience, and indefatigable following of God’s will, Joseph leads the faithful disciple down a road that clearly indicates the presence of the living and true God, who loves all people and is faithful to his promises.
Let’s briefly examine St. Joseph’s role as Fulfiller of Prophecy…
Have you considered that while Joseph never intended to marry, God’s plan required a just man specifically from the House of David? A man from the tribe of Juda who would be a beacon allowing light to be shed on all the promises God made to his people. These promises span the fullness of time reaching as far back as Adam and more importantly stemming from his loins.
This is precisely what Matthew’s Gospel reveals at the very beginning. “Fourteen generations, upon fourteen generations, upon fourteen generations, in the Jewish context, equals the fulness of time. The time for the greatly anticipated Messiah…
Although there are many promises that Joseph’s life reveals, let us look at just a few.
First, there is the promise of the virgin to be with child, given by Isaiah to King Ahaz. (Is. 7:10-14; 8:10) “God is with us!”
Joseph, as a son of David, has obediently presented himself to God at the temple in Jerusalem, as an eligible male and is divinely chosen to enter contractual marriage with Mary, a daughter of the line of David, dwelling in the temple.
From Joseph’s perspective, during the time that preparations are being made for the official wedding, Mary has a vision, revealing that Elizabeth is pregnant! …
You know Elizabeth, a daughter of Aaron, wife of Zachariah, of the Levitical line, who is one of the Priests who assists in serving God in the temple. That Elizabeth… She is pregnant!
It is very probable that Joseph accompanied Mary on this journey to the hill country to ensure her safety…
Arriving, Joseph greets Zachariah, but finds Zachariah is speechless…literally.
Joseph is probably in wonderment over the reality of Elizabeth truly being pregnant, because there are only a handful of miraculous births recorded in Jewish history… (Remember Sarah, mother of Isaac; Hananiah, mother of Samuel the Prophet; and the unnamed mother of Sampson…Manoah’s wife)
It is probable that Joseph pondered this wonderment on his return trip home.
Then when it comes time for Joseph to retrieve his “wife” after her three months stay… It is very clear things are not at all what they first appeared to be…
Mary is clearly pregnant now too!!! (What is it with this place!?!)
After much struggle, pain, and quandary about his role in what God seems to be doing in these people’s lives, it happens purely by God’s grace, that an angel appears to Joseph in a dream… (This news is perhaps easier to better grasp lying down!) …
The angel reveals the mystery…” Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.”
Well, okay then… now all is well…in Joseph’s mind… He is ready to proclaim, “Let’s go forward… As you wish Lord”…
This is only the first step in a long road of uncertainty, and obscurity, yet requiring complete trust in following God’s will.
There is the prophecy spoken of in Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
The preceding verse speaks of a heavy-handed government that will tell Israel’s ruler how to rule. Perhaps this is a reference to the census that is required? …
Joseph and Mary obediently go to Bethlehem, fulfilling this prophecy.
How about the Isaiah 11:1 prophecy? The one that says, “a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots, a branch will bear fruit”.
It is to the shepherds in the field that Gabriel reveals the savior’s birth telling them where to look.
Seeking the savior, they find…Joseph, Mary and the Infant lying in the manger.
As guardian and protector, we can be sure to know whom it was that kept watch at the entrance of the dwelling…
Eight days after the savior’s birth, Joseph followed through with the observance of the Mosaic law and completes what Gabriel had told him in the dream…
” You shall call him Jesus”.
It was at this moment that Joseph having no idea what promises God had made to Simeon, unexpectantly fulfills this promise too.
“Lord, now you let your servant go in peace…my own eyes of seen the salvation you have prepared…a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.”
It is at this same time, another prophecy is spoken.
“He will be a sign of contradiction, the rise and fall many,” coupled with, “a sword will pierce your heart.” (Lk 2:34)
Had a sword not already pierced Mary’s heart? Wasn’t it enough that she traveled this uncomfortable distance? Or that she gave birth to this divine child, completely rejected by all family? (Remember there was no room in the Inn…these people were all relatives, from the House of David!)
No…this wasn’t really news…but there was gravity in the tone of Simeon’s voice.
As time marched on, Joseph obtained a house for the holy family’s dwelling. Daily life was just about normalized, when along came a caravan of dromedaries…
Men from the east proclaimed to have seen a star. “A star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel,” is how the oracle of Balaam reveals this moment in Numbers 24:17.
But Isaiah 60:6 reveals why they came. “The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.”
They brought a change in their wake, as they returned home by another route.
It was that very night that the Angel came to Joseph in a dream…
” Joseph, hurry, arise!”
“Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
From a half-groggy state to being instantly awake…no time to prepare…Joseph obeys. He did not stop a minute to consider that this action, while following God’s will, also fulfilled the prophecy spoken of in Jeremiah 31:15 of “a voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children because they are no more”.
After a few years pass and many struggles in Egypt, as exiles, the Angel finally returned as he promised, telling Joseph it is time to return to Israel.
Hearing these directives must have filled Joseph with joy. He probably had a great longing for home during his seemingly endless waiting period, hoping for the day they would be able to return.
While he pondered this joyful hope, we wonder if he also considered that this action fulfilled the prophecy that Hosea 11:1 spoke saying, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”
This is significant because Joseph wanted to leave Egypt and return home. All the other Patriarchs entered Egypt choosing to remain. As a result, each in their own turn had to be virtually thrown out of Egypt.
Not so with Joseph!
Upon his return, Joseph was very careful to select a safe dwelling place by choosing to reside in Nazareth, again this response fulfills prophecy.
In Joseph’s time, Nazareth was a place of Roman occupation and a military garrison. Nazarenes were scorned by everyone, despised, and rejected.
It is this reference, even this tone in which Matthew refers with Ps 22:6-7 and Isaiah 53:3 in mind. It is yet another foreshadowing of our Lord’s suffering.
Surprisingly, we hear this distaste as Jesus begins to gather his disciples. Nathaniel’s words to Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46)
The most profound fulfillment of prophecies is the silence we hear as Joseph’s response to prolonged suffering, during a three-day journey…three days of suffering and pain to find his son lost in Jerusalem …
It is Mary who speaks, but the silence of Joseph again profoundly transmits spiritual truth… Most assuredly this silence exclaims, “Look and see!” …
What is it that Joseph and Mary saw once they entered the temple…” 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.”
What was astonishing? What kept Joseph so silent? It was possibly the prophecy of Moses that was fulfilled before his very eyes! “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brethren – him you shall heed!” (Deut. 18:15)
These little sneak peeks into Joseph’s experience as the Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the guardian of the Incarnation reveal an intimacy deeply connected to the true fulfiller of prophecy. In awe, the disciple who seeks the will of the Lord is left, like Joseph, with no words. The one with “eyes to see and ears to hear,” is given instruction to remain listening, hearing, and obeying. “Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.” (Luke 11:28)
Through the intercession of St. Joseph, Protector and Guardian of the Church may we become attentive to keeping his word in our hearts and become malleable in following God’s will in our daily life.