Pope Francis began a new series of catecheses on St. Joseph at his General Audience. He said that St. Joseph, the foster-father of the child Jesus, teaches Christians how to “trust in God's providence quietly at work in our world.”
The Pope says that St. Joseph's humble origins is a reminder that “God’s preferential love is for the poor and those on the margins of life.” By observing his life, Pope Francis says Christians see the Church's calling to proclaim the good news of Christ's coming “beginning with the existential peripheries of our world.”
SUMMARY OF THE POPE'S CATECHESIS IN ENGLISH:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In this year of Saint Joseph, today we begin a new series of catecheses on the humble carpenter of Nazareth, the foster-father of the child Jesus and the patron of the Universal Church.
In Hebrew, the name Joseph evokes God’s power to bring about growth and new life. Joseph teaches us to trust in God’s providence quietly at work in our world. His life is principally associated with two small towns, Bethlehem and Nazareth, reminding us that God’s preferential love is for the poor and those on the margins of life. God chose Bethlehem, the city of David, as the place where his Son was to be born under the watchful care of Joseph, who was himself of the house of David.
By his life and example, Saint Joseph reminds us that, in our own day, the Church is called to proclaim the good news of Christ’s coming, beginning with the existential peripheries of our world. The poor and forgotten in our midst can look to him as a sure guide and protector in their lives.
Let us ask Saint Joseph to intercede for the Church, that we may always set forth anew from Bethlehem, in order to see and appreciate what is essential in God’s eyes.
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially the groups from The Netherlands, Denmark and the United States of America. In this month of November, let us pray for our deceased loved ones, and for all who have died, that the Lord in his mercy will welcome them into the Kingdom of heaven. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of Christ. May God bless you!
JM
