At the weekly General Audience on 5th January, Pope Francis reflected on the fatherhood of St. Joseph, and prays that all children might enjoy the bond of paternal love, even if through the praiseworthy practice of adoption. The Holy Father was continuing his catechesis on Saint Joseph. 

Pope Francis continued his catechesis series on St. Joseph at the Wednesday General Audience, focusing his remarks on his role as the father of Jesus.

The Pope noted that the Gospels of Luke and Matthew present Joseph as the “foster-father of Jesus” and not as his biological one.

The evangelist Matthew avoids the term “father of” in his genealogy, while Luke said he was the father of Jesus, “as was supposed”.

Venerable practice of adoption

Pope Francis recalled that the practice of adoption was much more common in ancient times in the East than it is in our own societies.

He gave the example of the requirement in ancient Israel for a man to marry the widowed wife of his deceased brother, if he died without a male heir (Dt 25:5-6).

In this case, the legal father of the firstborn son from such a union would be the deceased man, ensuring both an heir for the deceased and the preservation of his estate.

Summary of the Holy Fathers words (General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall, Wednesday, 5 January 2021)

“In our continuing catechesis on Saint Joseph, we now consider Joseph’s dignity as the foster-father of Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary. As Mary’s husband and Jesus’ legal father, Joseph had all the rights of a father, including that of naming their child. Yet Joseph had learned from the angel that, in God’s plan, Mary’s Son was to be named Jesus, which means “the Lord saves”. Joseph’s docility to God’s will and his fatherly care for the child Jesus can teach us much about the authentic meaning of parenthood. To be a mother or father is not simply a matter of biology; more profoundly, it entails caring for the life of a family. In this sense, one of the highest forms of parenthood is to take on the responsibility of becoming adoptive parents, prepared to welcome an orphaned or abandoned child as part of one’s own family. Let us pray that through Joseph’s intercession, fathers of families will be given the grace to respond to their noble vocation, and that the many children in our world who long for a secure and loving home will find a welcome on the part of good and generous families.”
Source Vatican News

Click here to access a copy of the Homily