{"id":9603,"date":"2026-05-25T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/?p=9603"},"modified":"2026-05-19T14:07:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:07:06","slug":"day-17-the-great-love-of-josephs-heart-for-mary-and-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/consecration-to-the-hearts-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph\/day-17-the-great-love-of-josephs-heart-for-mary-and-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 17: The Great Love of Joseph’s Heart for Mary and Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READING 1<\/strong>
Matthew 1:18-25<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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, \u201cJoseph, 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.\u201d All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: \u201cBehold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel\u201d (which means \u201cGod with us\u201d). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READING 2<\/strong>
From the Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos x 19 by Pope St. John Paul II<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of the \u201cannunciation\u201d by night, Joseph not only heard the divine truth concerning his wife\u2019s indescribable vocation; he also heard once again the truth about his own vocation. This \u201cjust\u201d man, who, in the spirit of the noblest traditions of the Chosen People, loved the Virgin of Nazareth and was bound to her by a husband\u2019s love, was once again called by God to this love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJoseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife\u201d into his home (Mt 1:24); what was conceived in Mary was \u201cof the Holy Spirit.\u201d From expressions such as these are we not to suppose that his love as a man was also given new birth by the Holy Spirit? Are we not to think that the love of God which has been poured forth into the human heart through the Holy Spirit (cf. Rm 5:5) molds every human love to perfection? This love of God also molds-in a completely unique way-the love of husband and wife, deepening within it everything of human worth and beauty, everything that bespeaks an exclusive gift of self, a covenant between persons, and an authentic communion according to the model of the Blessed Trinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJoseph. . .took his wife; but he knew her not, until she had borne a son\u201d (Mt 1:24-25). These words indicate another kind of closeness in marriage. The deep spiritual closeness arising from marital union and the interpersonal contact between man and woman have their definitive origin in the Spirit, the Giver of Life (cf. Jn 6:63). Joseph, in obedience to the Spirit, found in the Spirit the source of love, the conjugal love which he experienced as a man. And this love proved to be greater than this \u201cjust man\u201d could ever have expected within the limits of his human heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REFLECTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. John Paul II invites us into a profoundly sacred space in the marital love between Joseph and Mary. Although a fearful approach would make their virginity a barrier between them, Pope John Paul II has no hesitation in speaking of the greatness of their love. As the Catechism taught in the passages on chastity, the virtuously chaste man or woman is able to experience even greater intimacy, closeness, and tenderness. From this perspective of a man with a fully developed heart, we are invited to imagine the intimate love he shared with both Jesus and Mary. Following God\u2019s law does not limit, but rather intensifies our capacity for love. Indeed, we will find the fullness of God\u2019s law exemplified in the Heart of Jesus which is a burning furnace of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do imagine Joseph demonstrated his love for Mary? How about his love for Jesus? What things did they speak about? What graces did they share? What tender gestures did they exchange? What was it like to enter their house in Nazareth? What can we learn from Joseph about how to love Jesus and Mary more fully?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAYERS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Litany of St. Joseph or
Ancient Prayer of St. Joseph or
Ad te beate Ioseph<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright \u00a9 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

READING 1Matthew 1:18-25 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-consecration-to-the-hearts-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7bfMR-2uT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9927,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/consecration-to-the-hearts-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph\/join-me-in-a-consecration-to-the-hearts-of-jesus-mary-and-joseph\/","url_meta":{"origin":9603,"position":0},"title":"Join Me in a Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph","author":"Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B.","date":"May 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The United States bishops are consecrating our country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11, 2026. The choice of this year is in commemoration of the 250th\u00a0anniversary of the founding of our nation. 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