Saint Joseph, the Just Man

I was assigned to write a post for the Oblate seminarians' blog this week, so I took the opportunity to explain a little of what the Solemnity of St. Joseph means to us.

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of Mary and Patron of the Universal Church. It is an important day for Oblates of the Virgin Mary, and not just because of zeppole and cannoli; St. Joseph is the patron of our Congregation.

In the late 19th century, there was an entire decade when the Oblates had no new vocations. After struggling through tumultuous times during the foundation and early years of the Congregation, the relative political stability following the unification of Italy in 1870 brought little peace. The Church was under attack from the modernist movement that caused many to question the relevance of faith and morals and even reject them outright, and Pope Pius IX responded by naming St. Joseph, the protector of the Holy Family, Patron of the Universal Church in 1870. At the same time, the Oblates of the Virgin Mary also named St. Joseph patron and began asking his intercession for vocations. There was much doubt; after enduring 40 years of struggle and abuse at the hands of political authorities and socially influential figures, was the Oblate mission over? Was God doing something new at a time when it seemed the charism was needed more than ever? Well, St. Joseph came through and the rest is history.

As our Patron, St. Joseph is an important intercessor, but also a model of virtue. He is a man of obedience: he listened to what was spoken to him by God and acted accordingly (Matthew 1:24, 2:14, 2:21). In this St. Joseph is a model especially for us men in formation, when it is crucial to learn to listen to the voice of God in different ways- through spiritual movements, the discernment of superiors, the circumstances of community life- and to freely embrace his will.

I have personally experienced the important role of St. Joseph’s humble obedience in our Congregation’s works of accompaniment in spiritual direction and retreat ministry, both important for many people who are discerning the will of God in their lives. This ministry requires much preparation in spiritual and intellectual formation, which can seem like an endless uphill climb. But St. Joseph was a man of obedience before action. He is the Just Man because he sacrificed to God what was his due- the mind and heart that God has given to men for the custody of others. It is good for me to be reminded that before anything I study, practice, or preach, the only good I can really do for others is what God asks of me in ordinary daily life.

The Lectorate

Earlier this month, four of us were instituted in ecclesial ministries at St. Clement's: two lectors and two acolytes.

The lector is appointed for a function proper to him, that of reading the word of God in the liturgical assembly. Accordingly, he is to proclaim the readings from sacred Scripture, except for the gospel in the Mass and other sacred celebrations; he is to recite the psalm between the readings when there is no psalmist; he is to present the intentions for the general intercessions in the absence of a deacon or cantor; he is to direct the singing and the participation by the faithful; he is to instruct the faithful for the worthy reception of the sacraments. He may also, insofar as may be necessary, take care of preparing other faithful who are appointed on a temporary basis to read the Scriptures in liturgical celebrations. That he may more fittingly and perfectly fulfill these functions, he is to meditate assiduously on sacred Scripture.
Aware of the office he has undertaken, the lector is to make every effort and employ suitable means to acquire that increasingly warm and living love and knowledge of Scripture that will make him a more perfect disciple of the Lord. 

(Ministeria quaedam, 1972)

Lector and acolyte in general correspond to the commissioned ministries of lector and extraordinary minister of holy communion, but with the important distinction that the former are permanent installations that apply in all times and places while the latter apply for the year of commission and only in the local parish. They are also more comprehensive: acolytes may expose and repose the Eucharist and prepare the altar at the offertory during Mass, and both lectors and acolytes are responsible for training other lay ministers (... preparing other faithful who are appointed on a temporary basis to read the Scriptures in liturgical celebrations).

In 1972, these ministries replaced the minor orders (exorcist, porter, lector, acolyte) and major order of subdiaconate, which along with the clerical tonsure were suppressed because they no longer reflected their original purposes. Although the ministries are required for candidates for Holy Orders and they are still reserved to men, Pope Paul VI specified that there is not an essential connection between them and the clerical state. This had previously been understood as beginning with the tonsure that signified entrance into priestly formation, but now it is ordination to the diaconate that signifies entrance to the clerical state.

Part of the rite of institution is being presented with the Bible, and I was allowed to select one for myself. I chose a bilingual Greek/English version of the Septuagint, the original translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek from the second century B.C. This is the version of the Scriptures that was most widely used in the first century outside of Palestine and almost the exclusive source of the Old Testament quotes in the Gospels and Epistles. It shortly after fell out of favor with Jews, partly because the wording of prophecies supported the claim that Jesus is the Messiah and partly because most of the Greek-speaking Jewish populations were exterminated or dispersed by the Jewish-Roman wars of the second century, but it continued to be the authoritative version of the Old Testament for Christians until the Vulgate was promulgated in the early 4th century and replaced it in the west; it continues to be used by the Byzantine Churches and is the source of translations used by Syriac, Armenian, and Egyptian Christians.

The Septuagint differs from the Old Testament most familiar to the English-speaking world in a few ways. The most notable is the number of books, which is the reason for the difference between Protestant and Catholic Bibles; Protestant leaders eschewed the Septuagint because it was a translation and also because the books later excluded from the canon of the Hebrew Bible include some that are theologically problematic for Protestants; the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Baruch, and parts of Esther and Daniel only exist in the Greek version, which is why these were rejected by Jews and Protestants but have always been accepted by Orthodox Christians who use the older canon. Also, the numbering of the Psalms is different and the text of the Book of Jeremiah, among others, is significantly different.

Roman Catholic biblical scholars of the last few centuries followed the more prolific Protestant scholars and it became fashionable to hold the later Hebrew texts were more authentic and the Septuagint text was corrupted. This view has been significantly upset by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, which provide many Hebrew texts at variance with the Masoretic versions and generally confirm that most of the Septuagint comes from an older manuscript tradition. This has yet to gain widespread acceptance because biblical scholars in general continue to rely on the last three centuries of scholarship which is dominated by English and German Protestants, but it is one of the reasons why I am interested.

I don't have a picture of me being instituted, but here I am watching the acolyte institution.

Missions and Apostolates

God, who called blessed Teresa, virgin, to respond to the love of your Son thirsting on the cross with outstanding charity to the poorest of the poor, grant us, we beseech you, by her intercession, to minister to Christ in his suffering brothers.
                                      Collect from Mass, 5 September

I thought that today being the memorial of Bl. Teresa and the day of the week devoted to intentions for the poor and suffering, I could post about the apostolate work I will be doing this semester.

Part of our formation program is spending at least a few hours each week working in an apostolate, either independently or with one of the professed priests or brothers. I found out today that my assignment for this semester will be working with the elderly, ill, and disabled through Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital network, a healthcare system that encompasses mainly short-term care and rehabilitation but also extended care facilities and hospice. My primary assignment will be to take Holy Communion to patients, as well as visiting and comforting the ill and residents at the homes for the elderly.

When I found out about the extra assignment today after a long day of classes, my initial inclination was to complain about having something additional on top of studies and other responsibilities. God certainly caught me there having it be on the memorial of Bl. Teresa:

"I pray that you will understand the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Ask yourself “How has he loved me? Do I really love others in the same way?” Unless this love is among us, we can kill ourselves with work and it will only be work, not love. Work without love is slavery."

"Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart." 
 

Speaking of classes, I will be auditing the class on JP II's encyclical Fides et Ratio instead of taking it for credit; I guess 18 credits is a little unreasonable as a course load during postulancy. I hope to keep you updated on my course with Peter Kreeft. The course is "Philosophy in Literature" and we are reading The Lord of the Rings (!) and The Brothers Karamazov.