Universalis
Monday 20 March 2023    (other days)
Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
Solemnity

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Today we are celebrating the feast of Saint Joseph: come, let us worship Christ the Lord.

Year: A(I). Psalm week: 4. Liturgical Colour: White.

St Joseph

Nothing is known of St Joseph except what is said of him in the Gospels. He was a carpenter; he accepted the will of God; and he supported Mary and brought up Jesus. From the human character of his son we can see that he was a good and responsible father. He is widely venerated as a patron of artisans who honourably do good work with the gifts God has given them, and of workers in general. To those who exercise the role of an adoptive parent, whether formally or informally, whether over one child or as the support of a whole family, he is a source of inspiration. See the articles in the Catholic Encyclopaedia and Wikipedia.

About the author of the Second Reading in today's Office of Readings:

Second Reading: Saint Bernardino of Siena (1380 - 1444)

Bernardino (“Little Bernard”) was born in Tuscany. His parents died when he was a child. While still a student at the University of Siena he took charge of the hospital there when an epidemic killed most of the staff. Later he looked after a bedridden aunt until her death; and then, at the age of 22, he became a Franciscan.
  Inspired by St Vincent Ferrer, he was an energetic and popular preacher and spent years travelling on foot through Italy preaching to enormous audiences. He denounced usury, promoted peace among the warring Italian cities, and worked hard for the reform and discipline of the Franciscan order, and for church unity.

Liturgical colour: white

White is the colour of heaven. Liturgically, it is used to celebrate feasts of the Lord; Christmas and Easter, the great seasons of the Lord; and the saints. Not that you will always see white in church, because if something more splendid, such as gold, is available, that can and should be used instead. We are, after all, celebrating.
  In the earliest centuries all vestments were white – the white of baptismal purity and of the robes worn by the armies of the redeemed in the Apocalypse, washed white in the blood of the Lamb. As the Church grew secure enough to be able to plan her liturgy, she began to use colour so that our sense of sight could deepen our experience of the mysteries of salvation, just as incense recruits our sense of smell and music that of hearing. Over the centuries various schemes of colour for feasts and seasons were worked out, and it is only as late as the 19th century that they were harmonized into their present form.

Mid-morning reading (Terce)Proverbs 2:7-8
He keeps his help for honest men, he is the shield of those whose ways are honourable; he stands guard over the paths of justice, he keeps watch on the way of his devoted ones.

Noon reading (Sext)(Wisdom 10:10)
As the virtuous man fled, Wisdom led him along straight paths. She showed him the kingdom of God and taught him the knowledge of holy things. She brought him success in his toil and gave him full return for all his efforts.

Afternoon reading (None)Ecclesiasticus 2:15-16
Those who fear the Lord do not disdain his words, and those who love him keep his ways. Those who fear the Lord do their best to please him, and those who love him find satisfaction in his Law.

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