Installation of the 266th
Successor to Saint Peter
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
I
thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my
Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin
Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence,
and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him
with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude…
In
the Gospel we heard that "Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded
him and took Mary as his wife" (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the
mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector.
The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended
to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: "Just as Saint Joseph
took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ's
upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ's Mystical Body, the
Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model" (Redemptoris
Custos, 1).
How
does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently,
but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard
to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the
twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment
with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and
bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful
hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during
the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day
life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to
Jesus.
How
does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the
Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God's
presence and receptive to God's plans, and not simply to his own.…Joseph is a
"protector" because he is able to hear God's voice and be guided by
his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons
entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in
touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear
friends, we learn how to respond to God's call, readily and willingly, but we
also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect
Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect
creation! (Homily of the Holy Father at the Inauguration of his Papal Ministry
- 19 March 2013)
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