How great is the dignity of that son of David, Joseph, the husband of Mary! Blessed Gabriele Allegra
How great indeed is the dignity of St. Joseph! In the Litany of St. Joseph, he is given the title “Noble Offspring of David”. Either way, the meaning is the same: Saint Joseph is a descendant of King David.
He (St. Joseph) was the progeny of a patriarchal, regal, and princely stock according to the direct line. From this it is evident that the dignity of the patriarchs, kings, and princes terminated in Joseph. St. Bernardine of Siena
Saint Joseph has the blood of kings. What a noble father Jesus has in St. Joseph; what a noble father we have in St. Joseph. Our spiritual father is a descendant is royalty! Saint Joseph is the “Son of David”.
The title “Son of David” is a Messianic title. Jesus is called the “Son of David” 17 times in the New Testament. Unlike Jesus, St. Joseph is not the Messiah, but he is the only other person in the New Testament referred as the Son of David.
Saint Joseph is called the “son of David” by the angel of God when he is instructed by the angel not to be afraid to take Mary into his home (see Mt 1:20). Why does the angel call St. Joseph the “Son of David, especially in light of the fact that it is a title associated with the Messiah?
The reason the angel does it is because St. Joseph needs to be reminded of his royal ancestry at a very crucial moment in salvation history. Saint Joseph had recently discovered that his wife was pregnant and, in his humility, not fully understanding the origin of the child in her womb, he is about to take action by separating himself from her and the Child.
The angel had to come to remind St. Joseph of who he was and let him know what role he had been given by God in the coming of the Messiah, lest he walk away from divine mysteries and the vocational call he had been created to fulfill. In other words, God planned for his Eternal Son to be known by those around him as the son of a man of the house of David. That man was St. Joseph.
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid”. Otherwise, while troubled in mind, you may fail to understand this mystery. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid”. What you see in her is virtue, not sin. This is not a human fall, but a divine descent. Here is a reward, not guilt. This is an enlargement from heaven, not a detriment to the body. This is not the betrayal of a person; it is the secret of the Judge. Here is the victory of him who knows the case, not the penalty of torture. Here is not some man’s stealthy deed, but the treasure of God. Here there is a cause not of death, but of life. Therefore, do not be afraid. St. Peter Chrysologus
Saint Peter Chrysologus’ words are beautiful and thought provoking. His reflection presumes that St. Josephs was suspicious of Mary’s faithfulness, but as we will see in the section “Just and Reverent Man”, many other saints provide a much more noble and virtuous explanation for Joseph’s behavior.
These saints hold that St. Joseph was in reverential awe at what was happening in Mary’s womb, and he considered himself unworthy to be her husband and the putative father of the Child. He never suspected Mary of any wrongdoing whatsoever. On the contrary, St. Joseph knew he was in the presence of a great mystery.
Humble and just, he planned to separate himself from Mary quietly in order not to get in the way of divine mysteries. Before he could take action, however, God sent his angel to remind Joseph of his royal lineage, a lineage needed for the Savior to be considered a descendant of David.
King David, St Joseph’s royal ancestor, had himself once taken a similar course of action. Considering himself unworthy to have the Ark of the Covenant in his city, King David sent the Ark away (see 2 Sam 6) for three months. To prevent something similar from happening in the marriage of Mary and St. Joseph, the angel reassured St. Joseph that God had chosen him to take the child and his mother into his home.
Saint Joseph was not to send the ark away. Saint joseph was not to do what King David had done. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home”. (Mt 1:20).
Litany of St. Joseph
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Noble Offspring of David, pray for us.
Light of Patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster-father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Zealous defender of Christ, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.
Joseph most Just, pray for us.
Joseph most Chaste, pray for us.
Joseph most Prudent, pray for us.
Joseph most Courageous, pray for us.
Joseph most Obedient, pray for us.
Joseph most Faithful, pray for us.
Mirror of patience, pray for us.
Lover of poverty, pray for us.
Model of Workmen, pray for us.
Glory of domestic life, pray for us.
Guardian of Virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of families, pray for us.
Comfort of the afflicted, pray for us.
Hope of the sick, pray for us.
Patron of the dying, pray for us.
Terror of demons, pray for us.
Protector of Holy Church, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. He has made him the lord of his household,
R. And prince over all his possessions.
Let us pray. O God, who, in your loving providence, chose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most Holy Mother, grant us the favor of having him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our Protector. You, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.