1. "Here
is the wise and faithful servant,
whom the Lord has put in charge of
his household" (cf. Lk
12: 42).
This is how today's
liturgy presents St Joseph, Husband
of the Blessed Virgin Mary and
Guardian of the Redeemer. He was the
wise and faithful servant who, with
obedient docility, accepted the will
of the Lord, who entrusted him with
"his" family on earth to watch over
it with daily devotion.
St Joseph persevered
in this mission with fidelity and
love. The Church, therefore, offers
him to us as an exceptional model
of service to Christ and to his
mysterious plan of salvation. And
she calls upon him as the special
patron and protector of the
whole family of believers. In a
special way, Joseph is presented to
us on his feast day as the saint
under whose powerful protection
divine Providence has wished to
place the persons and ministry of
all who are called to be
"fathers" and "guardians"
among the Christian people.
2.
""Behold, your father and I have
been looking for you anxiously'....
"How is it that you sought me? Did
you not know that I must be in my
Father's house?'" (Lk
2: 48-49).
In this simple, family
conversation between Mother and Son,
which we heard a few moments ago in
the Gospel, we find the
characteristics of Joseph's holiness.
They correspond to God's plan for him, which he,
being the just man that he was,
would fulfil with marvellous
fidelity.
"Your father and I have been
looking for you anxiously", Mary
said. "I must be in my Father's
house", Jesus replies. It is
precisely these words of the Son
that help us to understand the
mystery of Joseph's "fatherhood".
In reminding his parents of the
primacy of the One whom he called
"my Father", Jesus reveals the truth
about Mary's and Joseph's role. The
latter was truly Mary's "husband"
and Jesus' "father", as she
affirmed when she said: "Your
father and I have been looking for
you". But his being a husband and
father is totally subordinate to
that of God.
This is how Joseph of Nazareth
was called, in turn, to become one
of Jesus' disciples: by dedicating
his life to serving the
only-begotten Son of the Father and
of his Virgin Mother, Mary.
It is a mission that he continues
to carry out for the Church, the
Mystical Body of Christ, to which he
never fails to give his provident
care, as he did for the humble
family of Nazareth.
3. In this context, it is easy to
turn our attention to what is the
centre of our celebration today. I
am about to lay hands on nine
priests who are called to assume the
responsibility of Bishops in the
Church. In the Christian community
the Bishop fulfils a task that has
many similarities to St Joseph's.
This is well expressed in the Preface
of today's solemnity,
which describes Joseph as "that wise
and loyal servant, whom you placed
at the head of your family.... With
fatherly care he watched over Jesus
Christ your Son". In the Church
Pastors are "fathers" and
"guardians" who are called to act as
wise and loyal "servants". They are
entrusted with the daily care of the
Christian people, who, with their
help, can confidently advance on the
way of Christian perfection.
Venerable and dear ordinands, the
Church gathers round you and assures
you of her prayer, so that you can
fulfil your pastoral ministry with
faithful generosity in the likeness
of St Joseph. Those who are
accompanying you on this festive day
assure you particularly of their
prayer: your relatives, priests,
friends and the communities from
which you come and to which you are
being sent.
4. The episcopal ordinations that
I usually confer on Epiphany were
postponed this year because of the
closing of the Great Jubilee. I thus
have the opportunity to celebrate
this rite on today's feast, which is
so dear to the Christian people.
This allows me to entrust each of
you, with particular insistence, to
the constant protection of St
Joseph, patron of the universal
Church.
I greet you very warmly, dear
friends, and with you I greet
everyone who shares your joy. I
sincerely hope that you will
continue with renewed generosity the
service that you are already giving
to the Gospel cause.
5. You, Archbishop Fernando
Filoni, are entrusted with the
mission of Apostolic Nuncio in Iraq
and Jordan, to support the Christian
communities dispersed throughout
those lands: I am sure that you
will be a messenger of peace and
hope for them. You, Archbishop
Henryk Józef Nowacki, after working
for many years at my side, will be
the Apostolic See's representative
in Slovakia, an ardent herald of the
Gospel in that country of ancient
Christian tradition. And you,
Archbishop Timothy Paul Broglio, to
whom I am grateful for the faithful
cooperation you offered the Cardinal
Secretary of State, will go to the
gateway of the American continent as
Nuncio in the Dominican Republic and
Apostolic Delegate in Puerto Rico:
be a witness among those dear people
to the affection of Peter's
Successor.
And I am grateful to you,
Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, for
your valuable service in the
Secretariat of State and now, as I
entrust you with the Prelature of
Pompei and its renowned Marian
shrine, I place your ministry under
the benevolent gaze of Our Lady of
the Rosary, asking her to guide your
way in the footsteps of St Paulinus,
Bishop of Nola, your native land,
and the boast of Campania. May the
Blessed Virgin continue to watch
over your steps too, Bishop Tomasz
Peta, who are called to assume the
Apostolic Administration of Astana
in Kazakhstan, where you have
already been working for several
years with praiseworthy apostolic
zeal.
You, Bishop Marcelo Sánchez
Sorondo, will continue your valued
service as Chancellor of the
Pontifical Academies of Sciences and
of Social Sciences, institutions
which I consider very important for
the Church's dialogue with the world
of culture. And I wanted to entrust
you, Bishop Marc Ouellet, with the
office of Secretary of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity, a task of
particular significance for the very
noble goal that inspires it and for
the fresh hopes that the celebration
of the Jubilee Year has stirred in
the hearts of many Christians. And
you, Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi, will
assume the role of Secretary of the
Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace, continuing with greater
responsibilities your already
distinguished service in that
dicastery. Lastly, I affectionately
embrace you, Bishop Djura Dzudzar,
whom I have chosen as Auxiliary to
the Eparch of Mukacheve in
Transcarpathian Ukraine, a country
which, God willing, I will soon have
the joy of visiting and to which I
now send a cordial greeting.
6. Dear Brothers, like
St Joseph, the model and guide for
your ministry, love and serve the
Church. Imitate the example of
this great saint, as well as that of
his Wife, Mary. If you occasionally
encounter difficulties and
obstacles, be ready and willing to
suffer with Christ for the sake of
his Mystical Body (cf. Col
1: 24), so that you can rejoice with
him over a glorious Church, without
spot or wrinkle, holy and
unblemished (cf. Eph 5: 27).
The Lord, who will not fail to give
you his grace, today consecrates
you and sends you as apostles
into the world. Keep his words
engraved on your hearts: "I am with
you always" (Mt 28: 20), and
do not be afraid. Like Mary, like
Joseph, always trust in him. He has
overcome the world.
