Archbishop Stephen Brislin offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Wednesday 31 March 2021, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

We have entered Holy Week and we walk with Jesus on the path of calvary and resurrection. No matter where you are, no matter whether we can attend the Services or not we can and must make this a time of reflection and appreciation for our salvation. Tomorrow we celebrate the Chrism Mass in the morning, when the oils of catechumens, the sick and chrism will be blessed for use during the coming year. Tomorrow evening we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and the institution of the Sacraments of Orders (Priesthood) and Eucharist. On Good Friday we recall the crucifixion and death of our Saviour, and on Sunday celebrate his Resurrection. The coming days are days of blessing and holiness, let’s not waste them.

The excerpt from Scripture is from today’s Gospel, Matthew 26:14-25

Go into the city to such a one, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he sat at the table with his twelve disciples; and as they were eating, he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me’.

Let us pray:

Almighty God and Father, you sent your only Son into the world to take of our flesh, and to submit humbly to the Cross. Graciously grant that we may learn from him patient suffering and so share in his Resurrection. We make this prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever, amen.

In the Mass, after the offertory and the “Prayer over the Gifts” (of bread and wine), the Eucharistic Prayer begins with the short dialogue, “The Lord be with you”, “Lift up your hearts”, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God”, to which the people respond “And with your spirit”, “We lift them up to the Lord”, “It is right and just”. This dialogue once again establishes the communion between priest and people. It also establishes the sacredness of the prayer we are entering into. As I have said, the whole of the Mass is “God-directed” – God is our focus, and the Mass is a prayer to God. But as we begin the Eucharistic Prayer, through which the bread and wine will be consecrated, we not only make God our focus but “we lift up our hearts to him”. Not only is this offering ourselves to him but it is the desire and hope of unity with him, it is our wish that we be with him “one heart” in the love that he has for us and we have for him. We are giving ourselves to God in love. We also acknowledge that it is “right and just” to give God thanks, an essential acknowledgement as we will see later. In fact, the word “Eucharist” derives from the Greek, meaning “thanksgiving” or gratitude.

The Eucharistic Prayer is largely prayed by the priest alone, but there are there other dialogues within it, namely the Sanctus (Holy, holy), the Proclamation of Faith and the “Amen” right at the end of the Prayer, which is the assent of the people “it is so”, “it is certain”, “it is true”.

The Eucharistic Prayer weaves elements of Jewish Table Prayers as well as the prayers of the Passover into the memorial of the Last Supper, underscoring the continuity between Old Testament and New Testament and the fulfilment of the prophecies of old.

The Prayer is structured in a certain order and includes eight distinct partsⁱ; Firstly, thanksgiving, most especially in the Preface after the short dialogue I mentioned above and ending with the Sanctus. The priest, speaking on behalf of all gathered and, indeed, on behalf of the whole Church, thanks God for the work of salvation. There are Prefaces for the various times of the year and for special celebrations. The Sanctus, by which the whole congregation joins the heavenly powers in singing God’s greatness and goodness, is based on Isaiah 6:2-3. It is a cosmic hymn of praise.

Thirdly, there is the Epiclesis, in which the Church implores the power of the Holy Spirit that the gifts offered by human hands be consecrated, that is, that they become the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is followed by the Institution Narrative and Consecration by which the words and actions of Christ are repeated. The Sacrifice is effected which Jesus himself instituted at the Last Supper when he offered his Body and Blood under the species of bread and wine, and gave them to his Apostles to eat and drink, with the instruction to continue the practice in memory of him.

Fifthly, there is the anamnesis, where the Church in obedience to the command ”Do this in memory of me”, recalls especially his Passion, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, the great acts of our salvation. The Oblation by which the Church, especially those gathered here and now, offers the unblemished sacrificial Victim to the Father, in the Holy Spirit. The intention is not only to offer the unblemished Sacrifice, Christ, to the Father, but also to offer our very selves, so that day by day, through Christ, we will be brought into ever greater unity with God and with each other, so that God at last can be all in all.

Seventhly, The Intercessions give expression that the Eucharist is offered in union with the whole Church of both heaven and earth, and that the sacrifice is made for her and for all her members, living and dead. The intercessions express unity with our Shepherds on earth – the Holy Father who is the leader of the universal Church, and our Bishop who is the shepherd of our Diocese. These are prayers for the pastoral office rather than the individuals. Finally, there is the concluding Doxology, by which the glorification of God is expressed and which is affirmed and concluded by the people’s “Amen”. In many respects, the “Amen” at the end of the Doxology is the most important response of Mass for it affirms our belief in the miracle of Jesus’ Body and Blood, given to us through the transubstantiation of the Bread and Wine.

I will continue to speak about the Eucharistic Prayer next week.

Let us now pray for God’s blessing:

The Lord be with you R/ And with your Spirit

Bow down for the blessing:

God our Father, look kindly on your family for whom your Son Jesus offered his life. Do not count their sins against them, but in your abundant mercy forgive them and give them a share in life everlasting. Through Christ Our Lord, amen.

May Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (+), amen.

i The explanations are based on those given in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), no 79.

Pope Francis declared the Year of St Joseph, running from 8 December 2020 to 8 December 2021. This is a rare opportunity for us to focus on this great man who is often described as “standing in the shadows”. Joseph becomes our guide to visit the important moments of the life of Mary and the childhood of Jesus. Though operating in obscurity, Joseph leads us to a deeper understanding of Church, work, family, husband, fatherhood and prayer as we delve into some important aspects of his life. Every time we do we this have a refreshing encounter with who we are as Church in the world today. As this is also the Year of the Eucharist, Benediction forms an integral part of our devotions.

This year is an invitation by Pope Francis to celebrate St Joseph. It is an opportunity that the Church and the faithful should appropriate fully. Bishop Sylvester David OMI presents the second of the monthly reflections. It is titled: St Joseph in Scripture. It will be livestreamed to Christ the King Catholic Church Facebook page on 6 April 2021 from 19.00-19.30. The livestream link is: https://www.facebook.com/112780237175566/live/

Archbishop Stephen Brislin has made the 2021 Archdiocesan Directory freely available to all! 

Instead of being printed, this edition has been made available for download as an interactive PDF. It has been adapted for use on a computer screen (as a double page spread) as well as on a cellphone (in single page portrait format). 

For your convenience, all website and email addresses will be interactive. While browsing through the directory on your computer, simply click – or on your cellphone, tap – the address you want to go to and it will launch the website you want to visit or open your default email program with the address already loaded.

A PDF reader is needed to open and read the file. Most smartphones and computers come pre-loaded with a reader, but should you not have one, it is freely available for download from www.adobe.com. The PDF reader has a “Find” function at the top of the page which makes searching easy. Simply type in a key word, e.g. “Directory” and it will take you to all instances of the word occurring in the document.

Save the file to a prominent place on your computer Desktop where it is easily accessible. To keep it in a dedicated place on your cellphone, simply download and install your favourite ebook reader from the Play Store (Android) or Apple App Store (iPhone) free of charge. These also have their own “Search” functions. 

We have endeavoured to ensure that the information in the directory is up to date, but should you find anything in need of correction please contact Stephen Docherty on the contact details below. Also, should you have any queries on navigating the document, please call on 021 462 2417, or email publications@adct.org.za.

We aim to publish this directory on a quarterly basis, which will be indicated in the name of the PDF file, e.g. archdiocesan directory 1 of 2021, and will be available for download from this website.

There are two files available for download, one adapted for a computer screen in “spread” or landscape format, and one adapted for a cellphone screen in portrait format. Choose the one – or both – to suit your needs.

The details of the liturgical celebrations for Holy Week and Easter in the various languages are as follows:

Afrikaans
The Diocese of Oudtshoorn will livestream Holy Week and Easter Celebrations as follows:
1 April – Holy Thursday – Queen of Peace, Bongolethu – 19:00
2 April – Good Friday – St Nicholas, Brighton – 15:00
3 April – Easter Vigil – St Saviour’s Cathedral – 19:00
4 April – Easter Sunday – St Conrad, Dysselsdorp – 09:00

The Facebook link for Afrikaans liturgies is: https://www.facebook.com/The-Diocese-of-Oudtshoorn-108130457648557

English
The Archdiocese of Cape Town will livestream Holy Week and Easter liturgies as follows:
1. 28th March 2021. Palm Sunday – 10.00 Our Lady of the flight into Egypt Cathedral
2. 1st April 2021. Chrism Mass – 10.00 Immaculate Conception Parish, Parow.
3. 1st April 2021. Mass of the Lord’s Supper – 19.30 Our Lady of the flight into Egypt Cathedral
4. 2nd April 2021. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion – 15.00 Our Lady of the flight into Egypt Cathedral
5. 3rd April 2021. Easter Vigil – 20.00 Our Lady of the flight into Egypt Cathedral
6. 4th April 2021. Easter Sunday Mass – 10.00 Our Lady of the flight into Egypt Cathedral

English services will be livestreamed to the Archdiocese of Cape Town Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/archdiocesecapetown and links will be posted to this website and to our YouTube channel.

isiXhosa
The Diocese of Mthatha will livestream Holy Week and Easter Celebration as follows:
Palm Sunday Mass at 09:00 in IsiXhosa from St Patrick’s Parish in Mthatha 
Holy Thursday Mass at 18:00 in IsiXhosa from St Patrick’s Parish in Mthatha 

The Facebook link for isiXhosa liturgies (above) and Sesotho and isiXhosa (below) is https://www.facebook.com/rccmthatha

Bilingual (Sesotho and isiXhosa)
The Diocese of Mthatha will also livestream bilingual Holy Week and Easter celebrations from St Martin of Tours Parish, Mthatha as follows:
1. 28 March, Passion Sunday, 11.00
2. 01 April, Maundy Thursday, 16.00
3. 02 April, Good Friday, 15.00 
4. 03 April, Holy Saturday, 18.00
5. 04 April, Easter Sunday, 10.00 

Further details will be made known as soon as these come in.

Our bishops invite you to join them via livestream as they commemorate the saving Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, celebrated in the sacred liturgies of Holy Week.

All services will be livestreamed to the Archdiocese of Cape Town Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/archdiocesecapetown and links will be posted to this website and to our YouTube channel.

Here are the videos of the Palm Sunday Mass presided over by Archbishop Stephen Brislin, livestreamed at 10.00am on Sunday 28 March from St Mary’s Cathedral, Cape Town. Apologies: there are two videos, as connection was lost during the livestream.

Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 26 March 2021, during this time of the Coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Reflection for Friday 26 March 2021. Gospel passage: John 10:31-42

As startling as it might seem to some, we have to conclude that it was religion – badly practiced religion, which put the Son of God on the cross. Why do I make such a claim? All genuine religion represents a genuine search for the genuine God. Being an authentic religious leader Jesus revealed the true God to the world but the God he revealed angered the religious leaders of his time. 

In our Gospel passage of today’s Mass the Jews wanted to stone Jesus, accusing him of blasphemy. Those who opposed Jesus in the Gospel of John become a symbol for those who resist the divine message. In the synoptic gospels they are identified as Pharisees, who used religion to control people and boost their own egos. These were the people who knew the catechism but did not know God, otherwise they would never have passed the death sentence on Jesus. We see this clearly in the Gospel of Mark, for example, when the religious authorities had him condemned: “You heard the blasphemy. What is your finding? Their verdict was unanimous: he deserved to die” (Mark 14:64). 

The charge was blasphemy which means to insult God with language. When Jesus said that God was with the outcast, the marginalised, the sinners, the tax collectors, the lepers and the other untouchables they became enraged. They forgot that it was the sick who need the doctor and not the healthy. They reverenced the outwardly holy and forgot about the “circumcision of the heart” (Jeremiah 4:4). The God Jesus revealed irritated them because it robbed them of their status and their power over the people. One way to enrage a power-broker or a control freak is to threaten his/her power. Power brokers will do anything to protect their power – even to the extent of murdering the innocent. 

In this year of St Joseph, who was a family man, perhaps it will be good to see the ways in which power is exercised in the family. Among the spouses, is there a demonstration of God’s decision that the two shall become one – or is it more a case of one domineering the relationship while minimising the other? Parents, do your children love you – or do they fear you? Are they free enough to have an opinion that is different to yours or must they always reverence your soccer team, your political party, the brands you prefer, and bow down to the demands of your ego? It will be good to take the Passion of Christ into our homes knowing that the Cross does not transform us by by-passing our difficulties, but transforms us through helping us face our difficulties. It is not a spiritual bandage for a relational wound – rather, it is power to dialogue about our difficulties and to agree to respect each other’s differences. But the first step is always to recognise that we need God’s help.

Blasphemy literally means to insult God with language. We insult God with language when we say one thing and do another. For example when marriage vows are taken and then not kept, God is insulted with the utterance of vows in a faithless way. The same can be said of baptismal vows, priestly vows and religious professions. Other ways in which we insult God with language is through telling lies and through gossip. I wish you a meaningful reflection on how blasphemy can sometimes creep into the home in unnoticed ways and cause damage to our relationships. 

Let us pray: Lord, give us the grace to become more authentic in our speech and our actions and in that way to be a true disciples of Jesus. We ask this through him who is the way, the truth and the life. Amen. [Blessing].

Archbishop Stephen Brislin offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Wednesday 24 March 2021, during this time of the coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

We are now in the fifth week of Lent and are rapidly approaching the celebration of the Easter mysteries, the heart of Christian belief. We will commemorate the Last Supper and keep vigil with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, walk with Jesus on the way of the Cross and stand with Our Lady and others at the foot of the Cross. In stillness we will prayerfully remember his burial and rejoice with the angels at his Resurrection. 

In the First Reading of today’s Mass (Daniel 3:14-20, 24-25.28) we hear of the three young men who would not obey the order of Nebuchadnezzar to worship his gods and were duly thrown into the fiery furnace. Here is an excerpt from the end of the narrative:

Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set at nought the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

Let us pray:

O God of compassion, guide us your people to serve you, the one and only true God, and to surrender ourselves completely to your will, in trust and confidence of your love and mercy for us. We make this prayer, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever, amen.

After the Liturgy of the Word at Mass, we enter the Liturgy of the Eucharist, beginning with the collection (on a Sunday). In the early days of the Church the collection was intended for the poor and those in need. As the Church grew, support was needed for the Church itself and for the upkeep of the clergy, as well as for those in need. Nonetheless, part of the collection should always be used for the poor. Sometimes gifts “in kind” were brought to the altar for the poor. The collection is important, not only for the support it gives, but also as an act of giving and sharing from what we have. Christian life is characterized by our willingness to share.

At the offertory, bread and wine is offered for consecration. There are four essential aspects to the Eucharist and, despite some changes in the Mass in history, the four Eucharistic actions have always been present and must be present. They are to be found in the Scriptural accounts of the Last Supper: Jesus took bread, he gave thanks, he broke it and he gave it to his disciples – similarly he took wine, gave thanks and gave it to his disciples. In the offertory of the Mass the priest fulfils the first of the Eucharistic actions, he takes the bread and wine. It is always preferable if there is an offertory procession where the bread and wine is brought forward, although it is not always feasible to do so. And, of course, in this time of pandemic, it is not possible at all. 

The offertory procession should be confined to bringing forward the gifts for the Church/those in need, and the bread and wine. It is not appropriate to bring forward other symbols which may distract from the bread and wine, such as candles, bibles, pictures of saints, and so on. If there other symbols at a celebration, these can be presented at the beginning of Mass.

The celebrant offers the bread to the Father, using words based on traditional Jewish table prayers, blessing God the Creator  for giving us the fruits of the earth and they are offered as the “work of human hands”. Before making a similar prayer for the wine he mixes it with a small amount of water, saying softly “By the mingling of this water and wine may we come to share in the Divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity”. This action can be seen as a reference to the blood and water that flowed from Christ’s side, as a symbol of the divine and human nature of Christ – the divine exchange between Christ’s divinity and our humanity – and as a prayer that we will never be separated from Christ, just as the water and wine can no longer be separated.

After the Blessing Prayers, the celebrant washes his hands, saying quietly, “Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin”, a verse from Psalm 51. From Old Testament times the Levites were required to undergo ritual washing before performing their duties. It is possible that the washing of hands at Mass was a practical thing to do in the past, since the celebrant received multiple gifts in the offertory, such as vegetables, fruit and so on, and needed to wash his hands. It is now understood as a symbol of the need for inner purification and integrity of heart.   

The priest then invites the congregation, “Pray brethren (brothers and sisters) that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Almighty Father”. However, there is only one sacrifice being offered. “My sacrifice and yours” refers to the different natures of the priesthood: the priesthood of the baptized – in which we all share through our baptism – and the ministerial priesthood imparted through ordination. The people respond, “may the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and good of all the Church”. The function of a priest is to offer sacrifice; as we all share in the baptismal priesthood our offering to God is our very lives in their totality, body and soul, our works, our dreams, our happinesses and sorrows – all is offered to God, and we combine our offering with the self-offering of Christ. The ministerial priesthood is responsible for offering the Sacrifice of Christ at Mass, the perfect sacrifice that is never repeated. We share in it as a “memorial”. The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s Passover, making it present in the “here and now” – it is the sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice. The memorial is not merely the recollection of past events but they become, in a certain way, present and real.

The celebrant then says the prayer over the offerings which brings the Preparation of the Gifts to completion.

Let us now pray for God’s blessing:

The Lord be with you                                      R/ And with your Spirit

Bow down for the blessing:

Listen to the cry of your people, O Lord, and receive our prayers, as we place all our hope in you. May we feel the effects of your mercy and never doubt your presence among us. Through Christ Our Lord, amen.

May Almighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (+), amen.

Pope Francis declared the Year of St Joseph, running from 8 December 2020 to 8 December 2021. This is a rare opportunity for us to focus on this great man who is often described as “standing in the shadows”. Joseph becomes our guide to visit the important moments of the life of Mary and the childhood of Jesus. Though operating in obscurity, Joseph leads us to a deeper understanding of Church, work, family, husband, fatherhood and prayer as we delve into some important aspects of his life. Every time we do we this have a refreshing encounter with who we are as Church in the world today. As this is also the Year of the Eucharist, Benediction forms an integral part of our devotions.

This year is an invitation by Pope Francis to celebrate St Joseph. It is an opportunity that the Church and the faithful should appropriate fully. Archbishop Stephen Brislin leads the first of the monthly reflections. It is titled: St Joseph in the context of the Church today. For your convenience, and as an aid to the Deaf, the text of his reflection is offered below the video.

ST JOSEPH IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CHURCH TODAY

In this time of vacuum of leadership in the world many are searching for role models, someone who can inspire us. The candidates presented to us through the media are most often film stars, modern singers, those who have made a fortune through their innovations, sportsmen and women, and occasionally charismatic politicians. We admire their skill in whatever field they succeed in, often we admire their lifestyle and many enjoy “following” them on social media platforms. But frequently we are also let down by our supposed heroes. They disgrace themselves through dirty-dealing and cheating, leaving us rather disillusioned.

The difficulty is that when we look for heroes or for role models, we often look only at the superficial – their looks, wealth, skill, competence and prowess in certain fields, sometimes even secretly delight in their shenanigans. But if we put our hope and trust in people there comes a time when they will disappoint us. Our trust can only be in God who never disappoints us. As we hear in psalm 117: It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in men; it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. No matter how good a person may be, they always have the potential to fail us in one way or another.

That said, it is not bad to have role models – young people need them especially. But it all depends on what you look for in the person. For example, do we consider moral values or even, for that matter, basic human values? Do we consider spiritual values? Do we ever pause and ask ourselves whether potential role models are kind, have a sense of justice, are they self-giving and willing to be of service to others? Do we ask whether they care about the poor and stand in solidarity with them? Is it important for us that our heroes be people of prayer and faith, who submit themselves in humility to their Creator acknowledging that their giftedness is from the Creator?

It can be so wonderful to hear what young people have to say. On occasion, at a Confirmation, I ask the Confirmandi who their role model or hero is. It is not uncommon for the response to be: my father, my grandmother, my uncle, and so on. It is heartening that despite the often-time shallowness of the our current times, young people still apply their minds and see beyond the exterior of a person and recognize deeper, Christian qualities and values. The fact is, heroes are all around us – they are not the rich, glamorous or famous, but ordinary people, who live good and ordinary lives, and who fulfil their responsibilities to others faithfully and with deep love. They are not the sort of people that books will be written about, or long obituaries in the newspaper. They will not be remembered for centuries to come, although they certainly will be kept and treasured in the hearts of those who have known them.

Pope Francis has said something similar in talking about St Joseph. In his Apostolic Letter Patris Corde , commemorating the 150^th anniversary of the declaration by Pope Pius IX of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis writes, “our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked. People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history”. This is who St Joseph was, an ordinary man who has often been overlooked, and yet who helped shape the destiny of the world. Unlike millions of so-called heroes through the centuries, who after their day of fame have faded into history, we still remember St Jospeh and celebrate his life. Surprisingly we know very little about him. Events of his life are related in five episodes in the New Testament, but we never hear one word spoken by him. The point is that there are heroes all around us, but we search for them in the wrong place and using the wrong values – just as we search for God in the spectacular yet he is to be found in the ordinary.

While the information about St Joseph’s personality, history, character and nature is scarce, it is amazing what can be gleaned from the little that is said about him in the Bible, and we are able to see a picture of the type of person Joseph was. We know that he was a prayerful, God-fearing man, a worker, a husband and father who cared for and protected his family – in doing so, he exhibited courage and trust in God’s providence. He was a refugee, one who could abandon himself into the hands of God with confidence and who humbly accepted God’s will in all things, something we are called to do as disciples of Jesus.

But perhaps the most important aspect of Joseph’s character was his simplicity – he was not a high-flyer, a leader of society, a particularly wealthy man or a major leader, although of royal lineage. Like so many saints and martyrs in the history of the Church he was a simple, uncomplicated person. Someone who got on with what was asked of him and fulfilled his responsibilities and obligations. As with many of the saints we remember and honour, he probably born into an ordinary and humble family, not necessarily poor, but also not especially rich. Their riches were not to be found in a “bank balance” but in the spiritual values of God’s Kingdom. They were rooted in their faith in God and their willingness to serve him in the ordinary every day events of life. In a world so gripped by materialism, as disciples of Jesus we should to simplify our lives, to unravel the knots as Pope Francis has put it.

Everyone can learn from St Joseph and see an example of holiness and faith in him. But especially men and boys should recognize in him an excellent role model of what it means to be a man. In the confusion of today’s world, characterized in our own country by violence – especially against women and children – by infidelity and a lack of appreciation of marriage and family, by using using others, by lack of loyalty and the forsaking of responsibility, Jospeh shines as a true man in the image of God’s original creation. Boys are often socialized into erroneous concepts of what a man is – “macho”, afraid to show feelings, a player among women, a person who is not afraid to trample underfoot those who stand in his way. Such erroneous images of “manhood” has sad consequences. St Joseph was a true man and an example of Christianity. A husband who loved and cared for his wife, doing everything he could to ensure justice for her and save her from any embarrassment. He had a sense of decency and respect for women. and the Church should be a light leading society to respect for women.

He was a loving father who raised and guided his child Jesus. Pope Francis notes in his Apostolic Letter, Fathers are not born, but made. A man does not become a father simply by bringing a child into the world, but by taking up the responsibility to care for that child. Whenever a man accepts responsibility for the life of another, in some way he becomes a father to that person. Joseph was such a father – not the biological father of Jesus at all, yet he took responsibility for him and helped Jesus grow “in wisdom and in divine and human favour” (Luke 2:52). Sadly, so many of our children grow up with an absent father, or living with a father who creates terror rather than love. Pope Francis has noted that the family is the foundation of co-existence and a remedy against social fragmentation. Of course, many women, or grandparents, do a valiant and spectacular job of raising children in severely adverse conditions. But thousands of children suffer from deprivation, abuse and without a role model. Ministry to men is can play a role in this regard because they can be excellent role models for children and young people in the Church.

Fundamental to all the human qualities that Joseph exhibited was his faith. He would never have been able to recognize God’s will that came to him in dreams, unless he was a person in close communion with God. Without faith, he would not have been obedient to what God asked of him but would have tried to find ways around it in order to remain in his comfort zone. Without faith he would have lacked the courage to act on God’s will and to face the dangers of Herod and exile. Because of his faith, his heart was tender and compassionate and he cared for Mary and Jesus with deep self-sacrificial love. We too, as we face the many challenges to our fundamental beliefs as Christians, need to strengthen our faith.

In the light of all of this, it is no wonder that St Joseph is not only the Patron Saint of the Universal Church, but is also Patron Saint of workers, of homes, of families, of fathers, of carpenters and of a happy death. In the coming months you will hear a lot more about St Joseph in Scripture, as a worker, refugee, husband, family man, father, man of prayer and a friend at the time of death. I hope that you will accept him as a model for Christian life and that we will all learn simplicity from him. My heartfelt thanks goes to Fr Ivanhoe and the parish of Bothasig for organising these reflections to celebrate the Year of St Joseph.

+Stephen Brislin 19^th March 2021
Archbishop of Cape Town

Rui Antonio Henriques was ordained to the Priesthood on 19 March 2021 (the Feast of St Joseph) by Archbishop Stephen Brislin. The ordination was livestreamed from Corpus Christi Church in Wynberg at 10.00am, to the Cathedral and Archdiocese of Cape Town Facebook pages. Attendance at the ordination was limited to invitation only, due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Auxiliary Bishop Sylvester David offers his prayer and reflection for the people of the Archdiocese of Cape Town for today, Friday 19 March 2021, during this time of the Coronavirus pandemic. It is also available on the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Please also see below the text of his reflection, primarily for the deaf.

Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24. NB: Please read the text.

Today is a day of great joy for the Archdiocese of Cape Town. Dcn Rui Henriques will be ordained priest. We ask that all keep him in prayer – that his priesthood will bring much joy and fulfilment to him, to his family, to those he will serve and to the Church. 

And now for our text: In the brief gospel passage for today, the name Joseph is used five times while references to Mary and to Jesus occur three times each. According to the laws which presided over the composition of ancient texts this is significant. Repetition is the mother of all rhetoric and the repetition of the name Joseph is strategic in this text as it will be in Matthew 2:13-23. In both cases the emphasis is on the election of Joseph by God to fulfil a precise function and the obedience of Joseph even against cultural norms and societal expectations. In both cases Joseph does exactly what he was commanded to do. Doing the will of God was paramount in his life. Peer pressure does not weaken a just man’s resolve. Later on Jesus was to say: “my food is to do the will of the one who sent me” (John 4:34).

Joseph shows us what obedience is all about. It does not have to make sense. It is an aspect of faith. In the family context, as in the case of any situation where children are involved, it is about celebrating innocence and protecting the vulnerable. Today we commemorate Joseph as husband of Mary. He is the one who took her home “as his wife” (cf. Matthew 1:20). The function of every husband is to collaborate with his wife in nurturing the life given to them by God. The Bible is clear – Joseph has to name the Child. In the Hebrew tradition that role was reserved for the father. But here, God gives Joseph the name by which the Child will be known. So it is God who is the Father, but fatherhood in the Bible is not only reserved for the one who generates life – it is also relational. Anyone doing for the Child what God will have him do is de facto father to that child. And so Joseph is allowed to pronounce the name Jesus when the time came. To him was entrusted the task of taking care of God’s Word.

Today’s feast seriously challenges present day attitudes to masculinity. Masculinity in our time is associated with physical attributes such as sheer strength and an unrelenting show of victorious escapades. We have not yet learnt that bravery is not about not having fear – it is more about coping with fear, and in the face of fear of doing the right thing. Strength is not about not having weakness – it is more about having the strength to show one’s weakness. We still need to learn to salute the soldier in us whose strength is not to fight. God’s recipe for war-like attitudes is found in Isaiah 2:4 where we are encouraged to turn swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks. Imagine if we could convert our instruments of war into mechanisms which produce food. Imagine if national budgets are measured not by defence spending but by caring for the vulnerable. Yes indeed – the feast of Joseph is important if civilisation is to make progress.

Let us pray: Lord teach us the gentleness of strength and strength of gentleness. Help us to build a just and humane society where innocence is honoured and the vulnerable are protected. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. [Blessing].