This is part of the Consecration to St. Joseph Set

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DAY 9: Did you know that St. Joseph had a lineage that came from the royal Davidic kings? We can consider him to be the king of the Holy Family.

DAY 9: Noble Offspring of David, Pray for Us

He [God] saw to it that Joseph be born of the royal family; He wanted him to be noble even with earthly nobility. The blood of David, of Solomon, and of all the kings of Judah flows in his veins. — St. Peter Julian Eymard

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we learn that St. Joseph is of the lineage of the Davidic kings. The Old Testament prophets always taught that the Messiah would come from the Davidic line. Mary, our spiritual mother, was most likely a descendant of King David as well, but her ancestry is not given in the New Testament. Matthew and Luke present the lineage of Joseph because the Davidic ancestry of the Messiah needed to be shown through the father’s line. Therefore, Matthew and Luke made a point of emphasizing that even though Jesus is not the biological son of Joseph, he is the Son of Joseph by law. As such, Jesus has a legal right to be called a descendant of King David.

The espousals between Joseph and Mary are an episode of great importance. Joseph was of the royal line of David and, in virtue of his marriage to Mary, would confer on the Son of the Virgin — on God’s Son — the legal title of “Son of David,” thus fulfilling the prophecies. — Pope Benedict XVI

Saint Joseph was king of the Holy Family. He was not the king of Nazareth, Israel, or anything like that. Since every man is the king of his home, St. Joseph was the king of his house. In the home of Nazareth, St. Joseph was king, Mary was queen, and Jesus was the prince awaiting the kingdom prepared for him by his Heavenly Father. Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, of course, but God’s providential love desires that we acknowledge the kingship of St. Joseph in the Holy Family. Jesus himself gave us an example of the filial love and reverence we owe to St. Joseph, our spiritual father.

Saint Joseph is a noble lord. Many saints have often lovingly referred to St. Joseph as their “lord.” Saint Teresa of Avila was particularly fond of referring to St. Joseph as her lord. In using this term, no saint intends to claim that St. Joseph is God. Saint Joseph is not God. Saints sometimes use the term “Lord” when addressing St. Joseph out of respect, as is done when addressing dignitaries and rulers. Saints are pious and love to express their filial relationship to Mary and St. Joseph in devotional language. Mary, for example, is called Madonna. (“Madonna” derives from the Latin mea domina, that is, “My Lady,” and is the feminine form of “lord.”)

Since God has wanted to obey you [St. Joseph], allow me to be in your service, to honor you and love you as my Lord and Master. — St. Alphonsus Liguori

The whole Church recognizes St. Joseph as a patron and guard-ian. For centuries many different features of his life have caught the attention of believers. That is why, for many years now, I have liked to address him affectionately as “our father and lord.” — St. Josemaría Escrivá

Referring to St. Joseph as “lord” has biblical foundations as well. Remember Joseph in the Old Testament, the one sold into slav-ery by his brothers? Well, Joseph’s brothers end up calling him their “lord” (see Gen 44) when they encounter him again and he saves their family from famine. For us, St. Joseph is more than a brother; he is our noble spiritual father. He is our loving spiritual father and lord.

Noble St. Joseph, I rejoice that God found you worthy of holding this eminent position whereby, established as the father of Jesus, you saw the one whose orders heaven and earth obey subjecting himself to your authority. — St. Alphonsus Liguori

Son of David

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.” In some translations, the title is rendered as “Renowned Offspring of David.” Either way, the meaning is the same: Saint Joseph is a descen-dant 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 of 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 to 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 trou-bled 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. Joseph 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).

Pray the 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.
Guardian of the Redeemer, 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.
Servant of Christ, pray for us.
Minister of Salvation, 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.
Support in Difficulties, pray for us.
Comfort of the Afflicted, pray for us.
Hope of the Sick, pray for us.
Patron of Exiles,  pray for us.
Patron of the Afflicted, pray for us.
Patron of the Poor, pray for us.
Patron of the Dying, pray for us.
Terror of Demons,  pray for us.
Protector of the 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 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.

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