St. Joseph the Betrothed
St. Joseph the Betrothed, a righteous carpenter of Nazareth descended from the line of King David, was chosen in his old age to be the guardian and protector of the Virgin Mary and of the Christ Child.
A widower with grown children from his first marriage, he obeyed the angel's word to take Mary as his wife, sheltered the newborn Savior, and fled with Mother and Child into Egypt to escape Herod. Scripture records his deeds but not a single word he spoke; tradition holds that he reposed at a great age before the Lord's public ministry. He is commemorated on the Sunday after the Nativity together with David the King and James the Brother of the Lord.
No recorded sayings. Read the Life to meet this saint.
Troparion · Tone 2
Proclaim the wonder, O Joseph, to David the ancestor of God: you saw a Virgin great with Child, you gave glory with the shepherds, you worshipped with the Magi, you received the news from the angel. Pray to Christ God to save our souls!
Kontakion of the Sunday after Nativity (Tone 3)
Today godly David is filled with joy; Joseph and James offer praise. The glorious crown of their kinship with Christ fills them with great joy. They sing praises to the One ineffably born on earth, and they cry out: "O Compassionate One, save those who honor You!"
Saints around the Nativity
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