 clickable | | Jesus Always Finds Us Jesus, in his proclamation of the kingdom, told us what we could prefer to life itself. The Bible ends by telling us we are called to be a people who could say, "Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20), who could welcome something more than business as usual and live in God's Big Picture. We all have to ask for the grace to prefer something to our small lives because we have been offered the shared Life, the One Life, the eternal Life, God's Life, which became visible for us in this world as Jesus. What we are all searching for is someone to surrender to, something we can prefer to life itself. Well here is the wonderful surprise: God is the only one we can surrender to without losing ourselves! The irony is that we actually find ourselves, but now in a whole new and much larger field of meaning —from the book Yes, And...: Daily Meditations by Richard Rohr, OFM |  clickable: The Following is from MorningOffering | †Saint Quote
"We have close to us as much as Joseph had at Nazareth; we have our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, but our poor eyes fail to see Him. Let us once become interior souls and we shall immediately see. In no better way can we enter into the Heart of our Lord than through Saint Joseph. Jesus and Mary are eager to pay the debts which they owe him for his devoted care of them, and their greatest pleasure is to fulfill his least desire. Let him, then, lead you by hand into the interior sanctuary of Jesus Eucharistic."
— St. Peter Julian Eymard † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"When God breathed His Spirit into Adam, it was not only to make him a living creature. That same Holy Spirit also gave him insight into the things of God. We, as creatures, cannot hope to understand the mysteries of our faith on our own, but with the gift of the Spirit we have an insight into those mysteries from within our own hearts."
— St. Francis de Sales, p. 88
AN EXCERPT FROM
Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit † VERSE OF THE DAY
"When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, 'Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.'"
Luke 22:45-46 |  click to read more | | Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a "just" man. The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts. When the Bible speaks of God "justifying" someone, it means that God, the all-holy or "righteous" one, so transforms a person that the individual shares somehow in God's own holiness, and hence it is really "right" for God to love him or her. In other words, God is not playing games, acting as if we were lovable when we are not. By saying Joseph was "just," the Bible means that he was one who was completely open to all that God wanted to do for him. He became holy by opening himself totally to God. The rest we can easily surmise. Think of the kind of love with which he wooed and won Mary, and the depth of the love they shared during their marriage. It is no contradiction of Joseph's manly holiness that he decided to divorce Mary when she was found to be with child. The important words of the Bible are that he planned to do this "quietly" because he was "a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame" (Matthew 1:19). The just man was simply, joyfully, wholeheartedly obedient to God—in marrying Mary, in naming Jesus, in shepherding the precious pair to Egypt, in bringing them to Nazareth, in the undetermined number of years of quiet faith and courage. Reflection
The Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41–51). Perhaps this can be taken to mean that God wants us to realize that the holiest family was like every other family, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like those of every family, so that when Jesus' mysterious nature began to appear, people couldn't believe that he came from such humble beginnings: "Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary…?" (Matthew 13:55a). It was almost as indignant as "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" (John 1:46b). Saint Joseph is the Patron Saint of:
Belgium
Canada
Carpenters
China
Fathers
Happy death
Peru
Russia
Social Justice
Travelers
Universal Church
Vietnam
Workers | Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary Reading 1 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16 The LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
"Go, tell my servant David,
'When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
It is he who shall build a house for my name.
And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.'" Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29 R. (37) The son of David will live for ever.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. The son of David will live for ever.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."
R. The son of David will live for ever.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."
R. The son of David will live for ever. Reading 2 Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22 Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. Verse Before the Gospel Ps 84:5 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord;
they never cease to praise you. GospeL Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home. or Lk 2:41-51a Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
"Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them,
"Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them.
| Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24 Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Solemnity) He was a righteous man. (Matthew 1:19) That's how we often think of St. Joseph, isn't it? The righteous man who did not want to expose Mary—his pregnant spouse—to the shame of public scandal and punishment. According to Jewish betrothal customs, he and Mary were considered to be married already, but he had not yet brought her to live with him in his home. That made her pregnancy problematic, to say the least. So he took the righteous demand of the Law and tried to soften it. He intended to divorce Mary quietly and move on with his life. Righteous and compassionate, that's Joseph. But his story didn't end there. Joseph's plan was interrupted when an angel told him to go ahead and take Mary into his home: her pregnancy was from the Spirit, and it was for the salvation of Israel. There would have been plenty to fear about such a union: Mary's condition might bring shame to his household and family name. Neighbors would look askance at them, and his own integrity would be in doubt. Customers might hesitate to hire him as a carpenter. And what of his position in the synagogue? But Joseph didn't hesitate. He did what the angel counseled. Bringing Mary into his home, he willingly accepted the shame and disgrace that could have fallen on her. Joseph was able to take all this on because he trusted God. He believed the angel's word that God was doing something new in Mary and in her son. What's more, in some mysterious way, Joseph's actions prefigure what Jesus would do for each of us: like Jesus, he placed his own reputation on the line. Like Jesus, he accepted rejection and opposition for the sake of God's plan. That puts Joseph at the head of a long line of saints who chose obedience to God at the risk of their own reputations. Think of St. Francis of Assisi, divesting himself of his riches to live as a holy beggar. Or St. Joan of Arc, defying social limitations to follow her divine mission. So don't be afraid to say yes to the Lord, even if it puts you at odds with the status quo. Remember you have Joseph as a father to care for you every step of the way. "Thank you, Father, for St. Joseph, a righteous man and holy model of faith!" 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16
Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29
Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 |  clickable | In St. Joseph, his holiness stems from his very high calling to be the father of Jesus Christ, the husband of our Blessed Mother. Courage and fortitude exemplify this great servant of God, the servant of He that is the suffering servant of Isaiah: Jesus Himself. Joseph was able to put his own reputation on the line, willing to forego his most obstinant of doubts, willing to forego all the temptations and allurements of the flesh and the devil.
—Fr. Clement Machado
from St. Joseph: The Church's Best Kept Secret | 2cents:
"I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me." Our Lord was speaking about the "son of David". And keep in mind how many times people called our Lord Jesus "son of David. Son of the Father. God said "I shall be His Father". Step aside. Let Him be Who He Is. Our Father. | Today we pray: "The son of David will live for ever. "He shall say of me, 'You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.' Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm." God's covenant still remains firm † The Son of God. It will ALWAYS remain firm. His Love and Mercy endures forever. Praise be to God. | In the Holy Gospel, our Lord spoke ""Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
And this he told His Blessed Mother Mary and her most chaste and holy spouse...Joseph. Yes, Joseph had to hear those beautiful words from the precious lips of a young boy he was helping raise to be a just, that is a holy man of God. But the child was God, so Joseph's ears were being filled with music from Heaven. | "My son's Father's house". Joseph, a priest. Joseph, a most holy man, very comparable and complimentary to Mary, but Mary surpasses for her creation and immaculate conception. So, this makes Joseph the holiest man on earth. And I would not be saying this to you had I not been praying for 9 days til today, a novena to St. Joseph. What transpired was the amount of humility, and another saint kept coming to mind that seemed to embody this holiness...Brother Andre of Canada. A healer, a provider, a righteous man, soft in demeanor, yet strong hands for labor...in the vineyard of the Lord. Admirable attributes. Such were the hands that carried Jesus. Held Jesus. Hugged Jesus. Held God, loved God, carried God. And the child grew up to be strong and wise beyond measure, soft and tender beyond measure or comprehension. Jesus had the immaculate heart of Mary and was raised by the holiness of Joseph. Joseph the worker, Joseph the Holy priest. Mary gave Him blood from Abraham to David. Joseph shows the Lord how to be the priest He was born to be. The High priest of Heaven is formed. The High priest offers blood from His own body. In His Father's house. The only son of God. Today, the anxiety of Mary and Joseph is healed...they find Jesus. Their nerves are soothed.
How can my faith be formed today? Surely, by taking the example of the Holy Family found in the temple, Our Father's house.
And the Holy Spirit will lead us to Him.
This is our sense of direction.
Holiness comes through humility.
Mary and Joseph were favored for their holiness and their willingness to do God's will, no matter the cost, for they could afford it...for their hearts were larger than earthly life. Their hearts were with God from the beginning. |  click to hear the bible verse | adrian Random Bible Verse
Philippians 2:5-8 (Listen) 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [1] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, [2] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Thank You Jesus | |
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