 clickable | | St. Joseph: A Labor of Love Joseph's work in Nazareth was a labor of love. He understood the importance of the home life of the Holy Family, and he thoughtfully and sensibly carried out the stewardship necessary. While the work of raising a child is not always easy, Joseph's task was even weightier. Mary and her son didn't need just any man; they needed this one, the one whom God had chosen for them. Joseph gave himself completely to this holy undertaking. Was he aware of what was taking place? We don't know. We do know that every opportunity Joseph had to instruct Jesus was an opportunity to grow in the knowledge of God. Imagine being the one to teach the Son of God how to use a hammer or the one to watch anxiously the first time Jesus used a saw. The work in Nazareth, while truly the stuff of ordinary life, was carried out by an extraordinary man. This work wasn't only for Mary and Jesus but also for all women and men united with God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph continues his work for us in the Church today. —from the book Jospeh, the Man Who Raised Jesus by Fr. Gary Caster |  clickable: The Following is from MorningOffering | †Saint Quote
"Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to Him, 'Lord, here I am. Tell me what You would have me do.' If He gives me some task, I am content and I thank Him. If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that. And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart. I tell Him about my pains and my joys, and then I listen. If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen. God always speaks to you when you approach Him plainly and simply."
— St. Catherine Laboure † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"If favored souls are sometimes sensibly conscious of the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in our churches, how much more must holy Joseph, whose spiritual senses were so delicate and refined, have felt his heart burn within him with divine charity, from the nearness of Him who now dwelt in Mary as His living tabernacle!"
— Edward Healy Thompson, p. 168
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Life & Glories of Saint Joseph † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful."
Colossians 3:14-15 SAINT OF THE DAY †⛪ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER
St. Joseph (1st c.) was born in Bethlehem in Judea and later settled in Nazareth. By Divine command he became the husband of the Virgin Mary and adoptive father to God Incarnate. We know from Scripture and Tradition that St. Joseph was a virtuous man and a carpenter by trade. It was he who was entrusted with the great mission to guard, protect, and provide for the temporal needs of God's most precious gifts, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus, in the role of husband and father within the Holy Family. St. Joseph's mission continues from heaven as the patron saint of the Catholic Church. He is also the patron of many causes including fathers, laborers, and families. His feast days are: St. Joseph the Husband of Mary on March 19th, and St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st. Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955 to emphasize the dignity, meaning, and value of human work in the eyes of God, and to give all laborers a model of virtue as well as a heavenly intercessor and protector. |  click to read more | | Saint Joseph the Worker To foster deep devotion to Saint Joseph among Catholics, and in response to the "May Day" celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955. This feast extends the long relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers in both Catholic faith and devotion. Beginning in the Book of Genesis, the dignity of human work has long been celebrated as a participation in the creative work of God. By work, humankind both fulfills the command found in Genesis to care for the earth (Gn 2:15) and to be productive in their labors. Saint Joseph, the carpenter and foster father of Jesus, is but one example of the holiness of human labor. Jesus, too, was a carpenter. He learned the trade from Saint Joseph and spent his early adult years working side-by-side in Joseph's carpentry shop before leaving to pursue his ministry as preacher and healer. In his encyclical Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II stated: "the Church considers it her task always to call attention to the dignity and rights of those who work, to condemn situations in which that dignity and those rights are violated, and to help to guide [social] changes so as to ensure authentic progress by man and society." Saint Joseph is held up as a model of such work. Pius XII emphasized this when he said, "The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work."
Reflection To capture the devotion to Saint Joseph within the Catholic liturgy, in 1870, Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph the patron of the universal Church. In 1955, Pope Pius XII added the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. This silent saint, who was given the noble task of caring and watching over the Virgin Mary and Jesus, now cares for and watches over the Church and models for all the dignity of human work. | Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter Reading 1 Acts 5:17-26 The high priest rose up and all his companions,
that is, the party of the Sadducees,
and, filled with jealousy,
laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.
But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,
led them out, and said,
"Go and take your place in the temple area,
and tell the people everything about this life."
When they heard this,
they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.
When the high priest and his companions arrived,
they convened the Sanhedrin,
the full senate of the children of Israel,
and sent to the jail to have them brought in.
But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison,
so they came back and reported,
"We found the jail securely locked
and the guards stationed outside the doors,
but when we opened them, we found no one inside."
When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report,
they were at a loss about them,
as to what this would come to.
Then someone came in and reported to them,
"The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area
and are teaching the people."
Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them,
but without force,
because they were afraid of being stoned by the people. Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R.(7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R.The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 3:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God so love the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 3:16-21 God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. | Meditation: John 3:16-21
2nd Week of Easter God so loved. (John 3:16) Right here, right now, stop and proclaim it out loud: God so loved. Everything that proceeds from God originates in love. It is who he is. He loved so much that his love overflowed and spoke creation into existence. It continued to overflow and cascaded onto fallen creation, onto sinful men and women, onto you. God so loves you, and neither sin nor brokenness can obstruct that flow. He wants you to be with him, always and forever. And so, God so loved the world . . . that he gave his only-begotten Son. He gave his very heart, Jesus, to the world. He sent his Son to be a sacrifice for all the sin that separates us from him—a sacrifice that we could never make on our own. He sent his Son to us so that we might know what love looks like: a love so powerful that it infuses new life into cold or hard or wounded hearts. God so loved that he gave his all, for you . . . so that everyone who believes in him . . . Believe that Jesus died for you, personally. Believe that Jesus loves you even when you feel ashamed or unworthy of his love. Believe that nothing you have done, or failed to do, can ever change that truth. Believe that he will strengthen you in your weakness. Believe that he will forgive your every sin. Believe that his perfect love casts out all fear. Stake your life on it. Consciously choose to believe it, especially in the face of doubt, fear, or failure. God so loves you! So that you. . . might not perish but might have eternal life. You have nothing to fear. Death no longer has power over you. When your life ends here on earth, God will be right there, ready to carry you to his eternal dwelling place. He will say to you, "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). You are my delight (Isaiah 62:4). Now enter my kingdom and live forever." "Father, thank you for loving me and for sending your only Son, Jesus, so that I might share in your life forever." Acts 5:17-26
Psalm 34:2-9 |  clickable | In the words of Mother Teresa, 'God does not require that we be successful—only that we be faithful.' Fidelity in the midst of failure is called perseverance.
—Fr. J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B.
from Humility Rules: Saint Benedict's Twelve-Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem |  clickable go see food for poor | | 2cents:
The angel said to them "Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life."
Ahh yes. It is all about the witness. The angel told them to "take their place in the temple". This is where God wanted them...but those temple guards didn't. Who are the guards in today's time? We are all called to be guardians of the faith. Saint Joseph was a guardian of our Lord. We should take a cue from the man that God chose to be His own father figure! | Let us pray: "I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. The Lord hears the cry of the poor." Now, let's not think of the poor as just those who are homeless, or are making less than so many thousands of dollars per year. No. The Lord sees beyond. Money is a tool, a means. So, who are the poor? Often they are the suffering, the oppressed, and many times...dare I say...those caught up in sin. Hmm. My oh my, how tables are turning, now, will my heart take a turn for Love? God is Love. | "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." We can leave the condemnation to those being condemned. Amen? We can leave behind the bickering and fighting, right? We can leave the fighting for power and authority, right? We can leave the whole control thing right? But wait. So soon you speak, and you are afraid. So weak, and feeble. Your will is so weak. And so, you become defensive, quarreling, and fighting, bickering, vying, and hating. What is the common denominator on all evil dictatorships? They want complete control and power. Every day I see a news headline about how a judge overrules the greater people's will. In one state, they vote for natural marriage, or for the protection of unborn, but one judge says no, overruling hundreds of thousands or millions. You see how the evil Pharisaical judges still live today? But look no further than the person in the mirror to see that attitude. What I want often supersedes what God wants. | In comes the day of Holy Saint Joseph, the Worker.
Why in the world would the Holy Catholic And Universal Church make this often forgotten man the so called "Patron" of the entire church?
Let's zoom out of space and time and then start zooming into the beginning, Genesis. There we find a man, a poor man. Alone. Then, he is given a wife. The wife causes him to lose his life. He loses his life but in the process, the promise is born. A child is born. For God gave His only Son. How did St. Joseph portray Adam? I'm not attempting to portray him as Adam! But God the Father. Adam is said to be Jesus, the new Adam, the new Creation of the new Heavens and the new Earth. But Joseph represents God who adopts and cares for and gives his life for...the promise. That's all we got right? A promise? In comes faith.
God ends up providing the lamb of sacrifice.
Lots of modern movies about the Holy Family portray a love story between Mary and Joseph, one of courting, and love, and romance. That's not the love we should be seeing. The love Joseph did was one of sacrifice. He sacrificed himself for Jesus and Mary. What did he sacrifice? Everything. He suffered the cross before Jesus would. They say that Joseph knew what Jesus would have to endure...for him and the whole world, and this hurt him and tore him up inside...to the point that everything Joseph would suffer He'd offer it up to God as sacrifice. Nobody knows truly how much Joseph really loved. He is a mystery. In silence he speaks. And I wouldn't be saying all this if I didn't have an interesting intuition into him this Lent. I made a 9 day prayer, Novena to him. On the 9th day, that what I had been praying for so much was answered. Our church building had no definite sense of direction. Been working on it for years and years. On the 9th day of the novena, unbeknownst to me, I suddenly realized we had a Pastoral meeting that day, and we would be deciding that day what to do about our buildings. I saw it as a sign from our Lord in Heaven that whatever was said -would be. And it all came together beautifully. We now have a definitive plan of action, including that we would not build a whole new church, but rebuild, fix our church, make it beautiful. So often we just want to just start from scratch. But God rebuilds the earth with the earth. The jar of clay is smashed and the clay is reused.
I am just so amazed my dear loved one. Pray with me:
St. Joseph, the worker, help us make Jesus and Mary beautiful.
Help us make the Lord and the Church wonderful and amazing.
Help us to be guardians of the great vine you have planted in.
Pray for us dear Patron saint of the Universal Church.
And in that prayer you pray for us, pray for us to follow your role, of true humility in true love, which is in true sacrifice. |  click to hear the bible verse | adrian
Whoa! Random Bible Verse1
Psalm 115:3 (Listen) 3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases. Thank You Jesus | |
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