 clickable | | Are You With Me? "Are you with me?" It's a question we might ask an audience to make sure they haven't gone off to sleep while we were talking. Or at a critical moment in negotiations when we need to know who is on our side and who isn't. Or to a companion during a dark and dangerous walk along a cliff-edge to reassure ourselves he hasn't fallen off. I don't think Jesus means any of these when he says, "Whoever is not with me is against me; and whoever does not gather with me scatters" (Luke 11:23). We might still be "with him" even if we have fallen off to sleep or feel isolated in a hard place. He himself felt abandoned, but not disconnected from his Father at the end of his life—a strange and perhaps unique experience of communion and separation. In this saying, however, I think he means a deeper knowledge than is provided by evidence-based research—what we can see or deduce. It's the knowledge that is knowing, not the knowledge stored in memory. The opposite of it is being "scattering." To be scattered is to have our sense of self diluted by distraction, overextended by stimulation or fragmented in myriad lines of fantasy. It is a state in which we can say or do nothing useful and in which we may be dangerous if we can pretend to be there and with it. How might you respond to Jesus's question: "Are you with me?" —from the book Sensing God: Learning to Meditate during Lent by Laurence Freeman, OSB |  MorningOffering.com | †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 | | ST. JOSEPH St. Joseph (1st c.) was a descendant of Israel's King David and a carpenter by trade. Scripture tells us that he was a just and virtuous man who was betrothed to wed the young Blessed Virgin Mary. Upon finding her pregnant with the Son of God, Joseph, after a time of uncertainty, was encouraged by an angel to continue with the marriage plans. Because of his complete faithfulness and obedience to the will of God, St. Joseph was chosen to become the spouse of the Mother of God and the adoptive father of Jesus Christ. As the divinely-appointed earthly guardian and protector of the Holy Family, St. Joseph provided and cared for the material needs of Mary and the Child Jesus. St. Joseph is the patron saint of many causes, especially fathers, families, married couples, children, pregnant women, workers, craftsmen, against doubt, the dying, and a happy and holy death. He is also the guardian and protector of the Universal Church. He has two feast days: St. Joseph the Husband of Mary on March 19th, and St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st. 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
Lectionary: 543
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 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. | Today's Meditation: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, . . . decided to divorce her quietly. (Matthew 1:19) As we ponder today's Gospel passage, let's think about what Joseph could have done after he discovered that Mary was pregnant. He could have told everyone in Nazareth about it. He could have gotten very angry and embarrassed her publicly. Why didn't he? Let's focus on the word "quietly." We can surmise that being quiet was a characteristic of Joseph—after all, he is never quoted in the Gospels! He probably spent hours alone at his carpenter's bench, silent and intent on his work. Scripture also tells us that he was a righteous man, someone who listened to God and humbly followed him. So even though he didn't understand what was happening with Mary, he stayed quiet and didn't lose his cool. He could have focused on himself as the injured party and tried to draw sympathy from his neighbors. Instead, he sought to act in a way that was not only charitable but also upheld the dignity of Mary. Today we have many opportunities to gripe about various injustices or troubling situations. Social media even provides us with a megaphone of sorts to make our voices heard. It's very easy to lash out without thinking, but Joseph shows us that we don't have to succumb to such temptations. We can take the time to reflect on the situation and then act with discretion and tact. Maybe you're not a naturally quiet person. But it doesn't matter how talkative you are. What matters is that you seek to resolve troubling, difficult, or unexpected situations quietly and unobtrusively, as Joseph sought to do. When you act out of a rush of emotion instead of discretely, you risk making a mess of a situation that could have been settled much more lovingly and peacefully. So before you react to a difficult situation, take a breath and come before the Lord. Quietly reflect on what has happened and ask God to give you the silent strength of Joseph. Then trust that God will show you how to act in a way that brings his love and peace to the people around you. "St. Joseph, thank you for your example of quiet strength. Help me to be like you." 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16
Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29
Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 |  clickable | He is Holy Joseph, because no other Saint but he lived in such and so long intimacy and familiarity with the source of all holiness, Jesus, God incarnate, and Mary, the holiest of creatures.
— St. John Henry Newman
from his "Triduo to St. Joseph" found in the book
Prayers, Verses and Devotions | my2cents:
Opening Scripture on today's Solemnity of St. Joseph, father and lover of God, we heard: "'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."
The words were directed to...David. Jesus is called "The Son of David". Was St. Joseph the next David? What Goliath had St. Joseph defeated? Jesus is the Son of God. Why would God choose St. Joseph? Stay tuned for more. | We pray today: "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."
Jesus lives forever, and that fact we are invited to sing about..forever. Because He established God's kindness forever. The worst thing I've seen in this pandemonium lately, is acts of unjust people, a sin against kindness. The lack of Charity. In Heaven you confirm faithfulness. | In the second reading, we heard "Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ." Jacob was called Israel, that was the first Jacob. So who was Jacob's son? Joseph. Right? Joseph...the step father now of Jesus, Son of David. You see, all culminates and funnels to Jesus. Jesus becomes everything. | In the Gospel we heard: "Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly."
I liked the commentary on the quietness of Joseph. How many times can you be quiet even though you feel like raising heck about something? I also like the story of Joseph, as a holy man that betrothed Mary as an Essene couple that were devoted to God, and to protect her vow of virginity, he'd marry her, to protect her. So a pregnancy would've been scandal for the community and especially for her, breaking her vow she made as a little girl. And so he'd bow out, even taking the blame. But an angel intervened. And after the angel left, Joseph became like the new Abraham, leading the family out wherever God tells them to go and to do whatever God tells them to do. And of His only son that'd be sacrificed, He'd make offspring as countless as the sand and the stars in the sky. I also like the stories of how St. Joseph knew Jesus would suffer death, and so St. Joseph wept, and suffered much anguish, all his life was filled with crosses, and now this one...God Himself suffering, and so St. Joseph offered his life to Jesus, all his sufferings, he'd offer everything he endured for what Jesus would endure...all things grace are involved. Mercy and Grace where the essence of Joseph and Mary. And of this couple is born Kindness. Charity. Giving. A way of being. God is revealed. Does all this sound nice, or abstract? Does it appeal to you, to change? What did St. Joseph teach Jesus? What did Mary to Jesus? They taught Him all they knew...God. They taught Him love of God. Is this relevant today? We need to teach the love of God. They say that the Medjugorge apparitions yesterday, Mother said "March 18, 2020 Message to Mirjana "Dear children, my Son, as God, always looked above time. I, as His mother, through Him, see in time. I see beautiful and sad things. But I see that there is still love, and that it needs doing for it to be known. My children, you cannot be happy if you do not love each other, if you do not have love in every situation and at every moment of your life. Also, I, as a mother, am coming to you through love - to help you to come to know true love, to come to know my Son. This is why I am calling you, always anew to thirst all the more for love, faith, and hope. The only spring from which you can drink is trust in God, my Son. My children, in moments of peacelessness and renunciation you just seek the face of my Son. You just live His words and do not be afraid. Pray and love with sincere feelings, with good works; and help so that the world may change and that my heart may win. Like my Son, I am also saying to you: love each other because without love there is no salvation. Thank you my children." Seek God. Another said that Mother Mary said that today we must pray 3 Our Fathers at 3pm to detain the pandemic of our day. I was conversing with my priest, my father, and he said "it seems that they want you isolated at home, only eating and watching TV" and I said "yes, so they can feed you what they want" in the media. How many of us grow tired of bad news, and sad news? How many of us are ready for a real change that lasts forever? Kindness enters the picture when we see change. The kind that lasts forever is on the cross. Sacrifice. Joseph was quiet. He did not wish to degrade or call others a fool. How many times can you close your lips and your heart to sin? Let's show God what He desires...mercy, and obtain grace. Pope Francis wants everyone at 9pm praying the rosary, all families are called to pray for protection. This prayer time is an act of kindness, to one another, and to God. Be kind. We are sent to time out for a reason...God sees we need to be kind. My Lord, My Father, I am sorry I haven't been so kind. I know we say things aren't fair, but I know I'm not fair either. Help us Lord, we can not obtain Love without Love from above. May obtain this through Christ, our Eucharistic Lord. |  click to hear a message | Random Bible verse from an online generator: 1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit my website Going4th.com, surely you'll find me there. God Bless You! Share the Word. Share this, share what is good | |
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