Faithful Obedience

~~~ Solemnity of Saint Joseph ~~~

~~~ 2 Samuel 7:4-5A, 12-14A, 16 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~

~~~ Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~~ Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24A ~~~~

Faith is about holding on when you cannot see
where the path is leading you.

Joseph is one of the central figures in the Bible...a key player,
yet his words are not recorded on those pages.

The actions of Joseph make up for his lack of words.
Joseph allowed his faith in the unknown take him into a greater life.
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...

According to the law Joseph had every right
to abandon Mary once he had knowledge of her pregnancy.
No one would have questioned his decision
to terminate his relationship with her.

God spoke to Joseph in a dream.
Messages in dreams are as real as if you were awake.
This is what must have happened with Joseph;
he did not waiver from what he was told in his sleep.

The faith of Joseph was somehow strengthened.
Any doubts he might have entertained were removed from his heart.
He let God use him in spite of what the laws were dictating.

We have many examples of faith through out the Bible.
The faith and obedience of Joseph made it possible
for Mary and Jesus to be protected by God.

Reflecting on Saint Joseph today
let your own faith be renewed.

Joseph had no reason to stay with Mary...
other than his faith.
He was true to his calling,
even in his apparent silence.

Joseph loved Jesus as his own child;
we must always remember.
Joseph provided and protected Mary and Jesus

being faithful to God.

We pray today for all fathers.
We pray that they will take their vocation of father seriously.
It is a great honor to be a father.

Blessed to be inspired by the faith of St. Joseph.
~~~Peace~~~ 

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Chosen to be a Father

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

~~2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16~~Psalm 89~~Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22~~Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a~~

Today we pause our Lenten observances
to remember Joseph, the spouse of Mary,
the earthly father of Jesus.

Joseph was able to move forward in his life for one simple reason;
he had the faith to trust in God.
This faith could not have evolved over night.
He was obviously a man of faith for many years.
The Bible calls him a righteous man.
He was a man God chose to be the head of the household.
Mary trusted God, but she also had to have trust in Joseph.
She was a woman; it was important
that she have a husband to provide for her and her child.

It was Joseph who took care of the needs of the family.

Whenever I think of Saint Joseph I also think of those men who are fathers today.
Those men who have biological children...
those who have fathered children and walked away...

those who are fathers with no biological connection.

Joseph was not physically related to Jesus, but that did not keep
 him from loving and caring for Jesus.

I can imagine that Joseph and Jesus had a very loving relationship.
Perhaps a model father son relationship
even though God the Father watched from heaven.

It is not until the Baptism of Jesus do we hear
 the voice of God the Father claim Jesus as his son.

In our society today the role of the father has been diluted.
Diluted because we have so many missing fathers...
missing from their children not only physically but emotionally as well.

Today as we especially look at Saint Joseph let us pray for all fathers.
Pray for those fathers who are deceased, for those who are struggling,
for those who are separated because of military duty.
Let us pray for those fathers who strive to be the best dad they can be...
for those who are confused but keep on loving their children.

Joseph loved Jesus and Jesus loved Joseph
there is no doubt.

Thank God for your father...
Forgive him if he was not the best father.
Love him for how he loved you.

Saint Joseph, pray for all fathers.
Give them the strength and courage to be more loving and caring.
Let them come to believe and trust in their heavenly father, God.

Fatherhood is not just a biological title.
God Bless all fathers.
Peace.

Love Times Three

Most Holy Trinity Sunday

 

~~~ Proverbs 8:22-31~~~ Psalm 8 ~~~ Romans 5:1-5 ~~~ John 16:12-15 ~~~

 

The wisdom of God has always been present as we find in the words of Proverbs today.

Wisdom was present before all of the things of earth were created by God.

Wisdom is not physical or tangible; wisdom is of the spirit.

 

We may believe that the Spirit only came into being after the Resurrection,

but if we believe in the Trinity we must see otherwise.

The three persons in one would indicate that all persons of God

are and were in existence for all times.

 

When something is revealed to us it does not mean it was newly created.

The Trinity is so totally united as one that they merge seamlessly together.

Distinct yet one...can anything we know compare?

 

I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race.

 

Wisdom played with God during creation.

What a joyful scene to picture.

Wisdom found us to be pleasing...delightful.

The entire Trinity loves us and desires us to be happy.

Wisdom was even the delight of God.

Playfulness and humor are part of God.

He passed this same ability on to us; in fact laughter is good for our health.

 

 

It seems that our existence is validated by the Spirit.

God found us to worthy of saving.

Jesus, doing the will of the Father,

 found us worthy of salvation through his death.

The Spirit finds us worthy to remain with us here and now.

 

Paul writes, because we have been justified by faith,

and have peace from God, we have grace.

This grace gives us the strength we need to give glory to God

in good times and bad times.

 

Paul writes to the Romans...

...affliction produces endurance,
and endurance, proven character,
and proven character, hope,
and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

 

We are the bearers of hope to all of the world because we have been loved.

We have been loved by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

We are loved uniquely by the Trinity.

Three is stronger than one.

 

Whenever you see something that represents three...a tripod...a tricycle...etc.

remember that you are loved times three...

You are loved by the Mystery of Trinity.

Blessings of Fatherhood

~~~Feast of Saint Joseph~~~

 

~~~ 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~

~~~Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~ Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a ~~~

 

 

If I had a daughter Joseph would be the kind of man I would want her to marry.

Joseph was a man of character and integrity.

He exhibited great compassion for Mary under extreme circumstances.

Pregnancy out of wed lock would have been a disgrace for both of them.

Their respective families would also have been embarrassed.

It should not be surprising that God would have hand picked such a man

to accompany Mary for this holy event.

Dreams and angels were all the assurance Joseph had to convince him

staying with Mary was the right decision.

Joseph had no idea that the Holy Spirit was overshadowing everything.

 

Mary respected Joseph so much that she even refers to Joseph as

Jesus' father when he is twelve.

She says,

“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

 

Jesus, as we know, had remained in the temple

instead of leaving with his parents.

Jesus did not act a typical rebellious teen;

instead he respected their wishes. He returned to Nazareth with them.

Jesus was doing the work of his heavenly Father, but he is also

obedient to his earthly father...Joseph.

Jesus himself never tried to deny or trivialize the fatherhood of Joseph.

This is a beautiful tribute to the person of Joseph.

He was deprived of biological fatherhood

 yet put in the place of honor as the father of Jesus.

 

Jesus probably never told Joseph that he didn't have to obey him

 because he was not really his father.

In today's world, unfortunately, that would not be uncommon.

 

I believe Joseph was strong yet meek and humble.

Joseph, as a carpenter, could look at a chunk of wood and envision

how it could be transformed into something useful.

He could plan take a piece of wood into his shop and create something

useful and beautiful.

Most likely he took great pride in his finished products.

Mary surely was proud of what he could make for them

and how he could provide for her and Jesus.

 

Joseph was a builder. Jesus was a builder too.

Jesus is still building up the kingdom here on earth.

He calls us to join him in his mission of building.

 

 

Being a father does not rely solely on biology.

It is much more.

Blessings to those men who are fathers with no gene connection.

Love will make up for more than any thing else; we see it here with Joseph.

 

Saint Joseph, pray for all fathers.

Saint Joseph, pray for my father, Joseph,

who was also a gifted wood worker.

Return to Me, My Child

~~~ Micah 7: 14-15, 18-20 ~~~ Psalm 103 ~~~ Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32 ~~~

The Prodigal Son returns home and the good father is excited beyond reason....

Or is it beyond reason?

Sometimes I am amazed at what makes the news today.

You can often tell by the stories when it is a slow news day.

Jesus attracts, among others, tax collectors and sinners.

Why do you think this is worth noting?

Had we been among those listening to Jesus 

would it have been newsworthy?

The Lord is kind and merciful.

Or is this a way of letting know that we too 

would have been accepted by Jesus?

The gospel story was one we could all identify.

The image of a loving father embracing his wayward child

is one we can all appreciate.

Either because we have a healthy loving relationship with our own father

or because we long to have that kind of relationship.

Not all fathers are emotionally equipped to respond in this forgiving manner.

God, however, responds to all of us with this generous outpouring of forgiveness.

The point of this example is that no matter what we do...

no matter how great our sin

if we return as the repentant child 

God will rush out with open arms to greet us.

If we return to the Father his forgiveness 

is like gold pieces shining

 in the ashes of our sinfulness. 

The darkness of our sins can be transformed 

into joyful brightness 

by our forgiving Father.

The Lord is kind and merciful.

Much rejoicing occurs over even just one 

child of God returning to his home.

The very best the Father has to offer 

is there for this wayward child.

Do you believe this to be true for you as well?

This is what the many beautiful Gospel stories are designed to accomplish...

they are to show us who truly God is.

We need these scenarios.

We need to see how humans can mimic for us

the qualities of God himself.

God has not left us to create our own scenes demonstrating 

his unconditional love and forgiveness.

He gives the stories from his own lips.

How can we not believe and trust that they are

meant for us today too?

The Gospel message is timeless.

What a treasure we have in the Word.

The Lord is kind and merciful.

You are forgiven.

The Best "Bundle"...The Trinity

~~~1 Dt. 4:32-34, 39-40 ~~~Psalm 33 ~~~ 2 Rom. 8: 14-17 ~~~Mt. 28: 16-20 ~~~

The Most Holy Trinity

Lately there has been a local commercial encouraging consumers to buy the 'bundle'.

The bundle consists of your phone, cable TV, and Internet service for one price. This bundle gives you all that you need to stay connected and entertained.

As I was reflecting on the wonders of the mystery of the Trinity it occurred to me that this is THE true bundle for our salvation.

God the Father...creates us...blesses us and calls us his own...prepares a place for us...

God the Son...embraces our humanity...the word made flesh...living among us...teaching us the Way...showing us the greatest love...there is no greater love...

God the Spirit...coming to live within us...to guide us...to inspire us...joining with us to be more than we ever imagined...breathing the breathe of life into our souls...

The Trinity is the ultimate bundle...if we accept the invitation to life in the Trinity we will have eternal life. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together exist as one. The great mystery of three persons in one...united together of one mind of one intention of one never ending love.

With us until the end of the ages.

There is strength in three. We are never left alone.

God the Father sends down the Son and the Son sends forth the Holy Spirit.  

Each person of the Trinity is distinct yet simultaneously the same.

We sing Holy, Holy, Holy in honor of each person of the Trinity.

To believe in something does not imply that you understand it. Do not be troubled if you cannot grasp the concept of the Trinity 'bundle'. Just believe that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit together as one offer you eternal life.

Each time you notice something with three parts let that be a reminder of your faith in the Trinity...the father, son, and holy spirit.

Bless yourself with the sign of the cross

marking yourself as a Christian.

The Humble Servant, Joseph

~~~ Sam.7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16, ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Rom. 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~~ Matt.1:16, 18-21, 24a ~~~

In the bosom of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written...
Today is the feast of St. Joseph. He, as was Mary, was chosen by God to be entrusted with the care of the child Jesus. Joseph must have had a deep faith.

He responded to the advice of God in a dream where an angel speaks to him. He was a man of great honor, for he did not want to embarrass Mary because of her unwed pregnancy. Joseph trusted that God the Father would guide him and lead him in the care of both Mary and the child, Jesus.

Joseph led this Holy Family by surrendering to the will of God. For these were not the plans he had envisioned for his life. There was no way he could have had any idea of what he would be called to do. Joseph was able to lead the family to safety and to provide for them as a humble servant of God. He was obedient to God at every venture in his life.

I feel sure that Joseph came to love and care for Mary. He was charged with the protection of both Mary and Jesus from those wanting to harm him from his birth. As Jesus grew older Joseph would spend time with him teaching him how to be a model Jewish boy. Jesus was likely taught much about the writings of the prophets by Joseph.
Jesus would have called Joseph dad or father at least until he was lost in the temple.

That is the last time anything is recorded in scripture about Joseph. Sadly we have very little given to us through scripture concerning Joseph. Most likely he did come from a very devout holy family. A family that believed in the word of God. A family that accepted mysteries without question. God would not have chosen someone for this important roll in the life of Jesus who was not holy.

I wonder why we do not have any accounts of Jesus using carpentry stories in any of his parables? He was a very good story teller; it was easy to identify with his life examples and the various situations in people's lives.

Saint Joseph shows us how to be supportive yet humble in our service to God.
We can step back and still be in an important roll.