"St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life."
~ St. Josemaria Escriva ~
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
St. Joseph: Adoration of Jesus in the Womb
"Words cannot express the perfection of his adoration. If Saint John leaped in the womb at the approach of Mary, what feelings must have coursed through Joseph during those six months when he had at his side and under his very eyes the hidden God! If the father of Origin used to kiss his child during the night and adore the Holy Spirit living within Him, can we doubt that Joseph must often have adored Jesus hidden in the pure tabernacle of Mary? How fervent that adoration must have been: My Lord and my God, behold your servant! No one can describe the adoration of this noble soul. He saw nothing, yet he believed; his faith had to pierce the virginal veil of Mary. So likewise with you! Under the veil of the Sacred Species your faith must see our Lord. Ask St. Joseph for his lively, constant faith."
~ St. Peter Julian Eymard ~
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
St. Josemaria Escriva: Ite Ad Joseph
"A master of interior life, a worker deeply involved in his job, God’s faithful servant in continual contact with Jesus: that is Joseph. Ite ad Ioseph. With St Joseph, the Christian learns what it means to belong to God and fully to assume one’s place among men, sanctifying the world. Get to know Joseph and you will find Jesus. Talk to Joseph and you will find Mary, who always sheds peace about her in that attractive workshop in Nazareth."
~ St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 56 ~
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI: Imitate the Loving Trust of St. Joseph
The angel said to Joseph: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home,” (Mt 1:20) and that is precisely what he did: “he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him” (Mt 1:24). Why was Saint Matthew so keen to note Joseph’s trust in the words received from the messenger of God, if not to invite us to imitate this same loving trust?
...Joseph trusts God when he hears his messenger, the Angel, say to him: “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” (Mt 1:20). Throughout all of history, Joseph is the man who gives God the greatest display of trust, even in the face of such astonishing news.
Each and every one of us was thought, willed and loved by God. Each and every one of us has a role to play in the plan of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If discouragement overwhelms you, think of the faith of Joseph; if anxiety has its grip on you, think of the hope of Joseph, that descendant of Abraham who hoped against hope; if exasperation or hatred seizes you, think of the love of Joseph, who was the first man to set eyes on the human face of God in the person of the Infant conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Let us praise and thank Christ for having drawn so close to us, and for giving us Joseph as an example and model of love for him.
Dear brothers and sisters, I want to say to you once more from the bottom of my heart: like Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home, that is to say do not be afraid to love the Church. Mary, Mother of the Church, will teach you to follow your pastors, to love your bishops, your priests, your deacons and your catechists; to heed what they teach you and to pray for their intentions. Husbands, look upon the love of Joseph for Mary and Jesus; those preparing for marriage, treat your future spouse as Joseph did; those of you who have given yourselves to God in celibacy, reflect upon the teaching of the Church, our Mother: “Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God not only does not contradict the dignity of marriage but presupposes and confirms it. Marriage and virginity are two ways of expressing and living the one mystery of the Covenant of God with his people” (Redemptoris Custos, 20).
...Joseph trusts God when he hears his messenger, the Angel, say to him: “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” (Mt 1:20). Throughout all of history, Joseph is the man who gives God the greatest display of trust, even in the face of such astonishing news.
Each and every one of us was thought, willed and loved by God. Each and every one of us has a role to play in the plan of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If discouragement overwhelms you, think of the faith of Joseph; if anxiety has its grip on you, think of the hope of Joseph, that descendant of Abraham who hoped against hope; if exasperation or hatred seizes you, think of the love of Joseph, who was the first man to set eyes on the human face of God in the person of the Infant conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Let us praise and thank Christ for having drawn so close to us, and for giving us Joseph as an example and model of love for him.
Dear brothers and sisters, I want to say to you once more from the bottom of my heart: like Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home, that is to say do not be afraid to love the Church. Mary, Mother of the Church, will teach you to follow your pastors, to love your bishops, your priests, your deacons and your catechists; to heed what they teach you and to pray for their intentions. Husbands, look upon the love of Joseph for Mary and Jesus; those preparing for marriage, treat your future spouse as Joseph did; those of you who have given yourselves to God in celibacy, reflect upon the teaching of the Church, our Mother: “Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God not only does not contradict the dignity of marriage but presupposes and confirms it. Marriage and virginity are two ways of expressing and living the one mystery of the Covenant of God with his people” (Redemptoris Custos, 20).
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Pope Inaugurates A Fountain Dedicated to St. Joseph
VATICAN CITY, 5 JUL 2010 (VIS) - In the Vatican Gardens at 11.30 a.m. today Benedict XVI inaugurated a new fountain dedicated to St. Joseph. The fountain was commissioned by the Governorate of Vatican City State as a homage to the Pope's given name.
The fountain has two basins, one six metres wide and the other eight, with a palm between them. It is adorned with six bronze panels by the Italian artist Franco Murer depicting the marriage of St. Joseph and the Virgin, Joseph's dream, the birth of Jesus, the Flight into Egypt, finding Jesus in the Temple, and the work of the family in Nazareth.
"By trusting in God, Joseph agrees to and co-operates in the plan of salvation", said the Pope. "Of course, divine intervention in his life could not but trouble his heart. Entrusting oneself to God does not mean acting entirely clearly according to our criteria; entrusting oneself to God means emptying oneself, renouncing oneself, because only those who agree to lose themselves for God can be 'just' like St. Joseph; that is, they can conform their will to that of God and thus achieve fulfilment.
"The Gospel has not conserved any words of Joseph, who accomplishes his work in silence. This is the style that characterised his entire life, both before facing the mystery of God's action in his bride, and when, aware of the mystery, he was at Mary's side during the Nativity".
"This beautiful fountain dedicated to St. Joseph represents a symbolic reminder of the values of simplicity and humility in accomplishing God's will every day, values which characterised the silent but invaluable life of the Custodian of the Redeemer. I entrust the Church and the world to his intercession. Together with the Virgin Mary, his bride, may he always guide my journey and yours, that we may become joyful instruments of peace and salvation".
Published by VIS - Holy See Press Office - Monday, July 05, 2010
The fountain has two basins, one six metres wide and the other eight, with a palm between them. It is adorned with six bronze panels by the Italian artist Franco Murer depicting the marriage of St. Joseph and the Virgin, Joseph's dream, the birth of Jesus, the Flight into Egypt, finding Jesus in the Temple, and the work of the family in Nazareth.
"By trusting in God, Joseph agrees to and co-operates in the plan of salvation", said the Pope. "Of course, divine intervention in his life could not but trouble his heart. Entrusting oneself to God does not mean acting entirely clearly according to our criteria; entrusting oneself to God means emptying oneself, renouncing oneself, because only those who agree to lose themselves for God can be 'just' like St. Joseph; that is, they can conform their will to that of God and thus achieve fulfilment.
"The Gospel has not conserved any words of Joseph, who accomplishes his work in silence. This is the style that characterised his entire life, both before facing the mystery of God's action in his bride, and when, aware of the mystery, he was at Mary's side during the Nativity".
"This beautiful fountain dedicated to St. Joseph represents a symbolic reminder of the values of simplicity and humility in accomplishing God's will every day, values which characterised the silent but invaluable life of the Custodian of the Redeemer. I entrust the Church and the world to his intercession. Together with the Virgin Mary, his bride, may he always guide my journey and yours, that we may become joyful instruments of peace and salvation".
Published by VIS - Holy See Press Office - Monday, July 05, 2010
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