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Love makes labour light. Love alone gives value to all things.
- Teresa of Avila
("What is the loving thing to do?" Even to simply ask the question moves us in the right direction.)
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Jer 23:5-8; Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19 Mt 1:18-25 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."
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with
child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us."
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded
him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him
Jesus.
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Christianity and Spirituality monthly forum January 4 is on: 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. CST
Open Forum: sharing on books that have made a difference in your life.
Reflection on the Scriptures
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Joseph, a just and God-fearing man, did not wish to embarrass or punish his espoused wife, Mary when he discovered that she was pregnant. To all appearances she had broken their solemn pledge to be faithful and chaste to one another. Joseph, no doubt took this troubling matter to God in prayer. He was not hasty to judge or to react with hurt and anger. God rewarded him not only
with guidance and consolation, but with the divine assurance that he had indeed called Joseph to be the husband of Mary and to assume a mission that would require the utmost faith, confidence, and trust in Almighty God. Joseph believed in the divine message to take Mary as his wife and to accept the child in her womb as the promised Messiah. A model of faith for us
Like Mary, Joseph is a model of faith for us. He is a faithful witness and servant of God's unfolding plan of redemption. Are you ready to believe in the promises of God, even when faced with perplexing circumstances and what seems like insurmountable problems? God has not left us alone, but has brought us his only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us celebrate Christmas, the feast of the Incarnation, with joyful
hearts and let us renew our faith and hope in God and in his redeeming work. Lord Jesus, you came to save us from sin and the power of death. May I always rejoice in your salvation and trust in your divine plan for my life.
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The Ascent of Mount Carmel, by St. John of the Cross E. Allison Peers Translation. Paperback, Kindle, Audio Book.
Click here to purchase on Amazon.com BOOK THE THIRD Which treats of the purgation of the active night of the
memory and will. Gives instruction how the soul is to behave with respect to the apprehensions of these two faculties, that it may come to union with God, according to the two faculties aforementioned, in perfect hope and charity.
Chapter 19 Of the evils that may befall the soul when it sets its rejoicing upon temporal blessings. 4. Holiness and good judgment suffice not to save one from falling into this evil, if he gives way to concupiscence or rejoicing in temporal things. For this reason God warned us by uttering these words through Moses: Thou shalt take no gifts, which blind even the prudent.' [561] And this was addressed particularly to those who were to be judges; for these have need to keep their judgment clear and alert, which they
will be unable to do if they covet and rejoice in gifts. And for this cause likewise God commanded Moses to appoint judges from those who abhorred avarice, so that their judgment should not be blunted with the lust of the passions. [562] And thus he says not only that they should not desire it, but that they should abhor it. For, if one is to be perfectly defended from the affection of love, he must preserve an abhorrence of it, defending himself by means of the one thing against its contrary.
The reason why the prophet Samuel, for example, was always so upright and enlightened a judge is that (as he said in the Book of the Kings) he had never received a gift from any man. [563]
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