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We tend to defend vigorously things that in our deepest hearts we are not quite certain about. If we are certain of something we know, it doesn't need defending.
- Madeleine L'Engle
(What provokes defensive responses from you? What do you learn about yourself from this behavior?) |
Lenten Webinar Series Four Conversions and Spiritual
Freedom by Carla Mae Streeter, OP March 6, 13, 20, 27, 2018 Free-will donation for registration and information.
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2 SM 7:4-5A, 12-14A, 16; PS 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 AND 29; ROM 4:13, 16-18, 22
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.
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
"[Joseph] did as the angel of the Lord had directed him."
—Matthew 1:24
St. Joseph often found himself enmeshed in a series of unexpected circumstances. First, God became Lord of His marriage in a way no man could ever have imagined. Then, like a common refugee, Joseph was turned away from decent accommodations when he and Mary most needed them, at the moment of Jesus' birth (Lk 2:7). Then, during a dark night, he had to flee from a
government-led assassination plot against his infant Foster-Son (Mt 2:13). At least three times he had to pack up and move his family on short notice. He and Mary had to search in sorrow for three days for Jesus (Lk 2:48). Upon finding Jesus, Joseph then heard Jesus say: "Did you not know I had to be in My Father's house?" (Lk 2:49) Even after learning such amazing humility and childlike trust in God, it must have been difficult for Joseph to hear that he was playing second-fiddle as a
father.
For the task of safeguarding the Child Jesus, God chose a man who excelled in hearing and obeying: St. Joseph, the man of faith. Joseph must have spent a lot of time on his knees in fervent prayer for help. The circumstances of his life repeatedly taught him instant obedience, which sprang from his instantly hearing God's commands, which flowed from his constant
prayer.
With St. Joseph, let us be upwardly mobile. Let us cultivate the ability to instantly turn to God in prayer, hear His voice, and obey Him in faith. St. Joseph, pray for us.
Prayer: Father, I will trust in You with all my heart and rely not on my own intelligence (Prv
3:5).
Promise: "All depends on faith, everything is grace. Thus the promise holds true for all Abraham's descendants." —Rm 4:16
Presentation Ministries
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What is Christian Love? - Reprinted from Freedom from Codependency, by Philip St. Romain - What about sin? Does God love us even when we sin?
God hates sin. God, who is love,
created human beings to know and share in that love by helping to shape the creation. Therefore, we, created in God’s image and likeness, are also love. When we sin, we act against our true nature. We distort what God has created, and we spread our evil and distortion to others by mistreating them. The consequences of our non-love have even spread to creation, threatening the very basis of life on our planet. What we have done with the gift of life God has given us
is equivalent to hoodlums throwing mud on the masterpiece of a painter. It destroys the masterpiece and insults the painter. We are magnificent beings acting like spoiled children, and this is an injustice toward God and one another. God still loves each of us but nonetheless hates all this non-loving selfish behavior.
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