Memorial of St. Joseph - March 19, 2021

-

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

The First Reading reminded me that God is with us forever. When we do wrong or sin, we forget that God loves us and is there when we turn away. In Religion class, we learned that heaven is a perfect life with God. We all spend so much time planning and worrying about the future and thinking about the past that we forget that God is with us now and we need to live in the moment. To me, the whole point of that Scripture is to remember that now is what matters and heaven is the perfect and eternal life with God.

Q: How do I envision Heaven? Can I see my life as a continuing opportunity to prepare myself for Heaven? Where in my life have I experienced a foretaste of Heaven?

Picture a time in your mind when you were a split second away from doing something. Maybe an insult you were about to hurl, a decision to procrastinate, or maybe even a choice that could seriously change your life. But you stopped, reasoned and decided against it. Maybe God wouldn’t have approved of the decision. Maybe you wanted to preserve your image. But just as God stopped Joseph from divorcing Mary to save his own skin, God showed him the good that could come of another outcome. Next time you come to this conflict, reflect on what God may open you up to if you reconsider.

Q: Can I hear God speaking to me in the same way he spoke to St. Joseph? Do I have the courage and humility to follow God’s plan for me?

Sinning is like getting lost from God. In this reading, Mary and Joseph cannot find Jesus. They are so scared that he is lost. This reminds me that when you sin, God is worried for you. He wants you to come back, to reconcile. When they found him in the temple, it was like when you are forgiven of your sins. My personal connection is that I sin, because I’m human. But when Jesus went into the temple, it was like my sins are being forgiven.

Q: When have I lost God this past year? What caused the separation, and how did God find me?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) - April 7, 2023

-
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1—19:42  Every morning when I go to Mass and the Priest asks for our intentions for the day, my response is for “wisdom, courage, comfort and trust.” Wisdom to fi gure out the answer, the courage to carry it out, and the comfort that it is the best solution and the trust to know God is guiding us in the best way. When I read the Psalms for today, I was taken back by David’s trust in the Lord to guide him and keep him safe. “In you, Lord, I take refuge”  A good friend coined this prayer when I was helping my parents navigate through my brother’s cancer. He passed away, but I continue to take comfort in those words and try daily to TRUST. Many people have commented on how they appreciate that petition so I continue to pray it.  There are big things and little things that come into our lives that require us to trust as David did. Some things are as small as smiling at the person at the traffic light or as big as standing up for another’s r
Read more

Monday of the First Week of Lent - March 11, 2019

-
Leviticus19:1-2, 11-18  Matthew 25:31-46 As I read my assignment for today, I felt relief. I knew these readings; I could relate to them. I had heard them multiple times and thought that I understood them well. The first reading from Leviticus tells me to love my neighbor as myself and to judge my neighbor justly. I know this! I believe this in my head! I often find it difficult to carry out, but I do believe it. Today’s gospel, Matthew 25, many of us know well through readings, songs, and social concerns committees, "Whatever you do for one of the least of …mine, you do to me." Feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; comfort the sick; visit the prisoner. We try to do these things in our life. I decided to read our parish book, Stranger God by Richard Beck, to see how it could expand my understanding of Matthew 25 – and expand it did! After I read the book, I realized that I had been reading Matthew 25 literally.
Read more

Monday of Holy Week - April 3, 2023

-
Isaiah 42:1-7 John 12:1-11  One of my New Year’s resolutions is to be more mindful about how I spend my time. When we started having kids, everyone was always telling us, “enjoy it while it lasts because they grow up so fast!” I’d look at my tiny baby and think, yeah okay, we’ve got a long way to go. Fast forward 6 years, we have a kindergartener, and I am constantly asking myself, “where did the time go!?!?”  This Gospel is a reminder to me that I need to take advantage of every moment just as Mary decided to take advantage of that special moment with Jesus when she anointed his feet. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of everyday life and fi nd ourselves just going through the motions without putting much thought into the importance of our actions. When I am at church, am I really present? I often fi nd that my focus is on how my children are behaving and if they are disturbing the people around us. When I am at home, am I making the most of my time with my family? Sadly,
Read more