Now begins

the holiest week of the year

With Jesus walk to the upper room
With Jesus walk to Calvary
With Jesus walk to heaven.

Blessings to you this week as you

recall the love and mercy of God.

Feast of St. Joseph

Patron Saint of Fathers
Pope Benedict XVI on St. Joseph, The Just Man “I would like today to turn my attention to the figure of St Joseph. In today’s gospel pages, St Luke presents the Virgin Mary as “engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David” (Lk 1:27). However it is the evangelist Matthew who gives the greatest prominence to the putative father of Jesus, pointing out that, through him, the Child was legally inserted in David’s line and thus he realized the Scriptures, in which the Messiah was prophesied as the “son of David”.

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“But Joseph’s role certainly cannot be reduced to this aspect. He is the model of the “just” man (Mt 1:19), who in perfect sympathy with his spouse, welcomes the Son of God made man and guards over his human growth. For this reason, the days leading up to Christmas are as good a time as ever to establish a sort of spiritual conversation with St Joseph, because he helps us to live to the full this great mystery of faith.

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“The beloved Pope John Paul II, who was very devoted to St Joseph, left us an awesome meditation dedicated to him in the Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, “Guardian of the Redeemer”. Among the many aspects it highlights, particular emphasis is placed on the silence of St Joseph. His is a silence permeated by contemplation of the mystery of God, in an attitude of total availability to his divine wishes. In other words, the silence of St Joseph was not the sign of an inner void, but on the contrary, of the fullness of faith he carried in his heart, and which guided each and every one of his thoughts and actions.

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A silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, could be the guardian of the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, coming face to face with it continuously in the events of the life of Jesus; a silence interwoven with constant prayer, prayer of the blessing of the Lord, of adoration of his holy will and of unreserved trust in his providence. It is no exaggeration to say that it was from his ‘father’ Joseph that Jesus acquired – on the human level – that robust interiority which presupposes authentic justice, the “superior justice” which He would one day teach to his disciples (cfr Mt 5:20).

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Let us allow ourselves to be “infected” by the silence of St Joseph! We have much need of it in a world which is often too noisy, which does not encourage reflection and listening to the voice of God.”

My Prayer Today

Father, our source of life,

you know my weakness.

May I reach out with joy

to grasp your hand

and walk more readily

in your ways.

.

Teach me to be loving not only in great

and exceptional moments, but above

all in the ordinary events of daily life

where I more often then not

fail miserably.

.

This I pray, amen.

The Prayer of

St. Patrick

I arise today through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun, Splendor of fire, Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of the wind, Depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth, Firmness of the rock.
I arise todayThrough God's strength to pilot me;

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's hosts to save me

Afar and anear,

Alone or in a mulitude.
Christ shield me today

Against wounding Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me,Christ in me, Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise todayThrough the mighty strength

Of the Lord of creation

May all my actions spring from love.