- Pope Benedict XVI
Daily Reading & Meditation
Thursday (3/19): Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him
Gospel Reading: Matthew 1:16, 18--21, 24 (alternate reading: Luke 11:14-23)
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; 19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; 21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife
Old Testament Reading: 2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16
"When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son." (2 Samuel 7:12-14)
Meditation: Are you prepared to obey the Lord in everything? Faith in God's word and obedience to his commands go hand in hand. Joseph, like Mary, is a model of faith and justice. Matthew tells us that Joseph was a “just man”. John Chrysostom, the great 5th century father writes:“The concept of 'just' here signifies the man who possesses all the virtues. By 'justice' one at times understands only one virtue in particular, as in the phrase: the one who is not avaricious (greedy) is just. But 'justice' also refers to virtue in general. And it is in this sense, above all, that scripture uses the word ‘justice’. For example, it refers to: 'a just man and true' (cf. Job 1:1), or the two were just (cf. Luke 1:6). Joseph, then, being just, that is to say good and charitable...”
Joseph's faith was put to the test when he discovered that his espoused wife, Mary his fiance, was pregnant. Joseph, being a just and God-fearing man, did not wish to embarrass, punish, or expose Mary to harm. To all outward 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, who is both the only begotten Son of God and son of Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Joseph was a worthy successor to the great patriarchs of the old covenant – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joseph followed the call of God through the mysterious circumstances that surrounded the coming of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah who fulfilled all the promises made to Abraham and his offspring. God entrusted this silent, humble man with the unique privilege of raising, protecting, teaching, and training Jesus as a growing child. Joseph accepted his role of fatherly care with faith, trust, and obedience to the will of God. He is a model for all who are entrusted with the care, instruction, and protection of the young. Joseph is a faithful witness and servant of God's unfolding plan of redemption. Are you ready to put your trust in the Lord to give you his help and guidance in fulfilling your responsibilities? God gives strength and guidance to those who seek his help, especially when we face trials, doubts, fears, perplexing circumstances, and what seems like insurmountable problems and challenges in our personal lives. God our heavenly Father has not left us alone, but has given us his only begotten Son Jesus as our savior, teacher, lord, and healer. Where do you need God's help and guidance? Ask the Lord to increase your faith and trust in his promises and in his guiding hand in your life.
"Lord Jesus, you came to free us from the power of sin, fear, death, and Satan, and to heal and restore us to wholeness of life. May I always trust in your saving help, guidance, wisdom, and plan for my life".
Psalm 89:2-5,27,29
2 For thy steadfast love was established for ever, thy faithfulness is firm as the heavens.
3 Thou hast said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant:
4 `I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations.'" [Selah]
5 Let the heavens praise thy wonders, O LORD, thy faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
27 And I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth.
29 I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of the heavens.
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(c) 2009 Don Schwager
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I told you so.
In my last blast, I wrote about how the seminarians who participated in the recent Italy pilgrimage wanted to make the happy memories last. They’re still doing it. They pass me in the hallway and greet me with an Italian “bon giorno!” When we share a meal, they recall the different restaurants and feasts.
When we celebrate a saint, like tomorrow’s Solemn Feast of St. Joseph, the seminarians can almost describe the beautiful churches and chapels dedicated to them. In fact, tomorrow’s Feast of St. Joseph is a big Italian celebration, which will definitely bring back memories. But amidst all this nostalgia, I’ll be facing the pressure of cooking for about 25 priests, including the Archbishop!
From past experiences of leading pilgrimages, I’ve learned that it takes a while to fully digest the wonderful experiences and the spiritual feasting in our prayerfulness.
Yes, we’re all still in the “food processing” mode! In other words, we’re still making all of the big experiences a bit more manageable and bite sized. Food processing is necessary for everyone – especially families. It is an opportunity to take the big things – good and bad – and try to better understand it within the proper context so that it can be molded into something more useful and digestible.
For me, it’s been an incredibly busy but wonderful opportunity to recollect these happy thoughts. I don’t always have that time! Last weekend I was in Michigan for the Most Holy Trinity Apostolate and to host a Grace Before Meals presentation at “Mary’s house”, which they called “Fr. Leo’s Café.” It was a great event and I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to share “Grace” with my new friends in Michigan!
Part of Youth Group from Holy Trinity Conference
Mary Giannetti at her lovely home for a Grace Before Meals demonstration
Then, much to my surprise, I was asked to do a cooking segment for the television show Fox and Friends on Sunday morning.
Cooking Monte Cristos for the Fox and Friends crew
So, from Rome to Michigan, to New York and now back to Emmitsburg, all in one week! For me, I definitely need to process everything that happened this past weekend.
To put this whirlwind experience in perspective, I’ll share a lesson I learned from the seminarians. They had a way of putting all of this busyness in the proper perspective.
Let me explain. During the pilgrimage, I led a “death march,” a five-hour walking tour through the back streets of Rome.
Walking in the piazza of St. Peter’s Square
Even though we only walked about six to eight miles total, we visited over 20 different churches. Each one was a gem! Some featured famous works of art, architectural wonders, sculptures and even the tombs of famous saints! With a hefty itinerary, we didn’t have time to pray as long as we would have liked to at each place. We had just enough time to pray a decade of the Rosary, read some of the petitions we brought, offer a couple of heartfelt prayers and take a few pictures before heading to another beautiful church.
Seminarian Matt Gray with his fancier camera
How could they process all of this overwhelming beauty--this overload of faith? We should ask ourselves: How can we take in all the goodness, and even the tests and challenges, that God gives to us? For families, how do they process everything that comes their way? How can you make all of the challenges, tests and struggles that overwhelm families more manageable?
The answer is simple: make time to pray.
Students from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, taking an evening and praying in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Even during their free time on the trip, the seminarians kept prayer ever before them. For example, while waiting in line at a busy airport, one of them broke away from the crowd to pray the psalms and read sacred writings in a collection called “ HYPERLINK "http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02768b.htm" The Breviary.” In such moments, you can easily pray a decade of the Rosary, or simply say a prayer for the others waiting in line.
It is possible to process the overload of sensory, emotional, spiritual and physical experiences we encounter in the day. Just like a food processor, we need to “pulse” the food a little at a time. In other words, just take a few pauses throughout the day and remember God is with us every step of the way. Just consider: if you pray in the morning and at night, plus grace before three meals, you will pray five times every day!
Lent gives us motivation, as a universal church, to look at how we are processing the spiritual food God gives us when we fast. It gives us a moment to receive the gifts that God showers on us when we generously give alms and to feast on the spiritual insights that come to us when we pray.
We need to be more like food processors that can take the big aspect of our life and faith, and make it bite-sized. Bon appetit on the goodness of God!
Every Wednesday, the HYPERLINK "http://www.msmary.edu" Mount St. Mary’s University students gather in larger-than- normal numbers for the 10pm Mass.
Students pack the chapel
I encouraged them to make one weekday Mass a bit more festive. They invite their friends and sing uplifting songs, and I bring a snack for the gang! It’s a great “pick me up” in the middle of the week. It’s a time to pause and to process how the week is going. It’s a way to make the Sunday celebration seem not so far away. The Mass was eventually nicknamed the “Mid-Week-Shot-In-The-Arm Mass.”
With a little incentive of food, friends and faith, the students now pack the house!
During Lent, some of the students took the initiative to cook a recipe from the Catholic Relief Services’ Operation Rice Bowl Recipes. This past weekend, Robert and Sarah blended unique flavors to create a feast for the crowds.
Families have a great opportunity to pause during Lent to consider one of the delicious recipes featured through Operation Rice Bowl. By sharing the foods and learning about the cultures of developing nations, we take the time to process how God has blessed us, and how connected we are as God’s family!
Ghanian Groundnut Stew
3 cups water
1 zucchini, chopped
¾ cup okra, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp ginger
½ cup peanut butter
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cup tomato paste
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
Simmer zucchini, okra, sweet potatoes, onion, salt, black pepper and ginger in water in a large pot until tender (about 10-15 minutes). Add peanut butter, red pepper flakes, tomatoes and tomato paste to mixture. Stir well and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.
Serve over white rice and top with the chopped hard boiled eggs.
This recipe serves 4 people.
I had to follow the example of the seminarians that made sure they “revisited” the holy places they experienced. While I cannot physically go back to those places, I can take some time to meditate on these holy sites. By doing so, we make the immensity of God’s goodness more “bite-sized” for our limited minds and our limited capacity. Lent is a perfect time to “process” the overwhelming love that Jesus showed through His Sacred Passion and Death. I encourage families to take time and “process” this immense mystery by going to the Stations of the Cross and by praying a chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. Service to those in need also provides a wonderful context to help us process the reality that God has truly blessed us, and this blessing must be shared with the less fortunate. In so doing, we can truly process the goodness of God’s spiritual food.
Let us pray: We adore You O Christ and we praise You. By Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world.
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