Mar 18, 2015 |
By Maria Jacinta.
HAPPY FEAST OF ST. JOSEPH TO EVERYONE!!!
I hope many graces came from the novena posted about a week ago. I encourage you all to continue praying to St. Joseph. He is an amazing saint! Let’s take some time to reflect on the qualities of St. Joseph, along with events in his life and see how we can apply them to our own life:
- His immediate yes to the angel:
We read in the first chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel: “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”
What courage it takes to answer God immediately, no questions asked! I am not saying we should make rash decisions, as careful discernment is required at times. But when we are sure that God is calling us to do something, we should not delay fulfilling what He wills.
Think about the HUGE responsibility that St. Joseph had as the spouse of Our Lady and foster f
ather of God Himself! It takes true humility to accept such a role. It can be easy to play what I call the “false humility card” in thinking that we are not good enough to do something. Sometimes, though, God calls us to certain tasks that we think are beyond our power to accomplish. It’s true in that we are not capable of doing anything without God, but thinking we are not worthy does not make for a valid excuse in saying no. As St. Teresa of Avila says, “Humility is truth.” We know our weaknesses and strengths and should not be afraid to use these strengths! After all, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”
- His decision to divorce Our Lady quietly:
After finding out that Mary was pregnant, St. Joseph “unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1: 19)
This decision here proves that he really was a just man. He was obedient to the Law and knew very well that any woman caught in adultery was to be stoned to death. On the other hand, he may have seen something special in Mary that made him wonder how she could ever commit a sin. He knew her goodness and purity and truly loved her, so he did what was best for her. Something we can take from this is to love others for WHO THEY ARE. The more we understand human dignity, the easier this becomes.
Similar to Our Lady, St. Joseph was close to Jesus and so knows him very well. We can go to St. Joseph to better learn how to imitate Christ. St. Joseph, pray for us!!!
Mar 9, 2015 |
By Maria Jacinta.
It is the month of March, the month dedicated to St. Joseph!!! Who is St. Joseph?? We all know that he is the foster father of Jesus Christ and the spouse of the Blessed Mother, but not too much else is known about his life. Despite this, he is the Patron of the Universal Church and great model for all of us! After all, in the Bible he is referred to as a just man, which certainly says a lot about how close he was to God.
But I don’t want to get carried away in talking about him (I have a big devotion to him!)… that’s for the next post. This post is a friendly reminder that the novena to St. Joseph starts on Tuesday, March 10 and ends on Wednesday, March 18. His Feast Day is March 19.
It is typical to go to St. Joseph when we are trying to buy a home, find a job and find a spouse. Of course, though, we can go to him for ANYTHING! Let me quote St. Teresa of Avila:
I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him [St. Joseph] which he has failed to grant. I have never known anyone to be truly devoted to him and render him particular services who did not notably advance in virtue, for he gives very real help to souls who commend themselves to him. For some years now, I think, I have made some request of him every year on his festival and I have always had it granted. If my petition is in any way ill directed, he directs it aright for my greater good.
So I encourage you to take some to reflect on what you can pray to him for, especially as we are trying to figure out what God is asking of us in any situation of life.
Here is a link to a website with a novena to him. They even send out daily reminders to remind you to pray it: http://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-joseph-novena/
Of course, you can choose any novena you like! Feel free to post anything about a novena you pray to him, any way he has interceded for you or anything you’d like to share about St. Joseph!
Stay tuned for the next post on his Feast Day! St. Joseph, pray for us!!!
May 1, 2013 |
In honor of St. Joseph the Worker, I thought I’d write a little update about the ministry on launch week. Thank you for checking out the page!
May 1 is an opportunity to reflect on labor and work and this ministry has certainly involved a great deal of hard work by a fantastic team. But we would not have been able to do this without the prayers of so many people. The outpouring of support these last two days has been phenomenal.
Today’s Gospel was from John 15, where Jesus speaks of the vine and the branches. You can read it here.
This is a beautiful passage for reflection, and I think it holds special significance for anyone who has left the religious life or seminary. As Msgr. Reilly said at Mass today, pruning means changing and thus growth. Though returning back to the world can feel like a death, one can view it as “extreme pruning.”
Please keep checking the site because new blogs will be posted at least once a week. If you would like to receive email updates from Leonie’s Longing, you can sign up at http://eepurl.com/yq1rr
Or you can always follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus (see the icons in the lower right corner).
God bless, and St. Joseph, pray for us!
By Theresa Jasko
Theresa is currently the President of Leonie’s Longing. You can read more about her on the “Our Board” page.
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