Most Catholics grew up knowing that the month of May is specially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Processions, praying the rosary, special gatherings and programs are held in her honor during the month. But the feast of St Joseph the worker, celebrated on 1st May, also looms large in the month.
In what month should this be better acknowledged than in May, the month of Mary, Joseph being her husband? Joseph the worker, Joseph the foster father or Joseph the guardian of the holy family -for many people, this one Joseph elicits thoughts of a dreamer-gentleman whom God directed and chose in a most intimate manner to bring up His Son, Jesus Christ.
Joseph's life reminds us today that God can still speak to us in our dreams, hearts and solitude if we are disposed to listen. But is listening still possible with so much noise passing for worship today in this restive world? (Psalm 46:10) The same name of Joseph brings to mind thoughts of dedication, hard work, commitment and fidelity to God and family.
How much of that do we see around today? In response to God's plan, the Joseph we know in the Bible honestly surrendered his life to God's plan (Matthew 1: 18-25). We badly need more such people like Joseph in today's world! Only thus can we bring God back where he belongs. Are you such a person?
It was on May 1st 1955 during an audience which he granted to Italian workers gathered in the square of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican that Pope Pius XVII instituted the liturgical feast of St. Joseph the worker. In his speech he assured the workers of the world that in faith, they will always have beside them for inspiration, St. Joseph, a father, a defender and a shepherd. On that day, many years ago the Holy Father gave a teaching that is still so valuable today. He said that in proclaiming the feast of St Joseph the worker and fixing it on workers' day; "our intention... is to bring all men to recognize the dignity of labour.
It is our hope, that this dignity may supply the motive for the formation of a social order and a body of law founded on the equitable distribution of rights and duties..." This is an important imperative for our society today. These days, sadly, honest work has lost dignity and equity hardly has a place!
We know that sanity and harmony can only be restored in the world if we adopt the kind of values which Joseph lived for. Simply put, honest work pleases God! One John Ruskin, says "the highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets from it but what he becomes by it", a collaborator with God. That is exactly what St Joseph the worker was in salvation history.
I have been thinking a great deal about my experience at Reconciliation this past Saturday. I felt an intense and unexplainable urge to go and confess my sins when I woke up that morning. I try to go every six weeks or so, but this was no routine visit to the priest for me. I needed to unburden myself of the numerous venial sins I had committed since I last participated in this Sacrament.
Purest Gold: God's Refining Fire in our Lives »
After salvation, many young Christians wonder if there's anything more to their newfound faith than just the security blanket of "being a Christian." Time and time again, God shows himself as a "refiner," and our lives are as gold. God started leading me in this study to understand what He was doing in my life, as well as in the lives of others.
Picking up my pen to write this column, I couldn’t imagine how time flies. Since the last publication of this column I have gone through a lot, especially the loss of my dear mother to whom I dedicate this article. Not only her, but seems I lost a whole generation of my close family.
How to Achieve Business Excellence »
“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before Kings; He will not stand before unknown men.” Proverbs 22:29
Spiritual Development for our Youth »
Most of us youth in today's fast moving world are easily thrown off by difficulties and worries.
The theme of conversion is a thread that runs all through Lent, but conversion takes on different aspects throughout the phases of Lent. The first two and a half weeks focused on the interior turning of hearts; the liturgy urges the faithful to reflect and examine consciences thoroughly.
Saint Josephine Bakhita »
Feast Day: February 8
Patron Saint Of: Sudan
Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering.
Catholics Must Fast More Intensely This Lent»
The Norbertine Canons of St. Michael's Abbey have created this digital Lenten retreat so that you can journey through this holy season alongside them. If you want to have one of your best Lenten seasons yet, join us in our Lenten Program "The Great Fast" - https://theabbotscircle.com/the-great-fast-join
When Your Faith Is Put to the Test - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon»
Friends, we come now to the Second Sunday of Lent, and we’re on both dangerous and very holy ground with the first reading from the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. The ancient Israelites referred to it as the “Akedah,” which means the “binding”: Abraham binds and is ready to sacrifice Isaac at God’s command.
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