As a special treat for St. Joseph's Day, I'll be offering two blog posts (hopefully) for the price of one. What follows is a prayer starter that I wrote for our congregation retreat house, St. Mary's-by-the-Sea. I hope that it brings insight within you on this feast of St. Joseph.
"How are you
related to Saint Joseph?"
That was the question that was directed at
me by a second grader a few months ago during a vocation day at
Visitation school in Kensington. I had prepared answers for a lot of
questions, almost all of which I am still trying to figure out, but that
was not one that was on my list.
I knew exactly what that seven year
old was asking-if all of us in front of the class were sisters, then we
must somehow be related. And if we were all sisters, then it wasn't too
far-fetched to believe that surely we were sisters of Saint Joseph, too.
My answer was short and simple (and seemed to satisfy the student's
intrigue), yet, on this the feast of Saint Joseph, I return to that
question which has remained on my heart since that day.
How am I related to Saint Joseph? As
one who casts my lot in with Jesus and chooses to associate my name
with that of Joseph, who do I say that I am?
Am I the dreamer?
...the comforter?
...the diligent worker?
... the caring teacher?
...the faithful spouse?
...the one who goes where I am called?
...whose actions speak far beyond words?
Christ asked his disciples
early on, "Who do you say that I am?" In our living lives of faith we
answer that question daily by laying claim to the person that we are in
Christ. As we celebrate Saint Joseph, individually and communally, let
us consider what it means to be sisters (and brothers) of Saint Joseph.
How do we embody the person who helped to form Jesus? How are we living
our call? And what might the Divine be inviting us to by giving us the
example of Joseph to live our lives by and find God in during this
season of Lent and every day of our lives?
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