A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
(The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!)
Reflection: Discerning the call of the Lord
Today, we celebrate the solemnity of St. Joseph, the kind and protective husband of mother Mary, as well as the humble foster Father and guardian of our Lord Jesus and his family. There are important things that we can learn from St. Joseph’s life that we can remember as we discern, listen and follow the daily call of God. What is God revealing to us?
The Gospel of Matthew reveals that the name of the father of Joseph is Jacob, which also happens to be the name of the father of the 12 tribes of Israel whose name was also Jacob. The older Jacob was later re-named by God to Israel, and his son Joseph was also granted the grace to dream dreams and interpret what was going to happen in the future.
Joseph the son of the first Jacob from the book of Genesis was also granted the grace to interpret dreams of what it to come as he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh the King of Egypt on the need to continually harvest and store grain during seven years of abundance, in preparation for the seven years of famine. He became the most trusted and wise man of Pharaoh, King of Egypt. The older Joseph saved so many people of nations from certain death from a famine including the 12 tribes of Israel.
Joseph in the Gospel of Matthew followed the command in his dreams and he became the husband of Mary, and the kind and loving foster father and guardian of the child Jesus. He also brought his family to safety away from all harm from the Herod’s who intended to kill the child Jesus as he followed the commands of God in His dreams. Little did St. Joseph know at that time that he was also protecting the King of all nations, the creator and King of the Universe!
We may not be able to remember or interpret dreams like the two Josephs in holy scripture, but what we do know is that we have a loving and wise God who is always caring for us, always journeying with us, is always with us. Our Lord Jesus resides within our hearts through His Holy Spirit, and God is always there to continually prompt us on how to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others towards goodness and holiness. Sometimes even to approach and assist someone that we do not know or have never met, to give a kind word encouragement, to pray for and accompany one another, or to assist with the blessings that we have received from God.
May we always be aware of Jesus’ presence, to answer his call, and allow our Lord to guide us through His Spirit to the paths and decisions that lead to what is holy.
Action for the Day:
Reach out to God in our prayers throughout the day with our gratitude, our joys, our sorrows and intentions. Ask our Lord Jesus to continue to increase our faith, to grant us the grace to understand what it means to be a truly humble follower of God, to heed his call, to be guided by His wisdom and knowledge for all our plans, to choose what is holy in all our decisions.
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