St. Joseph and Pope Francis

19th March 2013... Feast of St. Joseph and Inaugural Eucharist of Pope Francis

to live without egoism and to be ready to listen to the other!

There are a few things that I have always admired in Saint Joseph.

The first is the fact that he was an example of a person who was not dominated by his ego.  If he were egoistic, he would have denounced the girl whom he was to marry, when he found her pregnant. If he were egoistic, he would have thrown the dreams and the visions that God gave and done what he willed. The very fact that we do not hear anything about Joseph in the Gospels is evidence to the fact that he lived his life without any attachment to his ego.

The second admirable aspect is the quality of listening... when Mary narrated the visit of angel Gabriel he listened, when the angel came and delivered him the message he listened, when the boy Jesus spoke in the temple, his mother questioned him, but Joseph listened!

The World today is in need of these two qualities... to live without egoism and to be ready to listen to the other! Imagine if today's spouses had these two qualities...how low the number of divorces will be; imagine if today these two qualities reigned in religious communities, what a witness of the Reign of God that would be; imagine if these two qualities were found in today's political leaders and international relations, what a world of peace we would create.

Let us imitate St. Joseph in these two - the Spirituality of a Egoless personality and Listening Mentality.   It goes well with the event of Holy Father's inaugural eucharist and with his motto, miserando atque eligendo, the first part recognising the gratuitous mercy of God and the second part the fact of having been called by God to a specific mission! In a translated version the motto reads… Lowly, yet Chosen!

Pushing our Ego aside, lending a listening ear to God and to God's people, let’s walk together as people of God, let’s build together the Church of God and let’s profess our faith, loud and clear through our everyday life.

I am glad today I will be part of the people of God at St.Peter’s Square 
thanking God for this new leader given unto us.
St. Joseph, pray for the Pope and protect him always!