THE WORD AND THE SAINT
Solemnity of St. Joseph: March 19, 2022
2 Sam 7: 4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22; Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a.
The first is the fact that he was an example of a person who was never 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 in particular about Joseph in the Gospels is already an 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 the world possessed these two qualities... why should they try to prove their power over the other and for that kill thousands of innocents and affect the well being of so many for decades to come! Imagine if today these two qualities reigned in Christian families and religious communities, what a witness of the Reign of God that would be! Imagine if these two qualities were found in today's individuals, specially individual political leaders who are out of their minds today and international agencies which are stagerring in their choices and priorities, what a world of peace we would create.
Let us imitate St. Joseph in these two qualities - the Spirituality of a Egoless personality and that of a Listening Mentality. 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, with the inspiration and intercession of St. Joseph, a saint for our times.