ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS
Matthew, Chapter 1, verse 19-20:
19 Joseph her husband, since he was a
righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her
quietly. 20 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.
Even
righteous people become afraid at times but Mark Shea a catholic writer points
out that Joseph being a devote Jew may have had Holy fear as the basis of his
being afraid.
”Modernity assumes
it was because he thought her guilty of adultery, but the typical view in
antiquity understood the text to mean he was afraid of her sanctity — as a
pious Jew would be afraid to touch the Ark of the Covenant. After all, think of
what Mary told him about the angel's words: "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the
Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God."[1]
We
should follow the example of Joseph and be not afraid to take Mary into our
home!
I know
one small way I have taken Mary in my home is to silently say a Hail Mary when
I wash my hands to eat-thinking Mary help me not to wash your son’s blood from
my hands as Pilot did. Help me to have
no innocent blood on my hands. Let me not wash off responsibility for others.
Advent Calendar[2]
Read: St.
John of the Cross, who we honor today, was known for his deep spirituality
and compassion.
Reflect: "We
must dig deeply in Christ. He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing
treasures: however deep we dig we will never find their end or their limit.
Indeed, in every pocket new seams of fresh riches are discovered on all
sides." —St. John of the Cross
Act: Brainstorm
ideas for how you can live out your call to "imbue every area of social
life with the spirit of the Gospel" as an active citizen. For ideas, visit
the Faithful Citizenship website.
Halcyon Days[3]
From
Latin Alcyone,
daughter of Aeolus
and wife of Ceyx.
When her husband died in a shipwreck, Alcyone threw herself into the sea whereupon the
gods transformed them both into halcyon birds (kingfishers).
When Alcyone made her nest on the beach, waves threatened to destroy it. Aeolus restrained his winds and
kept them calm
during seven days in each year, so she could lay her eggs. These became
known as the "halcyon days," when storms do not occur. Today, the
term is used to denote a past period that is being remembered for being happy
and/or successful.
Today
reflect on seven successes or happy times of the year then pick one to thank
Our Lord for and offer to Our Lord an appropriate gift for it for his birth!
During this Advent season let us take up the nature of God by
reflecting on these traits that make us a model for our children and our
sisters and brothers in Christ. Today reflect on:
Enthusiasm vs. Apathy
Expressing with my soul the joy of my spirit (I Thessalonians 5:16, 19)
2004 Among the special graces ought
to be mentioned the graces
of state that accompany the exercise of the
responsibilities of the Christian life and of the ministries within the Church:
Having gifts that differ according
to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our
faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who
exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives
aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
2094 One can sin against God's love
in various ways:
·
Indifference
neglects or refuses to reflect on divine charity; it fails to
consider its prevenient goodness and denies its power.
·
Ingratitude
fails or refuses to acknowledge divine charity and to return him
love for love.
·
Lukewarmness
is hesitation or negligence in responding to divine love; it can
imply refusal to give oneself over to the prompting of charity.
·
Acedia
or spiritual sloth goes so far as to refuse the joy that comes from
God and to be repelled by divine goodness.
·
Hatred
of God comes from pride. It is contrary to love of God, whose
goodness it denies, and whom it presumes to curse as the one who forbids sins
and inflicts punishments.
2750 By entering
into the holy name of the Lord Jesus we can accept, from within, the prayer he
teaches us: "Our Father!" His priestly prayer fulfills, from within,
the great petitions of the Lord's Prayer: concern for the Father's name;
passionate zeal for his kingdom (glory); the accomplishment of the will of the
Father, of his plan of salvation; and deliverance from evil.
Daily Devotions
·
Please pray for me and this ministry
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