Tuesday in the Second
Week of Lent
Solemnity OF ST.
JOSEPH
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-praying,
“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.”
Tuesday in the Second
Week of Lent[2]
Prayer. GRANT,
we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that Thy family, who, afflicting their flesh,
abstain from food, by following justice may fast from sin.
EPISTLE. Daniel ix.
15-19.
In
those days Daniel prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, Who hast
brought forth Thy people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, and hast
made Thee a name as at this day : we have sinned, we have committed iniquity,
Lord, against all Thy justice : let Thy wrath and Thy indig nation be turned
away, I beseech Thee, from Thy city Jerusalem, and from Thy holy mountain. For
by reason of our sins, and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem, and Thy
people are a reproach to all that are round about us. Now, therefore, O our
God, hear the supplication of Thy servant, and his prayers: and show Thy face
upon Thy sanctuary which is desolate, for Thy own sake. Incline, O my God, Thy
ear and hear: open Thy eyes, and see our desolation, and the city upon which
Thy name is called: for it is not for our justifications that we present our
prayers before Thy face, but for the multitude of Thy tender mercies. O Lord, hear:
O Lord, be appeased: hearken and do: delay not for Thy own sake, O my God:
because Thy name is invoked upon Thy city, and upon Thy people.
GOSPEL. John viii.
21-29.
At that time
Jesus said to the multitude of the Jews: I go, and you shall seek Me, and you
shall die in your sin. Whither I go, you cannot come. The Jews therefore said:
Will He kill Himself, because He said: Whither I go, you cannot come? And He
said to them: You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I
am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you, that you shall die in your sins.
For if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sin. They said
therefore to Him: Who art Thou? Jesus said to them: The beginning, Who also
speak unto you. Many things I have to speak and to judge of you. But He that
sent Me is true: and the things I have heard of Him, these same I speak in the
world. And they understood not that He called God His Father. Jesus therefore
said to them : When you shall have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you
know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself, but as the Father hath
taught Me, these things I speak : and He that sent Me is with Me, and He hath
not left Me alone: for I do always the things that please Him.
ST. JOSEPH was descended from the kingly line of David
and was a kinsman of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Matt. i. 1-16). The Gospel gives
him the praise of being just (Matt. i. 19), that is, a man distinguished for
all virtues. And surely, as he was chosen from all other men by God to be the
foster-father of His Son, he undoubtedly excelled, in virtues and sanctity, all
saints then living. Of his youth nothing certain is known to us, and of his
later life we know only what the Gospel relates. He was a carpenter (Matt.
xiii. 55), and lived at Nazareth, in Galilee (Luke ii. 4). Being espoused to
Mary, he was inclined, upon learning that she was with child, to put her away
privately, not wishing to expose her to public reproach but being instructed by
an angel, he took her to himself, in obedience to the command of God, went with
her to Bethlehem, and afterwards, with Mary and the new-born child, fled,
without timidity, to Egypt (Matt. ii. 13). At the command of the angel he
returned thence, and again dwelt in Nazareth (Matt. ii. 23). From this place
they went every year to the feast at Jerusalem, where it happened that Jesus,
then twelve years old, remained behind them in the temple, and was anxiously
sought for by them. More than this is not told us. At the time of the marriage
at Cana it would seem that he was no longer living, since there is no mention
made of him. Though little is said of him, that little is rich in profitable
instruction. How worthy to be admired and imitated is his example his chastity,
his tenderness towards Mary, his forbearing to pronounce a judgment in regard to
her condition when he could not explain it, his quick and unreserved obedience
towards God and the commands of authority, his love for Jesus, and his care for
both the mother and the child. On account of his sanctity God has specially
distinguished him by miracles, and the Church honors him in a particular
manner. In the Litany of the Saints he is named among the patriarchs, and the
feast of his patronage is celebrated on the third Sunday after Easter.
Venerate, therefore, St. Joseph choose him for your protector in life and in death
and make yourself worthy of his protection by following his example.
Instruction
To encourage us to veneration for St. Joseph St.
Teresa wrote “I do not remember to have asked St. Joseph for anything which he
did not grant me. The great favors which God has granted me through him, and
the many dangers of soul and body from which he has freed me, truly deserve
admiration. It seems that God has granted to other saints the grace of
assisting, in particular needs, those who invoke their intercession; but this
glorious saint assists in all needs. The Lord seems thereby to indicate that,
as He was subject to Joseph on earth, so now He grants him whatever he asks
for. The same thing has been experienced by persons whom I have advised to
recommend themselves to him.” “I would gladly advise everyone,” says St.
Alphonsus, to have a great devotion towards this saint, since I have
experienced what graces he can obtain from God. For several years I have asked
him, on his feast, for some particular grace, and every time my petition has
been granted. As we all have to die, we should have a particular devotion
towards St. Joseph, that he may obtain for us a happy death for all Catholic
Christians consider him to be an intercessor for the dying, and that he
assists, at the hour of death, those who venerate him; and this for three
reasons
1.
Because Jesus loves him, not only as a friend, but as a father, on which
account his intercession is more powerful than that of any other saint.
2.
Because St. Joseph obtained special power against the evil spirits who tempt us
at the hour of death.
3.
The assistance which Jesus and Mary gave to Joseph at the hour of his own death
procured for him the right to obtain a holy and easy death for his dependents.
If in their dying hour they invoke his aid, not only will he assist them, but
he will obtain for them the assistance of Jesus and Mary. “Ought not these
words of a great saint encourage you to venerate St. Joseph every day? Should
not the hope of dying one day under the protection of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
move you to devotion to the foster-father of Jesus?”
Prayer
to St. Joseph
O
most chaste Joseph, who, by thy purity and other exalted virtues, wast worthy
to be chosen for the spouse of Mary and the foster-father of Jesus, I beseech
thee, by the great graces of which thou wast made partaker, that thou wouldst,
by thy intercession, obtain for all parents grace to rear their children
piously; for all married persons who are distressed and afflicted through
poverty and tribulations consolation and encouragement; for all unmarried
persons who have devoted their chastity to God the grace of perseverance; and,
finally, for all the dying the grace to come, after a happy death, to thy
fosterchild, Jesus Christ, Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and
reigneth one God, world without end. Amen.
Meditate on the humility of Saint Joseph this day; ask
his assistance and special protection.
·
A
table overflowing with good Italian food honoring St. Joseph is a traditional
Sicilian custom. The feast of San Giuseppe began in the Middle Ages when Sicily
was suffering from a severe drought and the desperate people begged St. Joseph
for rain. When they received rainy weather in response, they held a huge
"feste" in Saint Joseph's honor. Even today, Sicilians go to Mass
before their St. Joseph's day dinner and then process to their festive tables,
decked out in flowers, breads, and all sorts of Italian foods. The priest
blesses the food, and everyone shouts, "Viva la tavola di San
Giuse!" (which your children will readily do with great gusto). After
the meal is done, everyone present is given something to take home, in the
generous spirit of this day. Try some of our delicious recipes linked here. We
especially recommend the traditional Minestrone. Italian sausage
is always a favorite, as well. And you should have bread of all kinds — this
recipe for Italian Decorative
Breads
can provide the traditional shape of your choice (St. Joseph's staff, his
beard, etc). Also a traditional must with children is St. Joseph's
Sfinge,
(Cream Puffs). Plan a St. Joseph's potluck for this day with other Catholic
families — invite a parish priest and ask his blessing over the food before you
begin the meal. If you do not have the time or resources to do this, plan a
smaller affair with your own family, complete with prayers to St. Joseph, a
little procession with candles for the older children and your favorite hymns,
and then the father of the family ought to say a special blessing over the food
before you begin.
·
Check
out this wonderful site that explains the St. Joseph Altar more in detail,
includes recipes, history, and allows virtual offerings.
·
For
further reading:
2.
A Table for Saint
Joseph: Celebrating March 19th with Devotions, Authentic Italian Recipes, and
Timeless Traditions
by Mary Anne Scanlan Grasso.
6.
Interested
in history? Read this article on the history of devotions to St. Joseph, Finding
St. Joseph,
by Sandra Miesel.
·
Here
is a link to several meditations on St.
Joseph
— choose the one that is perfect for you and your family!
·
Young
girls ought to pray to St. Joseph for their future spouse.
·
Joseph
is noted in the Bible for being a direct descendant of King David in the Old
Testament, which gives him a royal lineage (Matthew 1:1-16, Luke 3:23-38).
·
St.
Joseph actually has two feast days in the Roman Catholic Church. The
March 19 date celebrates him as husband of Mary. He is revered again on
May 1 as a worker. In the Orthodox tradition, Joseph is revered during
the Great Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord in September.
·
St
Joseph is the patron saint of the dying and of carpenters.
St Joseph Top Events and Things to
Do[6]
·
Practice
carpentry skills to build something. Jesus is known as the son of a
carpenter, or builder. Saint Joseph is the patron saint of carpenters.
·
Investigate
your lineage. Genealogy can sometimes yield interesting information about
where we came from. Maybe you come from royal lineage, too!
·
Joseph
raised a child that was not his own. Thank a man who has served as a
father for someone else's children.
·
Enjoy
Italian food in St. Joseph's honor. He is one of the most beloved saints
in Italian-American communities.
·
Visit
an Italian Bakery and pick up some delicious St Joseph's bread (Pane di San
Giuseppe). St. Joseph's Bread is typically made with egg and has a
thicker crust. It is often marked or shaped in a cross.
The ordinary activity of the Enemy is to seek the ruin of souls through various kinds of temptation. These passages offer counsel about how to turn away from evil so that you can overcome temptation and pass the tests that God allows for your strengthening.
·
Because
He Himself suffered and has been tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted. .
. . We may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Heb
2: 17– 18; 4: 14– 16
·
My
son, if you come forward to serve the LORD, remain in justice and in fear, and
prepare yourself for temptation. Sir 2: 1
·
[Jesus
prayed:] “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that
you should keep them from the Evil One.” Jn 17: 15 RSVCE
·
Blessed
is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been tried, he will receive
the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. Let no man say
when he is tempted, that he is tempted by God; for God is no tempter to evil,
and He Himself tempts no one. But everyone is tempted by being drawn away and
enticed by his own passion. Then when passion has conceived, it brings forth
sin; but when sin has matured, it begets death. Therefore, my beloved brethren,
do not err. Jas 1: 12– 16
·
The
fear of men lays a snare, but he who trusts in the LORD is safe. Pr 29: 25
·
The
Lord knows how to deliver the God-fearing from temptation. 2 Pt 2: 9
·
Have
no anxiety, but in every prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
petitions be made known to God. And may the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. For the rest,
brethren, whatever things are true, whatever honorable, whatever just, whatever
holy, whatever lovable, whatever of good repute, if there be any virtue, if
anything worthy of praise, think upon these things. Phil 4: 6– 9
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
Now!
Return to your noble life now. Don't be a fool: 'now' is not too soon... nor
too late.
Daily Devotions
[2]
Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
[3]
Goffine’s Divine Instructions, 1896
[4]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2018-03-19
[7]Thigpen,
Paul. Manual for Spiritual Warfare. TAN Books.
[8]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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