​The Feast of the Holy Family 
 
 
~Reflecting on St. Joseph~
 
Dec. 8, 2020 - Dec. 8, 2021
 
Christ is born! Let us adore Him!
 
A blessed Christmas to you! As we continue in the Octave of Christmas, how apropos that our Holy Father, Pope Francis has proclaimed this year as the Year of St. Joseph. Part of why he did so is because 2021 is the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as patron of the Universal Church. 
 
Another reason why Pope Francis made this decision is because he wanted “every member of the faithful, following St. Joseph’s example, may strengthen their life of faith daily in the complete fulfillment of God’s will.”
 
So on this Feast of the Holy Family, how appropriate we look at one of its members, St. Joseph. First, I want to look at why the Church proclaims these special “holy years.”
 
Why does the Church have years dedicated to specific topics? The Church observes the passage of time through the liturgical calendar, which includes feasts such as Easter and Christmas, and seasons such as Lent and Advent. In addition, however, popes can set aside time for the Church to reflect more deeply on a specific aspect of Catholic teaching or belief. Past years designated by recent popes include a Year of Faith, Year of the Eucharist, and Jubilee Year of Mercy.
 
Why did the Pope declare a year of St. Joseph? In making his declaration, Pope Francis said the coronavirus pandemic has heightened his desire to reflect on St. Joseph, as so many people during the pandemic have made hidden sacrifices to protect others, just as St. Joseph quietly protected and cared for Mary and Jesus. 
 
“Each of us can discover in Joseph, the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence, an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble…..” The pope wrote. He also said he wanted to highlight St. Joseph’s role as a father who served his family with charity and humility, adding, “Our world today needs fathers.”
 
Why does the Church honor St. Joseph? Catholics do not worship saints, but ask for their heavenly intercession before God and seek to imitate their virtues here on earth. The Catholic Church honors St. Joseph as the foster father of Jesus. He is invoked as the patron saint of the Universal Church. He is also a powerful intercessor and guide.
 
His Intercession is Powerful. A seminarian once told me of the powerful intercession of St. Joseph. He explained that whenever he needed something, he asked for St. Joseph’s help, and his needs were met. Over the past few years, I have witnessed this in my own life. St. Joseph has answered many of my prayers.  I will admit that I always go to St. Anthony when I’ve lost something, still I often ask St. Joseph to intercede, often for small, everyday things.  It seems to me, that this is fitting of the man who is never quoted in Scripture, who did not play an ongoing role in the work of salvation, but through his simplicity, obedience and faith, St. Joseph accomplished much. 
 
St. Teresa of Avila gives us some insight into why St. Joseph’s intercession is so powerful:
 
To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succor (help) us in some of our necessities, but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succors us in them all, and that the Lord wishes to teach us that, as He was Himself subject to him on earth, for, being His guardian and being called His father, he could command Him, just so in Heaven He still does all that he asks.
 
St. Joseph Models Fatherhood for Us. God the Father chose St. Joseph from all men to be the foster-father of Jesus. That truly says something about his character, for he was entrusted with leading, providing for and protecting the Son of God and God’s greatest creature, Our Lady. Joseph faithfully served the Holy Family and protected them from danger so that they could fulfill God’s mission.  St. Joseph taught Jesus in his humanity how to be a man. No doubt he taught him how to be a faithful Jew, as well as the trade of carpentry. He models well for us fathers how to be the spiritual leaders of our families. Like St. Joseph, those who are married are called to show the love of God the Father to our spouses and children.
 
He was an obedient man. Every time God asked him to do something, Joseph was eager to say yes. Whether that was taking Mary as his wife, going to Bethlehem for the census, or fleeing with his family to Egypt, Joseph always followed God’s will immediately. In an age where we are told to do things our own way, Joseph is a great reminder that true greatness is found in following God’s will, not our own.
 
He was a man of silence. We never hear a word from St. Joseph in Sacred Scripture, for he was a man of great silence. Because of this silence, he was able to hear God’s voice and discern his will for the Holy Family. In an age of noise and many words, Joseph reminds us that if we wish to hear God’s voice, we must quiet our hearts and enter into the silence.
 
These are just a few of the many reasons why every Catholic should develop devotion to St. Joseph. During this Holy Year, it is the perfect time to learn about this great saint and ask for his intercession to live a holy life.
 
What special graces are available during this year? As Catholics pray and reflect on the life of St. Joseph throughout the coming year, they also have opportunities to gain a plenary indulgence, or remission of all temporal punishment due to sin. An indulgence can be applied to oneself or to a soul in Purgatory.  An indulgence requires a specific act, defined by the Church, as well as sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, prayer for the pope’s intentions, and full detachment from sin.  Special indulgences during the Year of St. Joseph can be received through more than a dozen different prayers and actions, including praying for the unemployed, entrusting one’s daily work to St. Joseph, performing a corporal or spiritual work of mercy, or meditating for at least 30 minutes on the Lord’s Prayer.
 
God bless and Merry Christmas,  
Fr. Dennis
 
 
Prayer to St. Joseph
 
To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our afflictions, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also.
 
Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
 
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness.
 
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven.   Amen.
 
 

Dear Friends In Christ,
 
I’d like to share with you some things you may not know about the Christmas Season.
 
Christmas Day
For the Church, Christmas Day begins not at midnight, but with the celebration of Mass following sunset on Christmas Eve. This follows the ancient Jewish way of keeping liturgical time. This way of marking “sacred time” is also the reason you can attend Sunday Mass on Saturday evening.  Christmas Day is only one component of the Christmas Season. Christmas in fact lasts for 8 days.  So don’t throw out your Christmas tree the day after December 25th.  We’ve only just begun.
 
Octave of Christmas
Like Easter, because the Mystery of the Incarnation is so vast, we cannot hope to fathom it’s depths in one day. That is why the Church gives us the Octave of Christmas. The ancient church saw that, like the Resurrection, the Incarnation propels us into a mystical and mysterious reality – a new way of living – yes there are only 7 days in a week, but the 8th day has always been seen as a symbol of how we Christians are initiated into a new reality, a new way of living in Christ.
 
During the Octave, the readings of Mass are related to the birth of Christ. In Medieval times, no one was allowed to work for the eight days. The emphasis was on celebrating the Good News of Christ’s birth.
The Twelve Days of Christmas (Christmastide)
If that weren’t enough, the Church actually celebrated 12 days of Christmas! Christmas Day is an Octave, but the whole of the season lasts for 12 days. We’ve all sung the Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” well, that’s because we really did celebrate it at one time. Sadly the influence of secularism killed this ancient tradition. Again, the point being, we cannot reflect enough on the mystery of the incarnation. In fact, in many Christian traditions, Epiphany is the day when you give out gifts, not Christmas Day.
The Christmas Season (for Catholics)
Roman Catholics and some other Christians mark the end of the liturgical Christmas season with the celebration of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which falls on the Sunday after the Feast of the Epiphany.  Ordinary Time begins the day after the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
 
Fun fact: Centuries ago, the baptism of Christ was the primary event celebrated as part of the feast of the Epiphany, along with the visit of the Magi and other events from the childhood of Jesus. Epiphany means “manifestation” or “appearance.” So while the baptism of Christ marks the beginning of his public ministry, it is also part of his “manifestation” or “appearance,” one of the events signaling that God has broken into human history in a unique way.  That’s in fact what our Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Christians do.  Epiphany is called the Great Theophany or Great Revelation.
Bonus! The Presentation of the Lord
This is like one of the fast pace TV commercials - But wait, there’s more!
 
The Church circles back around to the Christmas season forty days after Christmas, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The Law of Moses required first-born sons to be dedicated to the Lord, so Mary and Joseph dutifully brought the baby Jesus to the Temple for his dedication and circumcision (Luke 2:22-38). In some countries (and some households), it is traditional to keep Christmas decorations up until this feast.  This feast is also traditionally known as Candlemas; and is accompanied by the blessing of candles and candlelight processions.
Every day is Christmas
For Catholics, every day is, in the most basic sense, Christmas. That’s because every day, the Word becomes flesh in the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist; and through the sacraments, the people of God become of the Body of Christ in the world. Just as Mary’s “yes” made her an instrument of God’s incarnation in the world, by our “yes,” we too birth the Son of God into the world.
Some Christmas Traditions have Pagan Origins
There’s always somebody, a negative Nancy, who wants to throw a proverbial wrench into the Christmas season.  Even the early pilgrims banned Christmas celebrations because they thought they were too Catholic.  The Church has denied the fact that some Christmas traditions pre-date the Christian celebration of our Savior’s birth. If you know history, you know that Christians would often take old pagan customs or holidays and transform them. They felt no shame in doing so. Things like holly, mistletoe, evergreen wreaths, wassailing, the Yule log were all pagan things. Most of them recalled that winter had begun to wane and the evergreens reminded people of the new life that even winter could not snuff out. For all the scrooges out there, relax. We make no apologies for borrowing these old customs. They’re harmless and fit right into the Christian narrative.  So ho, ho, ho, have a kiss under the mistletoe and a cup of wassail.  It’s Christmas and we encourage everyone to celebrate the Birth of Our Savior Jesus.
 
Merry Christmas,  Fr. Dennis
​

How Reading of Scripture helps us grow in virtue:
 
In order that we might complete the plan that God has for us in our lives, we must grow in virtue.  Growth in the Christian life does not happen by osmosis.
 
Our growth is to occur as a result of three primary influences:
 
1.  Spending time with Scripture, God’s Word to us
2.  The Sacraments
3.  Spending time with other Christians (in the family, groups doing the work of Christian charity, evangelizing) and working with them to spread the      Gospel and live the virtues.
 
I want to look specifically today on how the Scriptures help us grow.  First of all, I think that many Catholics look at God’s Word as something unconnected to our personal and daily life.  It’s read on Sundays at Mass, but I think many people would never think that the Scriptures are actually meant to guide us and help us make major decisions.
 
Renewing our Mind
When we read and pray with Scripture, it gives us new perspective.  The Lord tells us that “His ways and His thoughts are above our ways and thoughts” so when we attune our minds and hearts to God’s Word, we begin go see 1- the many contradictory messages we receive from the world each day  2-  the lies that sometimes we have hidden away in our hearts, or that we’ve been exposed to throughout our life – sometimes God surfaces those lies as He seeks to heal us.
3- discovering what it means to live out our faith is a lifelong journey as we integrate what we believe with every area of life.  We can’t expect to learn everything of what it means to follow the Lord over night.  We need to spend time regularly with the Lord, so our hearts and minds can be renewed.
 
Fuel for a living relationship
As we read the stories in the Scriptures, we see how the early Christians learned to navigate and spread the Gospel despite the many challenges that came with living in a hostile world.  Reading these stories gives us a new perspective on our own lives.  Often the Scriptures show us how they were far from perfect, and yet they learned how to grow in their faith.  Some of the maxims we learn from Scripture are:  1-  If we are never challenged, we will never change and grow.  2- God never  brings us anywhere that He doesn’t provide the grace to handle it.  3- Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth.  4-  Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. We must ask for the grace not only to change our behaviors but also our hearts and our desires.
 
Growing in the Truth
Jesus promised in the Gospel of St. John that the Spirit would lead us to the “fullness of truth.”   As we read and pray with Scripture, one of the things we come across is the many lies each of us is confronted with each day.  One of the real challenges for the Christian today is to recognize the many lies we have to believe about ourselves and about God.  Sometimes our hearts become hardened.  The hurts and sufferings of our lives can cause us to create a wall between us and God because many times God’s Word is asking us to die to self and to change.  Change is hard. St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”  Growing in the truth means to mature and put away childish and selfish ways.  Some people never learn this lesson.  Everything we go through God permits for our salvation and growth in holiness.
 
We sometimes forget, we cannot change ourselves completely.  Only God can truly transform us.  We can change behaviors, which God desires us to do, but only God can change the heart.  The Scriptures reveal the stories of how He interacted with men and women life us, but Scripture is also “living” and able to directly speak to our hearts as we read it. When we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit resides within us and can change us.
 
“Now we have received , not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God”  (I Corinthians 2:12)
 
This Advent, as we prepare for the Coming of our Savior, let’s ask ourselves:  Is my heart desiring His will for my life?  Am I spending enough time with Him so that my heart can be changed?
 
God bless,  Fr. Dennis