Here we are approaching the FOURTH Sunday of Lent already! Lent is already half over! Time to get serious about Lenten practice.
Lots happening this week. Monday is the first day of Spring. It is also the Feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Somehow seems appropriate to mark the opening of Spring by celebrating St. Joseph.
St. Joseph is an interesting character. He is a dreamer and pays attention to his dreams. Angels communicate with Joseph in his dreams, and Joseph pays attention and acts on them. He was willing to take a risk, first of all in taking Mary as his wife when he discovered she was already pregnant, and then fleeing to Egypt to protect the child from homicidal King Herod. (see MT 1:18-25 & 2:13-18)
We have no words of Joseph in the Gospels. He was a doer rather than a talker. This makes me think he was the strong, silent type. I rather like that. He embodied Jesus’ later instruction: “Do not multiply words like the pagans do.” (MT 6:7) We have too much obfuscation and too many words, and St. Joseph is a good example for today.
This beautiful feast is a most appropriate time to pray for all fathers and father figures, to follow the example of St Joseph in his openness and his fidelity. And at the end of this week, we have the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord on Saturday! That is right, only nine more months till Christmas!!! This Saturday, nine months before Christmas, we celebrate the Archangel Gabriel visiting the teenage Mary and announcing (hence the Annunciation) to her that she has been chosen to be the mother of our Savior. This is a special opportunity to remember and pray for all expectant mothers. Every conception is a special and miraculous event, and as we observe the Annunciation of the Lord, it is a fitting time to recommit ourselves to support all pregnant women and all mothers. Our support must be material, emotional and spiritual. Our parish Gabriel Project is a very practical and effective way of supporting expectant mothers.
Finally, I recommend to you the Knights of Columbus Fish Fry which will be a week from this Friday, on March 31. It is a delicious way to do Lenten penance.
God bless!