This week, in the midst of our Lenten journey, we celebrate St Patrick’s Day on March 17 and the Solemnity of St Joseph, the Spouse of Mary on March 19. These are two great annual celebrations that usually fall in the midst of our 40 days in the desert with Jesus during the holy weeks of Lent. I think of all the Irish priests who have served here in the Diocese of Jackson and here at St Jude throughout the years, men who really made a difference in proclaiming the Gospel of Christ in the Catholic Church here in our state of Mississippi. St Patrick was the evangelizer of the Gospel in Ireland, the homeland that in turn sent so many devoted priests to our country and to many other countries throughout the world.
In recent years, our devotion to St Joseph in the Catholic Church and our understanding of him in terms of our faith has deepened and increased. In the first year of the papacy of Pope Francis, the name of St Joseph was permanently added to the Eucharistic prayer at Mass. Also, in the sacrament of reconciliation, I often suggest praying with St Joseph, especially for men, as a saint who can understand what we are going through in life. It was on the feast of St Joseph in 2013 when Pope Francis was installed as Pope. The Gospel on the feast of St Joseph tells of Joseph receiving a message from an Angel in a dream. Pope Francis has a great devotion to the statue of sleeping St Joseph, representing the messages Joseph received from God while he was asleep. Pope Francis places a list of his prayers and petitions under the statue of sleeping Joseph. He invites St Joseph to join him in offering the prayers to God, to help solve these difficult situations of those in need.
Blessings to all of you this week on our Lenten journey as we honor St Patrick and St Joseph. I will leave you with the first verse of the traditional Irish blessing:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm on your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment