The 7 Joys of St. Joseph

I learned today that there is something, worth meditating on, called The 7 Joys of St. Joseph.

The 7 joys, it seems, are seven events in St. Joseph’s life that made him rejoice. They are:

“First, the embassy of the angel sent from heaven to console him in these words: ‘Joseph, Son of David, fear not to take Mary thy wife, for what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’ (St. Matt. i. 20.)”

“Second, the tidings of great joy brought by an angel to the shepherds, that a Savior was born in the city of David, while a multitude of the heavenly army was praising God, and saying, ‘Glory be to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.’ (St. Luke ii. 10, 13, 14.)”

“Third, giving the child the name of Jesus, ‘which was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.’ (St. Luke ii. 21.)”

“Fourth, when he saw the wise men from the east come to pay their homage to the new-born King, ‘and falling down they adored Him, and opening their treasures they offered Him gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh.’ (St. Matt. ii. 1, 2, 11.)”

“Fifth, when he heard in the temple from the lips of holy Simeon, that the child was to be ‘the resurrection of many in Israel.’ (St. Luke ii. 34.)”

“Sixth, in the land of Egypt, when he saw the idols fallen and broken before the infant God, and heard from the angel that ‘they were dead that sought the life of the child, and that he might return with safety into the land of Israel.’ (St. Matt. ii. 20.)”

“Seventh, the finding of Christ in the temple, disputing in the midst of the doctors, after sorrowing for Him three days. (St. Luke ii. 46.)

Isn’t this very nice in the Year of St. Joseph, and such a nice way to get to know him? #3 especially strikes me - the giving of the name of Jesus to Jesus, because it was told to him by the angel, gave St. Joseph great joy. Awww. You see all of his joys being about Jesus, and having nothing to do with himself - as it should be, and as St. Joseph is, known for his humility.

St. Joseph, pray for us!

Lent approaches; talking about giving

We are officially ten days out from Lent. Can you believe it? In these corona-times, I really do feel like time is just kind of a flowing river, one day directly into the next.

On Tuesday this week I got to speak with John and Glen of Morning Air about giving. They are in the middle of their pledge drive (donate here), so we talked about the idea of stewardship, and more importantly, why we are called to give: because Jesus gave the ultimate gift, of his life. And, everything we have - everything! - is a gift from God. So turn it over, baby. You can listen to the interview here.

On the Lent front, I appreciated this article from a fellow Catholic Stand author, “A Gentle Approach for Troubled Times.” Troubled times, indeed. I am reminded that during Lent, we don’t actually have to “give something up.” I grew up thinking that was the only way with Lent, but in reality, it is just as healthy to add something. For example, a prayer practice or act of service.

Regardless, Lent is not a marathon nor a sprint; it is not a test of physical stamina whatsoever. It is not a sporting event. It is an opportunity to simplify and remove the noise that distracts us from fully having a relationship with God, as well as a time to meditate on the suffering Christ endured for us. Resist the temptation to turn it into a personal test of your will or even feel like you have “failed” at Lent. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

New article & radio spots

Well, happy new year, folks! We endured a lot of change in 2020 and it is clear 2021 - and, I guess, beyond - will be no different.

In any case, I will continue to remember, as so many people have said - God is always in control, and all that happens is part of his plan. This sounds trite and kind of hard to swallow, I know. Cold comfort for people at risk of losing their job, becoming homeless, losing loved ones to illness, seeing children suffer from lack of social interaction, worried about the direction of the country, and on and on.

I will add to that, a reminder to remember that God “knows what he is about,” as St. John Henry Newman said, and also that he is unendingly capable of bringing good from bad. And, these things often happen on his timeline - not ours. Someone reminded me recently that many of the Old Testament prophets prophesied things that occurred hundreds - or maybe thousands? - of years later. So in other words, in the spiritual life, perhaps instant gratification is just simply not a thing. We’ve got to wait, hold fast, and keep praying, because all prayers matter in the end. I truly believe there are no wasted, unheard prayers.

In any case, I have several things to share with you: one, my latest article at Catholic Stand: 2021: The Year of St. Joseph. If you do not have a devotion to St. Joseph, I highly recommend and encourage it!

Recent appearances on the radio:

Dec. 23 discussing details of the Christmas season, which, if you do not know, did not end until January 10! Listen here and my portion starts right at the beginning.

January 5 discussing new year’s resolutions and how to keep them (mostly). Mostly I wanted to talk about setting spiritual resolutions. Listen here and it begins at about minute 24.

January 20 discussing the year of St. Joseph, and some thoughts on inauguration and keeping faith and hope alive. I feel like I am unofficially becoming Morning Air’s DC correspondent (I’m not). Listen here and my portion starts at the beginning (or if you really wanted to be fussy, you could start at 1:15).

So anyway - do not despair. Keep doing the next right thing, which includes praying. Make St. Joseph the patron of your year. Have joy in your heart. Continue to stand for what you believe in. Leave the rest in Christ’s hands.