Paulina Tena, CRC
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Christ, our King.
Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
St. Joseph, today we remember you, we venerate you for your faith, your trust and your love for God. Intercede for me, help me to place myself in the presence of God in the midst of the occupations of this day as you did. Open my mind and my heart to let myself be made by God so that his works may be manifested in me.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 1:16-18. 21-24
Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus, called Christ, was born. The birth of Jesus Christ was in this way: Mary, his mother, was betrothed to Joseph and, before they lived together, it turned out that she was expecting a son by the work of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her husband, who was just and did not want to denounce her, decided to divorce her in secret. But no sooner had he taken this resolution than an 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, for the child that is in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from sin.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him..
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Lord, you prepared in St. Joseph a just man, that is, a person who knew how to conform his mind and heart to your will. That was the perfect soil to welcome in his life an extraordinary event. You manifested yourself to him in a dream, through an angel, and he believed and acted.
With his “yes” you were able to prepare a family for Jesus, your greatest manifestation.
What helped you, St. Joseph, to let the works of God manifest themselves in you? Your nobility, that is why you did not let yourself be carried away by passion or ego and decided not to repudiate Mary in secret. How many internal struggles, how many sleepless nights did this decision cost you? Your simple faith, which does not give in to rationalizing everything; you stood up and acted as the angel told you to. Your humility, you were not surprised that an angel presented himself to you, you knew who you were before God, but above all you knew who God was and that what is important is his will. Your goodness, which fixes its gaze on others in their good. But above all, you let God shape your criteria and your heart through his word and the voice of your conscience. You learned to seek God's way and not your own.
Intercede for me that I may be righteous like you so that I may be prepared ground for God to do his works in me.
«The Christian is - we can say - like St. Joseph: he must be a guardian. To be a Christian is not only to receive the faith, to confess the faith, but to guard life, one's own life, the life of others, the life of the Church. The Son of the Most High came into the world in a condition of great weakness: Jesus was born like this, weak, feeble. He wanted to need to be defended, protected, cared for. God entrusted himself to Joseph, as Mary did, and in him she found a spouse who loved and respected her and always took care of her and the Child». (H.H. Francis, Catechesis of February 16, 2022).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
In any decision you have to make today, stop and think: how would this be according to God?
Farewell
We thank you, Lord, for all your benefits, you who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
