February 28, 2021 - Pastor Message
December 21, 2024THE YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH RIGHTEOUSNESS (conclusion)
THE YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH RIGHTEOUSNESS (conclusion) “For just as through the disobedience of the one man, many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one man, many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).
To conclude our monthlong reflection on righteousness as modeled by St. Joseph, we will look this weekend at some practical suggestions as to how we can also cultivate righteousness in our lives. The first suggestion is to remember that righteousness is first and foremost a characteristic of God, and so any righteousness on our part must begin with and lead us back into God’s life what we call grace which unites us to God and makes us more like him. We encounter grace in many ways but primarily through prayer, both personal and communal. Like Joseph, who communed with God even in his dreams, we must develop a deeply personal prayer life in which we don’t just give God a few minutes of our time here and there but invite him to come and make his home with us, giving God the time and attention we ourselves need to let his Spirit penetrate through the busyness of our lives and permeate all we are and do. Also like Joseph, who fully observed the prescribed rites and sacrifices of the Law as part of the People of God, we need to fully participate in the prescribed rites and sacrifices of the newly constituted People of God, the Church. This means full and active participation in the sacramental life of the Church, especially the central sacrifice of our communion with God in the sacrifice of the Mass.
The next suggestion is to practice self-denial. Joseph denied himself many times as he heard God’s call in prayer and responded in faithful action. As we hear God’s often challenging call to us through our prayer, we need to be able to respond with the same commitment and faith exemplified by Joseph. This doesn’t happen automatically. It requires an inner strength born through spiritual exercise, begun in prayer and developed through fasting. When we think of fasting, we think of giving up things like meat on Fridays or snacks between meals, and these are good places to start, sort of like the necessary warmup before the heart of the workout. But the real work of fasting takes place within ourselves, struggling with temptations by relying more and more fully on God, in whom alone we find true peace, joy, and salvation, even in times of deprivation. The “self” we deny through fasting is the false self that comes from the deceit of the devil: “If you deny God, you will be like gods” (Genesis 3:5). Through fasting we discard that lie and embrace the truth, that God has already made us in his own divine image and likeness, lost by sin but restored and even elevated in Christ, and only by living in ever-closer communion with him will our exalted likeness to God, our Christlikeness, be realized.
The third suggestion is to engage in Christian action, or charity. Joseph didn’t just deny himself; he actively chose to be like God, who is love, and did so in and through his constant love toward Mary and Jesus. Love here is not a passive emotion but an action verb; it is putting our false self aside and committing our true self to the good of another. It means using our gifts, talents, and abilities to serve others’ needs, just as God does for us, and by so doing reveal God to those whom we serve. That is the whole purpose of the charitable works of the Church, and by engaging in those works, we cultivate our own God likeness. By doing so we also develop the virtue of charity within ourselves and so become more disposed to promptly and fully answer God’s call to us, which is always a call to love, whenever it comes and wherever it leads.
Attentiveness to God and commitment of ourselves to fully and faithfully respond to God’s call, all flowing from, enabled by, and leading us deeper into God’s life and love that is righteousness. May our reflection on Joseph’s life help us to cultivate a true spirit of righteousness in our lives and in the life of our Church throughout this year.
Fr. Marc Stockton
“For just as through the disobedience of the one man, many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one man, many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).
To conclude our monthlong reflection on righteousness as modeled by St. Joseph, we will look this weekend at some practical suggestions as to how we can also cultivate righteousness in our lives. The first suggestion is to remember that righteousness is first and foremost a characteristic of God, and so any righteousness on our part must begin with and lead us back into God’s life what we call grace which unites us to God and makes us more like him. We encounter grace in many ways but primarily through prayer, both personal and communal. Like Joseph, who communed with God even in his dreams, we must develop a deeply personal prayer life in which we don’t just give God a few minutes of our time here and there but invite him to come and make his home with us, giving God the time and attention we ourselves need to let his Spirit penetrate through the busyness of our lives and permeate all we are and do. Also like Joseph, who fully observed the prescribed rites and sacrifices of the Law as part of the People of God, we need to fully participate in the prescribed rites and sacrifices of the newly constituted People of God, the Church. This means full and active participation in the sacramental life of the Church, especially the central sacrifice of our communion with God in the sacrifice of the Mass.
The next suggestion is to practice self-denial. Joseph denied himself many times as he heard God’s call in prayer and responded in faithful action. As we hear God’s often challenging call to us through our prayer, we need to be able to respond with the same commitment and faith exemplified by Joseph. This doesn’t happen automatically. It requires an inner strength born through spiritual exercise, begun in prayer and developed through fasting. When we think of fasting, we think of giving up things like meat on Fridays or snacks between meals, and these are good places to start, sort of like the necessary warmup before the heart of the workout. But the real work of fasting takes place within ourselves, struggling with temptations by relying more and more fully on God, in whom alone we find true peace, joy, and salvation, even in times of deprivation. The “self” we deny through fasting is the false self that comes from the deceit of the devil: “If you deny God, you will be like gods” (Genesis 3:5). Through fasting we discard that lie and embrace the truth, that God has already made us in his own divine image and likeness, lost by sin but restored and even elevated in Christ, and only by living in ever-closer communion with him will our exalted likeness to God, our Christlikeness, be realized.
The third suggestion is to engage in Christian action, or charity. Joseph didn’t just deny himself; he actively chose to be like God, who is love, and did so in and through his constant love toward Mary and Jesus. Love here is not a passive emotion but an action verb; it is putting our false self aside and committing our true self to the good of another. It means using our gifts, talents, and abilities to serve others’ needs, just as God does for us, and by so doing reveal God to those whom we serve. That is the whole purpose of the charitable works of the Church, and by engaging in those works, we cultivate our own God likeness. By doing so we also develop the virtue of charity within ourselves and so become more disposed to promptly and fully answer God’s call to us, which is always a call to love, whenever it comes and wherever it leads.
Attentiveness to God and commitment of ourselves to fully and faithfully respond to God’s call, all flowing from, enabled by, and leading us deeper into God’s life and love that is righteousness. May our reflection on Joseph’s life help us to cultivate a true spirit of righteousness in our lives and in the life of our Church throughout this year.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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