Devotion for today: feast of St. Joseph the worker

Scripture for meditation: Matthew 13:55
Is not this the carpenter’s son?

Scripture for reflection: Matthew 1:24

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.

Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O.Cist., Ph.D. tells us: In an address to the Catholic Association of Italian Workers, May 1, 1955, Pope Pius XII proclaimed May 1 (May Day) the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker. He thus imparted special religious significance to an observation that had been strictly secular – the proper feast of labor throughout the world – and one that had been used by the enemies of the Church to further their evil designs. Henceforth, May Day is to be “a day of rejoicing for the concrete and progressive triumph of the Christian ideals of the great family of labor. Acclaimed in this way by Christian workers and having received as it were a Christian baptism, the first of May, far from being a stimulus for discord, hate and violence, is and will be a recurring invitation to modern society to accomplish that which is still lacking for social peace.” Thus the humble carpenter of Nazareth, who was the support and guardian of the Divine Child and His Virgin Mother on earth, is now honored above all other men as the personification of the dignity of the manual laborer and the provident guardian of the worker’s family. (Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, 1977)

Prayer: Lord God, You have created all things and imposed on man the necessity of work. Grant that, following St. Joseph’s example, and under his protection, we may accomplish the works You give us and obtain the rewards You promise. Amen.

My thoughts: St. Joseph was a good father and provider. We know little of him from the Bible, but what is written speaks volumes. He was quickly obedient to the messengers God sent him surrounding the birth of his Son; he was a carpenter, a laborer who used his hands to provide for his family. He was honest and upright, and God-fearing. For all these reasons, he is the model for all of us to follow as we spend our days in work and toil. Being obedient to God is hard work; using our gifts and talents to make the world a better place is hard work. Yet when the going gets rough and we feel we can’t go on, let us look to St. Joseph for help and inspiration. By doing his job quietly and well, he provided a safe home for the redeemer of the world. Our work is just as valuable to God. Let us dedicate every day spent in labor to Our Father’s will, so that one day we may hear Him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Now enter into my kingdom.”

Our prayer to God: Preface of Joseph, husband of Mary (from the Mass for St. Joseph the Worker)

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks as we honor St. Joseph. He is that just man, that wise and loyal servant, whom you placed at the head of your family. With a husband’s love he cherished Mary, the virgin Mother of God. With fatherly care he watched over Jesus Christ your Son, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ the choir of angels and all the powers of heaven praise and worship your glory. May our voices join with theirs as we proclaim: Holy, holy holy...

Devotion for today: Shepherd me, O Lord

Scripture for meditation: John 10:11-15

I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.

Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M. tells us: The image of Christ as our Good Shepherd has always appealed to human nature. One of the earliest paintings of Christ in the Roman catacombs represents him as carrying an injured sheep on his shoulders. This is a manifestation of love which touches our innermost feelings. We do not mind being likened to sheep in this context. There is something guileless about a sheep, and at the same time a lot of foolishness. Does not this describe the vast majority of men, even many of those who openly oppose Christ? Is there not something very sheep-like about the man who, because God gave him a limited intellect, thinks he knows all things and needs no further help from God? The sheep who thinks it knows as much, and even more, than the shepherd and sets out to fend for itself, is no more foolish than the man who thinks he can do without God's revelation and God's Church. Indeed we all act like sheep on many occasions, when it comes to the things that concern our spiritual welfare. We often ramble off from the flock to nibble at little bits of forbidden pasture. However, we have a Shepherd who understands us, one whose patience and love are infinite. He is always ready to go after us when we stray too far; his voice is constantly reaching out to us in missions, retreats, sicknesses, crosses and other various ways. How many times have we already felt his loving grace calling and helping us back to the safety of his fold? If (man) truly loves God, he must truly love his neighbor and must want him to have a share in his own good fortune. He knows there is welcome and room in heaven for all men, and he knows that the greater the number there the greater will be God's eternal glory. He will strive then by every available means to help his neighbor into Christ's fold. After good example, prayer will be his most potent weapon. Day in, day out the devout Christian must pray for the conversion of his fellowmen who are wandering aimlessly in the barren desert of this life far from God. He must also learn all he can about the truths of his faith in order to be able to help honest enquirers. He must also cooperate with any parochial or diocesan societies for the propagation of the faith, insofar as his family and financial state allow him. The sermon preached by our Savior nearly two thousand years ago is still echoing and re-echoing around the world, calling on his faithful flock to do all in their power to help those other children of God who are still outside the fold. Do not shut your ears to this call of Christ today. Give him a helping hand by helping your fellowman to see the light of the true faith.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings, www.catholicculture.org

 Prayer: Psalm 23: 1-6

 The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Amen.

My thoughts: I like the way Father O’Sullivan describes us as sheep, wandering away to nibble at forbidden fruits. Sheep, as we all know, are blind and fairly stupid. They honestly must follow the shepherd in order to live. That describes us perfectly. We think we know so much about the truth, life and our futures, yet we do not have intimate knowledge of anything. Who can predict the car accident that changes his life? Who foresaw the stroke that limited his body forever? Who knew that one comment in the public eye would end a career? We honestly don’t know anything about our futures, but God does. He gave us a way to follow, and He is always beside us to guide us back onto it. We must, in turn, help our fellow man to find this wonderful shepherd, to trust that He honestly knows more about life than they do, and to turn their lives over to Him. Then let us all dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Our prayer to God: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmFM4jZasvs&feature=related

Devotion for today: Song of Life

Song of Life

The Roman statesman Seneca wrote that wherever there is a human being,
there is an opportunity for a kindness. No selfless act is insignificant.

A traveler on a dusty road
Strewed acorns on the lea;
And one took root and sprouted up,
And grew into a tree.
Love sought its shade at evening time,
To breathe its early vows;
And Age was pleased, in heights of noon,
To bask beneath its boughs.
The dormouse loved its dangling twigs,
The birds sweet music bore,
It stood a glory in its place,
A blessing evermore.

A little spring had lost its way
Amid the grass and fern;
A passing stranger scooped a well
Where weary men might turn.
He walled it in, and hung with care
A ladle on the brink;
He thought not of the deed he did,
But judged that Toil might drink.
He passed again; and lo! the well,
By summer never dried,
Had cooled ten thousand parched tongues,
And saved a life beside.

A nameless man, amid the crowd
That thronged the daily mart,
Let fall a word of hope and love,
Unstudied from the heart.
A whisper of the tumult thrown,
A transitory breath,
It raised a brother from the dust,
It saved a soul from death.

0 germ! 0 fount! 0 word of love!
0 thought at random cast!
Ye were but little at the first,
But mighty at the last.

Charles MacKay