St. Joseph

It is really shocking for a husband to come to terms with the fact that his wife is pregnant out of the marriage bonds. When we hear of such news in today’s world it seems to be the story of almost every day. However it wasn’t very common in earlier times; more specifically during the time of Jesus. I imagine how shocking it must have been for St. Joseph to even come to terms with the fact that Mary was pregnant before they came together.

St. Joseph being a just man didn’t want to disgrace Mary publicly and hence decided to send her away in private or quietly. While this just man was contemplating over these thoughts, an angel of the Lord spoke to him confirming that the child to be born of Mary was of the Holy Spirit. The narration ends with Joseph, the just man accepting his wife.

What strikes me most in this passage is the acceptance of whatever the angel said to St. Joseph and that too without a question. If I were to be in his place, thousands of questions would have immediately popped up in my head like why my wife? Couldn’t the Holy Spirit work a little later? Is this Gods way of confirming whether I am a just man or not?

According to my thinking, St. Joseph was not only a just man but also a wise man. I don’t know why I say this but I strongly feel he was wise man. Maybe it’s because of the way he took care of Mary and brought up the child Jesus.

Concluding this small piece of writing, I would say that it is difficult to be a just person in today’s world where everything we see around is just the opposite. However when we come across situations in life, we must always have the image of God in our minds and our self- respect before us.

Name

           

‘And he called his name Jesus’ Mt 1: 25

            The name giving ceremony in any culture is of significant value. I have heard that in a name lies the mission of the child. Some may argue ‘What’s in a name?’ In a name is a person’s self-image, mission to be accomplished and most of all identity. Hence it can be said that a name is very dear to a person and on being fooled may cause deep damage to a person’s self-image and esteem. Another point to be noticed is that whenever we meet a new person we ask his/ her name and then try to fix the photo and other features of the person in our mind.

            I still remember that in earlier times children were named after saints. This made the child realize that s/ he had a mission in life to complete. I believe that some families are still carrying on that system of naming their children after saints. Care has to be taken while naming a child because a person will be called by that name throughout his/ her life. One must feel good and accepted when ones name is taken or called out. When parents give a name to the child, they must also take into due consideration the effect of it on the child in the future (A good name will call for respect while a funny name will only call for jokes and teasing).

            When a person is not accepted or made fun of, due to his/ her name, that person goes into some kind of identity crisis. Hence we see people changing their names (not always) and making an official notice about it in a newspaper. All human beings like their names to be taken in the context of good deeds done, achievements achieved and the list goes on and on. To put in a simple way, all of us like to preserve our good name.

            Coming to the naming of the Son of God, I must really praise the way in which it took place. The angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that the child has to be named ‘Jesus’. From the life of Jesus it is very clear that He was very clear or rather He had a clear picture about his mission. He knew very well why He had come down to earth and He achieved it before returning to the Father. Jesus was very firm in His convictions and held on to His beliefs in the times of criticism and backbiting by the Pharisees and others.

            In conclusion I would say that a name is not only about honor, prestige and power but also about ones mission on earth which has to be discovered with the help of God. Let us then respect each other by respecting each other’s name and know and live by the mission entrusted to each one of us.

Evangelization

Religious by the very nature of their calling are a sign of Gods existence. This way of life is a gift given to some with the aim of evangelizing. Religious are a sign and symbol of availability to all. Religious are a challenge to the world by the witness value of poverty, purity and sincerity that they carry. This type of witnessing to the faith touches the hearts of those who do not believe in Christ or in other words are non- Christians.

            While there are religious on one hand, there are also lay people on the other hand who are amidst other people in the world. They too carry a very specific form of evangelization. Their range of evangelization is much larger than that of the religious. They evangelize in the vast world of politics, society and economics, culture, sciences and arts, international life and mass media. They are also involved in the field of human love, family, education of children and adolescents, professional works and so on.

            Coming to the context of the family, it can be said that the family is the place where the gospel is transmitted and from which the gospel radiates itself. When one family has been evangelized by members within or from outside the family, other families too get evangelized due to this family. Also young people who are trained in the faith and prayer have a duty towards the other youth. Their contribution means a lot to the Church.

            The laity are called to work in collaboration with their pastors in the great task of evangelization. This collaboration must have an effect on those who are close to the Church and also on those who are not. For such an effect to take place, proper training of the laity and the clergy personnel has to take place. All who are in the field of evangelization need an adequate amount of training so as to facilitate greater enrichment in the faith and also greater evangelization.

            What is of great importance is the inner attitude that an evangelizer needs to have while evangelizing. A right and docile attitude to the workings of the Holy Spirit will be of great benefit both to the evangelizer and to the one being evangelized. The Holy Spirit plays a dynamic and a great role in the process of evangelization to whom the evangelizer must be ever grateful.

Hope

                We hope for different things in life. Among the many things, we hope for a good life, work, health, children, political ambition and the list goes on and on. More often than not our hopes and dreams are crushed along lifes way. This doesn’t mean that we should stop hoping. If we stop hoping, it can be said that we are dead. I equate hope with life and hence feel that hope is a necessary aspect of our life.

                To define hope is not easy but according to my perspective ‘hope’ means a kind of expectation (Mostly positive but can be negative at times).

Eg. Positive hope – I hope it rains tomorrow

       Negative – I hope he dies soon.

When we hope we don’t reject reality but expect something better in the future. The key word here is ‘expectation’.

Family tree

The genealogy or the family tree is a treasure which a person holds dear to his/ her heart. However when the genealogy of Jesus is read, I find it difficult to connect with the family tree of Jesus. The only thing that happens in my mind is travelling back in time to my own family tree. Though it isn’t easy to make a family tree of 14 generations like that of Jesus, it is possible to make a family tree of at least two to three generations.

                Some people are interested in remembering their ancestors forever by making a family tree while others are not. Those whose parents have taken efforts to put down names and pictures of their parents and relatives into a family tree are lucky. A family tree may be described as the identity of a family so as to facilitate information and fond memories of or for a particular family.

                 I haven’t literally put down my family tree on paper but have a rough view of it in my mind. The family tree according to me gives a sense of pride to the person. There is a sense of joy and happiness when our family is remembered by people. A family tree includes names, a little bit of information about the person and most importantly picture/ pictures (If there is an album).

                Our family is our greatest treasure; our heart is where our treasure is and hence we arrive at the conclusion that our family is close to our heart. Like the heart is connected to the family, our memories are connected to our family tree. When I look at the obituaries of my grandparents, tears well up in my eyes thinking of all the love and care they bestowed on me.

                Now I have come to the realization that I must be proud when the genealogy of Jesus is read because it too am a son and disciple of Jesus. Hence my family tree is also part of His family tree. 

Go light your world

             ‘Carry your candle, for all to see it……. Take your candle go light your world.’ All of us need to carry our candles so that the world is illuminated with its light. In these times, we really need to hold up our candles so that the world walks in the path of light. We know and have seen what the darkness of hatred can do (2 World Wars). Wars on a smaller scale take place when we reject our neighbor, despise our enemies and rip the poor off their dignity.

            God knows all what we do and He also knows that we are weak and selfish human beings. However we need to be aware and take into account the feelings of the other person. It is better to light a candle of good hope in the lives of others rather than sow seeds of darkness. We are called to light up the lives of others and enhance their living.

            One of the saints who lit up the lives of others (youngsters) was St. John Bosco. At the age of 9 he was called in a dream to shepherd the young straying flock. He who lost his father at the age of 2 was called to be a father to the orphaned youngsters of his time.

            Oscar Romero is another example. He lit up the lives of the people by fighting for their rights; even to the extent of giving up his own life. He was a man of great courage. He saw that the poor peoples’ lives were being made miserable by the government by being unjust to them. He took the necessary action and did the most loving thing due to which he was shot dead.

            There are innumerable examples of people who have lit up the lives of others. It’s our responsibility to light up the lives of others and make them shine.

‘Go light your world’