1.   Welcoming

2. Opening Prayer

3. Theme of the Month:

The Holy Spouses Joseph and  Mary, always attentive parents

         “Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask St Joseph and the Virgin Mary to teach us to be faithful to our daily tasks, to live our faith in the actions of everyday life and to give more space to the Lord in our lives, to pause to contemplate his face.”

(Pope Francis. General Audience. St. Peter’s Square. May 1, 2013)

         Pope Francis, in instituting the Year of the Family, expressed his desire that each family could “feel in their own home the living presence of the Holy Family of Nazareth”: Let’s see:

         “Next Friday, March 19 (2021), the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the Year of the Family “Amoris Laetitia” (the joy of love) will open: a special year to grow in family love. I invite you to a renewed and creative pastoral impulse to place the family at the center of the Church’s and society’s attention.

         “I pray that each family can feel in its own home the living presence of the Holy Family of Nazareth, so that it can fill our small domestic communities with sincere and generous love, a source of joy even in trials and difficulties”.

         The Pope’s witness and confidence that the “living presence” of the Holy Family of Nazareth in families is capable of bearing such special fruit is very significant: a sincere and generous love that becomes a source of joy even in difficult times. Several times in our pastoral commitment to families, we hope and pray for this: that families, each person, and especially those who are going through difficult times or situations, can resist and overcome these difficulties. Now we have the confirmation of the papal authority that the presence of the Holy Family of Nazareth among the families is very important for this overcoming.

         Pope Francis, at the General Audience on 05/01/2013, held in St. Peter’s Square, invited us to ask St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary for four very important virtues, present in the Home of Nazareth: fidelity, faith, communion and contemplation. Let’s listen to Pope Francis:

         “Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good Morning,

         “Today, May 1st, we celebrate St. Joseph the Worker and begin the month traditionally dedicated to Our Lady. In our encounter this morning, I want to focus on these two figures, so important in the life of Jesus, the Church and in our lives, with two brief thoughts: the first on work, the second on the contemplation of Jesus.

         “With reference to the second thought: in the silence of the daily routine, St. Joseph, together with Mary, share a single common centre of attention: Jesus. They accompany and nurture the growth of the Son of God made man for us with commitment and tenderness, reflecting on everything that happened.

         “In the Gospels, St. Luke twice emphasizes the attitude of Mary, which is also that of St Joseph: she “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (2:19,51). To listen to the Lord, we must learn to contemplate, feel his constant presence in our lives and we must stop and converse with him, give him space in prayer. Each of us, even you boys and girls, young people, so many of you here this morning, should ask yourselves: “how much space do I give to the Lord? Do I stop to talk with him?” Ever since we were children, our parents have taught us to start and end the day with a prayer, to teach us to feel that the friendship and the love of God accompanies us. Let us remember the Lord more in our daily life!

         “And in this month of May, I would like to recall the importance and beauty of the prayer of the Holy Rosary. Reciting the Hail Mary, we are led to contemplate the mysteries of Jesus, that is, to reflect on the key moments of his life, so that, as with Mary and St. Joseph, he is the centre of our thoughts, of our attention and our actions. It would be nice if, especially in this month of May, we could pray the Holy Rosary together in the family, with friends, in the parish, or some prayer to Jesus and the Virgin Mary! Praying together is a precious moment that further strengthens family life, friendship! Let us learn to pray more in the family and as a family!

         “Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary to teach us to be faithful to our daily tasks, to live our faith in the actions of everyday life and to give more space to the Lord in our lives, to pause to contemplate his face. Thank you.”

(Pope Francis. General Audience. St. Peter’s Square. May 1, 2013)

         Beautiful exhortations from Pope Francis! And so that we can take full advantage of his guidelines, we will reflect in future editions of “Josephite Spirituality Seeds” on how we can support families in this process of walking in the presence of the Lord, and relying on the “living presence” of the Holy Family of Nazareth in this journey.

         And we begin by exhorting the families, and the pastoral agents who support the families, to believe that the Holy Spouses Joseph and Mary are always attentive to all the events and situations that families go through, and are willing and ready to intervene, and to walk together with the families. St. Joseph Marello, Bishop and Founder, guides us to realize that Mary’s presence and loving attention at the wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-12) is a sign of what she intends to do with all families. Let’s see:

         “We admire Mary’s diligence at the Wedding at Cana: she is very attentive to ensuring that everything runs smoothly, that everyone is well served and well attended, and that no one lacks anything. This loving attention of Mary is an image of her spiritual care with which she watches over our souls to discover our needs and shortcomings and to provide for them in time”.

(St. Joseph Marello)

4. Reflection and Sharing

         Share on the words of St. Joseph Marello: “We admire Mary’s diligence at the Wedding at Cana: she is very attentive to ensuring that everything runs smoothly, that everyone is well served and well attended, and that no one lacks anything. This loving attention of Mary is an image of her spiritual care with which she watches over our souls to discover our needs and shortcomings and to provide for them in time”.

5. Commitment of the Month

         Let us celebrate with nobility and confidence the Feast of the Holy Spouses Joseph and Mary, on January 23, or on a more convenient date discerned by the community.

6. Final Prayer.