JOSEPHITE SPIRITUALITY  SEEDS

Monthly publication of the International Josephite-Marellian Center. February 2023

1.   Welcoming

2. Opening Prayer

3. Theme of the Month:

Joseph made of his life a gift

         “Saint Joseph let himself be guided by his dreams without hesitation. Why? Because his heart was directed to God; it was already inclined towards him. A small indication was enough for his watchful “inner ear” to recognize God’s voice. This applies also to our calling: God does not like to reveal himself in a spectacular way, pressuring our freedom. He conveys his plans to us with gentleness. He does not overwhelm us with dazzling visions but quietly speaks in the depths of our heart, drawing near to us and speaking to us through our thoughts and feelings. In this way, as he did with Saint Joseph, he sets before us profound and unexpected horizons”.

(Saint Joseph: the dream of vocation. Message from Pope Francis for the

58th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. April 25, 2021)

         In the previous edition of “Josephite SpiritualitySeeds”, we saw that “building a great human family united in love is not a utopia; it is the great call of God”, and that “to make this dream come true we are all called: priests, consecrated men and women, lay faithful”.

         We also saw two precious guidelines from Pope Francis to help us answer an important question: God calls us to “build a great human family united in love”. But how to do this in practice? Let us remember these two initial guidelines:

1) The safest way to fulfill the Christian vocation comes from the example of Joseph of Nazareth.

2) “Saint Joseph comes to our help” in listening and responding to the vocation received.

                  In this edition, we will see another precious guidance from Pope Francis: out of love, Joseph made of his life a gift. Let’s see:

3) “Joseph made of his life a gift” by becoming an example.

         In his Message for the 58th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Francis teaches us, based on the example of Saint Joseph, that “it is love that gives meaning to life”, and that “Saint Joseph made of his life a gift ”.

Let’s see what Pope Francis says:

         “Saint Joseph suggests to us three key words for each individual’s vocation. The first is dream. Everyone dreams of finding fulfilment in life. We rightly nurture great hopes, lofty aspirations that ephemeral goals – like success, money and entertainment – cannot satisfy. If we were to ask people to express in one word their life’s dream, it would not be difficult to imagine the answer: “to be loved”. It is love that gives meaning to life, because it reveals life’s mystery. Indeed, we only have life if we give it; we truly possess it only if we generously give it away. Saint Joseph has much to tell us in this regard, because, through the dreams that God inspired in him, he made of his life a gift.”

(Saint Joseph: the dream of vocation. Message from Pope Francis for the

58th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. April 25, 2021)

         You only have the life that you give, that gives itself fully. Let us pray to Saint Joseph to help us make of our lives a gift, a life dedicated to Jesus’ interests, more than ours, and that he may accompany us on this journey.

4) Joseph said yes, promptly and decisively, to the vocation he had received because he knew how to cultivate a vigilant “inner ear”, the fruit of a “heart oriented towards God”.

         Also in the Message for the 58th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Francis teaches us that God transmits his projects to us with meekness, “gently” addressing our interiority and proposing to us, as he did with Saint Joseph, profound and unexpected horizons. Listen to Pope Francis:

         “The Gospels tell us of four dreams (cf. Mt 1:20; 2:13.19.22). They were calls from God, but they were not easy to accept. After each dream, Joseph had to change his plans and take a risk, sacrificing his own plans in order to follow the mysterious designs of God, whom he trusted completely. We may ask ourselves, “Why put so much trust in a dream in the night?” Although a dream was considered very important in ancient times, it was still a small thing in the face of the concrete reality of life. Yet Saint Joseph let himself be guided by his dreams without hesitation. Why? Because his heart was directed to God; it was already inclined towards him. A small indication was enough for his watchful “inner ear” to recognize God’s voice. This applies also to our calling: God does not like to reveal himself in a spectacular way, pressuring our freedom. He conveys his plans to us with gentleness. He does not overwhelm us with dazzling visions but quietly speaks in the depths of our heart, drawing near to us and speaking to us through our thoughts and feelings. In this way, as he did with Saint Joseph, he sets before us profound and unexpected horizons.”

(Saint Joseph: the dream of vocation. Message from Pope Francis for the

58th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. April 25, 2021)

         Let us pray to Saint Joseph to help us change our plans, if need be, to “get into the game”, as Pope Francis says, and carry out the mysterious projects of God for our lives, sacrificing our own projects if necessary. God deserves our full confidence.

4. Reflection and Sharing

         Share about the teachings of Pope Francis contained in this “Josephite Spirituality Seeds”.

5. Commitment of the Month

         Interact with your Community and actively participate in the preparations for the Month of Saint Joseph that we will celebrate in March.

6. Final Prayer.