Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Kình Thánh Cả Giuse 19/3 (Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 2)
Qua bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta thấy Thánh Giuse đã phản ứng khi phải đối diện với sự thật khì biết Đức Maria đã có thai Chúa Giêsu, Thánh Giuse cảm thấy như có một sự mất mát nào đó rất to lớn. Thánh Giuse cũng chỉ là một con người đàn ông tầm thường như chúng ta, khi ngài chưa được biết biến cố Truyền Tin. Nhưng khi được thiên thần báo tin và tiết lộ sự thật với ngài trong giấc mơ, thánh Giuse đã phải học bài học hy vọng, như ông Abraham để "hy vọng trong niềm hy vọng". Thánh Giuse và Đức Maria đã đính hôn nên niềm hy vọng phải có cho cuộc sống hôn nhân hạnh phúc, là sự chúc lành của Thiên Chúa đó món quà sự sống, đó là con cái mà Thiên Chúa ban cho. Nhưng đối với thánh Giuse, thế giới tình yêu và hôn nhân của ngài đột nhiên bị đảo lộn: Vì Thiên Chúa mời gọi cuộc sống hôn nhân của họ theo cách của Chúa và Chúa đã đưa cả hai theo một con đường khác biệt với những đòi hỏi của lòng can đảm, sự hy sinh trong niềm hy vọng để chấp nhận ơn gọi nhiệm màu đầy bí ẩn này của Thiên Chúa. Niềm hy vọng và sự mong đợi của con người không còn đủ để duy trì họ: Họ chỉ có thể đáp ứng với mệnh lệnh của Thiên Chúa ; "Đừng sợ" và đặt niềm tin và hy vọng của họ vào Thiên Chúa. Thánh Giuse và Đức Maria cũng đã nhận được cùng một thông điệp, Thiên Chúa đã mời gọi cả hai người cùng tham gia vào mầu nhiệm này. Chúng ta có thể nghĩ là thánh Giuse gần như chỉ là một người ngoài cuộc, trong khi Đức Maria thì đã tham dự hoàn toàn 100% trong mầu nhiệm Nhập Thể của Chúa Kitô. Nhưng theo Thánh Kinh đã cho chúng ta thấy một cách khác: Là Đức Maria và thánh Giuse cả hai đã cùng phải đặt “niềm hy vọng của họ trong một sự khó có hy vọng". Chúng ta có thể hiểu là ơn gọi của thánh Giuse được thông qua với sự kết hợp của ngài với Đức Maria, cũng như chúng ta cũng sẽ được hiểu rõ hơn về mầu nhiệm nơi Mẹ Maria bằng cách nhìn vào nơi thánh Giuse, .
Bất cứ khi nào chúng ta thấy mình phải đối phó với một cảm giác là được Thiên Chúa kêu gọi để thực hiện một nhiệm vụ nào đó, Ơn gọi này chắc chắn sẽ không bao giờ là sẽ được dễ dàng. Nhưng cuối cùng chúng ta sẽ cảm nghiệm được đó thực sự là ý Chúa. Chúng ta nên biết rằng một mặt, Thiên Chúa sẽ không liên lạc với chúng ta bằng fax hay texting messages, đàm thoại trên Facebook, hoặc email, nhưng chúng ta cảm thấy chúng ta cần phải chắc chắn rằng , chúng ta đã đi theo đúng hướng mà Chúa muốn. Cách Thiên Thần của Chúa đến với Thánh Giuse trong giấc mơ sẽ không thể hiện ở nơi chúng ta, nhưng cách cầu nguyện của chúng có thế giống như thánh Giuse, miễn là chúng ta phải biết sẵn sàng chờ đợi Thiên Chúa ban cho chúng ta những ơn mà chúng ta đã cầu xin, hay tìm kiếm theo như cách của Ngài, và theo như thời gian của Ngài định... Lạy Cha là Thiên Chúa ở trên Trời xin tăng thêm lòng tin và niềm hy vọng của chúng con để chúng con có thể đáp ứng được với tất cả các lời mời gọi của Chúa, ngay cả khi chúng con không thể nhìn thấy những gì ở trước mặt chúng con.
19th March 2014 -St Joseph, spouse of BVM
Confronted with Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph must, humanly speaking, have felt a certain sense of loss, for he did not yet know of the Annunciation. When the angel revealed the truth to him in his dream, Joseph had to learn, like Abraham to “hope against hope”. Joseph and Mary were engaged: their hope must have been for a happy married life, blessed with God’s gift of children. Suddenly their whole world was turned upside down: God invited them to walk a different road. It required courage and hope to accept God’s mysterious call.
Human hopes and expectations were no longer sufficient to sustain them: they could only respond to the divine command “Do not be afraid” and put their trust and hope in God. Both Joseph and Mary received the same message, for they were both involved in this mystery. We may think of Joseph almost as a bystander, while Mary was totally involved in the mystery of the Incarnation, but Scripture indicates otherwise: Mary and Joseph together had to “hope against hope”. We can best understand Joseph’s vocation through his association with Mary, just as we understand more of the mystery of Mary by looking to Joseph.
Father in Heaven, strengthen our hope so that we may respond to all your invitations, even when we cannot see what lies ahead.
Opening Prayer: Lord, bless me as I contemplate your words today in Scripture. I thank you profoundly for the gift of St. Joseph, who watched over you and Mary, and who intercedes for our priests and families everywhere.
Encountering Christ:
1. Righteous: When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, he was not irate or resentful, according to Scripture. Instead, we learn that he was righteous and unwilling to expose her to shame. Our church teaches us that this humble, unassuming foster father of Jesus “is the holiest human person after Mary and the ‘Most Just’ of all the saints” (Consecration to St. Joseph, p.141). In the words of St. Frances de Sales, St. Joseph was perfectly righteous: “To be just is to be perfectly united to the Divine Will, and to be always conformed to it in all sorts of events, whether prosperous or adverse. That St. Joseph was this, no one can doubt.” Let us beg God for the grace to imitate St. Joseph in his righteousness.
2. Protector: When Joseph took Mary and her unborn child into his home, he began to live his unique vocation as “Guardian of the Redeemer, Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, Glory of Domestic Life, and Pillar of Families” (Litany of St. Joseph). In his role as guardian and protector, Joseph was a perfect model of paternal love. As such, he is the patron saint of the Universal Church and fathers. “If St. Joseph was so engaged, heart and soul, in protecting and providing for that little family in Nazareth, don’t you think that now in Heaven, he is the same loving guardian of the whole Church, of all of its members, as he was of its head on earth?” (Venerable Pope Pius XII). St. Joseph, pray for us.
3. Promptly Obedient: Joseph had decided to divorce Mary quietly, but once Our Lord’s will was made clear to him by the angel in a dream, he immediately abandoned his plan and brought her into his home. Reflecting on his righteousness, one can imagine with what great love Joseph promptly obeyed God’s commands as soon as he understood what was being asked of him. There was no hesitation, no questioning, no doubt in his response—just pure trust in God and love of Mary. “Why was St. Matthew so keen to note Joseph's trust in the words received from the messenger of God, if not to invite us to imitate this same loving trust?” (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI).
Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for the great witness of St. Joseph. You placed him in an exalted position as head of the Holy Family, which alone says volumes about his character, even though we know very few facts about him because he spoke no words in Scripture and died before Jesus began his ministry. May I imitate his righteousness, his prompt obedience, and trust in God, knowing that he is my spiritual father, as he was for Jesus.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will take the opportunity to pray the Litany of St. Joseph with special devotion.
The first understanding that most people have about today’s Gospel is that Joseph thought he had been betrayed by Mary and so decided to divorce her. The list of reasons why this is nonsense is very long, but we can consider the major points today. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, did she tell him about the angel Gabriel? Yes, without a doubt she did. Did he think she was lying? No. The Scripture says that “she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.” Her pregnancy and the manner of conception were both revealed to Joseph at the same time.
Indeed, long-standing tradition tells us that Joseph was a widower who was marrying Mary in order to take care of her as she devoted her life to God. What is without doubt from Mary’s own words in Luke is that her marriage was always intended to be unconsummated. Joseph was not a hot-tempered youth who felt betrayed. The intention of this marriage was always that Joseph would be caring for Mary without being intimate with her.
Now we should be able to see what really happened. Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant through the Holy Spirit with a child who would be called the Son of the Most High God. His response was like Peter’s years later, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Joseph was afraid. He had taken on the great responsibility of caring for this perfect girl, but he had not realized that he would also have to care for God’s own Son. This was too much. Joseph was a righteous man; the fear of God was in him. Joseph is humble: he knows that he is neither capable nor worthy of being the stepfather of Jesus.
His dream now takes on a new meaning. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home, for it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” The angel does not disagree that Joseph is unworthy or that he is unable, by himself, to care for Jesus. The angel reminds him that this is a work of the Holy Spirit. There is no reason to be afraid. God will provide. No work is too much, even for us sinful people, if God is accomplishing the work through us. We never need to be afraid of what the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives.
Meditation:
Are you prepared to obey the Lord in everything? Faith in God's word and obedience to his commands go hand in hand. Joseph, like Mary, is a model of faith and justice. Matthew tells us that Joseph was a "just man". John Chrysostom (347-407 AD), a gifted preacher and bishop of Constantinople, comments on the great virtue we see in Joseph which qualified him to be a worthy guardian and foster father for the child Jesus:
"The concept of 'just' here signifies the man who possesses all the virtues. By 'justice' one at times understands only one virtue in particular, as in the phrase: the one who is not avaricious (greedy) is just. But 'justice' also refers to virtue in general. And it is in this sense, above all, that scripture uses the word 'justice'. For example, it refers to: a just man and true (cf. Job 1:1), or the two were just (cf. Luke 1:6). Joseph, then, being just, that is to say good and charitable..."
Joseph's faith was put to the test when he discovered that his espoused wife Mary was pregnant. Joseph, being a just and God-fearing man, did not wish to embarrass, punish, or expose Mary to harm. To all outward appearances she had broken their solemn pledge to be faithful and chaste to one another. Joseph, no doubt took this troubling matter to God in prayer. He was not hasty to judge or to react with hurt and anger. God rewarded him not only with guidance and consolation, but with the divine assurance that he had indeed called Joseph to be the husband of Mary and to assume a mission that would require the utmost faith, confidence, and trust in Almighty God. Joseph believed in the divine message to take Mary as his wife and to accept the child in her womb as the promised Messiah, who is both the only begotten Son of God and son of Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Joseph was a worthy successor to the great patriarchs of the old covenant - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joseph followed the call of God through the mysterious circumstances that surrounded the coming of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah who fulfilled all the promises made to Abraham and his offspring. God entrusted this silent, humble man with the unique privilege of raising, protecting, teaching, and training Jesus as a growing child. Joseph accepted his role of fatherly care with faith, trust, and obedience to the will of God. He is a model for all who are entrusted with the care, instruction, and protection of the young. Joseph is a faithful witness and servant of God's unfolding plan of redemption.
Are you ready to put your trust in the Lord to give you his help and guidance in fulfilling your responsibilities? God gives strength and guidance to those who seek his help, especially when we face trials, doubts, fears, perplexing circumstances, and what seems like insurmountable problems and challenges in our personal lives. God our heavenly Father has not left us alone, but has given us his only begotten Son Jesus as our savior, teacher, lord, and healer. Where do you need God's help and guidance? Ask the Lord to increase your faith and trust in his promises and in his guiding hand in your life.
"Lord Jesus, you came to free us from the power of sin, fear, and death, and to heal and restore us to wholeness of life. May I always trust in your saving help, guidance, wisdom, and plan for my life".
WAU- Meditation: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24 -Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. (Matthew 1:24)
Can you imagine a bumper sticker that says: My son is the Savior of the universe?
It’s not uncommon for people to want to brag about their children or grandchildren. With social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, bumper-sticker magnets, and custom T-shirts, people are finding more and more ways to show off every step or accomplishment of the kids that God has blessed them with. Being proud of our children or grandchildren is a natural expression of love. We are often so amazed at the gifts that God has given them and the joy they bring to our lives that it’s hard not to tell people about the great things they do. Yet there can be a fine line between rejoicing in God’s goodness and prideful boasting. It can be hard at times to discern how much is too much. But what if you knew that your child was the Messiah, the Son of God sent to redeem all people from sin? Wouldn’t you have a tough time not bragging just a little bit?
On this feast day of St. Joseph, take a moment to think about this man’s deep humility. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that Joseph was a “righteous man” (Matthew 1:19). Still, it must have taken an amazing amount of self-discipline not to brag about his boy. It must have taken a heroic amount of humility not to use Jesus’ special status to explain why he was going ahead with his marriage to Mary after it was discovered that she was pregnant. He knew that Jesus was the Son of God: the shepherds, Wise Men, and Simeon in the Temple all confirmed it. But Joseph never tried to hold Jesus apart from the rest of humanity.
Today, thank God for the good things that he has given you, especially your family. Make sure that you take the time to show them your love and your pride in seeing God’s goodness in them. Mirror God’s delight in them, and help them see how God wants to use them to change the world.
“Lord, give me the humble, righteous heart of St. Joseph. Help me to love and appreciate the people you have entrusted to me and to guide them wisely onto your path.”
No comments:
Post a Comment