Today's Scriptural Meditation Readings:
March 20, A.D. 2006Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16
Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29
Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24
A brief reflection on today's Scripture passages:
"It is he who shall build a house for my name."
(2 Samuel 7:13)
We know Joseph to be a man of great faith, who was obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. Joseph is an great example of a person whose life was instrumental in manifesting the will of God on earth for the salvation of all of humanity. Undoubtedly, Joseph probably had a very different life planned for himself when he chose to marry the young girl, Mary. Choosing to accept what God asked of him was very difficult. He would have been the subject of cruel and humiliating gossip, and it was also dangerous. But as compensation for all these hardships, Joseph together with Mary, were first-hand witnesses to the greatest event the world has ever seen: the Incarnation of the Word!
We see that there is a stark contrast between the life Joseph would have chosen for himself, and the life God chose for him. It is the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Because he said "yes" to God, his name is remembered, honoured and celebrated today.
The sole purpose of our own existence is to do the will of God. Everything that happens to us is intended to guide us towards God's divine purpose for our lives, which He reveals to us one day at a time. He reveals it in the opportunities and the people He sends into our lives. We know what God's will is by everything that moves us in the direction of His great love. Every movement in the direction of love involves dying to ourselves. In the end, this is the only measure of our success in life - whether or not we did God's will. Nothing else matters.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said "Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us. It consists in accepting and following the will of God." Amen!
- Anne
(anne97 at gmail dot com)
The Solemnity of St. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lives of the saints:
http://www.christdesert.org/public_texts/martyrology/
Full Scripture text from today's Liturgy of the Word:
www.nccbuscc.org/nab/index.htm
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