O God, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the spouse of his virgin mother: Give us grace to imitate his uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Psalm
89:1-29
The Readings
II Samuel 7:4, 8-16 + Romans 4:13-18 + Luke 2:41-52
Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing;
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever;
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
~Psalm 89.1-2
Earlier today, in response to Pope Francis' call to "unite spiritually" in prayer across the globe during this pandemic, I joined many millions of others in praying the rosary. The rosary is one approach to prayer that many find meaningful, and it is not confined to Roman Catholics--using beads or knotted rope as an aid to prayer is an ancient practice found in one form or another in many religions and denominations. But some people don't find this particular practice helpful, and that's fine--as Christians, we seek to follow the leading of the Spirit in finding ways of being faithful in prayer, and that will often vary from one person to the next. What we do need to guard against is looking with scorn upon the ways in which another has been led to pray (we Christians, unfortunately, have quite a history of judging others, despite St. Paul's admonition in Romans 14: Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls.)
Beyond questions about different ways of praying, it is inevitable during times like these that some will also question the practice of prayer itself--"What good is prayer? A waste of time!"--"We don't need thoughts and prayers, we need action!"--"Put your trust in science, not fairy tales!" But I will continue to pray. I have known the gift of being able to come to God in prayer: to unburden myself, to receive peace, to express praise for unspeakable beauty, to offer gratitude from a thankful heart, to lift the needs and memory of others to God, to entrust a thing to God when I am at the end of my ability to do anything else. I know that to abandon prayer in a time such as this would be to invite death to my spirit, even if my body should endure (and eventually for all of us, as we were reminded just a few weeks ago, that too will return to dust). And I know that it is prayer that will sustain my spirit so that my body may work to bless others in their need.
So, I will pray. Even when, like Joseph, I find myself confused, or in danger, or not knowing the steps ahead of me. Of the little that the Gospels reveal about Joseph, they tell us at least this much: he was a man who listened to God, and responded with obedience. May we all be so faithful.
Closing Prayer
the following is adapted from the revised Saint Augustine's Prayer Book, from "A Litany of Saint Joseph"
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
O Christ, hear us.
O Christ, graciously hear us.
Word of God, and the eternal Wisdom of God, humbling yourself to be born and live among us, glory to you.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Blessed Joseph, husband of Mary and guardian of the Incarnate Word, pray for us.
Joseph, at work in the carpenter shop,
inspire us to work for the common good.
Joseph, receiving God's call and obeying it,
teach us to listen and to respond.
Joseph, in Bethlehem's stable and in exile in Egypt,
open our hearts to the stranger and sojourner.
Joseph, whom Jesus called father and in whose care he grew to adulthood,
bless our families and sanctify our households.
Joseph, completing your life's work and dying with Mary and Jesus at your side,
pray for us now and in the hour of our death.
Pray for us, O holy Joseph,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Ancient of Days, Alpha and Omega, still you knew the long years of growth and learning; Lord Jesus, teach us by the example of Joseph to act in justice tempered by kindness, to be obedient to your call, and to work for the well-being of those committed to our care; make us faithful in the work you give us to do.
Amen.
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