Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

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Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

 

Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

 

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod had died, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeare
in a dream
to Joseph in Egypt and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,
for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
He rose, took the child and his mother,
and went to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea
in place of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go back there.
And because he had been warned in a dream,
he departed for the region of Galilee.
He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth,
so that what had been spoken through the prophets
might be fulfilled,
He shall be called a Nazorean.

 

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to unite my heart to yours, my will to your will. Thank you for welcoming me into your presence and for reminding me that you are always here with me.  Like Joseph, I place my trust in you and your plan for my life. My hope grows with every experience of your action in my life and I find my value, my self-worth, in your unconditional love for me. Please know how much I love you and how much I desire my thoughts, words, and actions to reflect that love for you.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

  1. Ears to Hear: During the holidays, our life can be so full of noise and distractions that it’s challenging at times to be with the Lord and to hear the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit. We may even find ourselves unable to discern–is that really the Holy Spirit or just my imagination? Disruptions in routine, holiday festivities, fatigue, media saturation–so many things vie for our attention and block the ears of our soul to hear the Lord’s will.  We are in a special time of grace, so let’s be sure to spend a few minutes in silence with Jesus so that he can restore peace in our soul, which will allow us to have ears to hear his plan for my day.
  2. Growing Gratitude: How many times has the Lord saved you from danger? From being somewhere we shouldn’t be, from speaking out of anger and frustration, from participating in activities that would harm our soul? When we are faithful to our daily examination of conscience, we become aware of the Lord’s action in our life and our gratitude grows. We find ourselves more eager to live attentive to the Lord’s will. 
  3. Protector of Souls: Joseph protected the infant Jesus and Mary from all danger and harm by responding to the promptings of your holy angels. The Lord is the ultimate protector of our soul, but he also asks that we look out for the good of the souls he has placed in our life. How are we protecting from harm those souls he has entrusted to us? (My congregation, my spouse, my children, those I work with, those I teach, those I guide…)  No matter our vocation, there are souls who are influenced by our thoughts, words, and actions. Let’s pray for the grace to help others to encounter Jesus.

 

Conversing with Christ: Lord, grant me the desire to make time to spend with you in prayer in the gift of interior recollection. Grant me also the desire to make time to spend with you at the end of the day, to examine my conscience so that I may grow in awareness of and gratitude for the action of the Holy Spirit in my life. These practices will help to ensure that I bring good and not harm to the souls of those you have entrusted to me.

 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will grow in awareness of the action of the Holy Spirit in my life and resolve to be responsive to his gentle promptings by making time to meet with you in the evening to examine my day through your eyes.

For Further Reflection: A common tool for examination of your day is The Ignatian Daily Examen: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen.

 

Marjorie Davin is a lay member of Regnum Christi of 21 years who has served as director of the  Women’s Section in the Washington, D.C., area. She and her husband just celebrated their jubilee anniversary of 25 years and are the parents of four adult children.

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