Greetings Parents!
"It's my money, I earned it, why can't I sped it the way I want?" Sound familiar? Yes, they earned it and yes we want them to know the satisfaction of being able to purchase something they wanted through their own efforts, but as their parent, I have an obligation to also try to guide them into wisdom. To this end, we might permit some frivolous spending so that they experience grasping quickly for a smaller, short-term joy and then being unable to afford a prize of greater and more lasting value.
As I type this it strikes me how true this still is today for me and other adults. Not so much grasping at what we sought as children, but with God and other areas of life. Resisting those chips everyday leaves room for the birthday cake on the weekend, or resisting both brings huge satisfaction for health. Putting off watching shows or trolling social media, so that I get some prayer time first first, at least part of that time in prayer - be it the rosary or free-form, or anything - this brings contentment knowing both that I did the right thing and gave time to my relationship with God - showing Him that He has importance in my life because He is constantly "putting in time" for us.
Father's Day is a good time to recall St. Joseph and how his living for the greater reward was crucial in his role for the salvation of our souls. It is interesting that this most important figure in Jesus' life has no spoken words recorded in the Bible. But he was so integral to Jesus' life and upbringing. He is considered the patron of the universal church and a most powerful saint to call on for help - could Jesus refuse the request of the man who was given, for a time, authority over Him? A man traditionally recognized as being holy and loving?
He was a father, living the Will of God everyday in his actions, teaching the One who would save his own soul for heaven. How much of that reality did he know? Would it have mattered? Or when he held the baby Jesus in His arms, would fatherhood's call simply have flooded him with love for the tiny Child? How to balance the Holy so intimately in his midst with the daily toils of the day - the dust, cuts, clean up, deliveries, unkind people, and other mundane and annoying realities of this life? How does one live with God so physically present in their midst and yet fulfill the large and small tasks needed to live in this world while also appreciating the good God has placed in it for us?
It's a question and a challenge for many of us - including me! I have the best ideas in Church and sometimes throughout the day, feeling good that I am living with God on my mind. Then troubles hit or conflicts arise and my heart and mind are flooded with worldly ways to address them. Pride, frustration, sorrow, and anger are encouraged and fanned by society that begs us to vent them in unholy ways. "Do not let someone get the better of you!" says the world. God says, "Give everything to me and let me handle it. Meanwhile, pray for your peace and the person hurting you." The trust and patience this takes comes even harder when one know that those with worldly views see weakness in meekness, mercy, forgiveness, and all attempts for greater understanding. They expect one to lash out and then revel in the revenge inflicted, avoiding conversations with open hearts.
St. Joseph could surely help! It takes great inner strength to walk the high rode - what was it like for him to wed Mary when she was pregnant and, as a holy man, live with the scandal that worldly people couldn't understand? Or to take his family and flee Bethlehem for Egypt, and later learn of the many babies that were killed after they left? How hard to live with such perfect people, teaching Jesus how to perfectly live the Will of the Father, and seeing Christ succeed, whlie St. Joseph would at times fail? He is a man who fully knows what it is to be human and struggle, and, like Mary, He wants to use his experiences and the gifts now granted to him by God to help you - and your sons and daughters and spouse - to love his Son as much as he did.
Hug your children tight and teach them about St. Joseph, the love he has for them, and the power from God that he has to lead and protect them from the temptations and influence of evil.
-- Linda Bader, Coordinator of Religious Education
P.S. Did you know... The angels revere, love, and obey Mary as their Queen, so they will have only love and honor for the requests from her most holy spouse, Joseph, the foster-father of their God, Jesus?
