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On March 19, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph. Everything we know about the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus comes from Scripture and that has seemed too little for those who made up legends about him.
We know he was a carpenter, a working man, for the skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, "Is this not the carpenter's son?". He wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb.
Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal lineage. Luke and Matthew mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel. Indeed the angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as "son of David," a royal title used also for Jesus.
We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was as yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He planned to divorce Mary according to the law but he was concerned for her suffering and safety. He knew that women accused of adultery could be stoned to death, so he decided to divorce her quietly and not expose her to shame or cruelty.
We know Joseph was man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his wife. When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back.
St. Joseph is the patron of the Universal Church. We pray through his intercession, that like him, we be people filled with compassion for the people we are sent to and have a strong faith in God, keeping in mind that we do not know what the future holds for us, but we know who holds the future.
Happy Feast of St. Joseph on the 19th! Happy Feast in a special way to our SDB Lay Brothers!
God bless you.
In Mary Help of Christians,
I remain,
Fr. Jim McKenna SDB
Director
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Walking with the Church
Q. What does Christ mean when he says 'Heaven and earth shall pass
away but my words will not pass away'? (Lk 21). I thought heaven
would last for eternity.
A. Yes, heaven as we understand it (The Beatific vision and eternal happiness with God and all the saints) will last for all eternity. This
is our faith. The heaven spoken of here means the 'sky and earth shall pass away but my words will not
pass away.
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 You are NOT your story
I was listening to an audio CD by Karl Moore and he said something that caught my attention. He said "You are not your story."
For thousands of years, human beings have been wonderful storytellers.
There's a built-in yearning to get sucked into a story, to get lost in the drama of the moment, to orate and share your own tales with the world.
Modern story tellers include movie producers and politicians, actors and artists, mothers and fathers. As a society, we respect and admire great story tellers. It's the reason films and television shows have become so immensely popular. They tell stories.
We each love our own stories, too.
We're great at sport. We're pretty good at karaoke, but get nervous if singing in front of family. We love tomatoes, but they really need to be cored - or they make us feel a bit sick.
These are our own "mini-stories." And often, they're harmless enough.
It's when our stories start to hold us back that they become an issue...
"My name is Michael - and I'm an alcoholic."
"I'm Jason - and I'm a failed father, and drug addict."
"Yes, I'm Kyle - and I'm a homosexual with intimacy problems."
Sometimes, our stories restrict us.
They define us as a very particular type of person, and ensure that we're kept locked in our own self-created prison. Our stories pigeon-hole us.
Not only that, we also build on them. We make them bigger and badder with each telling. We give the stories more power. Soon, our original stories become irrelevant - and our new stories take on a life of their own.
They eventually start to lead us, cripple us.
We carry the weight of our stories around with us each day. They stop us from achieving true freedom, they limit us to working a particular way - and yet we continue with the stories.
To use an Eastern term, our stories are our attachments.
However, not everyone lives like this.
Those that enjoy true freedom, individuals that are genuinely self-developed, know this simple fact:
You are not your story.
You're not!
Whatever amazing story you can tell about your terrible past, how you've always failed time and time again, how life has dealt you an unfair hand, how things were just plain wrong, how you can't break the addiction - you are still NOT your story.
What you were is not what you are.
It's just what happened to you. It's not YOU.
You are not your story. You are not your emotions. You are not your past.
And if you could just learn to let go of your story - you'd instantly release all of your baggage, and you could start today the way that you would like. Without limitation. Without issues. Without attachments. Without unwanted stories.
To some degree, our stories provide us with comfort. It's the devil you know. The sick safety blanket. They enable us to indulge in self-pity, and enjoy a little sympathetic attention. But it's pointless holding on to the story, because it's limiting you today.
So, make a decision right now to be the change you wish to see you in your life. | |
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 Laughter the best medicine
Bored Company
One morning as I was making my daily train journey to work, a man sitting behind me tapped my shoulder. "You're in an awful rut," he said. "each morning you get on this train at the same place, same time, sit in the same seat and read the same paper. Don't you know that makes for a very boring existence?"
"How do you know I always sit in the same seat?" I asked indignantly.
"Because," he replied, "I always sit right behind you."
Ask Jeeves
My 50-something friend Nancy and I decided to introduce her mother to the magic of the Internet.
Our first move was to access the popular "Ask Jeeves" site, and we told her it could answer any question she had.
Nancy's mother was very skeptical until Nancy said, "It's true,
Mom. Think of something to ask it."
As I sat with fingers poised over the keyboard, Nancy's mother thought a minute, then responded,
"How is Aunt Helen feeling?"
Rabbi Returns
I returned to my parents' home to attend a funeral. At the synagogue, my mother led me to a man who looked vaguely familiar.
"Barbara, remember Rabbi Green?" she asked as she left me in his company.
I frantically tried to place him, and suddenly it came to me. He was the kind man who, five years earlier, had officiated at my grandmother's funeral. "It's good to see you again, Rabbi," I said. "Though I wish it weren't always under such tragic circumstances."
The rabbi looked perplexed but uttered some words of consolation before he was called away. A few minutes later, I rejoined my mother.
"Imagine," she whispered, "after all this time, to run into the rabbi who performed your wedding!"
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 The Devotion of the Three Hail Marys
The devotion of the THREE HAIL MARYS is a very simple yet most efficacious devotion.
Everyday, recite Three Hail Marys, adding the invocation: "O Mary, My Mother, keep me from mortal sin." Many people recite the Three Hail Marys as part of their morning and night prayers. To practice this devotion in time of danger, stress, special need or temptation, is a sure means to obtain Our Lady's help.
My sincere thanks to our dear Lord Jesus, Mary Help of Christians for helping me to secure a job that I truly loved. I prayed the powerful 3 Hail Marys and through her intercession I obtained a job. Z.F. Cruz, TX
Thank you dear Mother Mary, Help of Christians and Don Bosco through the intercession of the 3 Hail Marys I have received so many favors. Angelica & George, NY
Thank you, Mary Help of Christians for giving me a beautiful house which I was praying for. We managed to buy the house while I was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. I am happy to say that through your powerful intercession I have been able to resume my normal activities and am on the road to recovery. Thank you also for many other favors that I received. June Achar, VT
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In Closing
Dear devotees of Our Lady and Don Bosco,
If you have received a miracle through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, we would like to hear from you. Email us at MaryShrine@aol.com.
Bookstore hours: Monday - Saturday - 10 am to 5 pm, Sundays: 12 - 4 pm
Confessions on weekdays begin at 11.30 am.
Weekday Masses: 12 noon.
Sunday Masses: 11 am and 12.30 pm
Other activities: Day Retreats, Weekend retreats, Don Bosco Summer Camp, Friday night Lenten Pasta Dinners, 50/50 raffle, 350 club, Rosary Madonna Statue.
Rent Lomagno Hall, Rent our Banquet Hall.
MEMORIES
Remember a Loved One: Engrave plaques on Wall of Memories, adopt a Tree, Engrave blocks on Walk of Honor, All Souls, All year Candle lighting, Holiday (Christmas and Easter), Flowers, Schedule a Mass, Bell Chimes.
MASS INTENTIONS
To offer a mass intention, please write to
Fr. Jim McKenna SDB
174 Filors Lane,
Stony Point, NY 10980
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Marian Shrine
174 Filors Lane, Stony Point, NY 10980 (845) 947-2200
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