Tag Archives: docility to the will of God

St Joseph’s docility to the will of God

St Joseph's Dream

One of St Joseph’s remarkable qualities was his docility to the will of God. In this meditation we consider:

  • How St Joseph responded to God’s will in various moments
  • Comments of Pope Francis, St Josemaria Escriva and St John Chrysostom on St Joseph’s docility
  • How we come to know the will of God in our own life
  • How our docility, like that of St Joseph, should be prompt, complete, responsible, free and loving

The multiplication of the loaves

When Christ multiplied the loaves and fish to feed a vast throng, he asked the apostles to bring the loaves and fish to him and to distribute them to the people. Today too, he wants to feed the people of our generation, who are hungry for his word, and he needs us to help him. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture and of St Josemaria Escriva to consider how:

  • Like the apostles, we need to be docile in carrying out what Our Lord is asking of us
  • Our Lady, the Handmaid of the Lord, was docile to God and brought the Word of God into the world.
  • We will be more useful in this work if we are very united to Christ through our spiritual life and we are humble
  • We should ask God throughout the day what he is expecting from us
  • If we are docile, God will multiply our efforts, as he did with the apostles

The feast of the Annunciation

 

When the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in the Annunciation, he invited her to welcome the Son of God into her womb and into the world. She said yes and our redemption was at hand. In this meditation we ponder this great event as related by St Luke and consider that:

  • Because of the original sin of our first parents, mankind was in need of redemption and only God could bring it about.
  • God asked Mary ‘s consent so that our Redeemer could take flesh in her womb
  • Because Mary was a virgin her son would be truly the Son of God
  • As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, God took flesh in Mary for four reasons
  • As related in a homily of St Bernard of Clairvaux, all mankind eagerly awaited Mary’s answer
  • We too can welcome Christ into our life by saying yes to whatever God asks of us

The wedding feast of Cana

Our Lord’s first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana has much to teach us. In this meditation we use texts of St Josemaria, Tertullian and St John Vianney to consider some of these lessons:

  • The beauty of Christian marriage
  • The importance of inviting Jesus to our wedding
  • Our Lady’s motherly concern at Cana and in our own lives
  • The power of Mary’s intercession
  • The importance of doing whatever Jesus asks us
  • Jesus’ power to do miracles today if we ask him with faith
  • The witness of our own faith to those around us

The Annunciation

The Annunciation, shwoing St Gabriel announcing to Mary the good news.

The annunciation, the Archangel Gabriel telling out Holy Mother the good news of her being chosen to be the mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

 

On the feast of the Annunciation we celebrate Mary’s yes to God, which brought the Son of God into the world and our redemption near at hand. It was a momentous moment in the history of salvation and it all depended on the response of a young girl. In this meditation we consider:

  • Why we needed to be redeemed and why God chose this way to bring it about
  • The call of Mary and Joseph from all eternity to fulfil their roles
  • The eminent virtues of Mary and Joseph
  • The significance of the angel’s message to Mary
  • A prayer to Mary by St Bernard calling upon her to say yes
  • Mary’s response and our own promptness and saying yes to God