March 20, Monday, Fourth Week of Lent
Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary
2 Samuel 7: -5a, 12-14a, 16; Romans 4:13, 16-18,22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a
Make a wrong decision; its negative consequences will hang around your neck all your lifetime. With the right and proper choices, you will go on harvesting life-long positive results; a thirty-fold, a sixty-fold or a hundredfold.
Joseph, the husband of Mary had to make a serious and quite unusual decision in his life. However, we see, he remained calm. We do not see any reactionary outbursts in Joseph after knowing his wife was with a child. That internal mental calmness is always helpful while making difficult choices.
Two tough practical solutions came up in his mind. Both of them had a touch of concern and also kindness towards the one about whom he had to make a harsh choice, Mary. Such an inner disposition and attitude will help anyone to journey towards the right decision.
He concludes his discernment about their future married life, after a dream. That must have not been the first dream that he dreamt and paid attention to. He must have been a curious student while listening to his dreams. He must have known that dreams come from within as responses to our sincere inner queries. Although the thought had come to his mind to quietly leave Mary, he must have had sleepless nights that followed. Then the dream came to his rescue and liberation.
The one who truly trusts God knows God is trying to communicate to the same person in every possible way so that the best response will gradually but surely emerge. You can see from the inner freedom and lack of emotional agitation in Joseph, how he could change his old decision of letting Mary quietly go to ‘I will take care of her and our son in her womb with all possible care and love.’ What a historical mistake would it have been, had he let her go quietly! His own spiritual self led him to the best of all the blessings in his life. And taking care of Mary and Jesus became his single sacred mission.
May we patiently and kindly listen to our inner selves in all the decisions we make!
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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