Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday are the three facets of a “diamond” which – in the light of Easter – dazzles us. We are like “bats”: the more the Light is brilliant, the more it blinds us!
We can penetrate into this Mystery of Love only into the silence of the heart and Eucharistic Worship.
The liturgy held on the evening of Maundy Thursday initiates the Easter Triduum , the period which commemorates the Passion, the death , and the Resurrection of Christ; this period includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday , and ends on the evening of Easter .
The Immaculate Virgin intercedes for us in heaven as a good mother who watches over her children. May Mary teach us by her life what it means to be a missionary disciple. Every time we pray the Angelus, we recall the event that changed the history of mankind for ever. When the Angel Gabriel proclaimed to Mary that she would become the Mother of Jesus the Saviour, even without understanding the full significance of that call, she trusted God and replied: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). But what did she do immediately afterwards? On receiving the grace of being the Mother of the Incarnate Word, she did not keep that gift to herself; with a sense of responsibility, she set off from her home and went in haste to help her kinswoman Elizabeth, who was in need of assistance (cf. Lk 1:38-39); she carried out an act of love, of charity, and of practical service, bringing Jesus who was in her womb. And she did all this in haste!
There, my dear friends, we have our model. She who received the most precious gift from God, as her immediate response sets off to be of service and to bring Jesus. Let us ask Our Lady to help us too to give Christ’s joy to our families, our companions, our friends, to everyone. Never be afraid to be generous with Christ. It is worth it! Go out and set off with courage and generosity, so that every man and every woman may meet the Lord.(Pope Francis 28.07.2013- Copacabana)
The angelus recited three times a day reminds us the reality and the always current efficiency of the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption which restores every thing and the “Ave Maria” extends up to the end of times the liberating echo of the Angel’s message.
The Angelus Prayer HERE
Holy Joseph,
You, the educator of the Child Jesus with Mary,
Carry on your mission as a guide and teacher for us too. You, the carpenter of Nazareth, Teach us how to refuse avarice, envy and sloth, To abide by justice and poverty. You, the emigrant to Egypt among tears, Help us to keep away from pride and wrath Preferring mercy and peace In spite of persecutions. You, the Husband of the Virgin Mary, Support us in the fight against lust and gluttony To know the sweetness and the purity of heart.
Holy Joseph, be our adviser by the side of the Virgin Mary. Trained by your paternal care , Far from the confinement of sin, We shall drink to the sources of the divine grace , We shall communicate to Jesus, the Bread of Life and our Savior Thanks be to you, Holy Joseph To be our guide in every day life. Thanks be to you, Holy Joseph To be close to us at the hour of our death. Thanks be to you Holy Joseph With you, we hope to enjoy the eternal bliss.
Amen.
Saint Joseph: a model for the Baptized,
our guide on the path of Holiness.
Hail, Joseph, full of grace,
The Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among all men,
And blessed is your foster Child, Jesus.
Holy Joseph, guardian of the Son of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
For us Christians, Saint Joseph is the model of our vocation as baptized people.
When we received the unction of the chrism, the Church asked us to live as Jesus: as ” Priests, Prophets and Kings “.
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Being a priest (the ‘priesthood’ or sacerdoce of the baptised and the ministerial sacerdoce)
A living Church is a sacerdotal people who devote the world itself to God : since our baptism we can participate in the sacraments and especially offer the Body and the Blood of Jesus to our Heavenly Father during the Eucharist.
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Being a prophet:
announcing the Word of God often through our silence and our example.
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Being a King in the Way Jesus was :
a King of Love.This is what Jesus required from us : “I give you a new law: Have love one for another; even as I have had love for you, so are you to have love one for another.” (John 13, 24). Joseph did not know the Cross but he prepared Jesus by his human life to achieve his love for the Father and his brothers.
