Branching Out: The Official Blog by Renew International

Halftime

Posted by Sharon Krause on Mar 20, 2023 6:00:00 AM

We have all heard that question about whether a glass is half full or half empty, that is, how we see things in life: optimistically or pessimistically. We are about halfway through our 2023 Lenten journey, so we can stop and ask ourselves: Is my Lent half full or half empty so far?

Over the past few weeks, we have read in Scripture about challenges being accepted, thirsts being quenched, blindness being cured, Jesus being transfigured, God’s promises being kept and Jesus being lauded as our Good Shepherd. With such positive experiences, how could we be anything but optimistic? Certainly, fears, doubts, sins, and temptations can get in the way.

It may be a good idea to call upon St. Joseph, whose feast we celebrate today, to be our coach for the rest of Lent. He is truly a model of strength and holiness.

Dear St. Joseph, we ask you to pray for us. You were obedient to the angel of the Lord. You sheltered Mary, protected her, and kept her safe as you traveled to Bethlehem and, later, to Egypt. Teach us to treasure our relationships with Mary, your spouse, and with your foster child, Jesus. Pray for us, that we may be strong against temptations to distractions and despair.

Dear St. Joseph, steady craftsman, faithful worker, you are called “a righteous man” in Sacred Scripture. Pray for us that we may be righteous and persistent as we work at becoming holier and closer to our Lord. Teach us to be courageous on our faith journey.

Dear St. Joseph, as you provided for the earthly, daily needs of your family, pray for us as we work through our daily, mundane tasks. You know the joy of heaven. Pray for us for an increase in the desire to be close to you and your holy family. Help us to follow your example: to be humble and grateful for our opportunities to love and serve God, our Creator.

Dear St. Joseph, as you watched the boy, Jesus, grow into manhood, pray for us that we might grow into more mature followers of Jesus Christ. Help us to realize our potential as Christians who can encounter Our Savior every day. St. Joseph, you must have been a great comfort to Mary. Pray for us that we may learn to lovingly comfort and encourage others as we prepare for the holy season of Easter. Amen.

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Topics: Lent, Lenten season, St. Joseph, Sharon Krause

"Hear the Word! by Bill Ayres: Fourth Sunday of Advent

Posted by Bill Ayres on Dec 17, 2022 6:00:00 AM

A reading from the prophecy of Isaiah

(Chapter 7:10-14)

Ahaz was the ruler of the kingdom of Judah in the eighth century before the birth of Jesus, at a time when Judah and other small nations were allied against the Assyrian Empire which was more powerful and certainly brutal. But Ahaz refused to be true to the coalition, so some of the nations that should have been his partners turned against him. While Judah was under attack from two directions, “The Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the Lord your God…. But Ahaz answered “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord.” This was a phony excuse designed to mask Ahaz’s lack of faith. Isaiah told him, “Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel”—a promise that Judah, the nation of David, would endure—in spite of its enemies and in spite of Ahaz.

Isaiah never tells us who the virgin is nor who the child is, except to say that his name will be Emmanuel which means “God with us.” The prophesy was fulfilled, not in Ahaz’s time but with the birth of Jesus, the Messiah.

Responsorial Psalm

(Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6)

“Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.” Today, and every day, let us ask God to enter ever more deeply in our minds and hearts.

A reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans

(Chapter 1:1-7)

In this letter to the Christian community in Rome, Paul does two things. He lays claim to his credentials as “a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,” and he explains more specifically that, through Jesus, he had “received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” Christians in Rome were being arrested and martyred every day. We do not risk our lives or suffer for the faith as the martyrs in Rome did, but we need to remember that our forebears in faith suffered and, in other parts of the world, many do today.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

(Chapter 1:18-24)

This gospel passage focuses on Joseph who had a critical decision to make. Mary had not yet lived with Joseph, but she was pregnant. How? By whom? What should he do?

Matthew is the only evangelist who tells this story: “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.” Then Joseph had a dream in which the angel of the Lord said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins…. “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”

Each of us has difficult decisions to make throughout our lives, usually without the help of angels in our dreams. Praying and asking for counsel from family or friends can help, and then asking the Holy Spirit to guide us by helping us discern God’s will can lead us to the best decisions in troubling times.

✝️

Painting: St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus, oil on canvas, by Guido Reni (1575-1642). Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. Public Domain.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.

Bill Ayres was a founder, with the late singer Harry Chapin, of WhyHunger. He has been a radio and TV broadcaster for 40 years and has two weekly Sunday-night shows on WPLJ, 95.5 FM in New York. He is a member of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Centerport, New York.

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Topics: St. Joseph, say yes to God's will, fourth sunday of advent

Loving Hands

Posted by Sharon Krause on Dec 30, 2020 6:00:00 AM

When our daughter was born, I looked at each of her little hands in awe—all ten tiny fingers, little pink fingernails, small perfect knuckles. Now I wonder if Mary ever took one of baby Jesus’ hands into hers and marveled at its beauty as she compared its size to hers. Did he lightly squeeze her finger? Did she kiss that tiny hand and hold it close to her face? That’s often what mothers do.

When the boy Jesus helped Joseph with some of his work, did Joseph ever put his bigger hand on top of Jesus’ hand to guide him in how to use a tool efficiently? Did Joseph ever, even just in his mind, compare his big hand to the little boy’s? Did Joseph make note of his own callouses, the likes of which not yet appeared on his foster son’s hands?

Once, on a silent weekend retreat, I was praying in the chapel. My hands were intertwined, and my eyes were closed. And as I prayed, it felt as if someone’s hands were folded over mine in protective love. I sensed it was Jesus there with me, although I certainly did not see any hands but mine. What a comfort it was! For a few minutes, my whole world was in his hands, reminding me of that African-American spiritual, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”

In his ministry, Jesus’ hands came together in private prayer, made a muddy paste to give sight to a blind man (John 9), touched and healed a leper (Luke 5), wrote in the sand as he stopped the stoning of an adulteress (John 8), and grabbed struggling Peter whose faith wavered as he tried to walk to Jesus on water (Matthew 14) —-to name just a few of his numerous loving actions.

I sometimes wish I could have been at the Last Supper to see Jesus take the bread in his hands and pass his consecrated Body to his apostles. Priests’ hands are so blessed to be able to consecrate the unleavened bread at Masses! Even the privilege of our receiving the Body of Christ into our very own hands is so special!

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Topics: Christmas, Body of Christ, catholic program renew, Jesus Christ, Mary, prayer, renew catholic program, RENEW International, St. Joseph

Prayer: Family Life

Posted by RENEW International on Dec 27, 2020 6:00:00 AM

God of our ancestors,
you entrusted your Son
to the care of Mary and Joseph.
We praise you for the example
of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
You have made the family
a privileged community of love and service.
Guide our families in faith, hope, and charity.
You have made us
your sons and daughters in baptism.
Bring us at life’s end to the joy
and peace of your eternal home.
Amen.

Adapted from PrayerTime: Faith-Sharing Reflections on the Sunday Gospels, Cycle B.

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Topics: Virgin Mary, catholic RENEW program, Feast of the Holy Family, Jesus Christ, prayer, RENEW International, St. Joseph

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Halftime

"Hear the Word! by Bill Ayres: Fourth Sunday of Advent

Loving Hands

Prayer: Family Life

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