DAILY- HOMILY

MARCH 19, 2011
SOLEMNITY, ST JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF MARY

2 Sm 7: 4-5, 12-14, 16/ Ps 89: 2-3, 4-5, 27, 29/ Rom 4: 13. 16-18, 22/
Mt 1: 16, 18-21, 24 or Luke 2:41-51

2 SAMUEL 7: 4-5, 12-14, 16
But that very night, Yahweh's word came to Nathan, "Go and tell my
servant David, this is what Yahweh says: Are you able to build a house
for me to live in? When the time comes for you to rest with your
ancestors, I will raise up your son after you, the one born of you and
I will make his reign secure. He shall build a house for my name and I
will firmly establish his kingship forever. I will be a father to him
and he shall be my son. If he does wrong, I will punish him with the
rod, as men do. Your house and your reign shall last forever before
me, and your throne shall be forever firm."

MATTHEW 1:16, 18-21, 24
This is how Jesus Christ was born. Mary his mother had been given to
Joseph in marriage but before they lived together, she was found to be
pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans
to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way
did he want to discredit her. While he was pondering over this, an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph,
descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She
has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You
shall call him `Jesus' for he will save his people from their sins."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to
do and he took his wife to his home.

REFLECTION
Someone once suggested that St. Joseph might well be named the patron
saint of forcibly changed plans. There's no question, we could use
such a patron saint. Often enough, our carefully laid plans are wiped
out by forces beyond our control, and new situations are created that
we never expected. We make plans but perhaps illness, job loss,
natural disaster or some other disaster block the fulfillment of what
we have planned. Joseph chose a lovely young girl of their town as his
bride-to-be, but before he was to marry her he learned she was
pregnant. He concluded that given this new situation he had better
alter his plans: he decided to divorce Mary quietly. Then God spoke to
him in a dream, and he changed his plans again. He would wed Mary.

Undoubtedly Joseph had planned well for Mary's comfort when the birth
of the child would come due in Nazareth. But the Roman emperor changed
all that with his decree establishing the census. That meant Joseph
and his pregnant wife Mary were to journey to Bethlehem. There, when
it was time for Mary to give birth, Joseph had to be satisfied with a
cave used for sheltering animals as the birthing room for his wife.
Before it was time for the family's return trip to Nazareth, God
warned him about the designs Herod had on the child, so instead of
returning home, he fled to Egypt where he and his family stayed for
several years.

God is the God of surprises. Often enough He leads us into situations
that we never could have foreseen. Happy the person who, when God
springs a surprise on him, doesn't panic but moves smoothly along with
the word of the Lord.

St. Joseph, patron of people on whom God springs surprises patron of
those whom He leads into surprising situations, pray for us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Ferdinand T. Laxamana
… for the personal intentions of:
- Beng and Nina, Ginny and Bong, Benny and Leah
- Josheil Dapo
- Mary Wong
… for the people of Japan. We especially pray for those who are
directly affected by the earthquake and tsunami
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Pearlie Chan
- Birthday: Graziano And Joji Negroni
- In Memoriam (+): Angel Limqueco+
- In Memoriam (+): Elena Ngchang
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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