Author: Editor, Kingdom Revelator

Be Creative 

Love Letters to God

Dear Jesus, Even though I can’t see you, I know that you are in my heart. You and God gave me everything and I still do a lot of sins. I’m really sorry. Going to the children’s retreat really changed me and I will try and say at least one decade of Hail Mary’s every day I have to say thank you for everything! I love you Jesus! Thank you again! Lots of love.

 

By Eva

 

Dear Jesus, I love you more than anything in the world. You are my hero, you’re amazing. You can do anything. You healed the sick and helped the poor. You’re kind, loving and caring. You’re fantastic. You’re always honest. You’re my friend. You have some kind of wonderful power. You’re the kindest person ever. You’re always by my side. From your loving Emilin

P.S. I ask you for a baby sister or brother and I ask you to heal my eyes.

 

By Emilin

Christian Living 

Turning Disappointment into Christian Living Blessing

A personal dilemma

I was brought up as a Hindu but I recently became a Christian. Getting to know Jesus was a wonderful blessing, it showed me his steadfast love and abundant mercy for his people. I know that I didn’t do anything to earn his mercy and forgiveness but without it I wouldn’t be here, writing this article. At the moment I am a full time student struggling to finish my dissertation on time and I am also trying to be a full time Christian taking the opportunities that God gives me to increase my faith. As a new Christian my life is full of excitement and I was very blessed to be offered a place on a youth leadership programme. This was a wonderful opportunity for me as I would like to become a youth leader. The problem was that I needed to finish my dissertation and I couldn’t afford the time off to go on the training course. My frustration led me to look at what Jesus taught us about situations like this and I decided to write this article.

Trust in the Lord

I know that many of us go through trials, tribulations, struggles and disappointments in our personal lives but there can also be problems in our spiritual lives, for example distractions, spiritual dryness or doubts. We can sometimes think that God doesn’t understand what we are going through and we feel distant from him. This is when we have two options: do we reach out and cling to Jesus or do we reject him? There is a very helpful advice in Proverbs 3: 5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.” How many of us actually put our full trust in this Holy Scripture when the going gets tough. It’s easy to read the Bible but much more difficult to put it into practice. We should remember that our faith may be being tested to strengthen it and make us more able to stand up for Jesus. Maybe God wants to see how committed we really are.

 

“Who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.” 1 Peter 3: 13 -15

 

We have a choice

So when we are frustrated and angry we have a number of choices. We can run away and try to ignore the problems by looking for distractions and seeking the pleasures of the world for example by drinking alcohol to suppress our emotions. We could rebel by taking our frustration out on God or we could run to Jesus and seek refuge in him, trusting that he will take care of us. The book of Job is a great inspiration to all of us on this subject. It tells the story of Job, an ordinary man of great faith who was tested by God. Job suddenly experienced extreme hardship in his life, he lost all his animals, his family died and he suffered painful sores all over his body but his faith in God remained strong. In everything he sought God and praised him despite his friends ridiculing him. In fact despite all his problems Job’s faith was renewed and made stronger by the whole experience. “The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters.” (Job 42: 12 – 13) If we stand firm in faith as Job did then we can overcome our struggles and once more receive God’s blessings.

Growing in faith

It was incredibly difficult for me to come to terms with not going on the Youth Leadership Programme but I held on to God’s promise by being obedient to him, putting my head down to work and actually finishing my dissertation. I was left still feeling frustrated but in my heart I trusted in Jesus and his plan for my life. It is still really difficult and sometimes it feels like a sword is piercing my heart, but I am concentrating on staying strong and like Job, I want to pass the tests that God gives me to prove how much I love him. My aim is love Jesus more and more despite all these trials. I would also say that writing this article about Jesus has been a very good way to work out my frustration! I am smiling already there sure is power in the name of Jesus! God bless you all.

 

Written by Anne Mary

Science & Religion 

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS

In our search for the meaning of life, science and the theory of evolution can explain many things and it can also point us to the Creator who can be found through his creation.

The creation of man

It’s natural for us to wonder where we came from and why we were created. It’s a question that has been bugging mankind throughout history. When Charles Darwin in the 19th century put forward the theory of evolution there was a great debate as to whether it could possibly be true as it denied the creation story in the Bible. Others felt that as it seemed to explain the beginnings of life then we didn’t need to believe in a Creator God who made us.

The Church’s response

The theory of evolution is ok as far as it goes but I don’t think that it can adequately explain where life came from. In fact the Catholic Church teaches that there is no problem with believing both in God and the theory of evolution. It is quite acceptable to believe that our great and powerful God could have used evolution to develop all the wonderful and diverse creatures that are in our world and to create human beings, who are made in the image and likeness of God. Pope Saint John Paul II stated in a message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Evolution in 1996 that “new knowledge leads to the recognition of the theory of evolution as more than a hypothesis. It is indeed remarkable that this theory has been progressively accepted by researchers following a series of discoveries in various fields of knowledge.”

An unlikely coincidence

When you think about it – what are the odds that we live in a universe governed by the laws of physics that allow life to evolve at all? We don’t live in a universe that’s just a collapsed singularity smaller than an atom or a universe that is filled with hydrogen. The odds of living in a universe where evolution is even possible are astronomically low (that means it’s really, really low!) You have better odds of finding a random atom (which is amazingly small) in the universe than finding a beautiful universe like ours where the evolution of life is even possible! But it happened and here we are!

 

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13.

 

Seek him

“Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) We as created beings will never fully grasp or understand our creator. Why is this? It’s because our minds are finite, they are limited. But God isn’t bound by time and space. He is infinite! We will never be able to know him with our minds. But the day that we stop searching for him with our minds and seek him with our hearts, and call on him, he will answer us. We will know the answer to the burning question “Is there a God?” Because he will answer us personally, “Call to me and I will answer you!!” (Jeremiah 33:3) Our God, who loves us beyond description, yearns for us to turn to him and seek him.

Faith and reason

We know science with our minds and we know God with our hearts so does this mean science and faith are separate and can’t come together? No, they actually complement each other. If either is missing in our lives then we will not be able to properly know ourselves, the world or God. Pope John Paul II said “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart the desire to know the truth — in a word, to know himself — so that by knowing and loving God, men and women can come to the fullness of the truth about themselves.”

Make that call

Science, the physical laws of our world, creation and the things of faith all come from the same God and he is a perfect and awesome God who waits patiently and lovingly for us to return to him. He is like a dad who has been ignored by his children. He loves us passionately and is waiting for our call.

Uncategorised 

The Iron Nun

Sister Madonna Buder, an 84 year old American has just become the oldest woman to complete the Ironman Triathlon. This tough Ironman challenge is made up of a 2.5 mile (4 km) swim, followed by a 112 mile (180 km) bike ride and finishes with a marathon 26 mile (42 km) run. She competed in her first Triathlon as age 52 and trains by running to Church each day and by cycling forty miles to swim in a lake near her home. She is reported as saying, “Heading to the finish line of the Ironman is like me getting to the pearly gates. I think that is why I smile every time at the finish.”

Life 

Meeting Jesus in Confession

Transforming young people

The Bible says, “In the last days God declares, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophecy, your young men shall see visions, and you old men dream dreams.” (Joel 2:28) In the last few years the Holy Spirit has started to move in the hearts of many children and teenagers in the UK. The lives of these young people have been transformed and they have begun to lead a life striving for holiness and prayer. The anointing of the Holy Spirit has also begun to spill over to other members of their families, to their schools, teachers and friends. The Holy Spirit is doing a beautiful thing and there is now a growing number of people who are being used powerfully for the building up of God’s kingdom.

I didn’t want to change

Up until the age of fifteen I would say that my life was ordinary, much like everyone else’s. I was very interested in music, fashion, entertainment and the many distractions that the world offered me. These gave me pleasure for a short time then I moved on to something else. My parents were very upset about my lifestyle and I remember that they were praying for me for many years. But I had no intention of changing who I was. Jesus was not part of my life, and I wasn’t interested in loving God, because I had lots of other things to love, the things that this world gave me. Also at the time I was being greatly influenced by my Muslim friends, in terms of believing in their God. Despite all this, I knew that deep down inside I wasn’t happy. I had a feeling of emptiness and sadness that I just couldn’t shake off, but I kept myself distracted by regularly getting into trouble at school, and taking out my anger on others. At that time I put the voice of the Holy Spirit on mute. I didn’t want to listen to anyone’s advice. I thought, I’m young, let me live my life as I want to now. But although I didn’t realise it, someone was watching over me and soon Jesus would transform my life!

“There is more joy in heaven over one sinner, who repents than over ninety nine righteous persons who needs no repentance.” Luke 15:7

 

I need to Know

It was then that the Lord inspired me to attend a retreat where, on the second day I felt the stirrings of the Holy Spirit. We were having a session on the topic of sin and I began to get restless because I felt like the speaker was talking about me. During the talk I suddenly felt the urge to know if Jesus was real, and in my desperation I cried out in prayer, “If there is a God out there, I want to know today if his name if Jesus. I need to know.” The word of God says “call to me and I will answer you.” (Jeremiah 33:3) I called, and that day he picked up my call.

I confessed everything!

After the session and a time of preparation I made my way to Confession. I walked in, knelt down and suddenly found myself bursting into tears. I was thinking, “What is happening to me?” All I did was kneel down and then suddenly I felt a huge heavy burden, as if someone had put a big rock on my back, and something told me that this was the weight of my sin. That day, I made the best Confession of my life. Without holding back one single sin, I confessed everything! As soon as I had finished my Confession, I felt the powerful presence of God around me. His glory, power and joy flooded into my heart and in my kneeling position I felt like Jesus was walking around me and his love made my heart melt.

I met my creator

I walked out of Confession feeling clean and I found myself crying for joy and this lasted for almost an hour. I had just met my creator. That day I realised that Jesus longs for us to love him, but he is gentle. He doesn’t kick open the door into our lives and try to control us, he simply waits. The word of God says “Listen, I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.” (Revelations 3:20) It had taken me fifteen years to quieten my soul, so that I could hear the voice of my loving God. I truly believe that there was a party in heaven that day for the word of God says that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner, who repents than over ninety nine righteous people who need no repentance. (Luke 15:7)

Open your hearts to God

My message to all teenagers and young people is to open your hearts to encounter God. I have tasted life without Jesus and life with him, and clearly found that that the love of Jesus, which lasts for ever is so much sweeter. My heart’s desire is to love Jesus, and everyone on the retreat made a decision to live for him. We don’t want to waste our time watching movies, fighting or doing things that are no use to our soul. We want to build our relationship with our loving God. We want to grow as a generation ready to serve him and be used by him. We want nothing but to love and serve our God. Glory to Jesus!

 

Written by Sheril John

Mission 

Sharing the Gospel

The Vincentian Retreat Centre

During the mission to Kenya we stayed at the Vincentian Retreat Centre in Thika, an industrial town near Nairobi. The Vincentian Congregation, who run the centre was started in Kerala, a south west frontier state of India in 1904 by Fr Varkey Kattarath based on the rules of the Order of St Vincent De Paul. This Vincentian congregation has now spread throughout the world. Their mission in East Africa began in Tanzania in 1979 with the arrival of three priests and it has grown rapidly. Now there are twenty priests and eight seminarians, training for the priesthood, who serve the region. Inspired by the mission of St Vincent De Paul, the Vincentian Congregation have a heart to serve the poor people by preaching the word of God.

What is Christian mission?

The great commission, the last message that Jesus gave to his disciples was, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19 – 20) Christian mission is following this final call of Christ to share the gospel with those who do not know him and to testify to his love and power in our lives through the working of the Holy Spirit. He is telling us to proclaim to everyone that Christ is the only way to live life to the full now while looking forward to enjoying the fullness of life with God for ever.

The priests and sisters

It was a joy to see our loving priests and religious sisters serving the poor people in the villages in Kenya. It was a real eye opener for us to see how hard they are working at running schools, orphanages, rehabilitation centres and other institutions. They have experienced many problems like being burgled and suffering terrorist attacks but they continue being the hands, feet and voice of Christ bringing comfort to those in need without even considering the danger to their own lives. Please pray for our dedicated priests and sisters around the world working in situations that we cannot imagine.

Faith in Kenya

Roman Catholic missionaries first went to Kenya in 1893 and now about 82% of the population in Kenya is Christian. Nearly half of these are Protestants and about a quarter are Catholics. Islam is the second largest religion in Kenya with about 11% of the population. We were really moved by the faith of the Catholics, who were very receptive to the word of God. I want to share with you three things that I noticed particularly. When they praise God they do it so enthusiastically. They sing and dance and forget themselves when they are worshipping. It reminded me of David who danced before the Lord with all his might. (2 Samuel 6:14) It really was a divine experience to be caught up in that level of worship. I also noticed that during Eucharistic Adoration the people were focussed totally on Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and during a Eucharistic Procession they kept spreading their clothes on the floor in front of the priests then they joined in singing and dancing as they walked in the procession. During the offertory, everyone brought their gifts in bags. Whether rich or poor they do the same. It struck me that they give out of their poverty while we give out of abundance. This reminded me of the widow’s offering in Luke 21. Seeing their faith and generosity brought tears to my eyes.

Reflection

We can see Jesus in our brothers and sisters who are in need. No matter where we live we are one in Jesus Christ. Let us share our resources with them. Our mission is also to share the gospel humbly, boldly and passionately. But we cannot do it alone we need Christ’s wisdom, strength and guidance to work through us.

 

Anita Shibu was one of the adults who went on the mission trip to Nairobi, Kenya with Fr Soji Olikkal and the team. She shares her experience of this exciting mission.

Mission 

A Mission to Africa

An answer to prayer

I first heard about the missionary trip that was being planned to Africa last year and although I had no idea what it was about I put my name down for it. I realised later, when discussing the cost of the mission with my parents that we couldn’t really afford it. So as the year went on, any hope of being able to go with them slowly faded away. Eventually one of the team members rang my mum to ask whether I was going or not. My mum said that she was unsure and then she asked me whether I wanted to go. At that time I was also unsure, so I decided to pray about it. My prayer was: Lord, if I am worthy to serve your people in Africa, please give me the opportunity to go. About a month later the opportunity came when my parents asked me if I wanted to go to India. When I thought about it, I realised that God had opened up a way. So I asked them if I could use the money to go to Africa instead of India. I wasn’t sure what they would say to this but to my surprise they said yes. I am so grateful to my parents and especially to God.

The flight to Kenya

So on 21st July a group of fifteen of us (including two other teenagers, Shalana and Sharlotte) flew out from Birmingham airport for our ten day missionary trip to Kenya, which is on the eastern side of Africa. We caught the flight to Istanbul in Turkey and then flew from there to Nairobi, which is the capital city of Kenya. It was a wonderful flight because I had the opportunity to sit next to Father Soji and was able to pray with him. At 2:30 am we reached Nairobi and Fr Antony and Fr John came to pick us up from the airport and drive us to the Retreat Centre that we were staying in. Soon the sun came up and the best nine days of my life began.

They danced in celebration

When we arrived, there were lots of people in the middle of a four day retreat and we were amazed at what we saw. I could not believe the faith of the people in Kenya. It made me realise how small my faith is compared with theirs. The best thing about their retreats and their Masses was how much they like to celebrate and I mean really celebrate by dancing. I love dancing, it’s one of my favourite pastimes and it was great to see how they used it to worship and thank God. They even danced in the Mass during the offertory procession. The beat and rhythm of their music just naturally makes you want to move. Even their singing was different as they raise their voices to praise. One of the valuable things I learnt was not to be ashamed to worship the Lord. As it says in Mark chapter 8:38 “Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Realising this I began to join in their dancing and singing. It felt sensational to be freely praising God even though none of us understood their language of Swahili. It was amazing that towards the end of the mission, I had learnt to say the Divine Mercy chaplet in Swahili. Their prayers are so deep and meaningful that you naturally melt into the words. I realise now that those prayerful ten days were a time of real spiritual growth for me.

The nicest people

Many Africans are influenced by the old tribal beliefs and witch craft and are living in darkness and fear. But once they have experienced the love of God, their lives are turned around, the light of Christ shines in their faces and they have a very strong and lively faith The retreats allow people to open their hearts to God. The retreat centre attracts over two thousand people each week, so they are kept very busy all through the year. After attending a retreat, many of the people become volunteers at the centre, but they have strict rules to follow. Shalana, Sharlotte and I were privileged to be able to help them out in the kitchens and we helped to serve food to those on retreat. Trying African food was a unique experience. They were so grateful and happy that we had come to help them. It was amazing talking to them about their experience on the retreats as they couldn’t stop talking about how their lives had been changed. Their dedication to God is unbelievable, they would spend hours on their knees doing intercessory prayers for all the people around them, and they are the nicest people I have ever met.

Very generous

Of course, there is a massive difference between the standard of living in the UK compared with Kenya, where it seems that there are only two classes of people, the rich and the poor. There is no such thing as middle class. However the rich people can be generous, for example the current location of the retreat centre is on ten acres of land that was donated to the Vincentian fathers by a man before he passed away. Even the poorest people are very generous as they would give even their last penny as an offering to God. After struggling to get to the retreat centre they sometimes had to ask the priests for the bus fare so that they can get home again. They demonstrated to us that God is much more important than wealth. Matthew 6:24 says “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

A visit to their homes

We visited a village called Mubani, which showed me the harsh living conditions in Kenya. It made me realise how blessed we are in the western world. Although they are so poor the village people were very grateful for the very little resources that they have. People in the village have to walk miles to get clean water. The only alternative is to collect it from dirty puddles in the road. The people live in very small rooms with very little or no facilities. Most were the size of our garden sheds or even smaller. They can only take a shower once a month because the water supply runs out. At one of the houses we visited, the owner was so happy to see us because it was the first time that a car had come to their house. It amazed me that these tiny things made these less fortunate people so happy.

A school mission

The children in Kenya are some of the cleverest children that I have ever met especially at a girl’s school called Carmel Girls. All the pupils wanted to get scholarships to universities in the UK and around the world. Conducting a retreat for them was an extraordinary experience for me. They said that I was an inspiration to them, which made me realise that God’s grace was working through them and me. It was a new experience for me to speak to them about God’s love and give my testimony of how I had met God. As well as the big mission in the school I felt that it was my small mission to share my best friend (Jesus Christ) with all the children I met. I enjoyed preaching for the first time to people and sharing the Word of God, I felt that I was truly serving the mighty Lord Jesus.

 

“So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8

 

Visiting an orphanage

I was lucky enough to visit the ‘Star of Hope’ orphanage, which is instilling fresh hope into the children’s lives. It was a humbling experience as most of the children, including new born babies, were abandoned by their parents. When I looked into their eyes, I could see how lost they looked but also how grateful they were for all the care that they received. Their smiles just brightened my day. It is wonderful and I just wished that I could take them all home with me! Another big problem in Kenya is that there are many single mothers who cannot cope on their own and they have to abandon their children in the streets. This made me think of the times that I have ignored the advice and warnings from my parents.

Indian missionaries

The Vincentian fathers are doing great work running retreats in Kenya. I had a ‘proud to be an Indian’ moment in Africa as I was stunned at the number of Indian missionaries working there. Praise be to God. One of the missionary nuns, called Sister Mary, looked after us. She was like a mother figure to us all, caring for us with such grace and kindness. The ten days flew by and I really didn’t want to leave Kenya. In a short time it felt like home to me. I was overwhelmed by the whole experience and I could go on forever about my experiences in Africa.

What I Llearned

When reading this, you may have noticed how many times I used the word ‘realised’. Life is all about realisation. Through my trip to Africa I realised how merciful and great our God is, how blessed we are and how his unconditional love is showered upon us. We may not be aware of all the small blessings that we receive every day because we are too busy to notice but the smallest opportunities that we reject could be the biggest deal in someone else’s life. How fortunate we are to have the basic necessities and so much more. I am now asking myself ‘Do I need this in my life?’ Many people are neglected and treated unfairly in this world for the benefit of other wealthier people but we are all children of God. We are all part of God’s family. I now consider whether other people are suffering because of my actions. I want to see other people’s problems as my problems and I want to pray for them because that is the greatest gift that I can give to them. Believe that “Nothing is impossible to God.” (Luke chapter 1: 37) He gave me the opportunity to go to Africa not only for the missionary work but to transform me into a new more faithful and compassionate person. Thanks be to God!

 

Written by Merlin Jose

Reflection 

A Mother’s Love

The perfect mother

How would you describe your mother? Maybe you would say she is affectionate, caring, nurturing, most loving, protective and comforting. These are just a few words that describe a mother. Our Holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary is all of these things but she also considers every individual on this earth her own child and she nurtures and protects each of us with an equal share of love and care. She loves us just as much as she loved her son, Jesus, what an awesome thought! She wants to look after each one of us from the beginning of our human life until our death and even beyond, constantly praying for us.

She will help us

It was Jesus who gave his own mother to us and she will always be there us. When we have a problem and our earthly mother is not around to help us Mother Mary will be there to look out for us. When we call upon her she will come to our help. The prayers and petitions of Our Holy Mother are powerful, God cannot say no when she asks for help on our behalf. I am writing this because I believe her intercession brought me back to life when I was in a very dangerous situation, close to death and I had no-one else to turn to.

The power of the rosary

For those who think Mary is just the mother of Jesus, a distant figure in history and the Rosary is just a few beads that you wear around your neck I want to tell you that you are very mistaken. Many miracles have happened through praying the Rosary and through the intercession of Our Lady. She is the most powerful women and mother there has ever been or ever will be, believe it, live it and breathe it and you won’t be disappointed. God knows what is in our hearts and when he chose Mary to be the mother of his son he knew that she would be the best mother for Jesus. Imagine how much she must have loved Jesus and that is just the way that she loves each one of us.

Please be my mother

When you trust Our Lady as your own mother and invoke her help through praying the Rosary regularly then you will realise how powerful she really is. I say to her small things like, “Mother Mary, please sit with me I am alone” or “Mother Mary can you help me or even hug me”. This is all that it takes and then you will feel her presence with you. Blessed Mother Teresa has taught us a short prayer “Mother Mary, mother of Jesus please be a mother to me.” This is very powerful! Try it and see. I am certainly happy to have found my spiritual mother whom I see as my own. What about you?

Saints 

St. Joseph

His birth place and lineage

St. Joseph first appears in the Bible in the opening chapter of St Matthew’s Gospel where his family tree is traced back to King David. Indeed the angel who first tells Joseph in a dream that Mary has conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit greets him as “son of David,” a royal title that is also used for Jesus. When a census (a count of the people for tax purposes) was ordered by the Romans all the people had to return to their ancestral cities to register their families. As St Joseph was descended from King David he had to travel to the City of David that is Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.

His Profession

We know that St Joseph was a carpenter, a working man, because some of the crowd who doubted Jesus say rather rudely about him, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55). It is assumed that Joseph taught his craft to Jesus as he grew up in Nazareth, giving him the skills to earn a living. Imagine how important St Joseph was in guiding and teaching the growing boy and giving him direction, correction, and formation. Apart from his mother no one else has spent more time in direct contact with Jesus.

His character

When God in his great wisdom gave his only son to be our saviour he chose the Virgin Mary to be his mother and St Joseph to be his foster father and protector. Out of all the people who ever lived God chose the best parents that he could for his son. This shows the kind of man that St Joseph was. From the second chapter of Luke’s Gospel we learn that he was a devout Jew, who took his son to be presented in the temple when he was eight days old. This passage also shows us that he was not a rich man as all he could offer as a sacrifice was a pair of doves or two small pigeons, richer people would have offered sheep or goats.

Our Lady’s words

If anyone could describe most accurately the character of St. Joseph, it would be his wife Mary. When Our Lady appeared to St. Bridget of Sweden she revealed to her that “St. Joseph was so reserved and careful in his speech that not one word ever issued from his mouth that was not good and holy, nor did he ever indulge in unnecessary or less than charitable conversation. He was most patient and diligent in bearing fatigue; he practiced extreme poverty; he was most meek in bearing injuries; he was strong and constant against my enemies; he was the faithful witness of the wonders of Heaven, being dead to the flesh and the world, living only for God and for Heavenly goods, which were the only things he desired. He was perfectly conformed to the Divine will and so resigned to the dispositions of Heaven that he ever repeated, ‘May the will of God ever be done in me.’ He rarely spoke with men, but continually with God, whose will he desired to perform. Wherefore, he now enjoys great glory in Heaven.”

His love for Jesus

Joseph loved Jesus as a father loves his son and showed his love by giving him the best protection that he could. His main concern was for the safety of the precious child who had been entrusted to him. When an angel warned him of danger he left his home and took the family to Egypt to protect them and then, when the angel said that it was safe to return he brought his family back to Israel and settled in the small backwater town of Nazareth out of danger from the king living in Jerusalem.

Later, when the young boy Jesus stayed in the Temple while the family returned home, we are told that Joseph and Mary searched with great anxiety for three days for him (Luke 2:48). Joseph always cared for and loved Jesus as God had requested.

His death

The last time that we encounter St Joseph in the Scriptures is in the description of their losing Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem at the age of twelve. That’s it he is never mentioned again. The circumstances of Joseph’s death are not known, but it is likely that he died before Jesus’s ministry began, and it is implied that he was dead before the Crucifixion when Mary standing alone at the cross, is given to the Beloved disciple, this could not have happened if Joseph had still been alive to look after Mary. “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” (John 19:26-27).

His feast day

St. Joseph is celebrated by the Church on two feast days. The first is on March 19, the Feast of St Joseph and the second is on May 1 the Feast of St Joseph, the Worker.

Patronage

Many people in their prayers ask St Joseph to pray for them for protection. St. Joseph is the patron saint of a number of cities and countries, among them the Americas, Canada, China, Croatia, Mexico, Korea, Austria, Belgium, Peru, the Philippines and Vietnam. He is also the patron saint of families, fathers, expectant mothers (pregnant women), travellers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general. In 1870 Pope Pius IX proclaimed St. Joseph the patron Saint and protector of the Catholic Church. It would be wonderful to know more about St. Joseph and the life that he led while Jesus was growing up but Scripture has left us with the most important description of him – he was “a righteous man.” (Matthew 1:18)

 

Written by Munnu Fenil