Feast of Saint Joseph: Living Out God’s Dream in Ordinary Life

"When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home." – Matthew 1:24

Sister M. Madeleva, CSJ writes a revealing statement about Joseph: "Quiet, living on the verge of mystery. He was left with dreams and the work of his hands." Joseph represents the largest part of Jesus' earthly existence: his hidden life. Moreover, as foster father, Joseph greatly shaped Jesus' hidden life, in a small town, in the backcountry of Galilee, in quiet, simple, ordinary, and unspectacular life as a carpenter.

Yet, through this everyday, almost uneventful existence, the invitation to live life fully unfolds. Living fully the common, even mundane moments of our lives takes us into the mystery of God's dream for our life. It involves an openness to dreaming about our unique roles in the mystery of God's liberating and transforming love; it also entails working attentively towards its fulfillment. At times, following these dreams takes much risk and pain; at other times, it draws out of us a faithfulness in the tedious, humdrum tasks of everyday life. Like Joseph and Jesus, we are called to follow God in hidden, simple, ordinary, and unspectacular life.

"Lord Jesus, help me to be faithful and find you in the ordinariness of my life this week."

Fr. Tri Dinh, SJ