Thursday, March 19, 2015

Reflection for Thursday, March 19, 2015

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith.”

Today’s readings remind us that God can use an imperfect person to do His Will.  We are not blessed by God because of actions we make trying to uphold the law, but through our steadfast faith and belief in Him.

How many times have we made resolutions for the New Year only to fail to keep them? Can you remember a time that you promised to do something for someone, but forgot to keep that promise?
Have we made promises of what we might “give up” during this Lenten season or promised to do good deeds, but have already failed?

We look at God’s grace and providence and see that even when we fail, He is there to use us and bless us, if we put our trust in Him.  If we keep our eyes on Him and remember that it was the actions of Christ on the cross that we are made pleasing in His eyes again through forgiveness of our sins, the faith inside us grows and we have a yearning to follow Christ’s teachings because we know it is the true path.   

In the gospel, we see that it took a lot of faith for Joseph to make the decisions he did.  When he found that Mary was “with child,” he knew what was right and decided to divorce her quietly as to not shame her.  Then, once the angel visited him, he trusted God and helped Mary raise Jesus, a son not of his own. 

We need to trust God with all aspects of our lives.  We are not in control of everything. The phrase “stuff happens” is very real, and it is difficult to stay on the straight and narrow path at all times. However, if we keep our faith in Him and trust in His ways, we will find peace knowing that we do not need to be in control or right in everything we do, at all times. God knows we will fail, but He will never let us walk alone.   We need to continue to pray that we will hear God’s word and listen to His guidance in our work, study, and leisure time. In this way, our faith will help us to become more righteous and pleasing to God.


Dr. Joanne C. Langan, PhD, RN, CNE is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate and Pre-licensure Programs in the School of Nursing.

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