St. Joseph

The 2020 Saint Joseph Parish Pictorial Directories have finally arrived!  If you or members of your family participated in the photo sessions, you will receive a free parish directory (even if you did not purchase a photo package). The new directories have been labeled with each family’s name and can be received at the Masses next weekend or at the parish offices during the week.  If you did not participate in the photo sessions but would like to have a pictorial directory, you can purchase one at the parish offices for $10; this also applies to individuals who may desire an extra directory.  Thank you! 

May 9, 2021
Sixth Sunday of Easter

“Remain in my love,” and, “I call you friends,” are powerful words that are found in John’s Gospel. Most of us probably have them committed to memory or have at least heard them proclaimed dozens of times. They are words that can easily become trite and quickly glossed over without fully pondering and digesting their profound beauty. When we take the time to immerse ourselves in them, they can radically change our lives and our relationships. They can open up new doors of adventure and hold countless possibilities for meaning. The essence of love and friendship are things that can easily be taken for granted. They have always been there and are a significant part of our lives. Many would say that they could not live without love and friendship, and they put a great deal of care into preserving, deepening and sustaining them. Love and friendship share a mutual relationship with each other that deserves more reflection.
 
Where does love come from? We can consider relationships that have not succeeded and conclude that they were somehow due to our “failures in love.” In doing so, we assume that human beings are the ones responsible for love, its success and also its failure. While our weakness, emotional composition and sinfulness can easily impact our ability to love, its origin is not human. God is love. God is love’s author and origin. When we love, it is God who loves in and through us. It is because of this divine closeness that Jesus is able to call us friends! It is not because of anything we have done but simply because of who we are. Realizing and contemplating this awesome reality becomes a game changer across the board. It gives us reason to clear the table of anything that can adversely affect the way we love so that we can open the door for its author to shine forth.
 
Coming upon this truth is what leads folks like St. Francis of Assisi to leave that which is comfortable and worldly and live a radical life. They relate with the love of God that radiates in and through all living things and appreciate their sacredness. It was having an intimate experience of God’s love and friendship that propelled St. Francis and others to embrace simplicity, act nonviolently, pursue humility, love enemies, care for the earth and open up avenues for true justice. Understanding this profound truth will also help us find peaceful solutions to world’s problems, restore relationships with our sisters and brothers, bring the grace of loving stewardship to creation and heal many wounds. Once we begin to see how wonderfully holy all of life really is, we discover joy. We lose our need for fear, develop a fierce fortitude, act prudently and seek justice. There is great power in love because it comes from God. It will never fail. It also enjoys the company of two other friends who are eager to become our friends as well: faith and hope. These are just as important to have and to share.