“Dependent on Faith” by Beth DeCristofaro
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Brothers and sisters: 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. For this
reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be
guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but
to those who follow the faith of Abraham (Romans 4:13, 16)
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife
into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been
conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus because he
will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel
of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. (Matthew 1:20-24)
Piety
Increase my faith, Lord. May I receive the grace to discern your
hidden wisdom. Please guide my way to do
good works as you command.
Study
Much that was momentous in sacred history
happened as God communicated through dreams, visions and otherwise “supernatural”
occurrences. Joseph and the Magi were
guided by dreams. Mary received the
request to become the mother of God’s son through an apparition. In ancient history,
the Chosen People were saved by pillars of smoke and flame while Jonah was
swallowed by a whale only to be regurgitated at just the right place to bear
God’s message to Nineveh. Moderns seem
to have lost touch with the possibility of knowing God personally in our own
being. We depend instead on rituals and
in places that have been designated by custom or specialists.
In this age of super digital effects and
loud, self-proclaiming charlatans it is healthy to be skeptical of
apparitions. What we also seem to
distrust is “mysticism”, what Richard Rohr defines as “experiential knowledge
of spiritual things”. Rohr points
out “Jesus’ common phrase, ‘Go in peace, your faith
has made you whole!’ (as in Mark 5:34 and Luke 17:19). (Jesus) said this to
people who had made no dogmatic affirmations, did not think he was ‘God,’ did
not pass any moral checklist, and often did not belong to the ‘correct’ group.
They were simply people who trustfully affirmed, with open hearts, the grace of
their own hungry experience—in that moment—and that God could care about it.”
Rohr teaches that “The irony in all of these
attempts to over-rely on externals is that people end up relying upon their own
experience anyway! Most of us—by necessity—see everything, mystical and
otherwise, through the lens of our own temperament, early conditioning, brain
function, role and place in society, education, our personal needs, and
cultural biases and assumptions. Admittedly, personal experiences are easy to
misinterpret, and we shouldn’t universalize from our ‘moment’ to an expectation
that everybody must have the same kind of ‘moment.’ We also can’t assume that
any experience is 100 percent from God. We must develop filters to clear away
our own agenda and ego. Nothing beats a solid understanding of some theology,
psychology, and sociology, along with good and wise counsel. We cannot forget
Paul’s reminder which was meant to keep us humble: ‘We know imperfectly and we
prophesy imperfectly’ (1 Corinthians 13:9)”[i].
Action
“Be not
afraid” the angel said to Joseph, to Mary, and to others. In these difficult times, an angelic
reassurance is timely.
Perhaps
Lent – and these days of enforced social distancing - can be an opportunity to
put away our tried and true rituals. Try
a new form of prayer: guided imagery,
centering prayer, singing, drumming; give yourself silence within this practice
to be aware of what is stirring within.
Offer those stirrings to God for clarity and that you be drawn closer to
the Word.
[i] Adapted
from Richard Rohr, Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi (Franciscan
Media: 2014), 1-3.
Illustration:
“Joseph’s Dream”, Bro Mickey McGrath, OSFS, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKF84zUDfjo
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