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Exploring the word

22 Dec 2013 - Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

In God we trust. It must be true: We print it on our money! It’s interesting that we confer this sentiment on currency—the one thing we’re tempted to trust more than God. Maybe it was originally put there as a warning: Don’t trust the dollar over the giver of all good gifts. Most of us do trust in God—that is, until we don’t. That point is often reached when things don’t go the way we want or expect. When we become ill or our relationships go awry; when our fortunes or projected futures change drastically; when all those coins and bills which remind us to trust in God are gone—that’s when we’re tempted to question God’s watchfulness or intentions. We may even wonder if God is there at all. We see how thin human trust in God’s benevolence is in the story of King Ahaz before Isaiah. The prophet tells the king that God wants to give him a sign as a pledge that things are progressing as they should so the king can place his confidence more deeply in the divine promises. Ahaz betrays his fear of God—not the “fear of the Lord” that denotes reverence but a terror of committing his future to God’s purposes. He wants to place his trust in his advisors and military planners, not in the oracles that come mysteriously from heaven through the mouth of Isaiah. Exasperated by the king’s response, Isaiah delivers the “Emmanuel prophecy”—no, not a new thriller novel or movie but among the most famous and significant of all Old Testament prophecies. The sign that Ahaz doesn’t want will be a child who is God-with-us. Not only does this God-shy king get a sign, but it’s one that brings the God he fears even closer to the world’s business. Next we hear another story of a man who is God-fearing, but in a good way. Eight long centuries after the time of Isaiah, this man Joseph is invited to trust radically in God’s promises in a most unusual situation. Joseph is no king; far from it. No prophet comes to his door to deliver the news. Up to now Joseph has relied on religious law to be his counsel in doing the right thing. To a good man not handicapped by pride, however, the law in this circumstance seems too harsh. Yet at the least custom calls for the termination of the agreement, which Joseph is persuaded to do, until an angel in a dream invites him to trust in God more deeply than most of us can imagine doing. The words of Isaiah resurface in this dream and finally they find a man willing to believe them. “In God we trust” isn’t only a saying for money. As Joseph understood, it’s about the next decision. Related scripture links The measure of righteousness: Lev. 19:36; Deut. 25:15, 33:19; Job 31:6; Ps. 4:6; 23:3, 51:21; Ezek. 45:10 Paul’s righteousness attested: Phil. 3:4-11 The freedom of the children of God: Gal. 4:1-7; 5:1-6 Jesus as lord of the Sabbath: Matt. 12:8; John 5:16-17 Punishment for unchastity: Deut. 22:23-27 Catechism links Birth of Jesus: CCC 430-440; 496-498 Angels: CCC 328-336 Obedience: CCC 143; 2087

Authors Alice Camille

Trust joseph

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The inner word

22 Dec 2013 - Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

Saint Joseph awoke from his dream. “He did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.” Those words could very well describe much of his life. Joseph, though, was not blindly obedient. He was an observant and thoughtful person. The challenge for him was not whether to obey God but to find the best way to do it. Even while the basic instructions were clear, he still deliberated his course of action and even changed it when necessary—much as, unknown to him at that point, his wife Mary had already done in her own encounter with an angel. As Advent draws to a close, promise yourself to follow Joseph’s example of faith, attentiveness, intelligence, mercifulness, and courage as your make your own decisions.

Faith Obedience joseph

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In other words

22 Dec 2013 - Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.” This would bring the prophet’s embryonic sermon to full term: “Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; they will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for ‘God is with us’).” Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. . . . He named the baby Jesus. From New Message 4 Next Week (actapublications.com/newmessage4nextweek) based on The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition by Eugene Peterson (ACTA Publications, 2013).

joseph

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Prayers

28 Dec 2014 - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle B

Penitential Act Invitation Like the shepherds who went in haste to see the child Jesus, we eagerly seek to receive God’s forgiveness and blessings. Invocations Lord God, you are the source of all life and goodness. Bless us and protect us from sin and evil. Lord, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you show us the face of God. Let us respond with love and praise for you. Christ, have mercy. Lord God, you give us peace. Make us whole in mind, body, and spirit and one with you. Lord, have mercy. Prayer of the Faithful The universal prayer We are encouraged to do everything in the name of the Lord. In this hopeful spirit we bring our prayers before God, who loves us with a parent’s love. That our human family may find holiness, drawing close to God in all things, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer. That the peoples of the world come to bear with one another and forgive one another, righting injustices and inequalities, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer. That the church, our spiritual home, become a place of peace and love, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer. That our families, however imperfect or troubled, be places of respect, love, and care between the generations, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer. Merciful God, as Anna and Simeon recognized the child Jesus in the temple, give us the wisdom to recognize the Lord in

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus Mary and Joseph, Cycle B

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Prayers

27 Dec 2015 - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle C

Penitential Act Invitation WITH A DESIRE to walk in the ways of the Lord, we ask God to forgive us. Invocations For when do not show generosity in our families, we ask for God’s forgiveness. Lord, have mercy. For when we have not loved as we should, we ask for God’s forgiveness. Christ, have mercy. For when we have not been grateful to God, we ask for God’s forgiveness. Lord, have mercy. Prayer of the Faithful The universal prayer We are blessed to be in the house of the Lord. With the psalmist we pray, O Lord of hosts, hear our prayer. May the church hold on to and deepen its dedication to believing in and following Jesus, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. May the powerful of this world learn to see humanity as one family, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. May families everywhere be places of care and mutual respect, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. In this Year of Consecrated Life, may the universal church continue to support and celebrate the good work and joyful witness of the men and women in consecrated life, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. O God, we do everything for you and give thanks to you. See the prayers we make today as signs of our faithfulness. We ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus through whom we know through you.

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus Mary and Joseph, Cycle C

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Prayers

29 Dec 2013 - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle A

Penitential Act Invitation Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries. Invocations Lord God, let us care for one another. Lord, have mercy. Lord God, let us respect one another. Christ, have mercy. Lord God, let us welcome one another. Lord, have mercy. Prayer of the Faithful The universal prayer In prayer we ask for help to walk in God’s ways: For a spirit of wisdom, love, and patience in the church, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. For peace and mutual respect in families, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. For those who are in poor health, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. For a willingness to forgive, as we are forgiven, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer.

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle A

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Prayers

30 Dec 2012 - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle C

Penitential Act Invitation With a desire to walk in the ways of the Lord, we ask God to forgive us. Invocations For when do not show generosity in our families, we ask for God’s forgiveness. Lord, have mercy. For when we have not loved as we should, we ask for God’s forgiveness. Christ, have mercy. For when we have not been grateful to God, we ask for God’s forgiveness. Lord, have mercy Prayer of the Faithful The universal prayer We are blessed to be in the house of the Lord. With the psalmist we pray, O Lord of hosts, hear our prayer. May the church hold on to and deepen its dedication to believing in and following Jesus, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. May the powerful of this world learn to see humanity as one family, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. May those with troubled hearts find the peace of Christ, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. May families everywhere be places of care and mutual respect, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. O God, we do everything for you and give thanks to you. See the prayers we make today as signs of our faithfulness. We ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus through whom we know through you.

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle C

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Bailing out

18 Jan 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday promises to do the will of the Lord. Just hours after saying in his final press conference that he would follow the wishes of President-elect Barack Obama on the matter, President Bush asked Congress to release the remaining $350 billion dollars in federal bailout funds. Obama will make the decision on how that money is spent--if he can get Congress to agree to the request. Obama visited Capitol Hill Tuesday to lobby Senate Democrats for the release of the funds amid deep concerns among lawmakers about the program's effectiveness. Lawmakers are pushing for new conditions as well as substantial new spending to prevent foreclosures, while some would like to scrap the program altogether. Lawmakers argue that the funds haven't led to more bank lending as planned and that the Bush administration failed to use the funds as it promised it would, such as to advance programs to prevent foreclosures. During Tuesday's meeting Obama's pitch for release of the bailout funds framed the issue as something that could help define "our ability to govern together," said Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats. The request for the remaining Troubled Assets Relief Program money has set in motion action on a resolution of disapproval, which could block the funds' release. The Obama team and top Democratic congressional leaders have little hope of defeating the resolution in the House, where wariness of the program runs high. But they hope to derail it in the Senate. A vote on the issue could come by week's end. Source: Articles by Greg Hitt and Jon Hilsenrath for the Wall Street Journal and by Colin Barr for CNN

barack obama bailout george bush joseph lieberman congress

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