Tag Archives: st joseph

A little child and I

newsletter,

The Fourth Sunday of Advent in the Year of Matthew – Year A in the lectionary – gives prominence to St Joseph’s role in the Christmas story. This is a poem written from his point of view, that I found – a little sentimental but charming. Let’s not forget St Joseph!

“We walked through the field of wheat
– a little Child and I.
His face was as fair as the dawn,
his eyes as bright as the sky.
O’er hillside and valley we went,
through blossom strewn meadow and glade. He held my hand as I told him the names
of all the flowers he made.

We worked at the carpenter’s bench
a beautiful Child and l.
The air was still as the star light,
and the Mother of Grace was nigh.
The burden of labour and toil
were sweet, though hard was my trade,
for I taught the heavenly Child to use
the tools which he had made.

We gathered for even tide prayer
– a Child, the Mother and I.
The only sound was the vesper song
of the birds that were flying by.
We gazed at the sinking sun
As the light began to fade
and saw a flame from
the heart of the Child
by whose power all things were made”

Fr Matthew

Year of St Joseph

newsletter,

In an Apostolic Letter in December entitled Patris corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis describes Saint Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.

The Letter marks the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To celebrate the anniversary, Pope Francis has proclaimed a special “Year of St Joseph,” beginning on 8th December 2020 the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 2020 and extending to the same feast in 2021.

The Holy Father wrote Patris corde against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, which he says, has helped us see more clearly the importance of “ordinary” people who, though far from the limelight, exercise patience and offer hope every day. In this, they resemble Saint Joseph, “the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence,” who nonetheless played “an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”

We will return to the Year during 2021 – but his main feast is this Friday. Join us for Mass. Meanwhile, here is a prayer of Pope Francis for the Year.

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, 
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
To you God entrusted his only Son; 
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,
and defend us from every evil. 
Amen

Fr Matthew