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Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath Bartholomeus Breenbergh  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Luke 4:21-40 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition)      Jesus began to speak in the synagogue: ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’  All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.  They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’  He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.”’  And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.  But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three y

A View of Toledo, El Greco 'A city built on a hill cannot be hidden' (Mt 5:14) Readings  (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings  (Jerusalem Bible) Gospel  Matthew 5:13-16 ( NRSV )  Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.’ Childhood of Christ, Gerrit van Honthorst  'Let your light shine before others . . .' (Mt 5:16). One of the darkest periods in the history of the world was 1939 to 1945 when much of the world was at war. At the heart of the darkne

The Dream of St Joseph, Georges de la Tour  Gospel Matthew 3:1-12 ( NRSV, Anglicised Catholic Ed .) Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’,which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the

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Today begins the novena in preparation for the feast of St Joseph on March 19th. I am sponsoring a pray along. Each day I will post the Novena prayers for the day along with intentions that need prayer. Please share with family and friends, and share any prayer requests in the comments. Let's pray for and with each other! Today, I am praying for struggling marriages, reconciliation within families, and those trying to sell their home. God bless! Source Novena to  St. Joseph Day One FOSTER-FATHER OF JESUS Saint Joseph, you were privileged to share in the mystery of the Incarnation as the foster-father of Jesus .  Mary alone was directly connected with the fulfillment of the mystery, in that she gave her consent to Christ's conception and allowed the Holy Spirit to form the sacred humanity of Jesus from her blood. You had a part in this mystery in an indirect manner, by fulfilling the condition necessary for the Incarnation -- the protection of Mary's virg

Presentation in the Temple , Gerbrand van den Eeckhout,1671 Szépmûvészeti Múzeum, Budapest [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)   Gospel   Luke 2:22-40 [or Luke 2:22, 39-40]   ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada) When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord  [ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”),   and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;   this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him.   It had been r

The Dream of St Joseph ,  Georges De La Tour,  c.1640  Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nantes, Gospel for 18 Dec:  Matthew 1:18-24 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.  Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.  But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to  take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy  Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’  All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:   ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,      and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’  When Joseph awo

The Dream of St Joseph , Rembrandt, 1650-55 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada) Now after the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”   Then Joseph   got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,   and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,   “G

The Dream of St Joseph ,  Georges de la Tour, c.1640 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings  (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Matthew 1:18-24  ( New RevisedStandard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada)  Now the birth of Jesus Christ   took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.   Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.   But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.   She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for

The Holy Family , Andrea del Sarto, c.1528 ( Web Gallery of Art ) Ant. ad introitum  Cf Lc 12:42 Ecce fidélis servus et prudens,  quem constítuit Dóminus super famíliam suam. Entrance Antiphon  Cf Luke 12:42 Behold, a faithful and prudent steward,  whom the Lord set over his household. Fidelis servus et prudens, quem constituit Dominus  super familiam suam. A faithful and prudent steward,  whom the Lord set over his household. This is an anonymous setting of today's Introit or Entrance Antiphon from the 18th century. It might have been written by  Domenico  Zípoli  (17 October 1688 – 2 January 1726), an Italian Jesuit who died in  Córdoba, in what is now   Argentina. Or it might have been written by  Martin Schmid , also known as  Esmid  (September 26, 1694 – March 10 1772), a Swiss Jesuit who died in what is now Bolivia. The antiphon is sung here by  El   Coro de Niños cantores de Córdoba del Instituto Domingo Zípoli , Argentina

The Holy Family with a Bird , Murillo, 1650 I was assigned to Glasgow, Scotland, for five months in 2002. One day I went strolling around St Enoch Centre, a shopping malls in the city centre, and had need to use the men's room. The janitor, who was an immigrant, happened to be there. When I told him that it was the cleanest restroom I had ever seen in a public building anywhere his face lit up.   St Enoch Centre , Glasgow Find out who the Fiddler is and see and hear him play here .