"O most brilliant holy light, bring the dawn to my eyes."

Blessed Feast Day!  May St Joseph pray for us and lead us to his adopted Son!

How humble an example for us all to meditate on and to be like Joseph.  How beautiful that we have the return to Christmas within the middle of Lent! The soft wonder reminds us all the glorious gift of Jesus' birth is to us poor sinners.  To contrast and compliment with His great gift of suffering and dying for us so we may all be resurrected with Him.  (wow! What an awesome God we have!)

 This past week since my mind and heart have settled there is a return of the Christmas wonder that traveled and led me over most of last year.  Funny how when Advent arrived this past year my prayer and meditations became  almost solely focused on Jesus' Passion, now in the middle of Lent gradually over the last couple weeks and especially this week all has turned back to a more typical Advent focus.

"O night of brilliant light, splendor filling the skies.  O most brilliant holy light, bring the dawn to my eyes. "

Joseph a most righteous man... What was held in his heart at Simeon's words?  What did Joseph endure knowing as all waiting for salvation must have known, when Jesus pays His sacrifice for us to the Almighty Father?  The harmonious union of the Christmas and Lent are perfectly suited in my meager understandings.  For in both we yearn, we wait so patiently for hope, salvation in awareness of God's great mercy, love for us tiny little beings.  We wait aware of our unworthiness, yet knowing that despite that thanks to Jesus' humility and divine love we are made worthy.  The little and big seasons of Lent... times to wonder and to pray for conversion ever greater for union with God's will for us.  Yes, o come, o come Emmanuel have mercy on us as you were born to die, your death freely chosen.  Your death freely willed as the perfect sacrifice of love and obedience to the Father.

Praise, glory and thanks be forever to you dear Jesus... thank you dear God, the mysteries you have blessed us with... the light you give to light our way and fill our hearts.  O thank you and have mercy upon us and this world, pray for us dear St Joseph so we may always strive to be righteous in the sight of the most Holy Trinity.