Worthy Chapter President and Brother Knights,
I bring you greetings from our State Chaplain, Bishop Mulvey, and our Associate State Chaplain, Fr. Chen, whom I am in contact. I look forward to visiting and serving with Bishop Mulvey next month at the Texas State Council Convention. I hope to see many of the State Officers, Diocesan and District Deputies and spouses at the State Convention in Dallas.
I also bring you greetings from our Chapter Chaplain, Fr. Charlie Garza. He is not able to join us tonight because he is helping with a Penance Service at the seminary. He hopes to be able to join us in-person at the June 22nd Chapter Meeting so, hopefully, we will have a host council by then.
Last Thursday, March 19th, was the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary. This year also marks the 5-year anniversary of Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), the Apostolic Letter by Pope Francis in which the Holy Father proclaimed the Year of Saint Joseph in 2021. I wanted to share a few thoughts on "Patris Corde", particularly the seven attributes or characteristics of Saint Joseph that Pope Francis encouraged all men, husbands and fathers, to imitate, following the model of Saint Joseph.
A beloved father
“The greatness of Saint Joseph is that he was the spouse of Mary and the father of Jesus.” Being a father is a great gift and responsibility and, second to being a husband, it is the most important role a man can have, so embrace it with the grace of God.
A tender and loving father
“In Joseph, Jesus saw the tender love of God. . . Joseph, then, teaches us that faith in God includes believing that he can work even through our fears, our frailties and our weaknesses. He also teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course. At times, we want to be in complete control, yet God always sees the bigger picture.” Sometimes, it is hard for us to "let go and let God" take over but, when we do, it frees us to love and to become the best version of our ourselves, to be the man, husband, and father God created us to be for our families.
An obedient father
“During the hidden years in Nazareth, Jesus learned at the school of Joseph to do the will of the Father. That will was to be his daily food (cf. Jn 4:34). Even at the most difficult moment of his life, in Gethsemane, Jesus chose to do the Father’s will rather than his own,[16] becoming ‘obedient unto death, even death on a cross’ (Phil 2:8).” Saint Joseph was certain a model of obedience to God's will for all of us. The angel of the Lord told him to take Mary as his wife and he did. Then, the angel told him to flee to Egypt with Jesus and Mary and he did. After several years, the angel told him to return home with Jesus and Mary and he did. May God's will be done in our lives, not ours. May we help our children and the young men in our lives discern God's will for them.
An accepting father
“Joseph’s attitude encourages us to accept and welcome others as they are, without exception, and to show special concern for the weak, for God chooses what is weak (cf. 1 Cor 1:27). He is the ‘Father of orphans and protector of widows’ (Ps 68:6), who commands us to love the stranger in our midst.[20]” Like Saint Joseph, who was the foster father of Jesus, we are stewards of God's gift of our children. Through the Holy Spirit, we care for our children and help them to become the faithful people God created them to be. They will choose their path is life. We can steer them and guide them on the right path but, ultimately, it is their decision. When that time comes, we pray for them, encourage them, and guide them as best as we can.
A creatively courageous father
“That child would go on to say: “As you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). Consequently, every poor, needy, suffering or dying person, every stranger, every prisoner, every infirm person is “the child” whom Joseph continues to protect. For this reason, Saint Joseph is invoked as protector of the unfortunate, the needy, exiles, the afflicted, the poor and the dying.. . From Saint Joseph, we must learn that same care and responsibility. We must learn to love the child and his mother, to love the sacraments and charity, to love the Church and the poor. Each of these realities is always the child and his mother.” How can we find creative ways to help our children grow to love our Lord Jesus Christ and embrace their Catholic faith? It can be a challenge with so many things of this world vying for their attention. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance on how we can help our children to love our Eucharistic Lord and his Church.
A working father
“Saint Joseph was a carpenter who earned an honest living to provide for his family. From him, Jesus learned the value, the dignity and the joy of what it means to eat bread that is the fruit of one’s own labour. . . Saint Joseph’s work reminds us that God himself, in becoming man, did not disdain work. . .” Another feast day for Saint Joseph is the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st. Our Lord Jesus Christ was a carpenter, a trade that he learned from Saint Joseph. May we be examples to our children of the dignity and joy of work to provide for our families.
A father in the shadows
“Fathers are not born, but made. A man does not become a father simply by bringing a child into the world, but by taking up the responsibility to care for that child. Whenever a man accepts responsibility for the life of another, in some way he becomes a father to that person. . . In a way, we are all like Joseph: a shadow of the heavenly Father, who ‘makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust’ (Mt 5:45). And a shadow that follows his Son.” Let us be the shadow of our Father in heaven, leading our families to God. Saint Joseph is the model of authentic masculinity, of fatherhood, and of a faithful and loving husband. Let us imitate Saint Joseph and become the man, husband, and father God created us to be for our families, for the world.
Here is a link to my previous report from the Chapter meeting in February:
Deacon Phúc’s challenges for all Knights for the month of April
- PERSONAL & FAMILY: Read and reflect on Patris Corde.
- COUNCIL: Offer up the Fish Fry as a labor of love for God and for his faithful people at your parish.
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