Welcome and Opening Prayer: Lord, we place ourselves in your presence. Send us your Spirit to enlighten our minds and open our hearts to your word. We know Jesus is with us, because we are gathered in his name, and he tells us “…where two or three are gathered in my name I am there among them.”
We invite our holy mother Mary the Seat of Wisdom to be part of our sharing as we say … ‘Hail Mary ….’
We invoke the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit in all that we do as we say … ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.’
1st Reading of Scripture Passage: A Reading from the Gospel of 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 awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,
Silence (3 minutes)
2nd Reading of Scripture Passage
Silence (3 minutes) then sharing of word, phrase or image that left an impression on you.
3rd Reading of Scripture Passage
Silence (3 Minutes) followed by short and voluntary sharing of what stood out for you personally in the reading
Reading of Short Commentary:
“Because of Joseph’s great courage and faith, he, like Mary, opened the way for God’s plan of salvation to be enacted. He, too, played an important part in shaping Jesus of Nazareth from his youth and helped him prepare for his mission. Turning to God for guidance when difficult decisions have to be made and accepting full responsibility for those decisions are not popular concepts today. Even though most of us consider ourselves to be free and open-minded, we can very easily become slaves to opinions and fashions that are promoted by vested interests in both the market place and the media. It is also true that we are sometimes guilty of making our decisions based purely on self interest or greed. It seems that fewer and fewer people are willing to act in a selfless way, to simply do what is morally right or of benefit to others. Anything that demands commitment or sacrifice is too often viewed by our media as unfashionable, a relic of an unenlightened past.
As a result of this attitude a lot of good and necessary work is being left undone because it is difficult or financially unrewarding. Joseph was a man who made personal sacrifices simply because it was the right thing to do. It would seem that he was a practical man and we presume that he would have examined his options carefully. His life would probably have been easier if he had abandoned Mary and her unborn child, yet he showed great faith and generosity when he responded positively to the message he received in his dream. His decision was a leap into the unknown for him, but he managed to put aside his fear and confusion in order to do what was right and generous.
Joseph is an inspiration to all of us who feel that our faith is inviting us to greater trust in the Lord and to a deeper awareness of how we are called to serve the Lord in terms of family, neighbourhood and community. Maybe our impulse to share the divine love we have received will bring us little tangible reward in the short term. Perhaps we will never know what effect our words and actions will have on the world. Joseph probably never realised in his lifetime the full implications of the decision he made, yet after more than 2000 years we still honour and cherish his faith and generosity.”(Michael Router, ‘The Furrow’, November 2010)
Discussion: Discuss for a few minutes any point that struck you from the commentary? How do we put the word of God that we have heard into practice? Is there something we can do individually or collectively? Are we doing something that could be done better? Are there attitudes that need to change?
Prayers of Intercession – Choose any of the following prayers and, if possible, include your own prayers and petitions:
1. Lord you sent disciples to announce the Good News to all people - sustain those who proclaim your word. Lord, hear us.
2. We pray for those who carry a cross of pain and anguish today – Lord, grant them patience and courage. Lord, hear us.
3. God of all kindness, bless your church - make your people faithful to you. Lord, hear us.
4. Judge of the living and the dead, be merciful to all our deceased family, friends and neighbours; especially N. and N., and receive them into eternal joy. Lord, hear us.
5. Lord remember us as we begin our work, that we work in harmony with others. Lord, hear us.
6. May we always do what is right for our brothers and sisters - and together build a world that is pleasing to you. Lord, hear us.
7. Lord, our refuge and strength, listen to our praise at the conclusion of this day - teach us to praise you always. Lord, hear us.
8. Lord help us to remember the poor and unfortunate particularly as we prepare for Christmas - may we do what we can to ease their burden. Lord, hear us.
9. We pray for the sick and the suffering (pause to remember those we have been asked to pray for). May they receive healing and strenght this day through their faith in Jesus and through our prayers. Lord, hear us.
10. Through the birth of your Son, you have enlightened the world - give us new hope this day. Lord, hear us.
Now we offer all our prayers to God our Father as we pray in the Words that Jesus Gave us … ‘Our Father…’
Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank for this time together which has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice your commands. May we, like Mary, your mother, be open to your will in our lives. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
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