Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality (CACS)'s Podcast
The Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality (CACS) is a centre for research and formation that promotes spiritual formation and renewal, drawing on the rich resources of the venerable Carmelite tradition.
It is an apostolate of the Anglo-Irish Province of the Discalced Carmelites, based at the Carmelite Priory at Boars Hill, Oxford, England.
OUR MISSION
CACS strives to achieve its mission through structured study and formation programmes in spirituality from the Carmelite perspective, especially Prayer and Spiritual Direction. At the Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality, you are welcome to enter into the silence where God’s voice is heard in prayer, word and sacrament, inviting you to journey ever more deeply into a place of growth and wholeness. Our goal is to bring people to experience a life-transforming friendship with God through a lived experience of Carmelite spirituality that is authentic to its biblical roots.
Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality (CACS)'s Podcast
Solemnity of St Joseph
SOLEMNITY OF ST JOSEPH
Word & Wisdom is a weekly reflection on the Sunday’s scriptures and the wisdom of the Carmelite tradition. It promises to offer you real spiritual food to sustain you on the journey.
This Word and Wisdom Podcast is brought to you by the Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality, Oxford (carmelite.uk.net).
To receive audio and written copies subscribe by emailing podcasts@cacs.org.uk
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In the liturgy of the word of this great solemnity of Saint Joseph, we are presented with three men whose faith in God was undaunted. God's promise to Abraham and David was fulfilled in Jesus Christ through Joseph, the son of David. According to Matthew, the genealogy recorded in the gospel indicates that God keeps his promise.
After the promise was made to Abraham, God's faithfulness was revealed in Jesus Christ after 42 generations. We are at liberty to shout for joy and sing with the psalmist and say that the Lord remembers his covenant forever, the promises he made for a thousand generations. Saint Joseph is an inspiration to us in our days as he was in the lives of the saints.
He is a protector of the church and the principal protector of the Carmelite order, and our Holy Mother, Saint Teresa of Avila, calls us to go to Saint Joseph. She said, I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to this glorious saint, for he gives very real help to souls who commend themselves to him. For some years now, I think I have made some requests of him every year on his festival, and I have always had it granted.
If my petition is in any way ill-directed, he directs it right for my greater good. I have no doubt that Saint Teresa of Avila trusted Saint Joseph and advised us to go to him. With all conviction, I also send you an open invitation.
To come, let us go to Saint Joseph. Go to Joseph, the spouse of Mary and the guardian of Christ. God entrusted the well-being of the virgin mother and infant Christ to his protection and guidance.
At the instruction of the angel of the Lord, he took Mary and Christ through the deserts to Egypt to seek refuge from those who threatened Christ's life. As we journey through life, we pass through different deserts of affliction and go through the difficult depths of human predicaments that sometimes threaten our existence. Some of our experiences of the desert might seem too long and come with a heavy sense of despair.
Go to Joseph; he will comfort you as you go through your desert. Go to Joseph, the just man. The second reading of this solemnity presents Abraham as a man of great faith and a just man.
Interestingly, the genealogy of Christ, according to Matthew, begins with him and ends with Joseph, another just man. Joseph was unwilling to put Mary to shame and made a resolution to send her away quietly. He was a man imbued with an incredible sense of decency and respect for Mary.
Indeed, he was an upright man. It was in his justice that he did as the angel had commanded him. Sometimes, we are confused about particular decisions to make.
At other times, we live in deep regrets concerning our ill-directed decisions. It may also feel that we are not able to discern God's will for us. Go to Joseph; he will take you through the path of true discernment.
Go to Joseph, a man of great faith and the epitome of obedience. Joseph was a man who believed in the promise of the Messiah. While obeying the Lord, he aligned his life to the will of God.
Through his faith and obedience, the life and dignity of the holy family were preserved. There are times when we struggle with our faith. At these times of struggle and wrestling with what to believe, we hardly listen to the voice of the Lord.
Sometimes we struggle with our faith because we are not able to understand the depth of this mystery. We hardly listen because our intellects are always grappling with our lack of understanding. While all these are happening, we hardly come to a point where we can obey.
Go to Joseph, he will teach you faithfulness and obedience to God, the way to find Christ.