On Sunday the 19th of March, Sisters of the Daughters of Jesus and lay people met to celebrate Saint Joseph’s Day in a fitting way. It was a great feast, the likes of which we have not had for some years.
The sun was out, like a wink from God, as the people arrived little by little at the chapel for the Eucharistic celebration.
A song brought us together:
“Faithful to your Lord, Joseph, son of David, faithful to your Lord, you lead us to Jesus Christ!
Last branch of the promise, before the rank of the Messiah, do not fear Joseph, do not fear, God is watching and leading you, walk in his light.”
Sister Anne Thirion, Provincial of France, warmly welcomed us.
The Word of God
Commenting on the story of the healing of the man born blind, in the Gospel of st John ch 9, Father Vast-Amour Adjobi, a parish priest in Rennes, led us straight to Joseph:
“When we read this Gospel of the man born blind on the feast of Saint Joseph today, we notice two things: the blind man in his blindness really sees God and Joseph in his silence really hears God. Both give us a taste of how God meets us in the troubles of our lives. We know, as Pope Francis points out in his catechesis, that Joseph’s silence is not a vague silence. It challenges our inner struggles.
Within us, there is the noisy silence of our fears, our anxieties, our temptations, our bad experiences, our failures and our pains. There is the disturbing silence of our doubts, our wounds, and our contradictions. All of that can blind the heart if we do not leave room for the sweetness of God’s voice. Joseph, in the turmoil, was willing to hear God and obey his call. He did remain blinded when situations were intolerable, frightening, incomprehensible, trying, or difficult to face. Joseph heard the call to hope in his human project”
Rosary and procession
In the early afternoon, we prayed the rosary led by our lay associates. We were then invited to go to the Sainte Famille, our residence for elderly dependent Sisters and lay people, to begin a procession that would lead us to the chapel.
The Vespers prayer brought us together in thanksgiving:
“God has chosen you, blessed be God! Son of David, husband of Mary.
Into your hands the Christ Child has placed his life.”
Our day ended with a time of Eucharistic adoration.
Everyone went home with the joy in their hearts of having been able to experience a beautiful feast of Saint Joseph.
Sr Agnès Miquel, fj,
Pontivy, France
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