In an Ascension Presents Daily Reflection Video (for their App users/subscribers) due out this Thursday for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Soren reflects on the immensity of St. Joseph’s witness.

As background to Soren’s reflection below, we encourage you to read this excerpt from an article by Fr. Mike Schimtz:

“Relationship comes first. Always. When we remember that we have been brought into relationship with God the Father, everything changes … In baptism, you were given access to the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit. You have been brought into relationship with the most Holy Trinity; God himself! This relationship is a pure gift; none of us has ever done anything to deserve it. It simply flows from the fact that God has loved you first.

This relationship gives you your Identity. Too often, we take our identity from our mission. But that is a lie …  Our identity is a direct result of having been brought into relationship with God. When you were baptized, you were given a new identity; you were made into a child of God. This is what and who you are. And it is not based off your performance. It is based off the relationship you have been brought into with God himself.

Lastly comes Mission. Our mission (the tasks God has entrusted to us) comes only as a consequence of having been brought into relationship with the Father and having been given our identity by that relationship.”

So, with a nod to Fr. Mike’s teaching on the “relationship—identity—mission” framework, we’re happy to share Soren’s reflection and St. Joseph-inspired challenge for the week ahead.

From Soren:

With this R-I-M concept in mind, I invite you to reflect on an excerpt from the Gospel reading for this Thursday:

“Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ … When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home” (Mt. 1:19; 20-21; 24).

Relationship

First, look at how much is captured in this simple phrase – “Joseph…a righteous man”!  Joseph loved his heavenly Father with all his heart. Like the righteous man of Psalm 1, he “delighted” in the law of the Lord, day and night. We glimpse Joseph’s intimacy with God. And from this intimate relationship flowed his relationship with his beloved Mary.

This is how it is with all of us: we must begin with our relationship with God.

Imagine Joseph that night, his heart heavy in prayer—communing with his heavenly Father. As his eyes close in sleep, he’s made his decision: to quietly divorce Mary. But as so often happens, God shows up in our darkest hour.

Identity

At what seems to be the 11th hour, the angel of the Lord appears to Josesph in a dream, saying, “Joseph, Son of David.” He calls him by name and speaks to his deepest identity in the royal lineage of King David. Joseph can trust this dream because it aligns with who he truly is. His relationship with God has given him his identity.

Mission

Then come the words that always take my breath away: “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.”

Not … “he went to his man-cave to process.” Not “he went on a retreat to further discern what he heard in the dream.” Not “he numbed himself with working overtime for more achievements, distraction, or avoidance.”

He awoke and acted. Secure in relationship, confident in identity, Joseph accepted and stepped into his mission without a moment’s pause. Relationship. Identity. Mission. And the rest is history. Salvation history.

Challenge

How often do we reverse this order—working hard at our mission, hoping it “earns” us identity and a loving relationship with God? Like a child who thinks Dad only loves him if he brings home straight As.

My challenge:

• In a time of prayer and meditation this week, read this Thursday’s Gospel passage about St. Joseph and invite the Lord to guide you.
• Ask yourself, “Am I living a life that flows from relationship to identity to mission?” Maybe—like me for too many years—you’re getting it backwards by throwing yourself into mission, and hoping that God will notice your good work and reward you with a deepened relationship. If that’s you, then take time to rebuild your relationship. Like Joseph, delight in Him. Rest in Him. Receive His love anew.
• Pray a simple prayer such as: “Heavenly Father, thank you for Saint Joseph. He loved you in deep relationship, he accepted his identity as a son of David, and with heroic obedience, he embraced his mission. Deepen my relationship with you. Confirm my identity in you. Reveal anew the mission you have given me as your son / daughter. Saint Joseph, patron of the Church, patron of the family, terror of demons, pray for us. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”