To become holy is human

‘Today the expression “that is human” excuses everything. People get divorced: that is human. People drink: that is human. They cheat in an examination or in a competition: that is human. There is not a vice which has not been excused with the aid of this formula. So the term “human” is used to describe the most infirm and inferior aspect of man. […] [But] the human is the very thing that distinguishes us from the animal. “Human” means intelligence, heart, will, conscience, holiness. That is human.’ --J.G. Cardinal Saliège

“Too err is human”. We often take this old saying and put it to use every chance we get. But in reality, we are abusing it.

To be human is to be something great—a creature that is loved so much by its Creator that it was given the capacity to choose. But we were not given this capacity so that we could choose anything. We were given it to choose love, Love itself. “God is love, and he who abides in it abides in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).

Our Creator loves us so much that he gave us the capacity to think for ourselves—rationality. This is a capacity that lacks in all other creatures, as we have the ability through our rationality to find God. God has revealed himself to us, and in doing so he has revealed the fullness of our own being. And the fullness of that being is Jesus Christ.

Through our Baptism, we are given the capacity to become sanctified. During our Baptism, we are consecrated with holy oils for the use of God. We are set apart to become Christ to the world. Through our Baptism, as the Second Vatican Council told us, we are all called to become holy as Christ was holy.

**quote from Jesus the Christ by Walter Cardinal Kasper, pg 202-3

Not to be taken lightly...

Christ has no body now but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which
Christ's compassion must look out on the world.
You are the feet with which
He is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which
He is to bless us now.


--a prayer attributed to Teresa of Avila

Somlemnity of Saint Joseph!

From a sermon by Saint Bernardine of Siena, priest

The faithful foster-father and guardian

There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favour chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfil the task at hand.

This general rule is especially verified in the case of Saint Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord and the husband of the Queen of our world, enthroned above the angels. He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying: “Good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord”.

What then is Joseph’s position in the whole Church of Christ? Is he not a man chosen and set apart? Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and honourably introduced into the world. Holy Church in its entirety is indebted to the Virgin Mother because through her it was judged worthy to receive Christ. But after her we undoubtedly owe special gratitude and reverence to Saint Joseph.

In him the Old Testament finds its fitting close. He brought the noble line of patriarchs and prophets to its promised fulfilment. What the divine goodness had offered as a promise to them, he held in his arms.

Obviously, Christ does not now deny to Joseph that intimacy, reverence and very high honour which he gave him on earth, as a son to his father. Rather we must say that in heaven Christ completes and perfects all that he gave at Nazareth.

Now we can see how the last summoning words of the Lord appropriately apply to Saint Joseph: “Enter into the joy of your Lord”. In fact, although the joy of eternal happiness enters into the soul of a man, the Lord preferred to say to Joseph: “Enter into joy”. His intention was that the words should have a hidden spiritual meaning for us. They convey not only that this holy man possesses an inward joy, but also that it surrounds him and engulfs him like an infinite abyss.

Remember us, Saint Joseph, and plead for us to your foster-child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally. Amen.

(Taken from today’s Office of Readings)