Here's what I shared with the Brothers for the feast of St Joseph...
Would Joseph have taken Mary for his wife, if not for the message of the angel? I firmly believe that he would have joyfully taken her to be his wife, angel or no angel, message or no message! Given the person that he was, he did not need an angel to tell him what is right and what is good. He knew it by then. Why and how come?
Basic principle of responsibility and choices: Everytime I make a choice for the good, I build up my virtue. Later, when faced with a dilemma or a challenge, I do not have to struggle much for I will invariably choose the good, the true, the right! Joseph did just that.
Secondly, if Joseph were to have married Mary only at the behest of angel/God's command, and not made that his personal choice, he would have grumbled and cursed both Jesus and Mary the rest of his life - which I'm sure he didn't. God only proposes, offers, directs and inspires... the choice is always, always with us. The more I take responsibility, the more I grow.
So what is discernment, if all the choices I make are totally mine? Well the art is in knowing which one is from God and which one is based on my personal convenience; which one is true and good for all, and which one is true and good for me alone...! The next step is of course, as important as the discernment process: making that decision, influenced maybe, inspired maybe, 'given to me' maybe... MINE!
Would Joseph have taken Mary for his wife, if not for the message of the angel? I firmly believe that he would have joyfully taken her to be his wife, angel or no angel, message or no message! Given the person that he was, he did not need an angel to tell him what is right and what is good. He knew it by then. Why and how come?
Secondly, if Joseph were to have married Mary only at the behest of angel/God's command, and not made that his personal choice, he would have grumbled and cursed both Jesus and Mary the rest of his life - which I'm sure he didn't. God only proposes, offers, directs and inspires... the choice is always, always with us. The more I take responsibility, the more I grow.
So what is discernment, if all the choices I make are totally mine? Well the art is in knowing which one is from God and which one is based on my personal convenience; which one is true and good for all, and which one is true and good for me alone...! The next step is of course, as important as the discernment process: making that decision, influenced maybe, inspired maybe, 'given to me' maybe... MINE!
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