Sunday Meditation: The Upright Man

In the Fourth and final Sunday of Advent in Year A, we meet a man who can only be characterized as upright and righteous.  We meet Joseph, the husband of Mary, who had every justification to leave his betrothed from what appeared as infidelity but didn’t.  He didn’t because first and foremost he did the will of God who provided what had to be an outlandish explanation for her pregnancy but second because Joseph was made of good wood.  He had been formed to always do the right and unselfish thing.  Matthew would later write in Chapter 6:

 

43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil [a]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Actually Joseph never speaks but out of Joseph’s heart compassion and goodness leads him to accept the will of God.  I have a personal prayer to St. Joseph that begins with;

“O good St, Joseph, father, husband, protector, provider, show me the way to goodness, prudence, and faith.  Show me the way to virtuous manhood so I can lead my family for the glory of God.” 

It’s a prayer I wrote myself and I’m very proud of it.  He is a model for my life.

 

Here is the Gospel passage.

 

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

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."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means "God is with us."

When Joseph awoke,

he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took his wife into his home.

~Mt 11:2-11

 

Archbishop Wiesenberger gives another superb homily explaining the context and significance of the passage.

“So am I Ahaz or am I Joseph?”  But the truth is that’s too simple.  The truth is messier.  I suspect the truth there’s a little of Joseph and Ahaz in each of us.”  May the Lord show us the way for us to be “trust in the power of God’s love over the power of this world.”  May the Lord show us to be Joseph!

The pastoral homily will not actually be a homily but a reflection on St. Joseph the foster father of Jesus from My Catholic Life!

Gee, I thought that was excellent. My Catholic Life! also has a website providing a resource into Catholic devotions and daily reflections.  Today is a perfect day to meditate on the role St. Joseph plays not just in the life of the Church but in our individual lives.  How does St. Joseph shape your life?

 

Sunday Meditation: "When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”

For today’s hymn I think the Hillbilly Thomists’ “Good Tree” makes for a great reflection on St. Joseph.

“From a tiny seed grows a good tree.”  I love the Hillbilly Thomists!

 

Sunday Meditation: The Sermon on the Plain, Part Three

We have listened to Jesus’s Sermon on the Plain for two weeks now.  We have one more week of the Sermon, and this week Jesus provides some of the most vivid imagery of the nature of sin: two blind people falling into a pit, pointing to a splinter in other’s eyes while one has a beam of wood in one’s own eye, the tree that bears fruit, and what gets pronounced from the mouth what is in store in the heart.  In a few days we will begin Lent where we are to repent of our sins.  This Sunday, Jesus identifies the sin within all of us.

 

Jesus told his disciples a parable,

“Can a blind person guide a blind person?

Will not both fall into a pit?

No disciple is superior to the teacher;

but when fully trained,

every disciple will be like his teacher.

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,

but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?

How can you say to your brother,

‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’

when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?

You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;

then you will see clearly

to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.

 

“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,

nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.

For every tree is known by its own fruit.

For people do not pick figs from thorn bushes,

nor do they gather grapes from brambles.

A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,

but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;

for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”

~Lk 6:39-45

First Fr. Geoffrey Plant explains the sermon.  He narrows the themes to three: recovery of sight, hypocrisy, and the bearing of good fruit.

 

I thought the insight of Christ leading the blind as a metaphor for leading those that have sinned as pretty profound.  I had not thought of that.  And this projects to disciples such as us leading others who have not been so blessed.  Or, from a different perspective, being led by those who have great holiness.  We need to be led as much as leading others.

Next Fr. Cajetan Cuddy draws the theological significance out of the passage. Pay close attention of trying to save yourself by pointing out the sins in others.

The bad tree is transformed into the Good Tree which is the cross! 

I’m going to provide a third reflection, and this is the most pastoral.  It comes from Dr. Brant Pitre.

 

What you store in your heart is what will be produced by your mouth!

 

Sunday Meditation: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit.”

 

Are you a good tree?  The Hillbilly Thomas have a song, “Good Tree.”

 

The Hillbilly Thomists are a groups of Dominican Friars who came together to form a musical group, first to pass the time but then got so good they started writing and recording their own songs and have now put out four albums I think.  If you are not familiar with the Hillbilly Thomists, you need to look their music up.  I am a big fan.

Music Tuesday: The Hillbilly Thomist

I haven’t had a Music Tuesday in quite a while.  I’ve wanted to highlight this album ever since I got it, which was shortly after it came out two years ago.  The group is called The Hillbilly Thomists, and the album—their only album to date—is named after the band.  It’s a set of traditional “roots” music performed in a Bluegrass style.  What is remarkable about this band is they are Dominican (as in the Order of Preachers) religious men, brothers and priests presumably who play in their spare time. 

Here’s “Poor Wayfaring Stranger,” possibly their only crafted music video.

That is just fantastic.  The band’s name comes from the music they play (hillbilly) coupled with the great saint of the Dominicans, St. Thomas Aquinas.  They explain where they came up with the name in this little clip. 

The Hillbilly Thomists have been featured in a number of Catholic media.  Dominicana, the journal of the Dominican student brothers of the St. Joseph Province of the Order of Preachers tells how the group went from sacred music they went to roots music.    

After four albums of sacred choral music, the Dominican brothers have tuned their banjos and turned their attention to Americana folk and bluegrass. Their hope: to spread the joy of the gospel through the joy of music.

And

Traditional bluegrass music is playful and energetic; along with American folk music, it often contains explicitly theological themes: belief in Christ, the goodness of life, the pain of unrequited love, the finality of death, and hope in eternal life. It is a traditional southern form of testimony to the presence of grace in the human heart.

Brad Minor at The Catholic Thing espouses the countercultural appeal of the brothers.  

So enter these Dominican friars, not one of whom would likely make it through a first audition on American Idol, which is what makes Hillbilly Thomists so satisfying.

There are mostly standards here, including “Poor Wayfaring Stranger,” “Amazing Grace,” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” “Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” and the aforementioned “Angel Band.”

Two priests, eight brothers, and twelve songs in all.

Back to more songs.  Here’s one of my favorites, “To Canaan’s Land.”

And finally, let me give you my absolute favorite on the album, “What Wondrous Love is This.”

If you love American folk music and if you’re Christian, I really think you would love this album.  Victor #2, who comments here every so often I think would love this album.  It would make a great Christmas gift for someone.  You can purchase it from the Hillbilly Thomists’ website.  (Last time I checked the CD there was cheaper than at Amazon.) Proceeds go toward supporting the Dominican friars.