Announcing:
Saint Mary's Press winner for the week of December 13, 2010!
Congratulations to Vicki Fenske!

Vicki will receive a copy of Great People of the Bible Student Book and Catechist Guide, a $28.90 value.

Bring Salvation History to Life! Parish leaders have been requesting a Catholic Bible study curriculum for middle school students, created specifically to fit their parish schedules. Saint Mary’s Press is pleased to respond to this need with the Great People of the Bible parish curriculum.

The Great People of the Bible curriculum offers:

- A student book that is found in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church as a supplemental curriculum resource, and the only Bible curriculum for middle school students with this approval

- Twenty-five, one hour sessions designed to fit a typical parish calendar

- A catechist guide that offers easy-to-follow session outlines for the volunteer catechist

- Flexible options for the Catechist to complete student activities in class or use as family learning assignments in the home

- One student book that covers both the Old and New Testament and that supports the ABC’s of biblical literacy

- Engaging student activities, now with expanded background content, based on the ever popular Student Activity Workbooks for Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics

Great People of the Bible
ISBN: 978-0-88489-690-6, paper, 56 pages

National Youth Ministry Award

Last week the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry was held in New Orleans. The theme for the gathering was "March with the Saints." This biennial gathering is a chance for people who are committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with young people on the parish, diocesan, and national level to gather and be renewed in their ministries. As a part of this gathering, the National Catholic Youth Ministry Awards are given in a variety of categories in recognition of "significant and outstanding contributions made by women and men to the field of Catholic youth ministry." We at Saint Mary’s Press are extremely grateful to have had three people who are a part of the Saint Mary’s Press family recognized with the award this year.

Lisa-Marie Calderone-Stewart
In the category of Gospel Values of Justice and Peace, Lisa-Marie Calderone-Stewart was recognized. Lisa-Marie has authored or contributed to over eighteen different Saint Mary’s Press resources. She is a nationally recognized author and workshop presenter. She has worked on both the parish and the diocesan level in the area of youth ministry, and has most recently served as the director of leadership at the House of Peace in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lisa-Marie was unable to attend the conference; the award was presented to her prior to the conference. See the "Make It Happen" feature for a sample of her work.

Len DiPaul
In the National Youth Ministry category, which recognizes contributions "in youth ministry on a national level impacting the field of youth ministry," Dr. Len DiPaul was recognized. Len began his career in youth ministry in 1977, when he connected six inner-city parishes in West Philadelphia to become a cluster of parishes sharing resources and relationships. Over the course of his career, in addition to other positions, Len has served as the athletic director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphiaand the NFCYM Region 3 Coordinator. Currently, Len is the director of pastoral and theological studies at Neumann University, where he cofounded the Institute for Sport Spirituality and Character Development. Len coauthored More Than a Game, a book on common sports experiences and spiritual reflection, for Saint Mary’s Press.

Brian Singer-Towns
In the Publisher/Author category, Brian Singer-Towns was recognized for his contributions as an editor and author for Saint Mary’s Press. Brian has been an editor for Saint Mary’s Press for the past fourteen years. He served as the general editor for The Catholic Youth Bible®, The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth, and Breakthrough! The Bible for Young Catholics. He has also authored or edited well over fifty Saint Mary’s Press resources. Brian brought more than fifteen years of volunteer and professional youth ministry experience to Saint Mary’s Press.

We would like to extend our congratulations to Lisa-Marie, Len, and Brian for their wonderful contributions to the field of youth ministry, and thank them for sharing their gifts with Saint Mary’s Press. As always, I pray that God will continue to bless you and your ministry.

Peace,
Steven McGlaun

Click Here for More Information

Session 1: Teen-Parent Relationship Building
From Teens and Parents: Sessions for Growing in Faith

The purpose of this session is to help teens and parents become more comfortable building relationships with each other and sharing faith together. Relationship building will take place not only within individual families but also between families.

Preparation and Supplies

For the Study It section, you will need to prepare and gather the following items:
- copies of handout 1-A, "Name That Trio," one for each family
- pens or pencils, one for each participant
- a piece of paper with your favorite subject in high school written on it
- a piece of paper with your favorite season of the year when you were a teenager written on it
- a piece of paper with the name of your favorite TV show on it ( a current show)
- small prizes (a bag of cookies, gift certificates to a fast food restaurant, small trinkets that would appeal to a teen, and so on)
- sheets of blank paper, ten for each participant
- index cards, two colors (one for the teens and one for the parents), three to five per person
- a recording of funky music and a CD or tape player (optional)
- snacks and beverages (plates, napkins, cups, bowls, and so on)

For the Pray It section, you will need to prepare and gather the following items:
- a large poster with the phrase "In the Name of the Lover, the Loved, and the Power of Love, Amen" on it
- small pieces of paper (roughly the size of index cards), one for each participant
- pens or pencils, one for each participant
- a large, round, three-wick candle (optional)
- a recording of instrumental background music and a CD or tape player, to make isolated sounds less distracting and periods of silence less stark (optional)

Study It

See the beginning of this session for a list of necessary preparations and supplies.

Opening Activity

When the participants gather, have copies of handout 1-A, "Name That Trio," and pens or pencils already waiting on the tables.

Invite all the participants to write out as many answers as they can. Invite them to add their own original trios.

Once everyone has arrived and has had some time to complete the handout, go over the answers:

1. keys
2. French
3. groups of animals
4. sandwiches
5. cars
6. knots
7. snow
8. four
9. leaves
10. basketball teams

If some participants have thought of other trios, they can try to stump the rest of the group.

Explain that the focus of this session is family relationships, which often involve trios. The family is a community of faith, hope, and love. It is an image of the Trinity because the Trinity is a communion of persons too. Family life involves the three levels of sharing that occur in relationships: sharing facts, sharing opinions, and sharing feelings.

Main Content

Welcome the participants to the session and thank them for choosing to spend their time together, at this event. If possible, tell a story from your teen years that might illustrate your reluctance to do things with your parents or your reluctance to do things at church. This will give the participants permission for any reluctant feelings they might have about attending this session.

Hold up the three sheets of paper you prepared ahead of time. Tell the group you wrote the answers to these three questions on these papers:

1. What was my favorite subject in high school?
2. What was my favorite season of the year when I was a teenager?
3. What is my favorite TV show now?

Ask the participants to try to guess your answers. If someone guesses correctly, give him or her a prize.

Explain that the teens and parents will be playing a similar game, to see how much they know about each other. Ask the participants to arrange themselves in chairs so that they are back-to-back. (If two parents came with one teen, then only one parent can play this game at any given time; one parent can play for the first half, and the other parent can play for the second half. The non-playing parent can watch. If two parents arrived with two teens, then each parent can sit back-to-back with one of the teens.)

Teen-Parent Guessing Game

Distribute ten sheets of paper to each participant, along with a pen or pencil. Ask them to write their answers (one answer per sheet of paper) to the following questions, numbering each answer, and then turning over the paper so others cannot see the answer. Tell the teens and parents not to talk to each other or offer any clues. The watching parent is not allowed to help either player.

1. What is the teen’s favorite meal to make himself or herself?
2. What is the parent’s favorite restaurant?
3. What is the teen’s favorite subject in school?
4. What was the parent’s favorite subject in school?
5. Who is the teen’s best friend?
6. Who is the parent’s best friend?
7. What is the teen’s favorite movie?
8. What is the parent’s favorite movie?
9. What is the teen’s favorite memory of a family time together?
10. What is the parent’s favorite memory of a family time together?

Now have the teens and parents face each other. Ask the questions one at a time again, and for each question, have the teens and parents show each other their answers. Invite the participants to offer any comments—what surprised them, what they learned, what it was like playing the game, or any related insight they might have.

General Comments About Family Relationships

Make comments similar to these, using your own words:

Perhaps you scored very high on the guessing game. You can be proud of that score. Perhaps you didn’t score very high. That’s okay too. Life is so busy and schedules are so packed that many families do the best they can to just survive and make sure the basics are covered.
Sometimes the opportunities don’t present themselves for this kind of information sharing. Schedules don’t always allow teens and parents to have free time at the same time, and mealtime conversation is often more practical than free-sharing. Tonight, we are going to take time to talk with each other and build community—not just within families but also between families.

Think about some questions you would like to ask each other. Think about some questions you would like to be asked. I am going to give each of you some index cards. [Distribute the cards, three to five per person, one color to the teens and the other color to the parents.] On the top of the card, write whether your question is for the teens to ask the parents or vice versa. Then write your question.

Wheels of Conversation

Collect the cards, and ask the participants to arrange themselves in two concentric circles. The teens should sit in the inner circle, facing outward. The parents should sit in the outer circle, facing inward.

While the teens and parents are arranging themselves, sort through the cards, first categorizing them by color, and then separating them into stacks of questions for teens and questions for parents. Start with questions that are relatively simple and straightforward, and then move to the deeper, more challenging questions.

Ask the teens (in the inner circle) to move five chairs to their right, so that they are no longer facing their own parents. Ask the first question for teens; have them tell their answers to the parent or parents they are facing.

Once all the teens have had a chance to answer, ask the first question for parents; have them tell their answers to the teen or teens they are facing.

Once all the parents have had a chance to answer, ask them to move two chairs to their right. Then start the process over. Continue asking questions of teens, then of parents, then having one group move to the right so they form new partners or clusters for the next set of questions. Do at least three rounds of questions. You can also do this activity using music, a la musical chairs. Have one group rotate to the left and the other to the right while the music plays. When the music stops, the participants converse with the person or people in front of them.

Return to Family Clusters

Ask the participants to return to their family groups. Beginning with the teens, invite them to take turns asking a question they heard from this activity and listening to the response their family member or members make.

Snack Break

Take a break and invite the participants to help themselves to the snacks and beverages. Tell them they can continue their family conversations, if they wish.

Review of the "Wheels of Conversation" Activity

Invite the teens and parents to regather as a large group. Ask them to offer any comments they might have—what surprised them, what they learned, what it was like doing the "Wheels of Conversation" activity, or any related insight they might have. Thank them for sharing.

Going Deeper

Remind the participants that at the beginning of the session they did an activity about trios. Explain that an important trio to understand involves the three levels of sharing—facts, opinions, and feelings. Demonstrate in the following manner.

Facts. Give some facts about yourself:
- your name
- place you were born
- names of people in your family
- place you live now
- month and day of your birthday (Year is optional!)
- other facts you want to share

Opinions. Talk about an important opinion you have. For example, you might feel strongly about the role of young people in the church. You might have a strong opinion about the importance of education. Do not give political opinions or opinions that might be too controversial, as the group might then focus on your opinion (and whether they agree and why) instead of on the difference between facts, opinions, and feelings.

Feelings. Talk about something that happened in your life that deeply affected you. Talk about your feelings using descriptive terms. Maybe one of your parents died and you felt alone, afraid, angry, or abandoned. Maybe you lost a job and had to move to a new place and you felt insecure, lonely, and isolated. Maybe your son or daughter was born and you felt responsible and overwhelmed but also joyful and awestruck. (Be careful not to share feelings that will make you too vulnerable or will cause the participants to think you are unhealthy; this is meant to be a demonstration, not a therapy session!)

Ask the participants which of these three types of sharing made them feel closer to you. Ask them which type helped them bond with you, understand you better, and want to learn more about you and become your friend. The answer to both questions will always be the sharing of feelings. Yet, people seem to be least comfortable sharing their feelings.

Ask the group to call out as many feelings as they can think of. Write them on newsprint or a chalkboard or whiteboard. Ask the group why they think people have a hard time sharing their feelings. (Expect them to mention things like the perception that one is weak or unhealthy, the very thing you tried to avoid while sharing your own feelings!) Ask the group why it’s important for people to be willing to share their feelings. (Expect them to mention that people bond when they share feelings; they feel closer and understand each other better.)

Home Options

Offer this as a suggestion for something the participants might try at home with their families.

Everyone needs to be more aware of sharing at all three levels—sharing facts, sharing opinions, and sharing feelings. As they hear about world, national, and local events, and as school situations arise, family needs arise, and personal issues unfold, both the teens and parents should challenge themselves to share on all three levels. Let us all become trios of sharing!

If you have extra time, ask the individual families to gather and choose an issue about which they can share facts, opinions, and feelings.

Pray It

See the beginning of this session for a list of necessary preparations and supplies.

Be sure the poster with the phrase "In the Name of the Lover, the Loved, and the Power of Love, Amen" written on it is placed where everyone can see it. Remind the group that the session began with trios. If you have chosen to use a three-wick candle as a symbol of the Trinity, go ahead and light it now. Mention that there is one light but three flames. Mention that after a while, as the candle burns, the top begins to look more and more like a triangle, the symbol of a trinity. The more open we are to God’s love burning in us, the more we begin to resemble God; after all, we are said to be made in God’s image.

Connect the trios to the Trinity using words similar to these:

One of the most significant trios of our faith is the Trinity. One insight for a faith community that believes in the Trinitarian God is this: Relationships are so important that God is defined by relationship. As children, we learned of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have also heard other ways of expressing this mystery of God. Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier is a phrase that describes the Trinity. Julian of Norwich described the Trinity as "Maker, Keeper, Lover" (Edmund Colledge and James Walsh, Julian of Norwich: Showings).Another description of the Trinity is the Lover, the Loved, and the Power of Love.

This last description is one that human beings can relate to easiest, because almost everyone can see himself of herself in a relationship as both the one who loves and the one who is loved, and just about everyone can understand his or her relationship as the power of love. So when we start this prayer with the sign of the cross, we will use those words: "In the name of the Lover, the Loved, and the Power of Love, Amen."

We will also use a reflection on another famous trio from the Old Testament—Moses, his brother Aaron, and his sister Miriam.

Because the story of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam is all about jealousy, we will be looking at the concept of jealousy, an emotion that often disrupts relationships.

The closing of our prayer will be in invitation for all of us to make the sign of the cross on each other’s foreheads, as a mark that all of us are people who love, are loved, and experience the power of love.

Call to Prayer

Invite everyone to make the sign of the cross two ways. First, use the common prayer phrase "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen." Next, use the phrase on the poster: "In the name of the Lover, the Loved, and the Power of Love, Amen."

Word

Invite four people who are good readers to read the following summary of the experiences of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam:

Reader 1. Moses had no intention of being a hero. He ran away after killing an Egyptian who was beating up a Hebrew man. He was content, living the life of a shepherd, tending the flocks of his father-in-law, when he noticed the famous burning bush.

The voice of God cried out to him with the kind of clarity and volume you and I do not usually hear in our own lives:

God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." (Exodus 3: 4–5, NRSV)

Reader 2. God proceeded to tell Moses to return and free his people. Moses protested:

"O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." (Exodus 4:10, NRSV)

God wouldn’t let him off the hook:
"What of your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he can speak fluently; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, his heart will be glad." (Exodus 4:14, NRSV)

So Aaron and Moses met, embraced and kissed each other, and talked about the task set before them. They assembled the elders of the Israelites and told them that God was going to lead them to freedom.

Reader 3. It wasn’t easy; the pharaoh made things more difficult and remained stubborn throughout the Ten Plagues, including the death of every first-born Egyptian. Even after the Israelites left, the pharaoh sent what was left of his army back after them. Although Moses led the Israelites to safety, across the Red Sea, the Egyptians drowned.

Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. And Miriam sang to them:

"Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea."
(Exodus 15:20–21, NRSV)

Reader 4. Time passed, the Israelites received the manna from heaven, water flowed from rock, and eventually Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments. One would think that such dramatic events would have solidified the relationship among these three siblings. But Aaron and Miriam grew jealous of Moses, saying: "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" (Numbers 12:2, NRSV).

God called the three of them together, descended in a pillar cloud, and defended Moses. In fact, Miriam was punished with leprosy. Aaron and Miriam recognized the foolishness of their jealousy. Both Aaron and Moses begged God to cure Miriam, and she was healed after a week of being shut out of the camp.

Ritual

Share the following with the participants, using your own words:

Jealousy is not uncommon in families. Brothers and sisters can become jealous of each other, children and even spouses can become jealous of anyone who spends time with cherished family members. This is especially true when unstructured, free time is so rare.

Feeling jealous is not a sin in itself, but acting out of jealousy by saying or doing mean things can be very hurtful in a relationship. Often, our feelings of jealousy are more about ourselves than about the person we feel jealous toward. If someone else’s success, good fortune, or happiness takes away our sense of happiness or importance, then we need to ask ourselves what the real issue is.

Bring to mind a time when you were jealous within a family situation; maybe it’s long over, or maybe a part of it still lingers. I am going to distribute a small piece of paper to each of you, and I invite you to doodle, write down some initials, or draw a symbol of that situation—something that only you understand. You will not have to explain to anyone what you are doodling or writing about. After you are finished, fold up your paper.

Wait for everyone to complete the task.

Now I invite you to rip up your paper, into several pieces. I want you to feel the experience of eliminating the negative consequences of jealousy. Maybe you can let go of the guilt of something you said or did. Maybe you can let go of actual feelings you now realize were childish and unnecessary. Maybe you can let go of resentment over a situation that needs your forgiveness and closure. Or maybe you can resolve to deal with the situation in a healthy way, and you are now ripping up unhealthy habits. Whatever your piece of paper represents, I invite you to reflect on your feelings, the way you have expressed them in the past, and they way you might decide to share them in the future.

Wait for everyone to finish ripping up his or her paper.

As you go back home, I ask you not to press each other for details about what was on your piece of paper. If someone does want to share facts, opinions, and feelings, I ask that you listen with an open heart and an open mind, and try not to be defensive or judgmental. Try to see this ritual as a way of eliminating the negative so that the positive can be more accessible to you. Remember, feelings are neither good nor bad; however, the way we act upon our feelings can be loving and supportive or hurtful and destructive.

Closing

Invite the teens and parents to trace a simple cross on each other’s foreheads, as a sign of their relationship. Ask them to use the traditional words of the sign of the cross, or the words on the poster—whichever they feel most comfortable with.

Live It

Ask the families to form larger groups of two or three families for the home session that will take place prior to the next parish session. Encourage them to refer to their calendars before they leave to choose a meeting place, date, and time. The home session can be held after a shared supper at one family’s home.

The participants will need three handouts: handout 1-B, "Parent-Teen Relationship Building"; handout 1-C, "Prayer: Serve the Lord"; and handout 1-D, "Report and Wrap-Up."

Explain that the assignment following this session is for each person to choose an issue that interests him or her—a world, national, or local issue in the news; a school issue; a family issue; or even a personal issue. Each participant should come to the home session prepared to share the facts he or she uncovered about the issue, his or her personal opinion about the issue, and his or her feelings around the issue.

Home Session

Use words similar to these in order to summarize the overall process for them:

Handout 1-B, "Parent-Teen Relationship Building" will walk you through this simple process. I suggest you start with supper, having all the families contribute to the food of the meal.

After supper, there will be a "Study It, Pray It, Live It" session. The Study It section involves the sharing of the issues, first in mixed groups (as teens from one family share with adults from another family), and then in family groups. The Pray It section includes a brief prayer, provided on handout 1-C. The Live It section involves a family conversation about how your family is currently working together, and how you might better work together in serving the Lord.

Finally, one person from the home session will serve as a recorder, while everyone completes at least one of the sentence-starters on handout 1-D. It is helpful for me to hear how the home sessions are going. Your comments provide a way for me to evaluate the effectiveness of this program.

Ask if there are any questions about the home session. Thank the participants once more for attending.

Allow time for the families to form groups and set dates with each other. Look around for families who are not familiar with others, and be ready to introduce people who are not making connections on their own.

Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 19, 2010
Matthew 1:18-24

Opening Prayer
Jesus, help us to be aware of your voice in our world today and to understand more fully your will for us. In understanding your desired direction for us, just as Joseph did in the dream, we can then embrace it with confident enthusiasm. Amen.

Context Connection
The Gospel of Matthew gives us most of the information that we have about Joseph, the adopted earthly father of Jesus. In Sunday's Gospel, Joseph is described as "being a righteous man" (1:19). Other translations describe Joseph as being just, which may be more accurate to the original Greek. Matthew wants us to understand that Joseph is a religious man steeped in Judaism and that he is also a descendant of King David (1:1-17).

Matthew's story of Jesus's birth is told through the experience of Joseph rather than of Mary, as in Luke's account. Matthew tells us that Joseph and Mary are betrothed, and not yet married, when Mary becomes pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The Jewish custom of marriage then was very different than marriage customs of the United States today. Marriages were arranged by the elders in the family. Once the elder had agreed to the terms of the marriage contract, the betrothal ceremony took place in the home of the young woman. The betrothal, where two individuals are set apart for each other, was the first step in the marriage process. The young man and his father went to the home of the young woman and presented her father with the prearranged contract and the so-called bride price. From this point forward the agreement was binding, even though the young man and young woman remained living in their own parents' homes. The young couple were considered husband and wife from the time of betrothal. The wedding ceremony was complete when the groom took the bride into his home or that of his parents. This took as much as a year to several years after the betrothal. As we learn from Matthew's account, Joseph and Mary are betrothed but have not yet completed the ritual of Joseph taking Mary into his home.

During this in-between time, Joseph becomes aware that Mary is "found to be with child" (1:18). Joseph has a couple of options according to Mosaic Law. Because Mary is Joseph's wife and becomes pregnant before they have consummated their marriage, Mary is technically guilty of adultery. The first option that Joseph has is to publicly expose Mary's infidelity by returning her to her father where she will be stoned to death according to Deuteronomy 22:23-24. Joseph's second option, the one he plans to execute, is to quietly dismiss Mary through a formal divorce. This dissolves the marriage contract and frees both Mary and Joseph to marry different individuals. Matthew tells us that Joseph is resolved to go through with the divorce. However, before the divorce takes place, Joseph has a dream in which an angel appears and says, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit" (1:20). Luke uses these same words to tell of the angel who appears to Mary to announce that she will conceive a child: "Do not be afraid" (Luke 1:30). These are words of assurance from God. In the dream Joseph is given further instructions, "She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (1:21). In biblical times, dreams were a way of conveying divine communication. The name Jesus is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua or Yeshu, meaning "God saves." Yeshua originates from the name Joshua, which means "Yahweh helps."

Joseph's dream puts to rest his fears about how Mary became pregnant and also reveals that this child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Following God's direction communicated in the dream, Joseph completes the marriage ritual by taking Mary into his home: "When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife" (1:24). In all his decisions, Joseph acted as a noble and honorable person.

Tradition Connection
Saint Joseph models for all of us, but in particular all men, how to live a life of honor and faithfulness to God. For Catholics, Joseph is a patron of virtuous living. A profile of the saint, found on page 357 in The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth, says this:

Saint Joseph was the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Joseph was a just and compassionate man, and protected Mary from shame when he discovered that she was pregnant, even though he did not understand that her unborn child was the Son of God. We see evidence of Joseph's deep faith when he changed his plans in response to messages from God.

Although God is Jesus' true father, Joseph fulfilled that role in daily life. He loved Jesus and treated him as his own son (Luke 4:22). He provided for the safety of his family (Matthew 2:13-14), and taught Jesus his trade (Mark 6:3). There are no more references to Joseph in the New Testament after the family's pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-52), so he may have died before Jesus began his public ministry. Joseph is known as the patron saint of fathers and workers. We celebrate two feast days for him, March 19 for Joseph the husband of Mary, and May 1 for Joseph the worker.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also recognizes Saint Joseph as the patron of a happy death:

The Church encourages us to prepare ourselves for the hour of our death. In the ancient litany of the saints, for instance, she has us pray: "From a sudden and unforeseen death, deliver us, O Lord";1 to ask the Mother of God to intercede for us "at the hour of our death" in the Hail Mary; and to entrust ourselves to St. Joseph, the patron of a happy death. (Paragraph 1014)

Dying in the loving arms of Jesus and Mary would indeed be a happy death.

Wisdom Connection
For Matthew, the story of Jesus's birth concludes the genealogy listed in chapter 1, verses 1-17. It is definitive proof that Jesus is a member of the Davidic line through his earthly father, Joseph. From the opening verse of his Gospel, Matthew declares Jesus as the Messiah: "Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way" (1:18). By using the word the, Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the one true Messiah that has been long awaited. Matthew makes this more concrete by giving proof of Jesus's ancestry--as a Son of David through Joseph.

We believe that God breaks into the human experience to make God's will known. Jesus is a living sign and gives witness to this when he takes on human form. What does it mean that God became human? It tells us that God found goodness in a world that sometimes is steeped in despair. It means that God does not look down on the human body as something weak but, rather, as a means for salvation to enter the world.

Matthew also holds up Joseph as a noble person--a model of a just person--one who is willing to place his trust in God even when everything around him points in a different direction. For Joseph and for all Christians, the key words to remember are "do not be afraid" (1:20).

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

The profile on Saint Joseph is taken from The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth. Copyright © 2004 by Saint Mary's Press, Winona, MN. All rights reserved.

The Lord's Prayer is taken from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers. Copyright © 1988 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

Endnotes cited in quotations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
1. Roman Missal, Litany of the Saints.

Saint John of the Cross

December 14 is the memorial for Saint John of the Cross.

Saint John of the Cross is recognized as a Doctor of the Church. A member of the Carmelite order, Saint John of the Cross began the Discalced reform of the order. Although his reforms were opposed by many of the brothers, they led to the revitalization of the order. Saint John of the Cross was a gifted contemplative and spiritual writer. He is the patron saint of contemplative life and mystical theology.

For more information on Saint John of the Cross, go to http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-john-of-the-cross/