(image by Judea Jackson)
In the tradition of the Church Year Calendar, today just happens to be the Feast of St. Joseph.
Under ideal conditions, we would make Wylie’s triple everything (meats, cheeses, sauces) Lasagna Recipe for dinner (because as it turns out Joe is HUGE in Italy,) to honor this day and this man who chose to follow God’s call despite the plethora logical reasons not to.
But since today is Wednesday, and since we only have two days remaining until the boys leave for Spring Break, and because we have a host of errands to run, we are taking a different route. Instead of making lasagna from scratch (my mouth is watering just thinking of it,) we are going to meet up with friends for a family dinner, substituting pizza for lasagna, and Parmesan cheese for the breadcrumbs I would generally sprinkle over our pasta.
At some point in the evening we will tell the story of Joseph – in the car or around the table (much to the teenagers dismay I am sure) – and I will sprinkle sawdust (aka Parmesan Cheese ) over our pizza slices as to us all reminder of Joseph’s simple carpenter status. I will remind my boys how both Joseph, and Jesus, as his apprentice, would most likely have had sawdust all over their shoes after a full days work (which probably drove Mary crazy in the housekeeping department,) but also meant that Jesus left a trail wherever he went.
Which is exactly what we are to do isn’t it?
Of course, instead of sawdust, our trails are to be ones of kindness, gentleness, and humility. The calling God has placed on our lives is to Christ-like trail of freedom, justice, hope, and healing wherever we go; caring for the orphans,widows, fighting for the enslaved, helping those who are lonely, hungry and hurting, those who need someone to care for them as Joseph cared for Jesus.
(Playing a game of Old Joseph, image by Judea Jackson)
Family Reflections
(Don’t have time to celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph today? Don’t sweat it. Your kids will never know. Go ahead and celebrate this weekend with a few of these easy ideas.)
Scripture Readings
Questions to chat about while you dish up your pizza (or lasagna or macaroni-n-cheese..)
For the Bigs:
Joseph, took on a big task, perhaps one that wasn’t necessarily “fair” – showing love, kindness and self sacrifice by raising a child that he did not choose to have,at times risking his own safety or harmful gossip as a result. We believe that he did this in a spirit of love and obedience to God.
What can we learn from Joseph about how to respond when we are asked to do things that seem “unfair?”
What sort of “trail” do your actions leave behind during the day – at work, at school, at home?
For the Littles:
God gave Joseph a very important job – to love and care for Jesus as his dad on earth. God gives us the important job of showing love as well.
Who can we care for and love? (Our pets, our home, our family, our friends. ..)
How can we show them love?
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