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Archbishop’s June prayer intention: For fathers to reflect the virtues of St. Joseph

Archbishop’s prayer intention for June is: For fathers, that they may reflect the virtues of St. Joseph in their fatherhood.

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love.” (Eph 3:14-17)

When we hear about the example of St. Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, it’s easy to be discouraged and see his model of fatherhood as impossible to achieve in our day. However, as the Gospels tell us: “Everything is possible to one who has faith” (Mk 9:23).

Let’s use this example to illustrate the point: When a vehicle has mechanical problems, it is taken to the experts at the dealer. The first thing they do to the vehicle is a diagnostic check. This leads to the results and cost for repair, which are presented to the owner. The diagnostic only confirms what needs to be repaired, but it is not yet the solution. However, when the diagnostic is accurate, it already signifies 50% of the solution to the problem, simply because the problem has been identified.

Conversely, our current culture has a much more serious problem: a problem of Faith. This is the diagnosis that God gives us in the reading. It is impressive that it says that “By Faith may Christ dwell in our hearts.”  If Christ truly dwells in the heart of Man, his life is rooted and grounded in Love. Nothing will be impossible.

St. Paul presents the three theological virtues that we all received at our baptism. Those three virtues are the basis of all the other Christian virtues we are called to reflect as Christians. St. Joseph was certainly a man of deep faith, as presented in Sacred Scripture, and we also see that his faith was accompanied by his actions. St. Joseph never doubted God. He trusted God and did what the Angel asked without hesitation. From the obedience of faith emerged all other virtues: docility, humility, patience and many others.

St. Joseph was not afraid to embrace God’s plan. He was unafraid to change his lifestyle and accept the responsibility of having to form a family to take care of it and protect it based on sacrifices and hard work because he was rooted and grounded in Love. St. Joseph did not fully understand the whole plan of God, but the virtue of hope sustained him and kept him from renouncing his duty as the father of Jesus and husband of Mary.

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Let us return, then, to the example of the diagnosis of the automobile compared to the challenges what today’s men face. Many presume to be experts and offer and put forth man as the main problem in the family and society, saying that the problem is masculinity, the patriarchy and many other deceits. In other words, all they offer is false diagnoses. Only a true expert on the heart of man — the Word of God — can give an accurate diagnosis. And today, the Word of God tells us the importance of the virtue of Faith.

We cannot deny the worrying statistics in the Church. Many men have lost faith and the consequence is that they do not reflect the virtues of St. Joseph as fathers. With the crisis of faith in our homes, the church suffers a great hemorrhage of young people who have left the Church to live without religion. This is a serious problem. But as St. Joseph shows us, much of the solution lies in the role of Fatherhood. The father of the family must be the one who reflects the virtue of Faith and teaches it to his children. The diagnostic is accurate; now we must do our part to grow in faith and believe in the power of God who transforms our hearts. God worked wonders in St. Joseph — an ordinary man — because he heard and trusted God in the mission to care for the Holy Family.

It is for these reasons and more that the Archbishop of Denver invites all of us to join in his prayer intention for June to “kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.”

Let us pray for all fathers of families and all men who have been called by God to form a family so that, like St. Joseph, they may not be afraid to do so through the holy gift of marriage, and that they also may grow as virtuous men who listen to the word of God, like St. Joseph. In listening and believing, we experience the love of Christ dwelling in our hearts to be transformed into virtuous men through faith, hope and charity.

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