Happy Solemnity of Saint Joseph!

Saint of the Day: Saint Joseph, of course! For those who know me, I am a man of many words. I read a lot; I write a lot; and I talk a lot. So in this way in particular, Saint Joseph is a mystery to me—he never says a single word in any of the Gospels. How could the husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus not make a single utterance in the entire recorded life of Jesus? I don’t know, but I do know that Saint Joseph’s silence is powerful, nonetheless. When I was in diaconate formation, we were told that sometimes silence is the best response. They called it a “Ministry of Presence.” Words fail, especially in the most challenging times, but just being there for people can speak volumes. And boy was Saint Joseph there for Jesus. We know from Scripture that Saint Joseph raised Jesus, protected him from harm, and taught him religious observance and the craft of carpentry. Hmm, Saint Joseph sounds like a great father! His actions and his presence in Jesus’ life spoke louder than words. So for all you fathers/husbands out there who feel like you can’t get a word in edgewise, be present to your families in the model of Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph: Pray for us!

Good News of the Day: The priests at my Parish, Immaculate Conception in Annandale, NJ, are video recording Mass each day. You can find the Mass on the parish's webpage (https://www.iccannandale.org/) and Facebook page. God bless our Priests!

More Good News: Pope Francis has called us to worldwide solidarity in prayer today at 9:00 pm Rome time (4:00 pm US Eastern time). Please join the Holy Father (and my Bishop, and me, and a gazillion others) in praying the rosary to invoke the mercy of God to end this pandemic.

Quote of the Day: [crickets . . .]  –Saint Joseph