A knight's birthday

Today, the Pillars household is celebrating my knight's birthday.  The weather is absolutely beautiful, the garden is calling his name as I write and the pets are all coraled around him as usual for their daily morning routine of being fed, walked, petted, and played with by 'daddy'.  The coffee is perking and the requested birthday cake is sitting teasingly in the glass cake stand.

Another year has passed, we are stronger, wiser, and as my knight says himself, we love each other more and more every year.  I think much of our success has come from my knight's father a true giver, family historian, and devoted husband.  He loved his wife and four children with all his might and devoted himself to the service of his church each and every week and then some.  He was a pillar of strength and love and my knight was watching.

No matter who you are, to whom you are, you are being watched, studied, and we forget that. You don't have to be a parent, you can be an uncle or aunt, someone is watching and being impressed for the better or for the worse.

My knight's father knew our Lord, believed in Him, served Him in others unselfishly and the impression he left was immaculate, for this we are blessed and I thank God the Almighty for that.

The Potter's Wheel and me

Yesterday's reading was about the potter molding clay.  If wasn't cooperating like the potter wanted, it was just taken off the wheel, mushed back together and placed back on the wheel again for a redo.

.......a redo.  My knight calls it a mulligan.  But really, have you ever wanted to start over?  Know what you know now, in a relationship, marriage, with a child or parent, in your job? Could you have done it better with more knowledge and wisdom?  ABSOLUTELY!  Absolutely we could have done a better job knowing more of the facts and having more wisdom, but we don't have that opportunity. 

However, we so have something:  tomorrow.  As the Lord says in Jeremiah 18:5-6, "Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done?  Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel."

It is only our free-will that is keeping us from being pliable in God's hands, but with prayer and trust in Him it can be done.  We can be molded into the person God plans us to be.

Are you ready to be God's modeling clay?  Allowing Him to make you into the best you can be?

Pray and let go, say "Yes" and live in His righteousness as His.  Today.  I'm praying for you and for me!

A Book Review: Our Jewish Roots, by Cheryl Dickow

Church history is a passion of mine, so when Cheryl Dickow posted information about her new book, I jumped at the opportunity to write a review on it. This is her fifth book and reading “Our Jewish Roots” has been an amazing journey, so I can only imagine what the other books will lend! Packed in this 200-paged jewel are the introductions of several ladies that had parts that changed salvation history for the good. I have spent so much time in the New Testament that I had totally forgotten about a few of these ladies and found myself back nose-deep in the Pentateuch getting reacquainted. Cheryl lovingly guides us through these introductions, explaining the roles of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah, Zipporah, Deborah, showing us how real they were and the different gifts they had to fulfill their roles.

“Our Jewish Roots” is a Catholic woman’s guide to fulfillment today by connecting with her past. It begins by explaining Jewish customs and practices as they pertain to our Catholic traditions. Traditions like the Jewish bride in her badeken, a veil, why she wears one, and the breaking of the glass’s significance. Other traditions like Baptismal Waters, Pilgrimages, What’s in a Name, Good Deeds, or mitzvahs, Angels, messengers from Heaven, Intercession are rooted in the Jewish past and are brought forward in our Catholic heritage. Jewish mysticism as with St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, had connections with the mystical teachings of Kabbalah or handing down of a tradition, from Jewish mysticism. These are gifts from the ancients that today are severely underutilized and sorely unappreciated.

The section on feminism was my favorite part, each of these ancient matriarchs were true feminists as “they recognized and embraced the gifts she had uniquely been given by God as “woman” and understood that her inherent worth existed because she had been created with love by her heavenly Father…” They were courageous women, warrior women, and rulers. All followed their Feminine Genius. John Paul II wrote about this, he knew that we rise to the challenges and become “gifts of self” to others every day. To quote Cheryl here, “The fact remains: if we fail to do our job, or reach our destiny, we leave a hole in God’s plan. It is imperative that we understand that no one can do what each of us is uniquely called to do. We are different for a reason: His reason.” Men and women have separate, distinct roles to play in His plan, “they are truly separate, but complete one another.”

Arm in arm Mrs. Dickow walks us through the Jewish traditions with each of our matriarchal heroines, “Zipporah, Abigail, Noah’s wife: all strong women whose lives illustrate a woman’s ability to affect the world from within the walls of her home, from her daily living in the Spirit of God.” After discovering my Jewish Roots I am ever more convinced that getting caught up in the secular message that we must be equal to men is a severe mistake. Women have the power to change our society and knowing our roles as amazingly powerful even in small packages is a nobler attitude.

Understanding more clearly what we do and why we do things in our Catholic faith gives way to a deeper conversion of the heart and mind. We are all called to know, love, and serve our Heavenly Father and with clearer knowledge of His plan, we can do just that. Our Jewish brothers and sisters are part of us, their heritage is our heritage, their God is our God and though Christ our savior is not part of their belief, we share so much and we have to respect them for this. We have the new covenant in Jesus Christ, but from the old came the new and there is much to learn still. Through “Our Jewish Roots” Cheryl gave us a gift of understanding and appreciation that opens doors and brings to light where we came from. Pray for our Jewish kinsmen and know that they are in prayer as well. Our Heavenly Father is with us all as the Alpha and Omega. “I will set my tabernacle in the midst of you, and my soul shall not cast you off. I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” Leviticus 26: 11-12.

As a Catholic wife and mother, daily I give to those around me, without thinking it a donation; as it comes from love and God’s gift of feminine genius that is usually on autopilot. I am here for a reason, someone needs me and through the lessons of my ancestors in Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, Miriam, Zipporah, Deborah, I have a treasure trove of inspiration in my very own Jewish heritage.

Greenville Life Teen Mission Trip 2010

It's that time again here in our parish, St. Peter's Catholic Church when the Life Teen group goes on a mission trip to Pittsburgh, PA.  Our middle child is attending for the second year in a row and she couldn't wait.  It's kind of cool to see modern technology at work with the use of a blog to follow their progress and special events.  Every once in a while we even get to see a glimpse of our daughter.  How fun is that?

Anyway, please send up a prayer for these folks and teens as they serve the community and learn about each other and about themselves in this service.

Thanks and God Bless!

Gertrude's Dream Waltz by Beethovan

This is our youngest...

More Music

My knight cut off the beginning, but you get the gist of these girls' musical collaboration. Excuse the other noise, it was a wedding and many in attendance.

Remember the Wedding music? Here my girls are

Reading the Old Testament: A must!

How many lessons can we learn from reading of the men and women who followed God's plan with courage, faith, and determination in the Old Testament? Who will touch you through the pages of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)?

Homeschooling my children for the past 8 years has given me the opportunity to both share and learn about the Biblical ancients and how God used them in different ways to teach us, prove to us, and to inspire us in the many different ways that we need.

Puah, would not kill the baby boys of the Hebrew women, despite being told to by the Pharaoh. Zipporah, Moses' wife, stood by her extraordinary husband and the role he was chosen for, and Miriam, with a watchful eye, made a daring suggestion of a caretaker for the new found baby in the basket, her own brother, Moses. Veronica, fought through the crowds and Roman soldiers to wipe the face of Jesus as he was tortured in the streets of Jerusalem.

Do these women move you? Do they prove something to you? From being fearfully obedient to God's law, being steadfast and strong, or daring and protective, or determined to care for our savior at his lowest moment, there is one thread that binds these 4 women and more together. One amazing thread.

Love. God's gift to us, Love.

Is your love that strong?

Meeting Jesus in the Gospels: A Tiber River Blogger Review

All too often, I feel that to understand Jesus more closely, we know that He is our Lord and God, but to know that Jesus shared in our human-ness and felt our pain, felt hunger, fear, happiness and joy, torment, and death puts skin on Him making Him tangible and real. George Martin’s “Meeting Jesus in the Gospels” by Servant Books, brings Jesus to life beautifully. Mr. Martin is a widely known author of numerous books, including Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life, Bringing the Gospel of Mark to Life, and the bestselling Reading Scripture as the Word of God. He is also the publisher and editor of the monthly magazine God's Word Today.

As a junkie for all scripture studies and Catholic materials, I dove into this book with excitement. This small, 145-paged resource is packed with enough enlightenment and information to fill a book twice the size. I found myself reading and referring to the Bible verses like I never felt compelled to do before. The book opens with “What did Jesus look like?” As a carpenter’s son, Jesus learned the trade without power tools, working side by side with Joseph, building stone walled homes, repairing furniture, and many other handyman needs of Nazareth. Jesus, Mr. Martin feels, must have been, “a rather rugged man, with heavily callused hands and well-developed muscles.” So, when Jesus said, “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29), “we should not use this verse to form a mental image of Jesus as a soft, delicate person, someone who might have made his living by posing for holy cards. Rather, Jesus may have needed to reassure his listeners of his gentleness because he looked like a sturdy village (tekton) carpenter.”

My favorite chapter and most compelling was about “Living Water” in chapter 2, “Pondering God’s love” how Jesus cried out in John 7:37-39 “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and let the one who believes in me drink…” and refers us to Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 47:1-12) of the stream. This is powerful imagery that helps us understand “to be touched by the Spirit is to be transformed. No matter how barren we are in ourselves, the Spirit can bring us to life. No matter how overwhelming our difficulties may appear the Spirit has the power to overcome them.” After each subtopic, reflection questions are posed to help the reader put to work how better to relate the message of Jesus personally.

Jesus’ friends were an interesting collection of mismatched individuals for a reason. In the discussion about Zacchaeus, “The Man in the Tree” Mr. Martin points out something I had never thought of before. As a tax collector, Zacchaeus was a wealthy dignitary, living in a culture that prized dignity and honor, but he let go of his status to get a closer look at Jesus. Are we eager enough to meet Jesus that we are willing to set aside our pretenses and self-concerns?

Following Jesus, chapter four, we are asked, “Have we left at all?” What might Jesus be asking me to leave behind at this point in my life? Like the rich man that asked Jesus what he needed to do to have the kingdom of God, we may not want to give ALL our possessions away. “To leave all to follow Jesus may be like peeling an onion. We peel away all the sin and encumbrances that we can see, and we think we have gotten rid of everything – but there is another layer beneath…” It’s a process that takes a lifetime to achieve, so we need to be easy on ourselves.

Throughout my reading, I met Jesus in a new light, having several “Ah-ha” moments. Thinking about Jesus’ miracles, as “a down payment on the wholeness we will enjoy when we are fully incorporated into God’s reign through resurrection; they were a foreshadowing of what will happen at the end of time. (Rev 21:3-4)

“Meeting Jesus in the Gospels” was one of the most enjoyable, “can’t put the book down” read in quite awhile. Mr. George Martin puts skin on Jesus easily and makes the reader see Gospels come alive and able to relate to daily living more clearly. A message that I went away with after reading this book is that “when in doubt, look to what Jesus did in a similar situation, and imitate that.” This is a great resource for study groups as well as individual study and should be in every parish library.

I wrote this review of "Meeting Jesus in the Gospels" for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, the largest online Catholic store.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Women and the Ordination into the Priesthood.....NOT!!

I have copied the Apostolic letter of John Paul II (OH! I miss him) written in 1994 concerning the priesthood and why the Catholic Church does not ordain women. It is very plain and basically obedient to Christ. period! For those women who are mourning their lives away due to their human desire to be priests, I say, you have lost your feminine genius! Pay attention to the Bible, to Rachel, Leah, Rebekah, Mother Mary, Veronica...small parts some, with MAJOR impact!

APOSTOLIC LETTER
ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS
OF JOHN PAUL II
TO THE BISHOPS
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
ON RESERVING PRIESTLY ORDINATION
TO MEN ALONE



Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,

1. Priestly ordination, which hands on the office entrusted by Christ to his Apostles of teaching, sanctifying and governing the faithful, has in the Catholic Church from the beginning always been reserved to men alone. This tradition has also been faithfully maintained by the Oriental Churches.

When the question of the ordination of women arose in the Anglican Communion, Pope Paul VI, out of fidelity to his office of safeguarding the Apostolic Tradition, and also with a view to removing a new obstacle placed in the way of Christian unity, reminded Anglicans of the position of the Catholic Church: "She holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church."(1)

But since the question had also become the subject of debate among theologians and in certain Catholic circles, Paul VI directed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to set forth and expound the teaching of the Church on this matter. This was done through the Declaration Inter Insigniores, which the Supreme Pontiff approved and ordered to be published.(2)

2. The Declaration recalls and explains the fundamental reasons for this teaching, reasons expounded by Paul VI, and concludes that the Church "does not consider herself authorized to admit women to priestly ordination."(3) To these fundamental reasons the document adds other theological reasons which illustrate the appropriateness of the divine provision, and it also shows clearly that Christ's way of acting did not proceed from sociological or cultural motives peculiar to his time. As Paul VI later explained: "The real reason is that, in giving the Church her fundamental constitution, her theological anthropology-thereafter always followed by the Church's Tradition- Christ established things in this way."(4)

In the Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, I myself wrote in this regard: "In calling only men as his Apostles, Christ acted in a completely free and sovereign manner. In doing so, he exercised the same freedom with which, in all his behavior, he emphasized the dignity and the vocation of women, without conforming to the prevailing customs and to the traditions sanctioned by the legislation of the time."(5)

In fact the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles attest that this call was made in accordance with God's eternal plan; Christ chose those whom he willed (cf. Mk 3:13-14; Jn 6:70), and he did so in union with the Father, "through the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:2), after having spent the night in prayer (cf. Lk 6:12). Therefore, in granting admission to the ministerial priesthood,(6) the Church has always acknowledged as a perennial norm her Lord's way of acting in choosing the twelve men whom he made the foundation of his Church (cf. Rv 21:14). These men did not in fact receive only a function which could thereafter be exercised by any member of the Church; rather they were specifically and intimately associated in the mission of the Incarnate Word himself (cf. Mt 10:1, 7-8; 28:16-20; Mk 3:13-16; 16:14-15). The Apostles did the same when they chose fellow workers(7) who would succeed them in their ministry.(8) Also included in this choice were those who, throughout the time of the Church, would carry on the Apostles' mission of representing Christ the Lord and Redeemer.(9)

3. Furthermore, the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the faithful observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the Lord of the universe.

The presence and the role of women in the life and mission of the Church, although not linked to the ministerial priesthood, remain absolutely necessary and irreplaceable. As the Declaration Inter Insigniores points out, "the Church desires that Christian women should become fully aware of the greatness of their mission: today their role is of capital importance both for the renewal and humanization of society and for the rediscovery by believers of the true face of the Church."(10)

The New Testament and the whole history of the Church give ample evidence of the presence in the Church of women, true disciples, witnesses to Christ in the family and in society, as well as in total consecration to the service of God and of the Gospel. "By defending the dignity of women and their vocation, the Church has shown honor and gratitude for those women who-faithful to the Gospel-have shared in every age in the apostolic mission of the whole People of God. They are the holy martyrs, virgins and mothers of families, who bravely bore witness to their faith and passed on the Church's faith and tradition by bringing up their children in the spirit of the Gospel."(11)

Moreover, it is to the holiness of the faithful that the hierarchical structure of the Church is totally ordered. For this reason, the Declaration Inter Insigniores recalls: "the only better gift, which can and must be desired, is love (cf. 1 Cor 12 and 13). The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven are not the ministers but the saints."(12)

4. Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church's judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.

Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.

Invoking an abundance of divine assistance upon you, venerable brothers, and upon all the faithful, I impart my apostolic blessing.

From the Vatican, on May 22, the Solemnity of Pentecost, in the year 1994, the sixteenth of my Pontificate.

A network of inspiration

Peace and Patience

There are days and then there are days..... Have you ever felt like there was so much to say, do, and not enough time, concentration, and energy to accomplish half of your expectations? Lately, during my daily chores, blog ideas, article notes, and lessons pop into my head and I rarely write them down. I need a tape recorder.

Politically, things are a mess, spiritually our society is lacking. The news saturates us with mundane information, rarely effecting us personally, but emotionally charging us all the same. We pause to ask, who is our neighbor? Who should we care about? Where are the boundaries of responsibility?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church shows us who are neighbor is:

2212 The fourth commandment illuminates other relationships in society. In our brothers and sisters we see the children of our parents; in our cousins, the descendants of our ancestors; in our fellow citizens, the children of our country; in the baptized, the children of our mother the Church; in every human person, a son or daughter of the One who wants to be called "our Father." In this way our relationships with our neighbors are recognized as personal in character. The neighbor is not a "unit" in the human collective; he is "someone" who by his known origins deserves particular attention and respect.

Does this mean that the family in some far away state is my neighbor? I guess so. Should we care about them and their recent tragedy? Yes, we can pray for them and offer their pain up to God. Should we lose sleep over it? No. Should we send money, only if you have it to give. Is there a time when we should just keep it local? I think so. Our society is so wrapped up with media info, that I think we are losing sight of what is immediately around us.

Quiet time during the daily activities is a rarity for most, but in these crazy times in our country and world, it is most needed. God will help us know what to care about and what to leave to Him and others. God will help us find the peace that we need and with that patience follows. Everyone needs more peace within and patience towards self and others.

Do you take time for meditation and discussion with our Lord? I don't either, but I know the need is there and I am working on it.

Who is our responsibility?

VATICAN CITY, JULY 11, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today before praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in the courtyard of the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.

* * *Dear brothers and sisters,
This Sunday’s Gospel opens with the question that a doctor of the law poses to Jesus: “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). Knowing that he is an expert in the sacred Scriptures, the Lord invites that man to answer the question himself, which, in fact, he formulates perfectly, citing the two principal commandments: love God with all your heart, with all your mind and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Then the doctor of the law, to justify himself, asks: “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). This time Jesus answers with the celebrated parable of the “Good Samaritan” (cf. Luke 10:30-37), to point out that it belongs to us to be “neighbors” to whomever has need of help. The Samaritan, in fact, takes charge of the situation of a stranger, whom the brigands left half dead on the side of the road; while a priest and a Levite passed him by, perhaps thinking that, because of a certain precept, they would be contaminated if they came in contact with his blood. The parable, thus, must make us change our attitude following the logic of Christ, which is the logic of charity: God is love, and worshiping him means serving our brothers with sincere and generous love. This Gospel passage offers the “standard,” which is the “universal love toward the needy whom we encounter ‘by chance’ (cf. Luke 10:31), whoever they may be” (“Deus Caritas Est,” No. 25).

Alongside this universal rule, there is also a specifically ecclesial responsibility: within the ecclesial family no member should suffer through being in need” (“Deus caritas est,” No. 25). The Christian’s project, taken from Jesus’ teaching, is “a heart that sees” where love is needed and acts appropriately (“Deus caritas est,” No. 31).

Dear friends, I would like to recall that today the Church also remembers St. Benedict of Norcia -- the great patron of my pontificate -- the father and legislator of western monasticism. He, as St. Gregory the Great reports, “was a man who lived a holy life … blessed by grace and blessed in grace” (“Dialogi,” II, 1, “Bibliotheca Gregorii Magni,” IV, Roma 2000, p. 136). “He wrote a rule for monks … the mirror of a teaching incarnated in his person: for the holy man could not otherwise teach, than himself lived” (“Dialogi,” II, 36, p. 208). Pope Paul VI proclaimed St. Benedict the Patron of Europe on Oct. 24, 1964, recognizing the wondrous work he did in the formation of European civilization.

I entrust our journey of faith to the Virgin Mary and, in particular, this time of vacation, so that our hearts never lose sight of the Word of God and our brothers in difficulty.

The secular war on the supernatural

The supernatural is a partaking in God’s very life. There is not one single religion that can compete with Christianity, a religion allowing us to become God-like by participation in His life.
Monday, July 17, 2006By Dr. Alice Von Hildebrand


In 1965 my husband, Dietrich von Hildebrand and I had a private audience with Pope Paul VI, in which my husband "shot from the hip" as usual, saying "Your Holiness, you realise that the Church is going through the worst crisis in history, worse than the Protestant Reformation" (which I usually refer to as the Protestant Deformation). The Pope seemed to be surprised and my husband continued: "What has taken place is that people have lost sight of the supernatural."

Partaking in God’s life
The supernatural is the greatest gift that God has given us. We are humble, modest creatures. The human male was made from the dust of the earth, a very un-aristocratic origin; the human female did a little bit better and was taken from the body of a human person. (This is one of the big triumphs that women have, one of the advantages that they have over men!) The supernatural is a partaking in God’s very life. There is not one single religion that can compete with Christianity, a religion allowing us to become God-like by participation in His life.
The supernatural is something that could never have been invented by the most inventive human person. The supernatural is a new song, a new music coming from above that never entered man’s head. In some way you can prove the Divinity of Christ by saying no human being would ever have invented a God who chose to take the form of a slave, to suffer and to die, to re-open for us the gates of Heaven, Humanly speaking, it is sheer madness.

It was the supernatural which converted Edith Stein, who studied under Husserl with my husband. She was an atheist who one very fine day read the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. She started at seven in the evening and the next morning at seven o’clock she said "I’m going to become a Roman Catholic" and she became a Roman Catholic saint (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross).

Co-operating with Christ
It was his discovery of the supernatural which drew my husband into the Church; a new reality, something infinitely more beautiful, the supernatural was infinitely above what he had experienced before. Following his conversion from atheism to Catholicism, until his death, it was his very particular mission to fight for the reality of the supernatural, which he saw as being eroded more and more. An erosion so systematic that it has led today to an absolute rebellion, when modern men say to God "We do not want it, we can do without it; human nature can perfect itself by itself, we do not need any help."

The supernatural life was lost by sin and this loss was so irreparable that God alone could give it back to us, it was impossible, by human effort, to re-conquer this Divine life that had been given to us. And this is, of course, once again, the amazing message of Christianity, that God became man, to be humiliated, to be rejected and ridiculed and to die the most agonising death to re-open for us the gates of Heaven.

We have the possibility of re-living, re-conquering the supernatural life through the message of Christ, through the Church and the sacraments, but God asks for our co-operation. St. Augustine said "He Who made you without you, will not sanctify you or save you without your help". And Christ tells us very explicitly "If you want to become my disciples, carry your cross and follow me."

Fear of humiliation
To have supernatural life might be very appealing; to carry one’s cross

Pope Blesses New St. Joseph Fountain in Vatican Gardens

"Fulfillment Comes Through God's Will," Says Pope

VATICAN CITY, JULY 5, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI today reflected on the "silent but beautiful life" of his namesake, St. Joseph, who is portrayed in a new fountain that the Pope inaugurated today in the Vatican Gardens.

The fountain has six bronze panels detailing six moments in the life of Mary's husband. It was a gift to the Pope from the Governor's Office of Vatican City State.

The Holy Father reflected briefly on each of the scenes portrayed on the fountain.
He first noted the importance of Joseph's marriage to Mary, which "would confer on the Son of the Virgin -- on God's Son -- the legal tile of 'son of David,' thus fulfilling the prophecies."
He said the espousals of Joseph and Mary are thus a human event "determinant in the history of humanity's salvation" and thus with a "supernatural connotation, which the two protagonists accept with humility and trust."

"Very soon the moment of trial arrives for Joseph, a trial challenging for his faith," the Pontiff continued.

He referred to Joseph's confusion at Mary's pregnancy and the subsequent dream that indicated the path he should follow.

"The divine intervention in his life could not but perturb his heart," the Pope said. "To trust God does not mean to see everything clearly according to our criteria, it does not mean to carry out what we have planned; to trust God means to empty ourselves of ourselves and to deny ourselves, because only one who accepts losing himself for God can be 'just' as St. Joseph, that is, can conform his own will to God's and thus be fulfilled."

Silent obedience

The Bishop of Rome went on to reflect on the silence that "characterizes [Joseph's] whole existence, both before finding himself before the mystery of God's action in his spouse, as well as when -- conscious of this mystery -- he is with Mary in the Nativity." Another challenge comes as he's forced to flee with his family to Egypt: a "trial in which he is asked for full fidelity to God's plan," the Pontiff said.

The fifth panel portrays Joseph finding Jesus in the temple.
"Reminding his own parents of the primacy of the One he calls 'my Father,' Jesus affirms the primacy of the will of God over every other will, and reveals to Joseph the profound truth of his role: He too is called to be a disciple of Jesus, dedicating his existence to the service of the Son of God and of the Virgin Mother, in obedience to the Heavenly Father," the Pope said.

Finally, he reflected on Joseph's work in Nazareth, accompanied by the young Jesus.
"The Son of God is hidden from men and only Mary and Joseph guard his mystery and live it each day," the Holy Father noted. "The Word Incarnate grows as man in the shadow of his parents, but, at the same time, they remain, in turn, hidden in Christ, in his mystery, living their vocation."

Benedict XVI concluded his reflection by entrusting the Church and the world to Joseph's intercession.
"May he, together with the Virgin Mary, his spouse, always guide my way and yours," he said, "so that we are able to be joyful instruments of peace and of salvation."
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On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-29805?l=english