Crux et Gloria

On the 25th of March, nine months before Christmas, we commemorate the moment when the archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced to her that she was to become the Mother of God. God, whom even the heavens could not contain, chose to humble Himself and take on the human nature in her womb. Mary accepted her calling from God with the beautiful words: "Behold, I am the Handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word". It is worth noting how the archangel encouraged Mary to cast off all fear: "Do not be afraid!" Pause for a moment... have you ever experienced fear, of illness, of the future, or of a particular situation? Remember that you are a child of God! Know that God longs to be with you as well. Do you ever speak with God about what frightens you? Do you ask him to let his Word take root in you, as Mary did? Turn to God and ask him to take control of your life! Let him lead you! O God, how I long to have a heart like Mary’s, ready to listen, understand, and cherish your Word in every circumstance of my life! St George Preca had a deep devotion to Mary, the Mother of the Verbum Dei. Let us continue to spread the devotion to the powerful words: "The Word of God became flesh" which instil within us hope and courage!

The Identity, Mission and Formation of Parish Catechists for Child Catechesis is a comprehensive guide dedicated to enhancing child catechesis within parish communities. The book provides a blend of theological insight and practical strategies for catechists. It covers foundational theological concepts, explores the vocation and mission of catechists, and offers guidance on effective lesson planning and teaching methodologies. Additionally, it addresses challenges in child catechesis, focusing on cultural and community contexts, and emphasizes the importance of family engagement. This resource is valuable for anyone involved in child catechesis, aiming to create a holistic and impactful catechetical experience. Available from Librerija Preca.

Henri Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son is particularly fitting for Lent, a season of repentance, reflection, and spiritual renewal. The book’s themes of homecoming, forgiveness, and transformation mirror the Lenten journey of turning back to God with humility and trust. Nouwen’s personal reflections on the parable highlight the need for inner conversion, much like the call to self-examination during Lent. His emphasis on God’s unconditional love and mercy resonates with the Lenten focus on divine grace and redemption. Just as the prodigal son embarks on a journey of repentance, Lent invites believers to acknowledge their weaknesses and return to God’s embrace. The elder brother’s struggle with pride and resentment also serves as a reminder to let go of self-righteousness and embrace God’s compassion. By meditating on Nouwen’s insights, readers can enter more fully into the Lenten call to transformation and renewal.

St Joseph, the silent one, was a righteous man who longed for the purity of God. The theological virtues of faith, hope, and love can be given by God as gifts to humanity, but purity, which is of God alone, is a transformation of being more than lived virtue. Through the purity of God in Jesus and Mary, Joseph was elevated into a living manifestation of the Beatitudes. Simple, poor, and meek, Joseph experienced a progression from “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” through “Blessed are the merciful” and came to that sublime state of purity: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). When he learned that his betrothed wife was with a child not his own, Joseph responded with mercy, not public exposure. At the angel’s prompting, Joseph chose Mercy in his resolve to protect and help his beloved Mary, herself sinless and pure, who would otherwise be alone to face exile or death. Thus, mercy transformed righteousness, and purity was born as the savior, bringing a new way of worship, transformed by love. The word of God, sinless and pure, entered the harshness of this world with so few people and such little protection against the uncertain darkness, in Bethlehem, in a stable, in piercing cold. Who beside Joseph was there for the delivery of the newborn infant Jesus? If St Joseph received the baby (perhaps even born on Joseph’s knees), then the promise of the future Beatitudes was already fulfilled. Joseph would have been the first mortal to look upon the human face of God Incarnate in the infant Jesus: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God”, who was pleased to dwell with human beings. The traditional Temple worship was superseded in that moment by purity of heart:  O blessed Joseph, happy man whose privilege it was, not only to see and to hear that God whom many a king has longed to see, yet saw not, longed to hear, yet heard not; but also to carry him in your arms and to kiss him, to clothe him and to watch over him! In those hidden years in Nazareth, Joseph suffered and worked to protect the growing Incarnate Word and his beloved Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant. Did the boy Jesus suffer too, as he considered the well-being of his mother and foster father? Amidst such awe and wondrous love, there would have been acute awareness of one another’s vulnerability before the mighty political powers, corruption, and the cruelty of sin. The Holy Family was so small and insignificant. Nevertheless, trusting with Mary in God’s invisible providence amid the suffering, both Joseph and the young Jesus continued. Purity of heart kept all three in peace and attuned to the same spiritual note of mutual loving support with thanksgiving to God. Can we imagine that Joseph’s dying words might have prefigured those of the good thief, St Dismas, who later shared the extreme of suffering with the crucified Jesus: “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (Lk 23:42). Ruth D. Lasserter Friend of the SDC Indiana, US

St George Preca held a deep devotion to St Joseph, the husband of Mary, head of the Holy Family, righteous man, and legal father of Jesus. This devotion was evident in his sermons and meetings, both with the public and the members of his Society. He never missed an opportunity to speak about or honor St Joseph. In his dedication, he set aside Wednesdays in special reverence for St Joseph, greeting him with a heartfelt stanza filled with love, acknowledging him as the guardian of the Virgin and the blessed father. We greet you St Joseph, you are the guardian of the Virgin, you are the blessed Patriarch, we ask you to pray Christ for us. St. George Preca encouraged us to invoke St. Joseph as ‘St. Joseph of pure heart’ and to pray with the words: ‘Pure heart of St. Joseph, enclose us within you’. This reflects the desire to take refuge in the heart of this great saint, who remained so close to Jesus. We should honor St. Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church and look to him as a guiding light for our families. Following St. George Preca’s counsel, we should also entrust to him those in their final moments of life, as he regarded St. Joseph as the patron of the dying.

by Carmel G. Cauchi, SDC Member   On the 19th of March, we celebrate the feast of St Joseph, and thus this month is dedicated to him. St Joseph is the saint of purity. He was entrusted with a divine mission to be the lawful husband of the Mary, and while she truly became a natural mother, he continued to safeguard her virginity. He was called to live with her as her husband without exercising the rights of marriage. At the same time, he provided protection to his wife, Mary, and her son, Jesus, serving as the unifying bond of the family, as it has always been in the divine plan. St Joseph is also to be admired for his prudence. When he realised that Mary was expecting a child that was not his, he resolved not to expose her to the authorities, knowing that she could otherwise be condemned as an adulteress and stoned. Then, when the angel appeared to him in a dream and revealed that the child conceived in her was the work of the Holy Spirit, Joseph accepted her as his wife without question. Another striking virtue in St Joseph is his unwavering trust in God. He always surrendered himself to the Lord’s will. Whether it was living chastely with his wife, journeying from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, or fleeing to Egypt to protect the child Jesus from Herod’s wrath, he followed God's commands without hesitation. Finally, we cannot help but admire St Joseph’s deep silence. The four Gospels contain no record of his words, not because he was unable to speak, but because his prudence led him to remain silent. Even when Jesus was lost for three days, Joseph chose not to voice his concerns, allowing Mary to speak instead, despite being the head of the Holy Family and fully entitled to do so. May we recognise and appreciate these virtues in St Joseph and strive to imitate him in our own lives!

On Mount Tabor, as Jesus appeared in glorious splendour, a voice was heard saying: “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him” (Luke 9:35). God the Father invites us to heed the voice of the beloved Jesus. Since the foundation of the SDC, St George Preca encouraged the early members to commit to memory the teachings of Jesus, as recorded in the four Gospels, and to refer to these sayings as the Voice of the Beloved. He firmly believed that for anyone seeking to build a strong foundation for the Christian life, nothing could be more essential than the teachings of our beloved Jesus. A phrase that St George Preca often repeated was: “Be friends of the Gospel!” This Lenten season is a fitting time to reflect on this profound teaching of Jesus and on the command given by God the Father on Mount Tabor; to listen to and live by Christ’s words. We are encouraged to deepen our friendship with the Gospel during this time, not only by setting aside moments each day to read a passage from Scripture and pray about it, but also by making an effort to memorise a sentence or two, holding them close to our hearts and repeating them often in prayer.