Fr. Gary Caster

The impulse that grounds the act of prayer is an unconditional and sensitive openness to that which transcends all the ins and outs of everyday life.

Joseph’s work in Nazareth was a labor of love. He understood the importance of the home life of the Holy Family, and he thoughtfully and sensibly carried out the stewardship necessary.

Although the hidden life of God remains a mystery inaccessible by reason alone, professing God as Trinity is not meant to distance us from him. Through the Son’s incarnation and the sending of the Holy Spirit, not only are we capable of understanding the eternal relationship of intimate loving communion that is the Holy Trinity, we are able to share in it. This is why we were created, why every human heart cries out to be loved.

The willingness to work with God will unleash Joseph’s full potential. His inherent aptitude for organization and for building is well suited to the rearing of God’s Son. First and foremost, it situates Jesus in the same condition as the vast majority of people. He isn’t raised with wealth, prestige, or influence but in ordinary obscurity.

This fundamental gift of the Holy Spirit—whom Jesus called the “promise of the Father”—was given to the apostles at Pentecost. And in the miraculous events that accompanied the sending of the Holy Spirit, it became quite clear that the saving action of God would compellingly move forward. Those present in the Upper Room were recreated according to the order of grace to share the life of God, who is love. They were able to, as it were, “breathe with God.” This love poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit is no mere human sentiment but the indwelling presence of the divine.