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Affirming the humanity of Jesus, the Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, his mother. While Scripture does not record the birth of Mary, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James notes the development of Christian piety around Mary’s parents and her birth.
Today’s Gospel reading gives us the genealogy of Joseph, the legal father of Jesus. Without all those people, and without the cooperation of Joseph, God’s plan of salvation wouldn’t have come to fulfillment.
Membership to the human family is a reality in which our fates are in common because our life is in common. To save one part, we must save all.
When we pray, we ask for help because we need it. May today’s prayer give you the strength to keep seeking.
Long before my husband, Mark, and I had kids, we had discussions about whether we wanted to send them to Catholic or public school.
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam proved to be a leader who helped others help the poor. He also formed a newspaper to push the cause of justice. In 1833, he founded the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, which continues to the present day.
Those who are defenseless and without recourse to society’s justice seem to count for nothing. In our own nation we can’t help but see individuals who are counted to be of little value. In reality they are our brothers and sisters.
Sometimes we’re so busy and distracted we don’t even notice the people God places in our paths. We miss out on the chance to be his hands and feet in the world.
Blessed Claudio Granzotto was the youngest of nine children whose father died when the boy was only nine years old. At the age of 15 he entered the army where he served for three years.
The apostles were not prominent people. All of them were pretty ordinary. You didn’t have to qualify to approach Jesus. You just had to want to be near him.
