St. Joseph – our Patron
A peaceful performer
would like to share something that came to my mind about our Patron Saint – the Patron of the universal church. I have often heard that there is nothing much said about St. Joseph in the Bible. I would rather say that St. Joseph has uttered nothing to be quoted in the Bible but there is much said about him. Probably, we need to read and understand between and beyond the lines to learn about St. Joseph. To begin with, the narration of Annunciation to Joseph is mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew. (Mt 1, 18 – 25) The most important and the only word that describes the person of Joseph in this narration is: ‘Joseph was a righteous man’. The word‘righteous’ consists and includes many qualities within. They are: just, fair, obedient, wise, honest, holy, uncorrupted, sacred, virtuous, moral, legitimate, responsible, humble, God- fearing, worthy, faultless, blameless, sinless, pure, noble, pious, acceptable, sensible, law-abiding, real so on and so forth. Thus Matthew describes the personality of Joseph just in a single word! In fact, Joseph never preached anything, but he performed everything according to the guidance of the angel of the Lord! Yes, a great performer – a righteous man indeed! Certainly God knew him and therefore chose him to be the foster father of His only Son. God gave Joseph the right to name His son “JESUS”! (Mt 1: 25) His responsibility did not end there. To save Mary and Jesus from Herod, the wicked and cruel ruler, he had to flee to Egypt with them (Mt 2, 13 – 14). After the death of Herod, he returned to Israel with them (Mt 2, 19- 21). His performance as the protector of the Holy Family does not come to an end here. For better security, following the instruction of the angel of God, he went to Nazareth and made his home (Mt 2: 23)! That’s how Jesus was called as ‘Nazarene’. Jesus was in Nazareth until he began his ministry (Mt 4: 12). Joseph did not perform all these in his own accord but according to the guidance and warnings of the angel that appeared to him in dreams. These are few but strong evidences that show Joseph as a righteous man – a great performer, for we do not find him responding to the angel with fear or anxiety but obeying with total submissiveness and profound faith, not through words but deeds. A total surrender to God’s Holy Will!
...Sr. Shobha
Our Founder Fr. pierre Paul blanck
Every year we remember and commemorate the birth and death of our Founder on 11th and 18th October respectively. Besides offering prayers and Holy Mass in honor of him, we have also learned about his life reading through his letters and the history of our Congregation. A BIG THANKS to Sr. Sophie Moog for her tireless efforts for unfolding the facts of our origin! Though we have read and reflected many times, I still thought as this year we celebrate 150th death anniversary of our founder Fr. P.P. Blanck, it is once again good to reflect more deeply and try to imbibe certain qualities and virtues of not only Fr. Blanck but also of our first sisters.
While reading through the documents and letters, I find somehow that we have deviated from the dream and desire of our founder for which he founded this Congregation and strived hard till the end of his life for its existence. We need to have a paradigm-shift, a return to our roots!
After being convicted by the Court, the letters he wrote to the Bishop, to his parents and to the sisters in Saint-Marc, everything tells us very clearly about his intention of establishing a religious Congregation and his profound and earnest desire for its stability and progress. He invested his own inheritance from the family and also of his brothers-in-law, and the sisters who joined contributed their property. He pleaded and requested with lot of humility to get back the Convent when it was taken away after the contempt of the court. Though he had to flee from France, the sisters persevered in patience and finally got back the Convent once again paying a large sum of money. All these are evidences of the love and commitment of our founder and the first sisters. Above all, it is the Will of God that the Congregation of Sisters of Saint-Marc still exists.
It is good to ask ourselves:
- How do we devout ourselves for the growth of our Congregation?
- What sacrifices do we make for its sustenance?
- At times of troubles and trials, the first sisters stayed together and prayed double. What do we do in such occasions?
- Do we have that ardent love for our religious community?
- Our Founder and first sisters lived the religious life with one aim and true zeal that is to live the Eucharistic Spirituality. Today what is our aim and how do we find fulfillment in our religious life?
- They spent all their energy and time in Adoration and Service. How do we spend our time? How long do we spend our time for media (Mobile phones, internet, Facebook, YouTube, Whatsapp chats etc.), for gossips, entertainments?
- On the other hand how much time do we spend for Adoration and service other than the specific time allotted to us?
- Do we really and intimately relate with the Eucharistic Jesus every day?
My dear sisters, the world faces war and terror everywhere and every day. Let’s not wait for the misery to come to us. Let us not be conformed to this world, but let’s turn towards God seeking His mercy and compassion!
Wishing you all a meaningful celebration of 150th death anniversary of our founder Fr. P.P. Blanck,
United in prayers,
Yours Sr. Shobha Stanly,
Superior General