by Mary Clifford Morrell
On my kitchen counter is a small statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Every day I light a tea candle at the foot of the statue and pray in gratitude for big and small blessings and offer prayers of petition for my family, friends, and communities.
Recently, I added a second statue, that of Saint Joseph. Most often, he is lying on his side resting on small pieces of paper—my prayer intentions. It’s a practice I borrowed from Pope Francis, who has long had a devotion to Saint Joseph and keeps a statue of the sleeping Saint Joseph in his office.
The Holy Father acknowledged, “When I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and I put it underneath Saint Joseph so that he can dream about it! In other words, I tell him: Pray for this problem! … Do not forget Saint Joseph who sleeps! Jesus slept with the protection of Joseph.”
I love this image of the sleeping saint because like many of us, I, too, often make a decision to “sleep on it,” when I have a problem or decision to make. Sometimes, I wake up with a sense that God has given me my marching orders but my reply is not always the internal, silent, yes of Saint Joseph.
My initial reaction is just as likely to be “Seriously?” “You’ve got to be kidding,” or “Ummm, I don’t think so.” It might take me some time to come around to what God wants, but Joseph does not falter.
The Church will soon celebrate the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1. But that is not the only time the earthly father of Jesus is celebrated on the liturgical calendar. His primary feast on March 19, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, honors him as the husband of Mary, the Blessed Mother. On the Sunday after Christmas, he is honored on the Feast of the Holy Family in his role as guardian and teacher.
When Pope Francis declared a Year of Saint Joseph to run from December 8, 2020, until December 8, 2021, it was to mark the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of Saint Joseph as the patron of the Universal Church and to encourage the faithful to go to Joseph for intercession in times of need and to honor the saint’s role as humble protector of the Holy Family.
In his Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde: With a Father’s Heart, Pope Francis explains his desire for the faithful “to increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal.”
“Each of us can discover in Joseph—the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence—an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble,” wrote Pope Francis.
That’s been my experience, and the height of Saint Joseph’s “bed” on my counter is evidence of my belief.
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.
by Mary Clifford Morrell
“It’s all sleight of hand, smoke, and mirrors,” my father revealed to his young audience, meaning me and my cousins, having finally given in to our pestering about his magic tricks— the brightly colored scarves pulled deftly from the palm of his hand, the three solid metals rings miraculously joined together with a wave of his hand, the nickel that transformed into a quarter before our eyes.
He advised us to pay attention to his hands and not be distracted by what he said and did during the trick. I have no doubt that he shared this closely guarded information with us not because it would allow us to also do magic tricks but to hone awareness of the human tendency, usually born of some insecurity, to rely on “smoke and mirrors” to reach a goal.
The lesson was soon reinforced for me when I found myself filling in for the piano player in a college production of Cabaret—24 hours before the curtain went up. I was only a mediocre pianist at best and had never played the score before. I must have agreed to play because of the director’s tearful begging, but I couldn’t imagine this would turn out well.
At our first rehearsal with me at the bench, my deficiencies became obvious. I apologized profusely. To my surprise, the director replied, “Don’t worry about it. Just play faster, like you really know the score. You’ll be amazed at how good it will sound. Most people don’t pay that much attention to what’s really being played anyway. It’s all smoke and mirrors.”
I knew what that meant. It’s not genuine but you will fool people. I had a queasy feeling in my stomach.
The show went on. The lead was fantastic, the costumes were flashy. I played fast and loud. We finished to a standing ovation. As I made my escape out the back door as quickly as possible, someone patted me on the back saying, “Great job!”
I smiled but somehow that accolade made me feel worse. It’s always a humbling experience to reflect on those times when we have resorted to smoke and mirrors; when we have failed to be genuinely who we are.
When we find the courage for introspection, the courage to be honest with ourselves about our strengths and weaknesses, our motives, and our beliefs, we may discover valuable insights for personal and spiritual growth as disciples of Christ.
Spanish Jesuit Baltasar Gracián shared this insight in the 1600s, writing, “Self-refection is the school of wisdom.”
It is also the school of spiritual growth, something we all commit to doing at our Baptism. As one Christian counselor describes it, “Intentional self-reflection is aimed at creating space for you to sit with God and ask meaningful questions about life and your relationship with him.”
I have found that when I ask God the hard questions, I often get back the hard answers. Transformation also takes courage.
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.
by Mary Clifford Morrell
Every year spring cleaning turns up at least one Christmas gift that has spent months on a shelf or tucked in a drawer, unused and, sometimes, unopened.
This spring I discovered a small bag of gifts that must have filled my Christmas stocking, not from last Christmas but the Christmas before. I probably stuck the bag under my desk to keep it safe from visiting grandchildren and forget it was there.
Rediscovering them was like Christmas once again. I had the gifts all along but in finding them again I now had the opportunity to actually use them.
The experience reminded me of how we use, or not, the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We learn about them in religious education classes and have to memorize their names but that’s about it. I don’t remember really learning much about how the gifts work in our daily lives or remember being encouraged to use the gifts as we navigate an often difficult world.
I learned more about the gifts when I discovered my mother-in-law, Muriel, had a strong devotion to the Holy Spirit. I knew many who had devotions to Mary, St. Joseph, and any one of myriad saints, but I never knew anyone with a devotion to the Holy Spirit. I was intrigued.
The gifts are ours from the time of our Baptism and sealed at the time of our Confirmation. In fact, preparing for Confirmation is the time when we learn the most about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As adults, when we think about the most challenging times of our lives, it becomes pretty clear how much the gifts of the Holy Spirit can help and keep us aware of the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Who doesn’t need Wisdom? This gift of knowing how to make the right choices by having the ability to think deeply about a situation or challenge is essential for young people and will continue to grow as we mature, helping us to live a holy life.
The gift of Understanding helps us grasp the meaning of our faith and develops within us genuine concern and compassion for others.
Counsel, or Right Judgement, enables us to be open to God when making moral choices. It is often described as prudence.
Courage is the gift that helps us overcome our fears and move forward with a strong reliance on our faith.
Knowledge enables us to analyze the information available to us, in the light of faith. Knowledge helps us avoid obstacles to faith and growth and can be shared with others.
Reverence, or Piety, encourages our worship of God as an act of love, encourages us to pray, and helps us build sincere respect and care for all that is of God, including other people and God’s creation.
Wonder and Awe (Fear of the Lord) keeps us aware, humble, and grateful in our relationship with God. When I think of wonder and awe, I think of Jesus speaking of children and saying, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Luke 18:16)
Is there anything more meaningful or captivating than the awe of a child when they experience something new or wonderful or exciting?
If we are to begin using our rediscovered Gifts of the Holy Spirit, we would do well to begin where our children are, embracing our relationship with God as something new and wonderful and exciting.
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.
by Mary Clifford Morrell
During my years as an editor, I have spent hours looking through photos to find the best image to accompany a particular story.
I often found it most difficult to choose a photo for a story about a Mass because the congregants, in most photos, brought to mind a quote from Saint Teresa of Avila: “From … sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us!”
Not a smile to be seen. How could a church full of so many people who love Jesus carry such a heavy air of seriousness? I thought. Where is the joy?
Joy, after all, is the hallmark of the most important of all Christian holy days—Easter; the time of Christ’s Resurrection, and realization of the promise of eternal life.
But it seems we shortchange ourselves on the joy, and the opportunity to celebrate the most glorious of God’s promises. Like Thanksgiving dinner, which takes hours of preparation and is gobbled down in just minutes, Easter seems to be over and done with at the end of a day of egg hunts, a special meal, and way too much candy.
But the Church marks Easter as a season. Not just one day but 50, celebrated through the Feast of Pentecost. Not only that, but the first eight days of that season is considered the Octave of Easter, which means that every one of those days is considered a Solemnity on the liturgical calendar. No other feast may be celebrated on those eight days.
It makes sense, really, when we consider just how significant Easter is for our Christian faith. Saint John Paul II taught that “The whole Octave of Easter is like a single day,” providing us with an opportunity to express “thanksgiving for the goodness God has shown man in the whole Easter mystery.”
If I am, to be honest, I never really made much of the Easter season when my sons were growing up. The only remnants of Easter during those 50 days were dyed Easter eggs in the fridge and Palm Crosses stuck out from behind religious icons.
But now, as an adult with a bit more wisdom, I am sorry I didn’t do more for my family. Navigating the world is hard and it might have helped my sons on their journey if we devoted more time to the joy of our faith, rather than just the expectations; joy that Brother David Steindl-Rast describes as “the kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.”
That kind of joy requires peace of mind and spirit. That’s where faith comes in.
So for the rest of these 50 days, I’ve decided to invest myself more in the Easter season, especially reflecting on the words of the prayers and hymns at Mass. Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia! What does this truly mean to me as a Christian?
In addition, I hope to remind myself of the reason for this season by smiling more when I’m in church. Joy should be the hallmark of a Christian, as well, and you never know when there might be a photographer around.
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.