![]() Should Jesus ask me that question, would my answer then be, “Nothing much. In my spare time, I like gardening, hiking, reading, sometimes paddling. I stay busy trying to arrange for events and retreats at the Catholic Conference Center. ![]() I’ve got a pretty good job, a lovely marriage, in a good place financially, good health. To answer, my thought process would go something like this. He turns, our eyes lock, and while holding me in this penetrating gaze, he asks, “What are you looking for?” How would I answer? I am walking a little behind Jesus, but not too close. I imagine taking the place of Andrew there by the shore. ![]() He turns to them and asks, “What are you looking for?” They too might have been on a frantic search for something, but they didn’t exactly know what that something was. What are you looking for? Jesus asks the same question in the gospel today (Jn:35-42). More and more, I find myself dashing off into some room or another, only to arrive and realize I completely forget what I am looking for in the first place. My wife came in the kitchen and asked, “What are you looking for?” After a moment’s thought, I said, “I don’t remember.” I had gone on a mad search for something, but got so wrapped up in the search, I had forgotten what I was looking for. We need silence to be able to touch souls.One day, I was frantically rummaging through a cabinet in the kitchen, moving cans and bottles and spices around on each shelf. See the stars, the moon and sun, how they move in silence… See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grow in silence We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. Here are some encouraging words from Mother Teresa to help: In his silence, he modelled silence and provided the family environment Jesus needed to grow and mature.Īs you gather with family and friends during this holiday season, take some time to be silent, whether alone or in a crowd. I can learn from Saint Joseph, a man of few words yet present in the life of Jesus. ask open-ended questions and then simply listen – restating as necessary, probing deeper if allowed, acknowledging feelings and emotions as they emerge. I can simply restrain my desire of wanting to talk about myself and let the person I am with do the talking i.e. Another silence I can practice during this holy season would be not withdrawal but engagement, deploying all of my active listening skills I’ve learned through years of interviewing and ministry. Sometimes my silence tends toward withdrawal, I go off to an isolated place to pray and to think, which is good. Silence is an Advent virtue, and one I can practice as I enter this Christmas season. Joseph, husband of Mary, is not noted for his eloquence, but his silence. Not one word of Joseph is recorded in the gospels. Joseph has many admirable qualities, not least of which is his notable lack of words. ![]() The child to be born will now be of the line of David, the king, a fulfilment the Old Testament prophecies. He agrees, and one more piece of the plan of salvation has been put into place. In a dream an angel persuades him to take Mary as his wife. He decides to divorce her quietly and not expose her to shame. He has to decide what to do about Mary, who is now with child. Joseph, the husband of Mary, is featured in today’s gospel. ![]()
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