Page 189 - Reflections on St. Joseph

For Mary and Joseph it was not easy to be parents of the son of God, this involved a stripping
of oneself, to focus on Jesus.

Oblate means offering, we are called to offer our life, our will, our dreams, ourselves to God,
through the hands of Joseph and Mary. We are called to think no more of what we want, but
of what is best according to the will of God, living for Him and in Him, in the Church.

As Mary and Joseph cared for their only Son, giving their life with love, teaching him to
become a mature person, of sound principles and values, so are we called to care for the
Church, giving spiritual life to others, without pretending to become their masters, in the
space of gratuitousness, and indicating the right way, the way of Life. In imitation of Mary
and Joseph, the Oblate sisters are called to generate the spiritual life in the Church, that is,
to give the Saviour. Through the Vow of Chastity we serve others without asking for
recompense, through the Vow of Obedience we choose to obey our superiors, no longer
thinking of ourselves but of what God wants, through the Vow of Poverty we share material
goods, not looking for other than the essential, not seeking for our interests. Mary and
Joseph cared for Jesus with great love and we Oblates are also called to serve others with
love.

First of all, Mary and Joseph have "custodied" Jesus. We too, especially as consecrated
persons, are called to safeguard him. Mary and Joseph recognized in the Lord their greatest
good, and as any good parent would be willing to do, they would give their lives to protect
Jesus. We too have been given this Good, which we consider the most precious good, the
good to be preserved at the cost of our own lives. And how do we be custodians to Jesus?
Each of us is called in a personal way to safeguard Him, keeping alive his divine presence in
his own heart and in his own life. Each of us is called to live a personal and continuous
relationship with the Lord , removing everything that endangers His presence: guarding our
eyes, our hearing, our senses and our heart,
our feelings and affections. By maintaining
a state of grace and avoiding everything
that secularism and worldliness put in
contrast with the purity of heart and body.
This is the first way in which we Oblate
sisters of Saint Joseph, called to be the
House of Nazareth for Him, take care of
Jesus' interests in a personal way.

In a community way, meaning the house of
Nazareth not only in the temple of our heart,
but also as a community, the custody of Jesus
consists in ensuring an environment where
these values can be preserved and grow,
through attentive and fervent community
prayer, distributed diligently in the daily
schedule, a fraternal life lived in a serene and
cordial atmosphere, in an apostolate that is
directed towards all those whom we meet,
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Reflections on st. joseph