Emulate St. Joseph in Small Ways

 

Deacon Kevin Gingras

March 19, 2026

Solemnity of St Joseph

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031926.cfm

2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16   Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29

Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22    Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a

When reflecting on St. Joseph, I like to think about what I have in common with St. Joseph.  Both of us are men. Both of us were blessed with beautiful wives, and both of us remained loyal to those wives. Both of us were foster fathers to a child, and both of us protect our families.  St. Joseph protects Jesus, and as a deacon, one of my roles is defender of the Blessed Sacrament. The similarities end there.

St. Joseph is the husband of the Queen of Heaven and Earth; I am not.  His wife was pregnant when he got married; mine was not. He is the foster and adoptive father of our redeemer, the King of the Universe; my adoptive daughter is royalty, but only in my house.  St. Joseph's lineage to King David survived through a humble, hidden branch of David’s family.  My ancestors came from Canada. St. Joseph is never quoted in scripture; his silence is powerful.  I have a hard time knowing when not to speak!  The list goes on!  Anyway, let’s move on to some of the virtues of St. Joseph.  As we go through this list, let’s think about how well we portray these virtues ourselves, which ones we are great at, and which ones we need to work more on. We are supposed to emulate the Saints after all.

Just/Righteous: Described in Scripture as a "just man," he committed to doing what was good and following God's law, rather than merely following human rules.

Obedient and Faithful: He listened to God and acted immediately, such as accepting Mary as his wife and fleeing to Egypt when the angels told him to do so.  

Chaste and Pure: Known as the most chaste spouse, he loved Mary and Jesus with a pure, selfless love, creating order and peace in the Holy Family.

Humble and Hidden: He lived a life of humility, avoiding the spotlight and serving God and his family in obscurity.

Provider and Worker: As a carpenter, he demonstrated the dignity of labor, working diligently to support Jesus and Mary.  St. Joseph is even known as the Model for Workers.

Courageous Protector: He acted swiftly to defend the Child and Mother from dangers like King Herod during the “Slaughter of the Innocents”.  He is even known as the Terror of Demons!

Patron of a Holy Death: His life of piety and devotion to Jesus and Mary makes him a model for the final moments of life.

I try to emulate St. Joseph in my own small ways.  I have a Prayer to St. Joseph, the Worker, at my desk in Canton.  I try to remember to say that each day so that I may thank God for the successes in my workday and offer my failures to God in reparation for my sins and those of the world. I prayed to St. Joseph a lot when my father was in Hospice care. I knew my mother would be with my dad when he passed, and I wanted him to die peacefully for her sake as well as his.  Late one night, he just stopped breathing. He passed very quietly with her by his side.  St. Joseph’s intercession aided us at a very difficult time.

St. Joseph is a key saint in my Saint Posse, assisting me as a father, husband, deacon, and employee.  How can he assist you in your life?

I’ll end with this prayer from Saint Bernadine of Siena to St. Joseph:

Remember us, Saint Joseph, and plead for us to your foster-child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally. Amen.

Go in Peace, Glorifying the Lord by your Life

Deacon Kevin Gingras

March 15, 2026

4th Sunday in Lent

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031526.cfm

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a   Psalm 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

Ephesians 5:8-14    John 8:12

How is Lent going for you?  Are you encountering Christ more deeply this Lent? If not, then thank God that we still have time! There have been a lot of “encounters with Christ” lately in the Gospels.  The women at the well, the man born blind, next week we will hear about the raising of Lazarus (sorry, spoiler alert).  This week, the encounter includes the symbolism of water and light.  Water and light are so important that they were at the very beginning of creation, and we cannot live without them.  As Fr. Matt said last week, 3 days without water and you are soon to be a goner!  Light gives us vitamin D, regulates our sleep, and without it, all plant life, and all life for that matter, would perish.

 Today, Jesus uses water as he spits on the ground, yeah, gross, but there is the water, perhaps that’s all he had available, and he makes clay with it and anoints this man’s eyes.  He further instructs him to go wash in the pool of Siloam.  The gospel tells us Siloam means “sent”.   When he does, he is cured and can now see the light!

Just like the woman at the well was sent back to town to “evangelize,” this man is now being sent to evangelize, thus fulfilling why Jesus said he was born blind:

It is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. 

These encounters with Jesus changed them, for good!  The women at the well evangelized about Christ, and those in that town began to believe. In the blind man's encounter, he is “anointed” with clay made from water and dirt, and his sight is restored to him; this healing shows the works of God.  In our baptism, we are anointed with chrism, which probably smells much better than clay!  Because of our baptism, we are inherently changed.  

The Catechism tells us that:

Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte "a new creature," an adopted son of God, who has become a "partaker of the divine nature, member of Christ and coheir with him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit”.

Our sacraments include not just spiritual elements but physical ones also, like water, oil, and chrism.  All our sacraments are also encounters with Christ.

The elect are now preparing for baptism, the first of these encounters.  The scrutinies help them to turn away from sin and toward the light of Christ. While specifically for the Elect, they offer all parishioners a time for reflection on their own baptismal commitment.  Saint Paul gives a great summary of that change that baptism brings:

Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light,  for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.

Before our baptism, we were spiritually blind, and afterwards we were given sight, spiritual sight.  We have great examples from the Gospel to live up to.  The women at the well went into town, no longer afraid and ashamed but bold in proclaim she things she has found the Messiah!  The man born blind stands up to the Pharisees and tells them:

This is what is so amazing: you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.

In anger, the Parisees throw him out.  We need to show courage like them. The Church calls us to do so as the Catechism further speaks on baptism:

We are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that we may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light." … Reborn as sons of God, [the baptized] must profess before men the faith they have received from God through the Church, and participate in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God

We cannot be ashamed of our faith, of our God, of our Savior, once we leave the safety of this church today.  We must go forth and glorify the Lord by our lives, our deeds, and our words.

Saint Catherine of Siena gives us great advice to sprint towards the finish line this Lent:

Start being brave about everything, driving out darkness and spreading light as well. Don’t look at your weakness, but realize that in Christ crucified you can do everything.

Jesus Levels up the Law!

Deacon Kevin Gingras

Feb 15, 2026

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021526.cfm

Sirach 15:15-20   Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

1 Corinthians 2:6-10    Matthew 5:17-37

Today’s Gospel continues the Sermon on the Mount.  We heard the Beatitudes a few weeks ago.  Last week, we heard of salt and light.  This week, we hear about how Jesus did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them.  Later on in the Gospel of Matthew, we will see Jesus physically present with the Law and the Prophets in person at his Transfiguration.

Mt 17:2-3 And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

Moses represents the Law. Elijah represents the prophets.  Even God the Father and the Holy Spirit get into the action…but let’s not jump ahead, back to the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus isn’t abolishing the law or the prophets here; instead, Jesus is leveling up the law and the prophets in this part of the Sermon on the Mount.  The first reading echoes the importance of the law as Sirach tells us: 

If you choose, you can keep the commandments; they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.

Pro tip here: choose water! The responsorial Psalm carries on that theme: 

Blessed are they whose way is blameless,

who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart.

Then the Gospel breaks through! The law tells us you shall not kill - but Jesus levels that up: 

Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment

The law tells us we shall not commit adultery - but Jesus levels that up:

But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The law tells us that we cannot bear false witness or take a false oath - but Jesus levels that up:

But I say to you, do not swear at all;

not by heaven, for it is God's throne;

nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;

…Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'

Anything more is from the evil one.

The laws God gave to Moses were to keep our external actions in check; this still remains true today, perhaps more than ever!  Now, Jesus wants us to take the law to a deeper level as well, to have it written on our hearts to have that interior transformation.  Without it, He tells us we will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  With that said, I give you our Catholic word of the day - metanoia!  It’s a Greek word combining “meta”, meaning change, and “noi”, meaning mind.  Literally, it means a change of mind, but it’s more than that, so much more!  We aren’t talking about you looking at yourself in the mirror and changing your mind about your outfit!  Metanoia is a profound change of mind and conversion of heart.  Metanoia focuses on our sins, but it goes far beyond simple regret for sins; it signifies an enduring, radical transformation of one's entire being, perception, and direction—the turning away from sin and self-centeredness toward a life centered on God.

I’m not going to give us a laundry list of sins now. What I want you to do is take a moment to think of that one persisting sin, one you just can’t shake no matter what…Got it?  Good, that’s what you need to focus on during Lent.  Lent begins on Wednesday, so what better time to bring up metanoia than now!

Metanoia is hard!  Without confession, it’s impossible! God knows this, that’s why he gave us the sacrament of confession!   God also gave us a helper, a paraclete, the Holy Spirit, to assist us! The Holy Spirit is also needed for metanoia because true repentance is a divine gift, and not something we can do on our own. The Holy Spirit can convict our hearts, removing our stony hearts and replacing them with hearts that are more in tune with the teachings of Jesus Christ.  It’s always a work in progress. All we need to do is take that first step, ask for forgiveness in the confessional, and reach out to the Holy Spirit for help.  When we fall, and we will, we need to get back up and start over as soon as possible!

St. Bernard of Clairvaux tells us:

A saint is not someone who never sins, but one who sins less and less frequently and gets up more and more quickly.

When you fall in love with the Eucharist, you fall in love with Jesus Christ

Deacon Kevin Gingras

Jan 18, 2026

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011826.cfm

Isaiah 49:3, 5-6   Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10

1 Corinthians 1:1-3    John 1:29-34

John the Baptist knew Jesus.  They were cousins, so that makes sense.  But John tells us he didn't know Jesus. I think what John was talking about is that he didn't know that Jesus really was the Son of God. Last week, we heard how John baptised Jesus.  The Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus - that is when John knew who Jesus was! Today, we hear that John knew who Jesus was on another level as he proclaims:

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

John used language that Jewish people would understand.  We may not fully grasp the connection today, but it harkens back to the book of Exodus and the Passover.  Exodus 12 describes the rules for the Passover Ritual, the thing the Jews had to do to be saved:

Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month, every family must procure for itself a lamb… Your lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish… They will take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They will consume its meat that same night…

Jews sacrificed lambs, particularly for Passover, by selecting a perfect male lamb, slaughtering it in the Temple courtyard, and having priests collect its blood to sprinkle on the altar while the owner roasted and ate the meat with family. This was a solemn, communal act of remembrance and thanks, marking God's protection in Egypt. 

These words and actions should be at least remotely familiar to all of us!  This is a snippet taken from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the book all priests use at every Mass, the one on the altar, which reads:

The Priest genuflects, takes the host and, holding it slightly raised above the paten or above the chalice, while facing the people, says aloud: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

Blessed are we indeed!  Jesus became the perfect sacrifice, the sinless “Lamb of God,” and his offering was pure and final, until the end of time.  He gave his life willingly, not just for his followers, but also for his enemies and those who persecuted him.  His sacrifice is eternally effective, extending to us today and on into the future.  We experience this sacrifice today, a bit different, a bit cleaner, if you will.  Today we experience this sacrifice in the Eucharist.  Here are some summaries from the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Eucharist:

It is a perpetuation of Christ's Sacrifice (CCC 1323, 1351): At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist to "perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again," entrusting it as a memorial to His Church.

It is one single sacrifice (CCC 1367): The Mass makes present the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross; it's the same Christ who offered Himself, but the manner of offering (unbloody) is different from the bloody sacrifice on the cross.

Christ is Present (CCC 1374): Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the priest's words, the bread and wine become the true Body and Blood of Christ, really and substantially present.

Source and Summit (CCC 1324): The Eucharist is the "source and summit of the Christian life," completing Christian initiation and uniting believers more deeply with Christ.

A Sacrament of Love (CCC 1323): It's a "sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet" where Christ is consumed, grace is received, and glory is pledged.

Offered for All (CCC 1369): As a sacrifice, it's offered for all the faithful (living and dead) for the forgiveness of sins and to obtain spiritual benefits.

So what are we supposed to do with all this information?  I suggest this week get to confession if you haven’t been in a while.  Let the Lamb of God take away your sins. Unclog that pipeline of God’s grace into your life.  After that, fall in love with the Eucharist all over again because when you fall in love with the Eucharist, you fall in love with Jesus Christ!

I pray that this week we all come to realize the words of St Thomas Aquinas: 

The Eucharist is the sacrament of love: it signifies love, it produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.

Fortitude calls us to demonstrate Joseph’s silent strength

 

Deacon Kevin Gingras

Dec 21, 2025

4th Sunday of Advent

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122125.cfm

Isaiah 7:10-14   Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Romans 1:1-7    Matthew 1:18-24

So far in our Cardinal Virtue homily series, we have heard about Temperance - the regulating of our desires and appetites for created goods.  Next was Prudence - The ability to discern the true good and the right means to achieve it.  Last week was Justice - giving each person their due and fulfilling duties to God, others, and society. This week, we will discuss the Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude. 

Let’s start right off with what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says in paragraph 1808:

Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. "The Lord is my strength and my song."  "In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 

The Catechism never says it will allow you to not have fear, but when you do have fear, fortitude helps you overcome it.

Of course, the first thing that popped into my head was in Star Wars, when Luke tried to lift his spaceship out of the swamp using the force and failed, claiming it’s too big. Yoda scolds Luke, saying,

Size matters not. Look at me; judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? And well you should not.

Well, Yoda is right, the virtue of Fortitude is not made stronger by going to Planet Fitness and pumping iron.  This virtue is strengthened by prayer and reaching out to the Holy Spirit for guidance and help.  This virtue grows most with true love of Jesus, and we can see that in our Scripture readings today.  We see three main men today: Ahaz, Paul, and Joseph.  Two illustrated extreme, but different types of Fortitude, and one failed miserably.  

Ahaz looked to his own power and not to God, so if you guessed Ahaz as our failure today, then you guessed right! In our reading from Isaiah, Ahaz was told to trust in God, and if he did, the oncoming army would not destroy the city.  God said he would give Ahaz a sign, but Ahaz didn’t want the sign; he wanted to trust in himself and perhaps try to ally with another nation.

Let’s look at some of Ahaz’s deeds:

• He allied with the pagan king of Assyria 
• Created a pagan altar just like the king of Assyria had
• Because of the pagan altar, Ahaz desecrated the true temple with sacrifices to the gods of Damascus on this new altar 
• He moved the altar of the Lord to the side to make way for this pagan altar
• Ahaz removed the royal entryway of the temple and the Sabbath canopy as well.  He also destroyed the temple furnishings
• Ahaz also sacrificed some of his VERY OWN children to these pagan gods.

I won’t go into too much detail about Paul. I think we are familiar with his writings and the fact that, after his sinful persecution of Christians, he had a change of life and turned to God, demonstrating his great Fortitude.

Lastly, Joseph, who quietly followed the will of God and is never quoted in scripture.  Joseph trusted and followed God’s will even when it was hard.

Let’s look at some of Joseph’s accomplishments:

• Scripture tells us he was a righteous man
• He sought to divorce Mary quietly so as not to subject her to a trial and the death penalty.
• He listened to the Angel of God and took Mary, the Mother of God, as his wife.
• He named the child Jesus as the angel instructed.
• He became the foster father of the Son of God!
• Joseph protected Jesus and Mary and again listened to an angel and went to Egypt when he found out Herod was looking to kill the Christ child.

What about us? Fortitude, for us, doesn’t have to be on such a grand scale as helping to raise the Son of God or martyrdom.  For us, it is simply facing life's difficulties with steadfastness, not just in great deeds, but in daily perseverance.  It can be choosing what is difficult but right; over what is easy yet wrong.  It’s our daily struggle in resisting temptations.  Our Fortitude calls us to the foot of the cross when we are suffering, staying by God’s side when enduring hardship.  Fortitude calls us to stand up for and respect life in all its stages, even as our society preaches a culture of death. Fortitude calls us to stand up for the marginalized, the poor and the destitute. 

Sometimes, especially for me, Fortitude calls us to demonstrate Joseph’s silent strength as a spouse and parent, always following the will of God.

Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance towards Fortitude this week to help us live out the words of Pope Leo:

Here is the secret of the movement of the human heart: returning to the source of its being, delighting in the joy that never fails, that never disappoints. No one can live without a meaning that goes beyond the contingent, beyond what passes away