“JMJ” occasionally accompanies a signature sign-off on cards, letters or memos from my Catholic friends and family. It reminds me that we as Christians are all family and are spiritual descendants of the first Holy Family. We are to embrace a true devotion to Jesus, Mary and Joseph with the Holy Family as our model.
Solemnities, feasts, memorials, religious devotions and even secular celebrations in May offer opportunities to worship, honor and devote quality time to the first and holiest members of the domestic church. I try not to weary of the examples they provide to both strengthen us in holiness and teach us sound living.
The month of May starts with St. Joseph the worker helping us recognize the dignity of work. Through centuries of Catholic tradition, May is dedicated to Mary — and crowning the Blessed Mother in our yards, parishes and schools reminds us of that devotion, as does sacred Scripture as it reveals that our queen mother had the experience of living with Jesus from birth through his resurrection.
The two greatest commandments that Jesus taught — love God and love neighbor — cannot be separated, so it is quite practical that May closes with the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, during which she gives of herself in this two-fold example. Wasting no time post-fiat, she “traveled to the hill country in haste” to help her aging cousin Elizabeth who was also with child (see Lk 1:39).
Yet it is all about the first “J” in “JMJ” — and Mary and Joseph knew this. God Incarnate came as a baby and went through an ordinary childhood with Joseph and Mary to live as one of us, obedient to the word of God every step of the way. In the holiest of families, Jesus “advanced (in) wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Lk 2:52). He passed through the same stages of growth that the rest of us pass through — teaching his followers and all those who believed in him how to be fully human.
In our celebrations of the Ascension of our Lord and Pentecost 10 days later, Jesus reminds us through his inner circle of Apostles how we must be obedient and diligent to the word of God to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19) and let the Holy Spirit work within us to do this work.
Being children of God makes us brothers and sisters of Jesus, and we are to do as he did in our own place and time. Jesus was raised in the first domestic church — the Holy Family. His human reality was, and is, to help us recognize and respect the body-spirit nature of our own humanity — the dignity of the human person in God’s likeness. Jesus also gives us an opportunity to become a real part of this Holy Family as adopted sons and daughters of God through the sacraments, starting with baptism.
As Catholic Watchmen, we provide, protect and lead by example the totality of our faith. Because families have varying degrees of dysfunction, we are to restore harmony in a somewhat disordered world, bringing order to our family by the way we live and lead others to live as followers of Christ. Jesus, Mary and Joseph understood this because they had to contend with the human condition as well — all its strengths and all its frailties. With our own commonalities guided by virtues of faith, hope and love, we are to emulate JMJ in the context of our own families, learning tirelessly from the greatest examples as we move through the stages of our sacramental lives.
Deacon Bird ministers to St. Joseph in Rosemount and All Saints in Lakeville and assists with the archdiocesan Catholic Watchmen movement. See heroicmen.com for existing tools supported by the archdiocese to enrich parish apostolates for ministry to men. For Watchmen start-up materials or any other questions regarding ministry to men, contact him at gordonbird@rocketmail.com.
