20 March 2023 | St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary | Menlo Park, Calif.

Celebrating the solemnity of St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church (and fresh from our community celebration of St. Patrick, patron of the seminary, last Friday!), I share some thoughts about St. Joseph’s spiritual fatherhood and his role as father for each one of us in the Christian life. Then we continue our journey with St. Teresa into the fifth dwelling places and the state of conforming union. With Teresa, la maestra de amor divina, I share the fruits of this stage of prayer and address a question about the role of loving relationships and evidence-based therapy alongside contemplative prayer in the healing of the soul. 

Opening music: “I Bind unto Myself Today,” written by St. Patrick, composed by C. F. Alexander, sung by the Choir of Trinity College, Melbourne, 2006. All rights reserved.