… A reflection by Sr. Fran Moore, CDP

Spring is a beautiful time of the year when the cold, dark days of winter give way to fresh new blossoms.  The weather turns warmer and the days get longer.  To me it always seems that the grass turns green overnight and I am always looking for the flowers to begin to blossom. The beauty of spring wouldn’t have the same impact without winter.  If we didn’t have the cold and the snow, we wouldn’t appreciate the sunshine and the warmer weather.  

I often wonder about the slow, unseen process that happens to the flowers and trees during the winter months that allows them to blossom in the spring.  The quiet working of nature while it is cold gives way to the luxurious colors of spring.

It reminds me of the quiet ways of St. Joseph.  He was not a famous person.  He was not rich or powerful.  He worked quietly as a carpenter.  Scripture does not record a single word of St. Joseph.  We do know, however, of one word he must have spoken.  Traditionally it was the father who spoke the name of the child. Joseph must have been the first one to speak the name Jesus.  A quiet, unnoticed man was given the task to speak the name of the One who would usher in the springtime of the new covenant. After years of preparation detailed in the Old Testament, Joseph and Mary bring the newborn Jesus into the Temple; the springtime of redemption begins.