THE APPRENTICES OF ST. JOSEPH
The Covenant
His mother said to the attendants, “Do whatever He tells you.”
(Jn 2:5)
Each human person is created in the image of God. Yet we are not identical, we are not merely parts of a whole. We are united in belonging to the Mystical Body of Christ, and yet each of us is a completely unique expression of the Infinite Love. With each person God creates, He shows His face to the world in a way He never has before, and never will again.
In baptism, each of us begins his journey toward the Triune God. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 22:37-39)
Seeking the Kingdom of God, all men are given a vocation. Yet all men in every “vocation” are called to Sacred Marriage. Marriage is the giving of oneself totally for the sake of another. Sacred Marriage is a reflection of the mystery of the Trinity. Each of the several vocations is a unique manifestation of this mystery of Sacred Marriage. All fatherhood is an expression of the Eternal Father, all son-ship and brotherhood is in union with Christ, and a manýs spousal offering of himself reflects the mystery of the spousal relationship between the Holy Spirit and Our Lady. Priests are, by their ordination, married, in a very real way, to the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. Religious brothers, by their vows, enter into a marriage with their community. Finally, there is Holy Matrimony.
Since God created man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing Love with which God loves man.
(CCC, 1604)
Thus all men are called to Sacred Marriage.
We are striving to live simply as Catholic Christian men. All men, regardless of their particular vocation, must have an intimate relationship with God. All men, regardless of their particular vocation, must learn to love others as they are loved by God. As Apprentices, we especially pray for the grace to truly love and respect all women as sisters in Christ. And all of us, whatever our Sacred Marriage, entrust our hearts to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Mother, trusting that she will lead us along our true paths to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, for the greater glory of God. Amen.
