Saint Joseph's Wish List

Growing up at the beginning of each Advent, my mother would place the famous Christmas Sears and Roebuck Wish Book on the dining room table. From that privileged spot, each of us were allowed the opportunity to peruse through the toy section and come up with our wish list for Santa. Then my mother would help us to prune the list down to a reasonable number of presents, or at least to the ones sheh had already purchased! We would then carefully compose our lists for Santa and eagerly await Christmas Day. The Wish Book came true every year because my mother helped to shape the list.

Saint Joseph no doubt had wishes or dreams for his life, and no doubt we still do too, no matter our age! But what matters most in our life is what God wants for us. What are his "wishes"? We pray "thy will be done" every time we pray the Our Father but whenever something happens that is not in "our plan," we ask, "Why is this happening to me?" Saint Joseph awoke, the Gospel tells us, and then did just as the angel had told him. Advent is a good time for us to wake up as well, and to pray even more "thy will be done" or if you prefer, "thy Wish Book come true."

Father James M. Sullivan, O.P.

From the 2019 Magnificat Advent Companion

Sunday December 22

Fourth Sunday of Advent