If we want to discover the heart of the message and spirituality of the Servant of God Veronica O’Brien, we can turn our gaze towards Saint Joseph. What happened to her can also be for us a path of growth in faith and in the Christian life.

In the Gospel, we hear the words of the angel spoken to Joseph: «Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home; for the child she is carrying is from the Holy Spirit.»

Here we are shown a path that is equally important for us. Welcoming Mary into our home means welcoming Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit. Mary is not a detour to Jesus, but rather a shorter path to Him. In simple terms, Veronica O’Brien expressed it thus: «Mary has not lost her role of giving Christ to humanity; this role remains forever unchanged. Through Mary, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus can still be born in the hearts of men. And it is the Holy Spirit who can unite us to Mary so that, with her, we may follow Jesus.»

«It is the Spirit who can unite us with Mary to live with her the life of Jesus. These words of the Servant of God Veronica O’Brien fit so well with the life of Saint Joseph, who took Mary and the child, and the child she bore, Jesus, into his home. And for him it was like a little Pentecost, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit who came to fill his house so as to share in the life of Jesus.

With Mary, Joseph was so close to Jesus. In Nazareth, they even had him before their eyes every day. Christian life is a life of intimacy with Jesus, in the image of the Holy Family of Nazareth, where simple and affectionate relationships are lived out, just like between a dad, a mum, the children...

To live this intimacy with Jesus, Veronica shows us the way. First, through the meditation of the Word of God, which daily nourished Veronica's life. It is through the reading and meditation of the Word that Jesus, the Word, comes to dwell within us.

Then there is the Eucharist, in which Jesus makes himself present as he was present to Mary and Joseph in Nazareth.

Finally, there is Mary, who teaches us to welcome the Spirit and to follow Jesus. Through the distribution of the FIAT rosary, it was intimacy with Jesus that Veronica wanted to foster in people's hearts through the meditation of the mysteries of Jesus« life: »Most Holy Spirit, help us to relive, in union with Mary, the joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of Jesus," to use the words of the FIAT prayer.

By welcoming Mary and her child into his home, Joseph also lets the Holy Spirit enter his dwelling and his life, and in this way he shares in the very life of Jesus. In this manner, God's mercy can also grow in Joseph.

For Joseph is a righteous man, and it is precisely for this reason that he places mercy above all else. We see this in his attitude towards Mary, even before the appearance of the angel in his dream. He wants to dismiss her quietly, precisely so as not to expose her to public disgrace. Thus, Joseph already demonstrates a heart open to God's mercy.

It is through love and mercy lived out daily that Joseph was a missionary. He shows us that the proclamation of the Good News finds its fulfilment in love.

Veronica also discovered her missionary vocation in everyday life, very close to people, sharing their joys and sufferings. We too are called to witness to the mercy of Jesus precisely there, in ordinary life and in our daily encounters.

Being a missionary in daily life is, in the image of Saint Joseph, to sum up everything in love. «To be love, to make love known, to accept being loved. Such is God's plan: love. God is entirely: love.»

At the invitation of the Servant of God Veronica and following Saint Joseph, let us welcome Mary into our homes, so that the Holy Spirit may come and fill everything. We will thus grow in intimacy with Jesus and, following his example, we will be able to witness to the men and women of today: God is love.

 

+Luc Terlinden