St. Laurence R.C. Church - John Patrick Publishing Company

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Pastor’s Corner
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ
Most of us have had dreams that were very realistic
and vivid. We wake up asking ourselves, "Was that
a dream or a real memory?" Most of the time,
however, dreams take on a fantastic, weird,
sometimes comical, sometimes sad or frightening
twist. There may be shreds of truth or real people or
events, but things are just not completely reflective
of reality. If I dreamt that Norm called me on a cell
phone, it would not exactly lead me to believe that I
should be awaiting a call at some point from my
Beagle!
Dreams are not really a reliable source of truth or
reality. They can point to some things below the
surface that might be affecting us and a vivid,
realistic dream can affect us. If we have had a
particularly scary or sad dream, we can feel that
emotionally. But, it's just a dream. Dreams are a
function of our psyche that take in events, thoughts,
memories, etc. that happen in reality and are
jumbled up and regurgitated into our unconscious
state during sleep. Most of our dreams, in fact, are
not remembered. So, why would Joseph make a
decision to stay with Mary based upon a dream of
an angel giving him advice?
Sometimes, when we are just newly awake, our
hearts and minds can be more easily raised in prayer
to God. There is a quietness and peace that can be
fertile ground for God's grace. I am not suggesting
that every morning that this will happen, but every
once in a while, it can. Perhaps this was Joseph's
experience. His acceptance of the angel's urgent
message was more about discernment than
following a dream.
St. Ignatius of Loyola explains “discernment of
spirits” as examining one's inner reactions, or
movements, particularly in prayer. We can have
many such reactions, but on some occasions grace
can be so quietly strong that one has a certitude
within that this experience is not fantasy or
imaginary, but real.
4 th Sunday of Advent
This sounds like what was going on with Joseph's
dream. He had no doubt about the validity of the
angel's message. Grace had assured him that this
experience was real.
Caution is needed here. We can all convince
ourselves that anything can be an angelic message
from God if we think about it long enough! That is
where discernment comes in. Experiences that are
of God are quiet, they lead toward God, not away
from Him and if valid, have lasting results that
endure. Anything to the contrary would reflect
experiences not of God. Someone discerning a
religious vocation, for example, needs to examine
this possible calling over a period of time. Spiritual
direction by an experienced spiritual director is key
here in discerning God's will.
In Joseph’s case, we can see a quiet assurance of
God's presence. He was not left feeling unsure or
doubtful. Joseph’s dream was as sure as a mother's
face or the voice of a close friend. As a man of deep
faith, Joseph already had a deep trust in God’s love.
He did not experience a diminishment of that trust.
Rather, the angel's message only confirmed
Joseph’s faith in God and he accepted it as God's
will. Often, it is not just in one experience, or time
of prayer that we suddenly realize God's will. It is
in the ongoing string of events reflected upon in the
context of faith and prayer within our everyday life
that, like Joseph, we grow in our understanding of
the will of God.
Have we tuned in to God's presence during these
weeks of Advent? Has the busyness of our
preparations for Christmas distracted us? Have we
been able to discern a particular grace or gift that
God wants to give us (for example a spirit of joy,
gratitude, etc.)? May we continue to discover as
Advent gives way to Christmas God’s plan for us,
as Joseph did through trust, faith and prayer.
In Christ’s Peace,
Fr. O’Neill
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