EWTN’s programs encourage all of us to take some much-needed time for reflection and prayerfulness. Nowhere is that more apparent — and more important — than in this week’s five-part miniseries entitled Saint Joseph. (Airs 5:30 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, March 17-21, with an encore that following morning, at 2:30 a.m. ET on EWTN, EWTN.com/everywhere.)

Father Christian Mendoza, a professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, starts the series off by reflecting on “St. Joseph, Husband of Mary. (He is followed by four other priests who reflect on “St. Joseph, Father of Jesus,” “St. Joseph the Humble,” “St. Joseph and the Temple” and “St. Joseph, the Steward.”)

Father Mendoza invites viewers to slow down and to think about how Joseph responded to the challenges in his own time and how his response might be relevant to us today.

Father Mendoza begins by reflecting on how an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream.

Most of us are not going to be visited by an angel. However, like Joseph, we often don’t have all the answers, and sometimes we don’t even have hope. In such circumstances, Father Mendoza says: “We are invited to dream about the dreams of God for us.”

How do we do this?

Father Mendoza says that the answer comes from focusing on what is right in front of us. Instead of imagining that God is demanding that we do heroic things — which is less often true — Father says God, as our Father, is more likely saying: “Isn’t it true that you can do something despite the situation? Isn’t it true that you can [make] an extra phone call to someone who is alone? Isn’t it true that you can send a nice message to someone?”

He says we can imagine Joseph looking at Mary with love and saying: “‘How was your day? What do you need? Did you enjoy today? How is Baby Jesus today?’ He would be … asking Mary about her interests, about her life, about her job, about her dreams.”

The priest reminds us that there are a lot of people who need our attention and our care.

But what do we do if we believe whatever situation we’re facing is beyond our strength?

“We kneel down to the cross.”

What does that mean?

Father Mendoza says that “[Lent] is a special time to ask ourselves: ‘Lord…why did you want the cross for me? Why did you want me to be alone? Why did you want me to be closed down? Why did you want me to be with people [who] were suffering?’ … [A]nxiety sometimes grows when there’s a lot of uncertainty. … The cross is like a light … [it] illuminates, and sometimes we don’t like this light because we can see everything. … God wants this light in your heart. Don’t be afraid of being close to pain, to suffering, because there you will find God.”

He also says it’s time for all of us to come closer to those who suffer. In other words, this is the time for us, like St. Joseph, to be attentive to God’s dreams for us, to the environment in which God has placed us, and to the people God has put in our lives, especially those who suffer. This is also the time to give our limitations to God in prayer and to trust that he is there for us.

The priest ends with this consoling and very doable thought:

“Life is not done in big periods of time. Actually, it’s done minute to minute. Live every day as the last day, as the only day.”

Don’t miss this series. It’s a good one — and this is just Episode No. 1!

Michelle Laque Johnson is director of communications at the EWTN Global Catholic Network; this is a shortened adaption from the “EWTN Wings” weekly programming email. To have info about EWTN shows and specials sent directly to your inbox, sign up at EWTN.com/wings.