Welcome dear brothers and sisters in Christ, to the LENTEN REFLECTION SERIES. The Novena to our Beloved Saint Father Joseph, Good and Kind Spouse of the Virgin Mary. This Novena will be for the unemployed, for the reconciliation of separated families. For our own Spiritual Lenten Retreat. For the Blessed Souls of Purgatory. And for our own personal Intentions, Amen. Novena to St. Joseph. Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you. You are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have special confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I place all my hope of salvation in you, for you are especially powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. Therefore I humbly invoke you and commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death. Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore: (Mention your request). Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen. MEMORARE TO SAINT FATHER JOSEPH. Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen. ------- DAY FOUR. THE HOLY CIRCUMCISION OF THE BABY JESUS. Divine Child Jesus, by Your Circumcision and the Sorrows of Saint Joseph, we unite our sufferings with Yours, Amen. FOSTER-FATHER OF JESUS. Saint Joseph, you were privileged to share in the mystery of the Incarnation as the foster-father of Jesus. Mary alone was directly connected with the fulfillment of the mystery, in that she gave her consent to Christs conception and allowed the Holy Spirit to form the sacred humanity of Jesus from her blood. You had a part in this mystery in an indirect manner, by fulfilling the condition necessary for the Incarnation -- the protection of Marys virginity before and during your married life with her. You made the virginal marriage possible, and this was a part of Gods plan, foreseen, willed, and decreed from all eternity. In a more direct manner you shared in the support, upbringing, and protection of the Divine Child as His foster-father. For this purpose the Heavenly Father gave you a genuine heart of a father -- a heart full of love and self-sacrifice. With the toil of your hands you were obliged to offer protection to the Divine Child, to procure for Him food, clothing, and a home. You were truly the saint of the holy childhood of Jesus -- the living created providence which watched over the Christ-Child. When Herod sought the Child to put Him to death, the Heavenly Father sent an angel but only as a messenger, giving orders for the flight; the rest He left entirely in your hands. It was that fatherly love which was the only refuge that received and protected the Divine Child. Your fatherly love carried Him through the desert into Egypt until all enemies were removed. Then on your arms the Child returned to Nazareth to be nourished and provided for during many years by the labor of your hands. Whatever a human son owes to a human father for all the benefits of his up-bringing and support, Jesus owed to you, because you were to Him a foster-father, teacher, and protector. You served the Divine Child with a singular love. God gave you a heart filled with heavenly, supernatural love -- a love far deeper and more powerful than any natural fathers love could be. You served the Divine Child with great unselfishness, without any regard to self-interest, but not without sacrifices. You did not toil for yourself, but you seemed to be an instrument intended for the benefit of others, to be put aside as soon as it had done its word, for you disappeared from the scene once the childhood of Jesus had passed. You were the shadow of the Heavenly Father not only as the earthly representative of the authority of the Father, but also by means of your fatherhood -- which only appeared to be natural -- you were to hide for a while the divinity of Jesus. What a wonderfully sublime and divine vocation was yours -- the loving Child which you carried in your arms, and loved and served so faithfully, had God in Heaven as Father and was Himself God! Yours is a very special rank among the saints of the Kingdom of God, because you were so much a part of the very life of the Word of God made Man. In your house at Nazareth and under your care the redemption of mankind was prepared. What you accomplished, you did for us. You are not only a powerful and great saint in the Kingdom of God, but a benefactor of the whole of Christendom and mankind. Your rank in the Kingdom of God, surpassing far in dignity and honor of all the angels, deserves our very special veneration, love, and gratitude. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of having been chosen by God to be the foster-father of His Divine Son. As a token of your own gratitude to God for this your greatest privilege, obtain for me the grace of a very devoted love for Jesus Christ, my God and my Savior. Help me to serve Him with some of the self-sacrificing love and devotion which you had while on this earth with Him. Grant that through your intercession with Jesus, your foster-Son, I may reach the degree of holiness God has destined for me, and save my soul. VIRGINAL HUSBAND OF MARY. Saint Joseph, I honor you as the true husband of Mary. Scripture says: Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, and of her was born Jesus who is called Christ (Matt. 1:16). Your marriage to Mary was a sacred contract by which you and Mary gave yourselves to each other. Mary really belonged to you with all she was and had. You had a right to her love and obedience; and no other person so won her esteem, obedience, and love. You were also the protector and witness of Marys virginity. By your marriage you gave to each other your virginity, and also the mutual right over it -- a right to safeguard the others virtue. This mutual virginity also belonged to the divine plan of the Incarnation, for God sent His angel to assure you that motherhood and virginity in Mary could be united. This union of marriage not only brought you into daily familiar association with Mary, the loveliest of Gods creatures, but also enabled you to share with her a mutual exchange of spiritual goods. And Mary found her edification in your calm, humble, and deep virtue, purity, and sanctity. What a great honor comes to you from this close union with her whom the Son of God calls Mother and whom He declared the Queen of heaven and earth! Whatever Mary had belonged by right to you also, and this included her Son, even though He had been given to her by God in a wonderful way. Jesus belonged to you as His legal father. Your marriage was the way which God chose to have Jesus introduced into the world, a great divine mystery from which all benefits have come to us. God the Son confided the guardianship and the support of His Immaculate Mother to your care. Marys life was that of the Mother of the Savior, who did not come upon earth to enjoy honors and pleasures, but to redeem the world by hard work, suffering, and the cross. You were the faithful companion, support, and comforter of the Mother of Sorrows. How loyal you were to her in poverty, journeying, work, and pain. Your love for Mary was based upon your esteem for her as Mother of God. After God and the Divine Child, you loved no one as much as her. Mary responded to this love. She submitted to your guidance with naturalness and easy grace and childlike confidence. The Holy Spirit Himself was the bond of the great love which united your hearts. Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the virginal husband of Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to love Jesus with all my heart, as you did, and love Mary with some of the tenderness and loyalty with which you loved her. -------- 1. St. JOSEPH, Chaste Spouse of the Holy Mother of God, by the SORROW with which thy heart was pierced at the thought of a cruel separation from Mary, and by the deep JOY that thou didst feel when the angel revealed to thee the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation, obtain for us from Jesus and Mary, the grace of surmounting all anxiety. Win for us from the Adorable Heart of Jesus the unspeakable peace of which He is the Eternal Source. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . . O my Jesus, Forgive us our sins, Save us from the fires of hell and Lead all Souls to Heaven, especially the ones in most of Your Mercy who are in Purgatory, Amen. 2. St. JOSEPH, Foster-Father of Jesus, by the bitter SORROW which thy heart experienced in seeing the Child Jesus lying in a manger, and by the JOY which thou didst feel in seeing the Wise men recognize and adore Him as their God, obtain by thy prayers that our heart, purified by thy protection, may become a living crib, where the Savior of the world may receive and bless our homage. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . . O my Jesus, Forgive us our sins, Save us from the fires of hell and Lead all Souls to Heaven, especially the ones in most of Your Mercy who are in Purgatory, Amen. 3. St. JOSEPH, by the SORROW with which thy heart was pierced at the sight of the Blood which flowed from the Infant Jesus in the Circumcision, and by the JOY that inundated thy soul at thy privilege of imposing the sacred and mysterious Name of Jesus, obtain for us that the merits of this Precious Blood may be applied to our souls, and that the Divine Name of Jesus may be engraved forever in our hearts. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . . O my Jesus, Forgive us our sins, Save us from the fires of hell and Lead all Souls to Heaven, especially the ones in most of Your Mercy who are in Purgatory, Amen. 4. St. JOSEPH, by the SORROW when the Lord declared that the soul of Mary would be pierced with a sword of sorrow, and by thy JOY when holy Simeon added that the Divine Infant was to be the resurrection of many, obtain for us the grace to have compassion on the sorrows of Mary, and share in the salvation which Jesus brought to the earth. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . . O my Jesus, Forgive us our sins, Save us from the fires of hell and Lead all Souls to Heaven, especially the ones in most of Your Mercy who are in Purgatory, Amen. 5. St. JOSEPH, by thy SORROW when told to fly into Egypt, and by thy JOY in seeing the idols overthrown at the arrival of the living God, grant that no idol of earthly affection may any longer occupy our hearts, but being like thee entirely devoted to the service of Jesus and Mary, we may live and happily die for them alone. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . . O my Jesus, Forgive us our sins, Save us from the fires of hell and Lead all Souls to Heaven, especially the ones in most of Your Mercy who are in Purgatory, Amen. 6. St. JOSEPH, by the SORROW of thy heart caused by the fear of the tyrant Archelaus and by the JOY in sharing the company of Jesus and Mary at Nazareth, obtain for us, that disengaged from all fear, we may enjoy the peace of a good conscience and may live in security, in union with Jesus and Mary, experiencing the effect of thy salutary assistance at the hour of our death. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . . O my Jesus, Forgive us our sins, Save us from the fires of hell and Lead all Souls to Heaven, especially the ones in most of Your Mercy who are in Purgatory, Amen. 7. St. JOSEPH, by the bitter SORROW with which the loss of the Child Jesus crushed thy heart, and by the holy JOY which inundated thy soul in recovering thy Treasure on entering the Temple, we supplicate thee not to permit us to lose our Saviour Jesus by sin. Yet, should this misfortune befall us, grant that we may share thy eagerness in seeking Him, and obtain for us the grace to find Him again, ready to show us His great mercy, especially at the hour of death; so that we may pass from this life to enjoy His presence in heaven, there to sing with thee His divine mercies forever. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be . . . O my Jesus, Forgive us our sins, Save us from the fires of hell and Lead all Souls to Heaven, especially the ones in most of Your Mercy who are in Purgatory, Amen. Let Us Pray O God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence has vouchsafed to choose Blessed Joseph to be the Spouse of Thy most holy Mother; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may deserve to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our holy protector: Who lives and reigns forever and ever, Amen. THE DEVOTION OF THE SEVEN SUNDAYS. The Seven Sundays in honor of St. Joseph are observed in the following manner: Holy Communion is received in his honor on seven consecutive Sundays, and on each Sunday the prayers in honor of the Seven Sorrows and the Seven Joys of St. Joseph are recited. An excellent means of obtaining special favors through the intercession of St. Joseph is to honor his seven sorrows and seven joys by the devotion of the Seven Sundays. This devotion may be practiced at any time of the year. St. Joseph - Prayer Gracious St. Joseph, protect me and my family from all evil as you did the Holy Family. Kindly keep us ever united in the love of Christ, ever fervent in the imitation of the virtue of our Blessed Lady, your sinless spouse, and always faithful in devotion to you. amen “Since we all must die, we should cherish a special devotion to St. Joseph, that he may obtain for us a happy death. LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us. Holy Mary, spouse of St. Joseph, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, confirmed in grace, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, guardian of the Word Incarnate, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, favorite of the King of Heaven, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, ruler of the family of Jesus, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, spouse of the ever-blessed Virgin, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, foster father to the Son of God, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, example of humility and obedience, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, mirror of silence and resignation, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, patron of innocence and youth, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, exited with Christ into Egypt, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, intercessor for the afflicted, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, advocate of the humble, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, model of every virtue, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, honored among men, Pray for us. Saint Joseph, in whom is the union of all Christian perfections, Pray for us. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. V. Pray for us, O holy Saint Joseph, R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let Us Pray Assist us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, by the merits of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that what our unworthiness cannot obtain, may be given us by his intercession with Thee, Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. Prayer to Saint Joseph O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in thee all my interests and desires. O thou Saint Joseph, do assist me by thy powerful intercession, and obtain for me from thy Divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that, having engaged here below thy heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers. O Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating thee, and Jesus asleep in thy arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near thy heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. Saint Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for me. Amen. Dearest Saint Joseph, Please Kiss Mary and Jesus for us and tell Them that we Love Them and we cannot wait to be with You and Them. God Loves those who Love and Venerate His Holy Ones, especially His Own Family, Amen.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 02:55:40 +0000
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