NINE DAY NOVENA IN HONOR OF SAINT
JOSEPH
FEAST DAY: MARCH 19TH
PRAYER BEFORE THE NOVENA
GREAT Saint Joseph, prostrate at thy feet with feelings of
unlimited confidence we beg thee to bless the Novena that I began in thy honor. I will
meditate upon thy virtues; grant that I may learn fully to appreciate them. The
knowledge of them will be the source of great confusion for me because of the
poverty and destitution of my soul.
Great dispenser of the heavenly treasures,
assist me in my poverty, help me to display thy virtues in my own soul. "Thou art
never invoked in vain," says the seraphic Theresa of Jesus; be thou to me what
thou hast been to that Spouse of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; graciously hearken to
me as thou didst hearken to her. Amen.
(MAKE YOUR PRAYER REQUEST)
PRAYERS TO BE SAID OVER THE
NINE DAYS
FIRST DAY
SECOND DAY
THIRD DAY
FOURTH DAY
FIFTH DAY
SIXTH DAY
SEVENTH DAY
EIGHTH DAY
NINTH DAY
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SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF THE LIFE OF FAITH
THE words
of the great Apostle: "The just man liveth by faith," may be applied
particularly to Saint Joseph who was the most just of men and whose life was
ever guided by faith. Joseph
submitted his intelligence to the holy truths of religion. He applied his heart
from his tenderest infancy to the observance of the divine precepts.
In the trials
and sorrows of life, Joseph was sustained by faith. He shaped his whole conduct by
the desire to please God and he attained the great aim of man upon earth, which is to adore
God, to serve Him, and hence to deserve the everlasting Truth.
Let us glorify this
great Servant of God who possessed faith so universal, so simple, so enlightened,
so firm, so constant, and, above all, so fruitful in good works.
Let us examine
ourselves with regard to this great virtue and see how we resemble him.
Is my
faith firm, unshaken? Is my conduct animated by faith! Is the predominant thought
that directs my acts to please God, and to obtain merit for everlasting life? Have
I
tried to derive consolation and strength from the thought of faith in time of
trial?
PRAYER
GREAT Saint,
† model of the just living by
faith, revive that virtue in our souls.
† May it be principle, † the motive,
† the aim of all my actions; consolation and my strength in the trials of this
life, the source of abundant merit for everlasting life.
† Amen
******
SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF HOPE
JOSEPH, abandoning himself entirely to the care
of Divine Providence, glorified God by his life. Among all the virtues, hope is
the most pleasing to God, because it is based upon His infinite goodness. In the
sufferings of this life it is the source of the greatest consolation and
encouragement.
Joseph
hoped in the Lord. He hoped for His grace in the accomplishment of His adorable
will; for His help in time of trial; for His light in the difficulties of life.
By hope he detached his heart from the perishable goods and the deceitful
affections of this world. In the hour of trial he sustained his courage by hope,
and fortified his heart with a peace that nothing could alter.
Let us imitate
Saint Joseph. Let us elevate our hopes towards the only veritable and
imperishable treasures. Let us trust in the wisdom and solicitude of Divine
Providence. Let us rely upon the grace of the Lord; upon His goodness, and upon
His power. Let us renew our confidence in the hour of trial. Let us avoid
discouragement, which outrages the wisdom and goodness of God.
PRAYER
JOSEPH,
† do thou cause the gift of Christian hope
to descend into my heart. † May it enlighten
me, † console me,
† defend me. †
May it detach me from the earth † so as to
elevate my thoughts and my affections towards Heaven.
† May it henceforward inspire my whole
conduct † and give me the right to die like
thee, † saying: "Lord, I have hoped in Thee;
† I shall not be confounded."
******
SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF CHARITY
JOSEPH loved God
from his earliest youth and loved Him during his whole life. Joseph loved God
with his whole heart, with his whole soul, with his whole strength. Joseph loved
God with a love of preference, giving Him his first affections, and cutting off
his heart from all that could hinder or alter his love for his Lord and
Sovereign Master. Joseph loved God with a love of union, keeping himself;
constantly united to God by prayer, meditation, the thought of His holy
presence, and the most perfect conformity to the will of God.
Joseph loved God
with a love of immolation which prompted him to perfect devotedness, enabling
him to perform with joy the greatest and most numerous sacrifices. Joseph loved
God with a love of perseverance that experienced neither decrease nor
alteration. He always loved God with all his power to love, and constantly endeavored to love Him more and more.
PRAYER
BLESSED Saint,
† enkindle in my cold heart a spark
of thy charity.
† May God be always the first and only
object of my affections.
† Keep my soul always, in
sanctifying peace,
† and, if I should be so unhappy as to
lose it,
† give me the strength to
recover it immediately by a sincere repentance.
Grant me such a love of my God
† as will always keep me
united to Him,
† and will be the principle and motive
of all my actions.
† Grant me a generous love that will
make me overcome all obstacles,
† and accept the greatest sacrifices
rather than separate myself from the charity of my God.
† Amen.
******
SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PURITY
"How beautiful is the
chaste generation!" (Wisdom iv) "The whole weight of gold is as nothing in
comparison with a pure soul." (Eccles. xxv)
SAINT
Joseph was preeminent in purity because he feared God and faithfully observed
His holy law; because he safeguarded his virtue by fear of the Sovereign Good
and by prudence; because he sheltered it under the virginity of Mary, and felt the
influence of Jesus, the divine Son of all sanctity.
How pure must he have been
who was to become the worthy spouse of the Immaculate Virgin! How holy must he
have been whose relations with the thrice holy God were so intimate.
PRAYER
JOSEPH,
†
help me to understand the excellence of purity
† and how dear it is to the heart
of God. Teach me to preserve carefully this delicate virtue
† and the shadow of
the fear of God;
† to safeguard it by prayer, by vigilance,
† by shunning the
world,
† by careful watch over my heart and my senses.
† Grant that I may hence
forward close my heart to all disorderly affections;
† that I may deserve to enjoy
like thee upon earth
† the friends and intimacy of Jesus,
† and that it may be given to me one day to sing in Heaven the canticle reserved for Virgins.
******
SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF HUMILITY
JOSEPH excelled in
humility because he realized that glory is due to God alone, and that, of himself,
man is but misery and nothingness. By reason of his humility Joseph was accorded
the most glorious privileges and entrusted with the most sublime mission. To
accomplish His designs, God employs only the humble who do not claim for themselves
the glory.
As Foster Father of Jesus and Spouse of the Queen Heaven and earth,
Joseph was more highly honored than any king in this world. What pretexts,
furnished by zeal for the glory of God, might have prompted him to speak, to
put himself forward, to attribute to himself the greatness of the precursor of
the Messiah, and the glories of the apostles! He rather conceals the astonishing
prodigies which have been revealed to him, and the sublimity of the functions he
exercises. Under an impenetrable veil he hides all that can draw upon him the
esteem of men.
PRAYER
O JOSEPH,
† what a lesson for me
† ever so eager to appear,
† so anxious to display before the eyes of men
† the graces that I owe entirely
to the liberality of God.
† Obtain that I may attribute to God the glory of all
things;
† that I may love the humble and hidden life;
† that I may not desire
any other position than the one given by Providence;
† and that I may always be
a docile instrument in the hands of God.
******
SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PATIENCE
CONSIDER how Joseph suffered in his life time. He tasted, indeed, ineffable consolations, but he also endured much suffering. In contrast with the glories
of his fallen family, his was a life of labor and self denial. What did he not have
to suffer, especially after the Incarnation of the Son of God? It is verily
Joseph who experienced that wherever Jesus enters, He comes with His Cross and
His Crown of Thorns.
He suffers in perfect conformity with the Divine Will.
Joseph renews his courage in the hope of eternal joys and treasures, in the
examples of patience which are given him by Jesus and Mary. Thus, whatever may
be his trials they cannot trouble the peace of his soul.
PRAYER
JOSEPH, model of
patience,
† teach me this virtue; which is so necessary
† in the midst of the
sufferings and trials of this sorrowful life.
Grant that your example and that
of Mary,
† as well as the hope of celestial joys,
† may ever renew my courage.
Amen.
******
SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PRUDENCE
LET US honor in Saint Joseph the faithful and prudent servant to
whom Almighty God entrusted the care of His family. Prudence inspired Saint
Joseph to adopt as the foundation and rule of his conduct, the great principles
of faith; God, the end of man in this world; God, the reward of man in eternity.
Remembering that life is short
and uncertain, that upon a moment may depend our eternity, Saint Joseph wisely
employs his time. He is careful to make a holy use of his senses and his other
faculties in order to give to his Lord and Master a faithful account of the
talents entrusted to him; he watches over the world around him, yielding to the
world in the measure willed by God, but not giving himself up to it. He makes
within himself a retreat accessible to God alone and impenetrable to creatures.
PRAYER
FAITHFUL and prudent servant,
† watch over my weakness and my
inexperience;
† obtain for me that prudence which reminds
me of my end,
† which directs my paths,
† and which protects me from every danger.
Amen.
******
SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF
OBEDIENCE
JOSEPH regarded obedience as rendering man particularly
pleasing to God. What esteem Joseph had particularly for obedience, when he
heard Mary answering the Angel: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done
unto me according to thy word!" When he saw Jesus submit to his orders,
anticipate his wishes, execute them faithfully and promptly! When he considered
that the Incarnate Word would be obedient until death, even the death of the
Cross.
PRAYER
JOSEPH, so faithful to display
in thy conduct the obedience of Jesus and Mary,
† obtain for me this important virtue.
† Obtain for me a perfect docility of heart
† to accomplish the will of God,
† and that of those who replace Him.
† Inspire me by your example,
† to obey with promptness and generosity;
† obtain for me above all,
† the grace to obey without murmuring,
† without reasoning
† upon the orders given me,
† in spite of every pretext,
† and with an entire immolation of my own
will.
******
SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF
DETACHMENT
SAINT Joseph loved poverty because it detaches man from all passing and perishable goods, delivers the soul from
dangerous obstacles, and from a thousand evils and cares, and permits him to
keep his eyes raised toward Heaven, instead of stooping, like a slave, toward
the earth.
Saint Joseph loved poverty, because he saw it practised in the
highest degree by Jesus Christ. Did he not regard it as a hidden and priceless
treasure, when he contemplated Jesus in His abnegation, when he saw Him stretch
out His divine hands to ask for the most necessary needs of life?
Saint Joseph
suffered the privations of life with patience, without murmur of complaint,
using his poverty to detach himself more and more from worldly goods, and to
seek the goods of Heaven.
PRAYER
() JOSEPH, make me understand the excellence of
poverty.
† Grant that I may enter into the interior dispositions
† which
animated thee in regard to that virtue.
† Disclose to me the snares of riches,
†
the dangers which are attached to them,
† the solicitude which they engender.
Make me understand how much God favors us,
† when he refuses us riches,
† since
he furnishes us a precious occasion to detach us from ourselves
† and from
creatures,
† and to increase our merit for Heaven. Amen.
******
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 Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one
God, Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Pray for us.
Saint Joseph, Pray for us.
Renowned offspring of David,
Pray for us.
Light of patriarchs, Pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God,
Pray
for us.
Chaste guardian of the Virgin,
Pray for us.
Foster Father of the Son of
God, Pray for us.
Diligent protector of Christ,
Pray for us.
Head of the Holy
Family, Pray for us.
Joseph, most just, Pray for us.
Joseph, most chaste, Pray
for us.
Joseph, most prudent, Pray for us.
Joseph, most strong, Pray for us.
Joseph, most obedient,
Pray for us.
Joseph, most faithful,
Pray for us.
Mirror
of patience, Pray for us.
Glory of home life, Pray for
us.
Guardian of virgins, Pray for us.
Pillar of families, Pray for us.
Saint Joseph, Lover of poverty,
Pray for us.
Model of laborers,
Pray for us.
Solace of the wretched,
Pray for us.
Hope of the sick, Pray for us.
Patron of the dying, Pray for us.
Terror of demons, Pray for us.
Protector of Holy Church,
Pray for us.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, 0
Lord,
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously bear us, 0
Lord,
Lamb of God, Who takest away
the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. He made
him the lord of His household.
R. And prince over all his possessions.
Let Us Pray
GOD, WHO in Thy ineffable
providence didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to be the spouse; of Thy
most holy Mother; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may have for our advocate in
heaven him whom we venerate as our protector on earth: Who livest and reignest
world without end. Amen.
SAINT TERESA OF AVILA HIGHLY RECOMMENDS PRAYING TO
SAINT JOSEPH TO OBTAIN FAVORS FROM GOD
"I took for my advocate and
lord the glorious Saint Joseph and commended myself earnestly to him; and I
found that this my father and lord delivered me both from this trouble and also
from other and greater troubles concerning my honour[91] and the loss of my
soul, and that he gave me greater blessings than I could ask of him. I do not
remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to
grant. I am astonished at the great favours
which God has bestowed on me through this blessed saint, and at the perils from which He
has freed me, both in body and in soul. To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace
to succour us in some of our necessities but of this glorious saint my experience is that
he succours us in them all and that the Lord wishes to teach us that as He was Himself
subject to him on earth (for, being His guardian and being called His father, he could
command Him) just so in Heaven He still does all that he asks. This has also been the
experience of other persons whom I have advised to commend themselves to him; and even
to-day there are many who have great devotion to him through having newly experienced this
truth.
I used to try to keep his feast
with the greatest possible solemnity[92]; but, though my intentions were good, I would
observe it with more vanity than spirituality, for I always wanted things to be done very
meticulously and well. I had this unfortunate characteristic that, if the Lord gave me
grace to do anything good, the way I did it was full of imperfections and extremely
faulty. I was very assiduous and skilful in wrongdoing and in my meticulousness and
vanity. May the Lord forgive me. I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to this
glorious saint, for I have great experience of the blessings which he can obtain from God.
I have never known anyone to be truly devoted to him and render him particular services
who did not notably advance in virtue, for he gives very real help to souls who commend
themselves to him. For some years now, I think, I have made some request of him every year
on his festival and I have always had it granted. If my petition is in any way ill
directed, he directs it aright for my greater good.
If I were a person writing with
authority, I would gladly describe, at greater length and in the minutest detail, the
favours which this glorious saint has granted to me and to others. But in order not to do
more than I have been commanded I shall have to write about many things briefly, much more
so than I should wish, and at unnecessarily great length about others: in short, I must
act like one who has little discretion in all that is good. I only beg, for the love of
God, that anyone who does not believe me will put what I say to the test, and he will see
by experience what great advantages come from his commending himself to this glorious
patriarch and having devotion to him. Those who practise prayer should have a special
affection for him always. I do not know how anyone can think of the Queen of the Angels,
during the time that she suffered so much with the Child Jesus, without giving thanks to
Saint Joseph for the way he helped them. If anyone cannot find a master to teach him how
to pray, let him take this glorious saint as his master and he will not go astray. May the
Lord grant that I have not erred in venturing to speak of him; for though I make public
acknowledgment of my devotion to him, in serving and imitating him I have always failed.
He was true to his own nature when he cured my paralysis and gave me the power to rise and
walk; and I am following my own nature in using this favour so ill."