O glorious Saint Joseph, steadfast follower of Jesus Christ, I am confident that your prayers for me will be graciously heard at the throne of God.
To you I lift my heart and hands, asking your powerful intercession to obtain from the compassionate heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal well-being, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace for which I now pray (mention your request.)
Saint Joseph, guardian of the Word Incarnate, by the love you bear for Jesus Christ, and for the glory of his name, hear my prayer and obtain my petitions. Amen.
I looked back at my old posts to see what I did last year and found this post where my husband and I prayed a novena to St. Joseph for our special intention of becoming parents. I am so humbled to think that less than two months later our sweet Tommy was born. God is so good!
My life was full of so much grace last year - starting with my retreat in January (which focused on St Joseph) and a fruitful Lent leading up to our pilgrimage to Lourdes/Rome during Holy Week/Easter. My prayer life was in a really good place and I'm striving to return to that. Lately I have been lulled into complacency, and I know that I need to make a change. I felt the Lord calling me back to Him when I read this passage from the Ash Wednesday readings:
Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart.
(Joel 2:12)
I will end with this reflection on St. Joseph - also stolen from one of my previous posts. I pray you are all having a blessed Lent!
Joseph. He is the man on the outskirts, standing in the shadows, silently waiting, there when wanted and always ready to help. He is the man in whose life God is constantly intervening with warnings and visions. Without complaint he allows his own plans to be set aside. He is the man who dreams of setting up a quiet house-hold, simply leading a decent home life and going about his everyday affairs, attending to his business and worshiping God and who, instead, is condemned to a life of wandering.
His message is willing obedience. He is the man who serves. It never enters his head to question God's commands. Unquestioning service is the secret of his life. It is his message for us. How proud and presumptuous and self-sufficient we are. We have crabbed and confined God within the pitiable limits of our obstinacy and our complacency.
The prayer of Saint Paul - do with me what you will - the quiet and willing readiness to serve of the man Joseph, could lead us to a truer and more genuine freedom.
-Father Alfred Delp, SJ
I started the novena today! I like the "unquestioning service" line from your posted reflection. Makes me think of my excerpt from True Devotion last night ;)
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteHere in Mexico a group of friends and I also have started the Novena. We will join you!
We can include your intentions in ours if you want. It can then become an international Novena.
On the 16th we will have a mass in the Basilica of Guadalupe in honor of St Joseph celebrated by bishops with hundreds of adoptive families. I will include a very special intention in thanks for Tommy and for the growth of your family.
In our cases the intentions are: In thanks for the adoption of Florentina, for the adoption and/or pregnancy for us, for a good job for both my DH and Frederic, for all the projects in our adoption agency.
Let me know if you want us to pray for yours!
The reflection you posted is what I have envisioned about St. Joseph, for whom I have long had affection.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am starting this novena today. I will include the intentions posted here on this blog today, so I will not start it until I return from work later this evening.
If you would like to join mine to yours, I would so appreciate it. There is enormous evil and deception at the university where I work; many have been gravely injured (far beyond job loss); those of us who are trying to fight it are in danger on many fronts. I am not exaggerating. I am praying that the many evil doers are exposed for what they are and stopped, for those of us fighting the evil to be protected from all evil and harm, and for my being blessed with another job.
Thank you so much.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
-Danielle
Thanks for the Novena, DH and I are going to start it today for our intentions (our house and the gift of life).
ReplyDeleteThanks again and God Bless!
I'm starting a Novena tonight, with the help of some prayer warriors :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this! I love St. Joseph! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm in too!!!!
ReplyDeleteJoseph is dear to my heart as well!