In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Father, who art in Heaven; hallowed by Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
(new text)
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
(old text)
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
(new text)
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
(old text)
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
(new text)
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
(old text)
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. 0 clement, 0 loving, 0 sweet Virgin Mary! (Pray for us, 0 holy Mother of God.) That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to heaven especially those who are in most need of Your mercy.
(Let us pray.) O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech Thee, that, meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bless us, O Lord and these Your gifts which we are about to receive from Your bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen.
or
Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We give You thanks for all Your benefits, Almighty God, who lives and reigns, world without end. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
or
We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, who livest and reignest world without end. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name, my God, have mercy. Amen.
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name, my God, have mercy. Amen.
Most merciful God, and Father in heaven, relying on Your goodness and mercy, I come to You with filial confidence to confess my sins and to implore Your forgiveness. You will not despise a contrite and humble heart. Bless me and receive me again into Your favor; I acknowledge that I have been most ungrateful to You, but I sincerely repent and detest the wrong I have done, and I desire to walk again in the way of perfection in accordance with Your holy will.
O Jesus, my Savior, my good Shepherd, I have strayed far from the path that You have marked out for me; I did not follow in Your footsteps; I wandered into forbidden places. Repentant and sorrowful, I beg to be admitted again into the fold of Your faithful followers. I want to confess my sins with the same sincerity as I should wish to do at the moment of my death. My Jesus, I look to You with confidence for the grace to examine my conscience well.
O Holy Spirit come in Your mercy; enlighten my mind and strengthen my will that I may know my sins, humbly confess them, and sincerely amend my life.
Mary, my Mother, immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit, refuge of sinners, assist me by your intercession.
Holy angels and saints of God, pray for me. Amen.
(new text)
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. Amen.
(old text)
I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. Amen.
O my God! I firmly believe that You are one God in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; I believe that Your Divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because You revealed them, Who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen.
or
O my God! I firmly believe that Thou art one God in three Divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; I believe that Thy Divine Son became man, and died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, who canst neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen.
O my God, relying on Your almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon for my sins, the help of Your grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.
or
O my God! relying on Thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.
O my God, I love You above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because You are all good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of You. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen.
or
O my God! I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all-good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen.
V: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R: And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
(Hail Mary)
V: Behold the handmaid of the Lord
R: Be it done unto me according to thy word.
(Hail Mary)
V: And the Word was made Flesh.
R: And dwelt among us.
(Hail Mary)
V: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray
Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord, Your grace into our hearts; that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Your Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
or
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Said instead of the Angelus during the Easter Season)
V. Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia:
R. For he whom you merited to bear, alleluia,
V. Has risen, as He said, alleluia.
R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.
Let us pray. O God, who by the Resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, granted joy to the whole world: grant, we beg You, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may lay hold of the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray. O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world for ruin of souls. Amen.
Angel of God, my guardian dear to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day (night), be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in thanksgiving for your favors, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.
Direct, we beg you, O Lord, our actions by your holy inspirations, and grant that we may carry them out with your gracious assistance, that every prayer and work of ours may begin always with you, and through you be happily ended. Amen.
O my God, at the end of this day I thank you most heartily for all the graces I have received from you. I am sorry that I have not made a better use of them. I am sorry for all the sins I have committed against you. Forgive me, O my God, and graciously protect me this night. Blessed Virgin Mary, my dear heavenly mother, take me under your protection. St. Joseph, my dear guardian angel, and all you saints of God, pray for me. Sweet Jesus, have pity on all poor sinners, and save them from hell. Have mercy on the suffering souls in purgatory.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor.
Come, source of all our store.
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
shine within these hearts of yours,
and our inmost being fill.
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In Your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give us your salvation, Lord;
Give us joys that never end.
Amen. Alleluia.
(Or)
Come, O Holy Spirit, come! / From Your bright and blissful Home /
Rays of healing light impart.
Come, Father of the poor, / Source of gifts that will endure /
Light of every human heart.
You of all consolers best, / Of the soul most kindly Guest, /
Quickening courage do bestow.
In hard labor You are rest, / In the heat You refresh best, / And
solace give in our woe.
O most blessed Light divine, / Let Your radiance in us shine, /
And our inmost being fill.
Nothing good by man is thought, / Nothing right by him is wrought,
/ When he spurns Your gracious Will.
Cleanse our souls from sinful stain, / Lave our dryness with Your
rain, / Heal our wounds and mend our way.
Bend the stubborn heart and will, / Melt the frozen, warm the
chill, / Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful who in You, / Trust with childlike piety, / Deign
Your sevenfold gift to send.
Give them virtue's rich increase, / Saving grace to die in peace,
/ Give them joys that never end.
Amen. Alleluia.
return to Holy Spirit Prayers list
Come, Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Your well-beloved spouse. (3 times)
return to Holy Spirit Prayers list
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit, O Lord, and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray: O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of your faithful, grant that by the same Spirit, we may be truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen
return to Holy Spirit Prayers list
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy,
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love only what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy. Amen.
return to Holy Spirit Prayers list
Come Holy Spirit, enlighten my heart, to see the things which are of God; Come Holy Spirit, into my mind, that I may know the things that are of God; Come Holy Spirit, into my soul, that I belong only to God. Sanctify all that I think, say and do, that all will be for the glory of God. Amen.
return to Holy Spirit Prayers list
Spirit of Christ, stir me; Spirit of Christ, move me; Spirit of Christ, fill me; Spirit of Christ, seal me. Consecrate in me Your Heart and Will, O Heavenly Father. Create in me a fountain of virtues. Seal my soul as Your own, that Your reflection in me may be a light for all to see. Amen.
return to Holy Spirit Prayers list
Christ Jesus, before ascending into heaven, You promised to send
the Holy Spirit to Your apostles and disciples. Grant that the
same Spirit may perfect in our lives the work of Your grace and
love.
Grant us the Spirit of Fear of The Lord that we may be filled with
a loving reverence toward You.
the Spirit of Piety that we may find peace and fulfillment in the
service of God while serving others;
the Spirit of Fortitude that we may bear our cross with You and,
with courage, overcome the obstacles that interfere with our
salvation;
the Spirit of Knowledge that we may know You and know ourselves
and grow in holiness;
the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our minds with the light
of Your truth;
the Spirit of Counsel that we may choose the surest way of doing
Your will, seeking first the Kingdom;
Grant us the Spirit of Wisdom that we may aspire to the things
that last forever;
Teach us to be Your faithful disciples and animate us in every way
with Your Spirit. Amen.
return to Holy Spirit Prayers list
Come, Holy Spirit, replace the tension within us with a holy relaxation. Replace the turbulence within us with a sacred calm. Replace the anxiety within us with a quiet confidence. Replace the fear within us with a strong faith. Replace the bitterness within us with the sweetness of grace. Replace the darkness within us with a gentle light. Replace the coldness within us with a loving warmth. Replace the night within us with Your light. Replace the winter within us with Your spring. Straighten our crookedness. Fill our emptiness. Dull the edge of our pride. Sharpen the edge of our humility. Light the fires of our love. Quench the flames of our lust. Let us see ourselves as You see us, that we may see You as You have promised, And be fortunate according to Your word, Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Amen.
return to Holy Spirit Prayers list
O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church: Grant her love and the light of Your Spirit, and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to You, O Lord. Lord, give us holy priests; You yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil’s traps and snares which are continually being set for the souls of priests. May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You can do all things.
Jesus, my most beloved, I beg You for the triumph of the Church, for blessing on the Holy Father, and on all the clergy; for the grace of conversion for impenitent sinners. And I ask You for a special blessing and for light, O Jesus, for the priests before whom I will make my confessions throughout my lifetime.
O God our Creator, from your provident hand we have received our right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome—for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us—this great land will always be "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
Christ the Lord has called us out of darkness into his marvelous
light. Let us turn to him in humble but fervent petition, seeking
the grace to root out from our hearts all trace of darkness, and
all that holds us back from walking in the full freedom of the
children of God.
As Christ is our great model for that inner freedom, which enables
us to do the right, let us turn to him with confidence that we,
too, may follow him to the fullness of spiritual freedom.
V/. Lord, have mercy; R/. Lord, have mercy.
V/. Christ, have mercy; R/. Christ, have mercy.
V/. Lord, have mercy; R/. Lord, have mercy.
V/. Jesus, victor over sin and death… R/. Free our hearts.
Jesus, source of light and hope… Free our hearts.
Jesus, fullness of truth and mystery… Free our hearts.
Jesus, teacher of seeking hearts… Free our hearts.
Jesus, healer of body and soul… Free our hearts.
Jesus, bringer of mercy and justice… Free our hearts.
Jesus, who humble the heart and mind… Free our hearts.
Jesus, release of captives… Free our hearts.
Jesus, voice against violence… Free our hearts.
Jesus, courage for the lowly/downtrodden… Free our hearts.
Jesus, origin of all authority and power… Free our hearts.
Jesus, true lawgiver… Free our hearts.
Jesus, unity of order and passion… Free our hearts.
Jesus, freedom of the Spirit… Free our hearts.
Jesus, obedient Son of the Father… Free our hearts.
V/. For the freedom to love… R/. Give us your grace.
For the freedom to believe… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to hope… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to worship… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to serve in charity… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to care for the suffering… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to comfort the sick… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to feed the hungry… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to shelter the homeless… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to proclaim the Gospel… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to walk in chastity… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to live in peace… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to work in good conscience… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to stand in solidarity… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to seek justice… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to reject sin… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to reject coercion… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to reject falsehood… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to reject evil temptations… Give us your grace.
For the freedom to reject injustice… Give us your grace.
CLOSING PRAYER
O God, who gave one origin to all peoples and willed to gather
from them one family for yourself, fill all hearts, we pray, with
the fire of your love and kindle in them a desire for the just
advancement of their neighbor, that, through the good things which
you richly bestow upon all, each human person may be brought to
perfection, every division may be removed, and equity and justice
may be established in human society. Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
R/. Amen.
Almighty and eternal God, You gather the scattered sheep and watch over those You have gathered. Look kindly on all who follow Jesus, You Son. You have marked them with the seal of one baptism; now make them one in the fullness of faith and unite them in the bond of love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O almighty eternal God, look upon the face of your Christ and for the love of Him who is the eternal high priest, have pity on your priests. Stir up in them the grace of their vocations, which are in them by the imposition of the bishop’s hands. Keep them close to you, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.
O Jesus, I pray for Your faithful and fervent priests, for Your unfaithful and tepid priests, for Your priests laboring at home, or abroad in distant mission fields, for Your tempted priests, for Your lonely and desolate priests, for Your young priests, for Your aged priests, for Your sick priests, for Your dying priests, for the souls of your priests in purgatory.
But above all I commend to you the priests dearest to me: the priest who baptized me, the priests who absolved me from my sins, the priests at whose Masses I attended, and the priests who gave me your body and blood in holy communion, the priests who taught me and instructed me or helped me and encouraged me, all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way. (Silence for a moment: may mention the name of the priests you pray for.)
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.
O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep all your priests within the shelter of your Sacred Heart, where none may harm them. Keep unstained their anointed hands which daily touch your Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips purpled with your Precious Blood. Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the sublime marks of your glorious priesthood. Let your holy love surround them and shield them from the world's contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they have ministered be here below their joy and consolation and in Heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen.
My Dear Jesus, You desire that we pray the Lord of the harvest that He send zealous laborers into His harvest. Deign to raise up in Your Church, and especially in this diocese, numerous and holy priests who, taking Your Divine Heart as their Model, will, in the exercise of their holy priesthood, promote the glory of Your heavenly Father and the salvation of those souls whom You have redeemed with Your Precious Blood. Give us truly holy priests who, inflamed with the fire of Your divine love, seek nothing but Your greater glory and the salvation of souls.
O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us many holy priests.
O God, you so loved the world that in the fullness of time you sent your only Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. We now ask you, the Master of the Harvest, to send workers into the harvest for the harvest is great but the workers are few. Bless the vineyard of the world with priests and religious who will teach in your Son's name, walk in His footsteps and break bread in His memory. Amen.
O Jesus, our most loving Redeemer, who having come to enlighten the world with Thy teaching and example, didst will to pass the greater part of Thy life in humility and subjection to Mary and Joseph in the poor home of Nazareth, thus sanctifying the Family that was to be an example for all Christian families, graciously receive our family as it dedicates and consecrates itself to Thee this day. Do Thou protect us, guard us and establish amongst us Thy holy fear, true peace and concord in Christian love: in order that by living according to the divine pattern of Thy family we may be able, all of us without exception, to attain to eternal happiness.
Mary, dear Mother of Jesus and Mother of us, by the kindly intercession make this our humble offering acceptable in the sight of Jesus, and obtain for us His graces and blessings.
O Saint Joseph, most holy Guardian of Jesus and Mary, help us by thy prayers in all our spiritual and temporal needs; that so we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior Jesus, together with Mary and thee, for all eternity.
Lord God, from You every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. Father, You are love and life. Through your Son, Jesus Christ, born of woman, and through the Holy Spirit, the fountain of divine charity, grant that every family on earth may become for each successive generation a true shrine of life and love.
Grant that your grace may guide the thoughts and actions of husbands and wives for the good of their families and of all the families in the world.
Grant that the young may find in the family solid support for their human dignity and for their growth in truth and love.
Grant that love, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament of marriage, may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials through which our families sometimes pass.
Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that the Church may fruitfully carry out her worldwide mission in the family and through the family.
We ask this of You, who are life, truth, and love with the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O God, you have created us in love and saved us in mercy, and through the bond of marriage you have established the family and willed that it should become a sign of Christ's love for his Church. Shower your blessings on this family gathered here in your name. Enable those who are joined by one love to support one another by their fervor of spirit and devotion to prayer. Make them responsive to the needs of others and witnesses to the faith in all they say and do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, be with us as a family so that we may always have a great love for your Sacred Heart. Make us gentle, courteous, and loving in our dealings with each other. Take from us all misunderstanding so that no angry or bitter word may ever cross our lips, and grant that we may always treat each other as You treated those with whom You shared your human family. Amen.
O God the Father of mankind, who has given to me these my children, and committed them to my charge to bring them up for You, and to prepare them for eternal life: help me with Your heavenly grace, that I may be able to fulfill this most sacred duty and stewardship. Teach me both what to give and what to withhold; when to reprove and when to forbear; make me to be gentle, yet firm; considerate and watchful; and deliver me equally from the weakness of indulgence, and the excess of severity; and grant that, both by word and example, I may be careful to lead them in the ways of wisdom and true piety, so that at last I may, with them, be admitted to the unspeakable joys of our true home in heaven, in the company of the blessed Angels and Saints. Amen.
O Heavenly Father, I commend my children to Thy care. Be Thou their God and Father; and mercifully supply whatever is lacking in me through frailty or negligence. Strengthen them to overcome the corruptions of the world, whether from within or without; and deliver them from the secret snares of the enemy. Pour Thy grace into their hearts, and strengthen and multiply in them the gifts of Thy Holy Spirit, that they may daily grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; and so, faithfully serving Thee here, may come to rejoice in Thy presence hereafter. Amen.
O Lord, omnipotent Father, we give you thanks for having given us children. They are our joy, and we accept with serenity the worries, fear and labors which bring us pain. Help us to love them sincerely. Through us you gave life to them; from eternity you knew them and loved them. Give us wisdom to guide them, patience to teach them, vigilance to accustom them to the good through our example.
Support our love so that we may receive them back when they have strayed and make them good. It is often so difficult to understand them, to be as they would want us to be, to help them to go on their way. Grant that they may always see our home as a haven in their time of need. Teach us and help us, O good Father, through the merits of Jesus, your Son and our Lord. Amen.
Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, we most fervently implore You to take our children under Your special care and enclose them in the love of Your Sacred Heart. Rule and guide them that they may live according to our holy faith, that they may not waiver in their confidence in You and may ever remain faithful in Your love.
O Mary, blessed Mother of Jesus, grant to our children a place in your pure maternal heart, Spread over them your protecting mantle when danger threatens their innocence; keep them firm when they are tempted to stray from the path of virtue; and should they have the misfortune to fall, oh, raise them up again and reconcile them with Your Divine Son.
Holy foster father, St. Joseph, watch over our children. Protect them from the assaults of the wicked enemy, and deliver them from all dangers of soul and body.
Mary and Joseph, dear parents of the holy Child Jesus, intercede for us that we may be a good example and bring up our children in the love and fear of God, and one day attain with them the Beatific Vision in Heaven. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we give thanks to you, for in your love and mercy you have called us to be your children and sharers of your divine life. We pray for our young people.
May they cherish your care and concern for them, and, with the same loving care, serve the poor and the needy, and protect the weak.
Sustained by your grace, may young people put their faith into practice. May they strive for holiness and lead others to achieve the same goal. In this way, may they help to bring about the transformation of the world.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Eternal Father, through the powerful intercession of our Mother of Perpetual Help, I come to beg Your guidance and strength, during the important time of courtship.
Help us to realize, that genuine love, deep and lasting, is Your own gift to those who respect and reverence one another. Take from our hearts all trace of selfishness, so that in all things we may help each other to grow in true friendship. Convince us that true love will not hurt... use... or abuse the one loved.
To this end, keep ever growing in us an ardent love of Your Son and Our Savior Jesus Christ, by means of constant prayer, and frequent Holy Communion. May the bright hope of a happy marriage, make us determined to prepare well, by avoiding sin, and the dangers that can so easily lead us into sin.
We thank You for our love, and we desire to consecrate it to You. Keep it always pure, so that we may continue to live as worthy children of Mary our Mother and you our heavenly Father. We ask you this through the Spirit of Jesus, The Holy Spirit of perfect Love. Amen.
We thank you, O God, for the love You have implanted in our hearts. May it always inspire us to be kind in our words, considerate of feeling, and concerned for each other’s needs and wishes.
Help us to be understanding and forgiving of human weaknesses and failings. Increase our faith and trust in You and may Your Prudence guide our life and love.
Bless our Marriage O God, with Peace and Happiness, and make our love fruitful for Your glory and our joy both here and in eternity. Amen.
Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another's weaknesses and grow from each other's strengths. Help us to forgive one another's failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self.
May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to You through our love for each other. Let our love grow to perfection. Amen.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the gift of ____________. Help me always to see him as a gift from You to me. Help me to be the good wife and mother You want me to be.
Father, please help my husband to be the good man You want him to be. Help him to grow in faith and all the virtues he needs as husband, father, and provider. Help him to exercise the spiritual leadership of our family that You have entrusted to his care. Help us to be ever faithful to You and to each other in thought, word and deed. Help us to be good parents and to grow ever closer as we grow old together. I ask this in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the gift of ____________. Help me always to see her as a gift from You to me. Help me to be the good husband and father You want me to be.
Father, please help my wife to be the good woman You want her to be. Help her to grow in all the virtues she needs as wife, mother, and homemaker. Help her to be the real heart of our family, and help her to accept the leadership that You have entrusted to my care. Help us to be good parents and to grow ever closer as we grow old together. I ask this in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Humble Mary of Nazareth, you were chosen by God to bear within you our world’s greatest gift, the Savior of all humanity. I come to you now on behalf of (here mention name) who prays for the health and safety of the child that God has graced her to conceive.
Guard this life that God has created, and protect the mother God has chosen for this child. Let your gentle hands, like that of a skilled physician, assist in her delivery so that this baby will know good health and lasting happiness.
May her child be favored with the grace of Holy Baptism, and grow to love our Lord Jesus Christ above all else in this world. Amen.
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life. Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy. Grant that all who believe in your Son may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time. Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new, the job of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, in order to build, together will all people of good will, the civilization of truth and love, to praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life.
O Almighty God, you gave us the commandment to honor our father and mother. In your loving kindness hear my prayer for my parents. Give them long lives and keep them well in body and spirit. Bless their labors; keep them always in your care. Bless them generously for their loving care for me. Grant that, through your grace, I may always be their support and comfort, and that, after our life together on earth, we may experience the joy of together praising you forever. Amen.
O Almighty God, You have given me my father and mother and made them to be an image of your authority. Bless them, I beseech You, with health of mind and body and all necessary graces, and grant me your assistance to love, honor and obey them in all things. Amen.
St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste husband of Mary, you passed your life in loving fulfillment of duty. You supported the holy family of Nazareth with the work of your hands. Kindly protect those who trustingly come to you. You know their aspirations, their hardships, their hopes. They look to you because they know you will understand and protect them. You too knew trial, labor and weariness. But amid the worries of material life your soul was full of deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with God's Son entrusted to you and with Mary, his tender Mother. Assure those you protect that they do not labor alone. Teach them to find Jesus near them and to watch over him faithfully as you have done.
Most merciful Jesus, I beseech You through the intercession of Your Saints, and especially the intercession of Your dearest Mother who nurtured You from childhood, bless my native land. I beg You, Jesus, look not on our sins, but on the tears of little children, on the hunger and cold they suffer. Jesus, for the sake of these innocent ones, grant me the grace that I am asking of You for my country.
(Imprimatur: Bishop William E. Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport Connecticut)
Hail, Holy Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of all nations and all people. You are the special heavenly Mother of the Chinese people.
Teach us your way of total obedience to God's will. Help us to live our lives true to our faith. Fill our hearts with burning love for God and each other. Stir up in our youth an unconditional giving of self to the service of God.
We call on your powerful intercession for peace, reconciliation and unity among believers and the conversion of the unbelievers in China and throughout the world, for God's mercy is our only hope.
Our Lady of China, Mother of Jesus, hear our petitions and pray for us. Amen.
(Promoted by Cardinal Thomas Tien Keng-Hsin)
Almighty and eternal God, Comforter of the afflicted, and Strength of the suffering, grant that our brothers of China who share our faith, may obtain, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of our holy Martyrs, peace in Thy service, strength in time of trial, and the grace to glorify Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Lady of China, help of Christians, intercede with your son, the Redeemer of mankind that those in pain may find relief and comfort and that so much suffering may not remain fruitless.
Obtain light for those who guide the destiny of the Chinese Nation, that they may not lack the necessary wisdom, in searching for the good of all, which has at its basis respect for Truth, Justice and Freedom. Amen.
Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title 'Help of Christians, ' the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection. We come before you today to implore your protection. Look upon the People of God and, with a mother's care, guide them along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.
When you obediently said 'yes' in the house of Nazareth, you allowed God's eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption. You willingly and generously co-operated in that work, allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul, until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary, standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.
From that moment, you became, in a new way, the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith and choose to follow in His footsteps by taking up His Cross. Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter. Grant that your children may discern at all times, even those that are darkest, the signs of God's loving presence.
Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trails, continue to believe, to hope, to love. May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and of the world to Jesus. In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high, offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love. Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love, ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built. Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!
Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary, we adore Your majesty and acknowledge Your supreme eternal dominion and authority.
Most Holy Trinity, we place the United States of America into the hands of Mary Immaculate in order that she may present the country to You. Through the intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic Church in America. Have mercy on our President and on all the officers of our government. Protect family life in our nation. Grant the precious gift of many vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Have mercy on the sick, the poor, the tempted, and all who are in need.
Mary Immaculate Virgin, Our Mother, Patroness of our land, we honor you and ask your maternal protection and care for us. Obtain for us the graces we need to live and die according to the Will of your Divine Son. Amen.
(www.menofthesacredhearts.org)
O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, at this most critical time, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care.
Most Holy Mother, we beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of your Son. Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of our nation, we cry to you from the depths of our hearts and seek refuge in your motherly protection.
Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom.
Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion and threatens the sanctity of family life. Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God's law is the foundation on which this nation was founded, and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death and the strength to build a new Culture of Life. Amen.
composed by Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples
Forgive us for the war, Lord.
Lord Jesus, son of God, have mercy on us sinners.
Lord Jesus, born under the bombs of Kyiv, have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, dead in the arms of a mother in Kharkiv, have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, in the 20-year-olds sent to the frontline, have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, who continues to see hands armed with weapons under the shadow of the cross, forgive us, Lord.
Forgive us if, not content with the nails with which we pierced your hand, we continue to drink from the blood of the dead torn apart by weapons.
Forgive us if these hands that you had created to protect have been turned into instruments of death.
Forgive us, Lord, if we continue to kill our brother. Forgive us, Lord, if we continue to kill our brother, if we continue like Cain to take the stones from our field to kill Abel.
Forgive us if we go out of our way to justify cruelty, if, in our pain, we legitimize the cruelty of our actions. Forgive us the war, Lord.
Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, we implore you to stop the hand of Cain, enlighten our conscience, let not our will be done, do not abandon us to our own doing. Stop us, Lord, stop us, and when you have stopped the hand of Cain, take care of him also. He is our brother.
O Lord, stop the violence. Stop us, Lord. Amen.
Realizing, dear Mother, that you are our perpetual help, not only in spiritual but also in temporal necessities, we ask you to help us in our present financial worry. Because of unavoidable circumstances which have arisen in our lives, we are in great want and financial embarrassment, since we are unable to meet our honest debts. We are not asking, dearest Mother of Perpetual Help, for wealth, if the possession of it is not in accordance with the will of God; we merely ask you for that assistance which will help us to settle our present obligations. We believe, dear Mother of God, that you are extremely kind and generous to all your loving and devoted children. We plead with you, therefore, dear Mother, to obtain for us the help we so urgently need. We are trying so earnestly to solve our problem but we believe in your powerful intercession with Our Lord Jesus Christ, you Son and our Redeemer. Amen.
Glorious Saint Joseph, you are the pattern of all who work. Obtain for me, please, the grace to work conscientiously and to put devotion to duty before my selfish inclinations. Help me to labor in thankfulness and joy, for it is an honor to employ and to develop by my labor the gifts I have received from almighty God. Grant that I may work in orderliness, peace, moderation and patience without shrinking from weariness and difficulties. I offer my fatigue and perplexities as reparation for sin. I shall work, above all, with a pure intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill-spent, of talents unemployed, of good undone, and of empty pride in success, which is so fatal to the work of God. For Jesus through Mary, all in imitation of you, good Saint Joseph. This shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen.
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, You wanted all who are weary to come to You for support. Lord, I am worn out by my inability to find work.
Guide my steps to a righteous path; give me the patience to find opportunities with a future. Calm my worries and fears as my financial responsibilities mount. Strengthen my resolve; embolden my heart to open doors; open my eyes to see life beyond rejections. Help me believe in me.
Let me realize other ways to bring about Your kingdom on earth. Let me grow as a person that I may be worthy for Your greater glory. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
O Saint Joseph, we pray to you for those who are out of work, for those who want to earn their living or support their families.
You who are the patron of workers; grant that unemployment may vanish from our ranks; that all those who are ready to work may put their strength and abilities in serving their fellowmen and earn a just salary.
You are the patron of families; do not let those who have children to support and raise lack the necessary means. Have pity on our brothers and sisters held down in unemployment and poverty because of sickness or social disorders. Help our political leaders and captains of industry find new and just solutions. May each and every one have the joy of contributing, according to his abilities, to the common prosperity by an honorable livelihood. Grant that we may all share together in the abundant goods God has given us and that we may help underprivileged countries. Amen.
All-powerful and ever-living God, when Abraham left his own land and departed from his own people, you kept him safe all through his journey. Protect us, who also are your servants. Walk by our side to help us; be our companion and our strength on the road and our refuge in every adversity. Lead us, O Lord, so that we will reach our destination in safety and happily return to our homes. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with all its love, all its sufferings and all its merits.
To expiate all the sins I have committed this day and during all my life. (Glory Be)
To purify the good I have done poorly this day and during all my life. (Glory Be)
To supply for the good I ought to have done, and that I have neglected this day and all my life. (Glory Be)
(Mary Mother of the Poor Foundation)
Lord, look upon me with eyes of mercy. May your Healing Spirit rest upon me. It is through Your power that I was created. Since You created me from nothing, You certainly can recreate me. Fill me with the healing power of Your Spirit. May your life-giving powers flow into every cell of my body and into the depths of my soul. Mend what is broken. Cast out anything that should not be within me. Rebuild my brokenness. Restore my strength for the service in Your Kingdom. Touch my soul with Your compassion for others. Touch my heart with Your courage and infinite love for all. Touch my mind with Your wisdom, that my mouth may always proclaim Your praise. Teach me to reach out to You in my need, and help me to lead others to You by my example. Most loving Heart of Jesus, bring me health in body and spirit that I may serve You with all my strength. Amen.
Lord Jesus, by Faith, I now put on the whole armor of God. I put on the Helmet of Salvation, the Breastplate of Your Righteousness, I gird myself about with the girdle of Your Truth. On my feet I put the shoes of the Gospel of Your Peace. I take up the shield of Your Faith (which surrounds me like a tent) and the sword of the Spirit (which is God’s Word). I cover myself with the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ which cleanses me from all sin and around me like a cloak is the Holy Spirit. I praise and thank You, Lord Jesus, for all that You have done for me, and I relax into You now, knowing that You are protecting me from all evil intents and purposes. Thank You Jesus.
I pray also that I may yield to the gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.
O God, I pray for the protection of Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon every aspect of my being: my body, mind, heart and spirit.
I pray that whatever that is not from you will not touch me in any shape, size or form.
I pray that only God’s love, and the fruits of God’s love be upon my being.
I pray that a hedge of thorns be upon me, and that it will be a real deterrent against any evil person, place or thing.
(The above prayer can be used to pray for others: Replace "my" with the name of the person.)
In the name of our Lord Jesus; by His cross and His Divine Blood; help us to bind all devils and evil spirits that is on earth, in the air, fire, water and the creation.
By the blazing sword of the Holy Spirit and on the authority of Jesus, deliver and free us from any curses and black magic and command them back to their place of origin. We beg for the Divine Blood of Jesus to cover us; protect our gatherings, community and relatives from the disturbance of evil spirits and forces; let them leave in silence to a place where Jesus justly sends them. Amen.
(Fr. Robert DeBrandis, SSJ)
Heavenly Father, I love You, I praise You, and I worship You. I thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Who won victory over sin and death for my salvation. I thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit Who empowers me, guides me, and leads me into fullness of life. I thank you for Mary, my Heavenly Mother, who intercedes with the holy angels and saints for me.
Lord Jesus Christ, I place myself at the foot of Your cross and ask You to cover me with Your Precious Blood which pours forth from Your Most Sacred Heart and Your Most Holy Wounds. Cleanse me, my Jesus, in the living water that flows from Your Heart. I ask You to surround me, Lord Jesus, with Your Holy Light.
Heavenly Father, let the healing waters of my baptism now flow back through the maternal and paternal generations to purify my family line of Satan and sin. I come before You, Father, and ask forgiveness for myself, my relatives, and my ancestors, for any calling upon powers that set themselves up in opposition to You or that do not offer true honor to Jesus Christ. In Jesus' Holy Name, I now reclaim any territory that was handed over to Satan and place it under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
By the power of Your Holy Spirit, reveal to me, Father, any people I need to forgive and any areas of unconfessed sin. Reveal aspects of my life that are not pleasing to You, Father, ways that have given or could give Satan a foothold in my life. Father, I give to You any unforgiveness; I give to You my sins; and, I give to You all ways that Satan has a hold of my life. Thank You, for Your forgiveness and Your love.
Lord Jesus, in Your Holy Name, I bind all evil spirits of the air, water, ground, underground, and netherworld. I further bind, in Jesus' Name, any and all emissaries of the satanic headquarters and claim the Precious Blood of Jesus on the air, atmosphere, water, ground and their fruits around us, the underground and the netherworld below.
Heavenly Father, allow Your Son Jesus to come now with the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy angels and the saints to protect me from all harm and to keep all evil spirits from taking revenge on me in any way.
(Repeat the following sentence three times: once in honor of the Father, once in honor of the Son, and once in honor of the Holy Spirit.)
In the Holy Name of Jesus, I seal myself, my relatives, this room (place, home, church, car, plane, etc...), and all sources of supply in the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
(To break and dissolve all satanic seals, repeat the following paragraph three times in honor of the Holy Trinity because satanic seals are places three times to blaspheme the Holy Trinity.)
In the Holy Name of Jesus, I break and dissolve any and all curses, hexes, spells, snares, traps, lies, obstacles, deceptions, diversions, spiritual influences, evil wishes, evil desires, hereditary seals, known and unknown, and every dysfunction and disease from any source including my mistakes and sins. In Jesus' Name, I sever the transmission of any and all satanic vows, pacts, spiritual bonds, soul ties, and satanic works. In Jesus' Name, I break and dissolve any and all links and effects of links with: astrologers; bohmos; channelers; charters; clairvoyants; crystal healers; crystals; fortune tellers; mediums; the New Age Movement; occult seers; palm, tea leaf, or tarot card readers; psychics; santeros; satanic cults; spirit guides; witches; witchdoctors; and, Voodoo. In Jesus' Name, I dissolve all effects of participation in seances and divination, ouija boards, horoscopes, occult games of all sorts, and any form of worship that does not offer true honor to Jesus Christ.
Holy Spirit, please reveal to me through word of knowledge any evil spirits that have attached themselves to me in any way. (Pause and wait for words to come to you, such as: anger, arrogance, bitterness, brutality, confusion, cruelty, deception, envy, fear, hatred, insecurity, jealousy, pride, resentment, or terror. Pray the following for each of the spirits revealed.)
In the Name of Jesus, I rebuke you spirit of _________________. I command to go directly to Jesus, without manifestation and without harm to me or anyone, so that He can dispose of you according to His Holy Will.
I thank You, Heavenly Father for Your Love. I thank You, Holy Spirit for empowering me to be aggressive against Satan and evil spirits. I thank You, Jesus, for setting me free. I thank You, Mary, for interceding for me with the holy angels and the saints.
Lord Jesus, fill me with charity, compassion, faith, gentleness, hope, humility, joy, kindness, light, love, mercy, modesty, patience, peace, purity, security, tranquility, trust, truth, understanding, and wisdom. Help me to walk in Your Light and Truth, illuminated by the Holy Spirit so that together we may praise, honor, and glorify Our Father in time and in eternity. For You, Lord Jesus, are, "...the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6 NAB), and You "...have come that we might have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10 JB).
"God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior" (Isaiah 12:2 JB). Amen. Alleluia. Amen.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of His Cross, His Blood and His resurrection, I bind you satan, the spirits, powers and forces of darkness, the nether world, and the evil forces of nature. I take authority over all curses, hexes, demonic activity, and spells directed against me, my relationships, ministry, air space, finances, and the work of my hands; and I break them by the power and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. I bind all demonic interactions, interplay and communications between spirits sent against me, and send them directly to Jesus Christ for Him to deal with as He wills. I ask forgiveness for, and denounce all negative inner vows that I have made with the enemy, and ask that Jesus Christ release me from these vows and from any bondage they have held in me. I ask Jesus, the Son of the living God, to pour His shed Blood over every aspect of my life for my protection. I pray all these things in the precious name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
[ The following is a simple exorcism prayer that can be said by priests or laity. The term “exorcism” does NOT always denote a solemn exorcism involving a person possessed by the devil. In general, the term denotes prayers to “curb the power of the devil and prevent him from doing harm.” As St. Peter had written in Holy Scripture, “your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) ]
[ The Holy Father exhorts priests to say this prayer as often as possible, as a simple exorcism to curb the power of the devil and prevent him from doing harm. The faithful also may say it in their own name, for the same purpose, as any approved prayer. Its use is recommended whenever action of the devil is suspected, causing malice in men, violent temptations and even storms and various calamities. It could be used as a solemn exorcism (an official and public ceremony, in Latin), to expel the devil. It would then be said by a priest, in the name of the Church and only with a Bishop's permission. ]
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Most glorious Prince of the Heavenly Armies, Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in “our battle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places” (Eph 6:12). Come to the assistance of men whom God has created to His likeness and whom He has redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. The Holy Church venerates you as her guardian and protector; to you, the Lord has entrusted the souls of the redeemed to be led into heaven. Pray therefore the God of Peace to crush Satan beneath our feet, that he may no longer retain men captive and do injury to the Church. Offer our prayers to the Most High, that without delay they may draw His mercy down upon us; take hold of “the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan,” bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit “that he may no longer seduce the nations” (Apoc 20:2-3).
In the Name of Jesus Christ our God and Lord, strengthened by the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Blessed Michael the Archangel, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints, (and powerful in the holy authority of our ministry)*, we confidently undertake to repulse the attacks and deceits of the devil.
(* Lay people omit the parenthesis above.)
Psalm 68
God arises; His enemies are scattered and those who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so are they driven; as wax melts before the fire, so the wicked perish at the presence of God.
V. Behold the Cross of the Lord, flee bands of enemies.
R. The Lion of the tribe of Juda, the offspring of David, has conquered.
V. May Your mercy, Lord, remain with us always.
R. For we put our whole trust in You.
(The crosses + below indicate a blessing to be given if a priest recites the Exorcism; if a lay person recites it, they indicate the Sign of the Cross to be made silently by that person.)
We drive you from us, whoever you may be, unclean spirits, all satanic powers, all infernal invaders, all wicked legions, assemblies and sects. In the Name and by the power of Our Lord Jesus Christ, + may you be snatched away and driven from the Church of God and from the souls made to the image and likeness of God and redeemed by the Precious Blood of the Divine Lamb. +
Most cunning serpent, you shall no more dare to deceive the human race, persecute the Church, torment God's elect and sift them as wheat. + The Most High God commands you, + He with whom, in your great insolence, you still claim to be equal. “God who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Tim 2:4). God the Father commands you. + God the Son commands you. + God the Holy Spirit commands you. + Christ, God's Word made flesh, commands you; + He who to save our race outdone through your envy, “humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death” (Phil 2:8); He who has built His Church on the firm rock and declared that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Her, because He will dwell with Her “all days even to the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20).
The sacred Sign of the Cross commands you, + as does also the power of the mysteries of the Christian Faith. + The glorious Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, commands you; + she who by her humility and from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception crushed your proud head. The faith of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and of the other Apostles commands you. + The blood of the Martyrs and the pious intercession of all the Saints command you. +
Thus, cursed dragon, and you, diabolical legions, we adjure you by the living God, + by the true God, + by the holy God, + by the God “who so loved the world that He gave up His only Son, that every soul believing in Him might not perish but have life everlasting” (John 3:16); stop deceiving human creatures and pouring out to them the poison of eternal damnation; stop harming the Church and hindering her liberty.
Begone, Satan, inventor and master of all deceit, enemy of man's salvation. Give place to Christ in Whom you have found none of your works; give place to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church acquired by Christ at the price of His Blood. Stoop beneath the all-powerful Hand of God; tremble and flee when we invoke the Holy and terrible Name of Jesus, this Name which causes hell to tremble, this Name to which the Virtues, Powers and Dominations of heaven are humbly submissive, this Name which the Cherubim and Seraphim praise unceasingly repeating: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the God of Hosts.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry be heard by You.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
God of heaven, God of earth, God of Angels, God of Archangels, God of Patriarchs, God of Prophets, God of Apostles, God of Martyrs, God of Confessors, God of Virgins, God who has power to give life after death and rest after toil; for there is no other God than You, nor can there be another true God beside You, the Creator of all things visible and invisible, Whose Kingdom is without end; we humbly entreat Your glorious Majesty to deliver us by Your might from every influence of the accursed spirits, from their every evil snare and deception, and to keep us from all harm; through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
V. From the snares of the devil,
R. Lord, deliver us.
V. That You help Your Church to serve You in security and freedom,
R. We beg You to hear us.
V. That You may crush down all enemies of Thy Church,
R. We beg You to hear us.
(Holy water is sprinkled in the place where we may be.)
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, the all-holy one, who gives us life and all things. As we go about our lives, the press of our duties and activities often leads us to forget your presence and your love. We fall into sin and fail to live out the responsibilities that you have entrusted to those who were baptized into your Son.
In this holy season, help us to turn our minds and hearts back to you. Lead us into sincere repentance and renew our lives with your grace. Help us to remember that we are sinners, but even more, help us to remember your loving mercy.
As we live through this Ash Wednesday, may the crosses of ashes that mark our foreheads be a reminder to us and to those we meet that we belong to your Son. May our worship and prayer and penitence this day be sustained throughout these 40 days of Lent. Bring us refreshed and renewed to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection at Easter.
We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
O Living Host, support me in this exile, that I may be empowered to walk faithfully in the footsteps of the Savior. I do not ask, Lord, that You take me down from the crow, but I implore You to give me the strength to remain steadfast upon it. I want to be stretched out upon the cross as You were, Jesus. I want all the tortures and pains that You suffered. I want to drink the cup of bitterness to the dregs.
O my Jesus, give me strength to endure suffering so that I may not make a wry face when I drink the cup of bitterness. Help me Yourself to make may sacrifice pleasing to You. May it not be tainted by my self-love ... may everything that is in me, both my misery and my strength, give praise to You, O Lord.
Although I have often abandoned you, O Lord, you have never abandoned me. Your hand of love is always outstretched towards me, even when I stubbornly look the other way. And your gentle voice constantly calls me, even when I obstinately refuse to listen. When the sins in my soul are increasing, I lose the taste for virtuous things. Yet, even at such moments, Lord, I know I am failing you and failing myself. You alone can restore my taste for virtue. There are so many false friends willing to encourage sin. But your friendship alone can give the strength of mind to resist and defeat sin.
What a good friend you are, Lord! You are so patient, willing to wait as long as necessary for me to turn to you. You rejoice at the times when I love you, but you do not hold against me the times when I ignore you. Your patience is beyond my understanding. Even when I pray, my mind fills with worldly concerns and vain daydreams. Yet you are happy if I give only a single second of honest prayer, turning that second into a seed of love.
Oh Lord, I enjoy your friendship so much, why is it not possible for me to think of you constantly?
God of great mercy, who deigned to send us Your only begotten Son as the greatest proof of Your fathomless love and mercy, You do not reject sinners; but in Your boundless mercy You have opened for them also Your treasures, treasures from which they can draw abundantly, not only justification, but also all the sanctity that a soul can attain. Father of great mercy, I desire that all hearts turn with confidence to Your infinite mercy. No one will be justified before You if he is not accompanied by Your unfathomable mercy. When You reveal the mystery of Your mercy to us, there will not be enough of eternity to properly thank You for it.
Jesus, how sorry I feel for poor sinners. Jesus, grant them contrition and repentance. Remember Your own sorrowful Passion. I know Your infinite mercy and cannot bear it that a soul that has cost You so much should perish. Jesus, give me the souls of sinners; let Your mercy rest upon the. Take everything away from me, but give me souls. I want to become a sacrificial host for sinners. Let the shell of my body conceal my offering, for Your Most Sacred Heart is also hidden in a Host, and certainly You are a living sacrifice. Transform me into Yourself, O Jesus, that I may be a living sacrifice and pleasing to You. I desire to atone at each moment for poor sinners ... O my Creator and Father of great mercy, I trust in You, for You are Goodness Itself.
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest your weary ones.
Bless your dying ones.
Soothe your suffering ones.
Pity your afflicted ones.
Shield your joyous ones.
And for all your love's sake. Amen.
(This is used as a reference to pray for a sick person in front of the Jesus Infant. You can use your own wordings.)
O INFANT Jesus, full of grace! Your miracles for the sick are known to me. How many maladies did You cure while You were still upon earth! How many worshipers of this, Your holy Images, can thank You for their miraculous deliverance from the most severe, painful and hopeless illness!
We realize that we can bear no hope of ever receiving a miraculous cure and the suffering is just. Yet when we recall the many sinners who worshiped You by the adoration of Your infancy in this miraculous image of Prague, or even in the veneration of pictures or statues of it, we have no fear and call to You.
O loving and merciful Infant of Prague, You have the power to heal (name of the sick) if You wish to do so. Do not prolong it, Divine Physician; if it is Your will that he shall recover from the present sickness, stretch out Your Divine little hands and take from (name of the sick person) all pain and infirmity, for You are almighty. And please do so in such a way that he will have to ascribe his recovered health to You alone, not to natural remedies.
But if Divine plans are otherwise in Your infinite wisdom, then help him to keep his soul in grace, fill him with heavenly trust and comfort, Amen.
(On the day following the Presentation of the Lord, it is customary to bless the throats of the faithful with 2 candles tied together with a red ribbon to form a cross. The priest or deacon places the candles around the throat of whoever seeks the blessing, using the following prayer)
Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat, and from every other disease. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O great St. Peregrine, you have been called "The Mighty" and "The Wonder Worker" because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have turned to you in their need. For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fiber of our being. You turned to God when the power of man could do no more, and you were favored with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of these sick persons whom we entrust to you. (Mention their names.)
Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we shall sing to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy. Amen.
O Mary, you always brighten our path as a sign of salvation and of hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who, at the Cross, took part in Jesus’ pain while remaining steadfast in faith. O loving Mother, you know what we need, and we are confident you will provide for us as at Canain Galilee. Intercede for us with your Son Jesus, the Divine Physician, for those who have fallen ill, for those who are vulnerable, and for those who have died. Intercede also for those charged with protecting the health and safety of others and for those who are tending to the sick and seeking a cure.
Help us, O Mother of Divine Love, to conform to the will of the Father and to do as we are told by Jesus, who took upon himself our sufferings and carried our sorrows, so as to lead us, through the Cross, to the glory of the Resurrection. Amen.
Under your protection we seek refuge, O Holy Mother of God. In our needs, despise not our petitions, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, may I sleep and rest in peace with you.
O merciful Jesus, stretched on the cross, be mindful of the hour of our death. O most merciful Heart of Jesus, opened with a lance, shelter me at the last moment of my life. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of unfathomable mercy for me, cleanse me of my sins and offenses. O dying Jesus, Hostage of mercy, avert the Divine wrath at the hour of my death.
O my Jesus, may the last days of my exile be spent totally according to You most holy will. I unite my suffering, my bitterness and my last agony itself to Your Sacred Passion; and I offer myself for the whole world to implore an abundance of God’s mercy for souls, and I particular for the souls of sinners. I firmly trust and commit myself entirely to Your holy will, which is mercy itself. Your will be everything for me at the last hour.
God, you are the source of all goodness. We come to you to invoke your mercy. You have created the Universe with harmony and beauty, yet through our pride we have disrupted the course of Nature and brought about an ecological crisis which affects our health and the well-being of the human family. For this we ask for your forgiveness.
O God, look with pity on our plight, for we are in the midst of a new viral epidemic. May we experience again your fatherly care. Restore order and harmony to Nature and re-create a new mind and heart in us that we may look after our Earth like a faithful steward.
O God, we entrust to you all the sick and their families. May you bring healing to their body, mind and spirit, enabling them to partake of the Paschal Mystery of your Son. Help all members of our society to play their proper roles, and strengthen the spirit of solidarity among them. Sustain our frontline medical and healthcare workers, social workers and educators. Come especially to the aid of those in need of resources to safeguard their health.
We believe that it is you who direct the course of human history, and that your Love can change our destiny for the better, whatever might be our human condition. Grant a steadfast faith to all Christians, that even in the midst of fears and chaos, they may carry out the mission you have entrusted to them.
O God, bless our human family abundantly, and dispel from us all evil. Deliver us from the epidemic that is afflicting us, so that we may praise and thank you with renewed hearts. For you are the Author of Life, and with your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in unity of the Holy Spirit, you live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the Loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach you while He reposes near your 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. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen.
My beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as your child. Take charge of my salvation. Watch over me night and day. Preserve me from occasions of sin. Obtain for me purity of body and soul and the spirit of true prayer. Win for me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, and self-denial. Obtain for me a burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and tender love for Mary, my Mother.
St. Joseph, be with me in life; be with me in death and obtain for me a favorable judgment from Jesus. Amen.
Compassionate Joseph, one with us in our human condition, together with Mary and Jesus you experience exile, hunger and violence. Refusing vengeance, you choose mercy.
Your forgiveness breaks the circle of violence. Through your goodness, God's hope for our humanity is preserved. Joy is yours, for the Kingdom of God is your inheritance.
Open our compassionate hands in times of war, famine and exile. Keep us from developing a victim's mentality, and make our pain a source of growth. Sustain us in fulfilling our responsibility of cultivating inner peace, joy and serenity. In your wisdom, counsel us to close all doors to bitterness, so that, watched over by God, we may dance for joy. Amen.
Good Saint Joseph, when God wanted a family for his Son, He looked among the laborers, and chose you along with Mary, demonstrating His esteem for human work.
You put your heart into your work, and share your workshop with Jesus. Your work, like that of other humans, found new meaning in the presence of God.
Sustain us in the hope of finding work when we are confronted with the desolation of unemployment. Counsel business leaders to create an equitable division of labor that is respectful of individuals, and promotes our growth and happiness.
Help us to perform our work joyfully, conscientiously, fairly and honestly. Prepare our hearts to recognize your Son in our colleagues at work. Amen.
Attentive Joseph, in Mary and you, the Divine Word finds a favorable environment in which to carry out the will of the Father; thus, you become the family of the Child-God.
In your gentle life together, you experience Love daily. The unity of your hearts transforms life's lessons into growing wisdom and grace.
Open our hearts to the Word that lives within us, that our actions may bear witness to our connection to the family of God.
Sustain us in our emotional commitments, where giving and forgiveness shape our identities. Grant us your tenderness in the things we do each day! Amen.
Benevolent Joseph, the Son of God placed his life in your hands. With Mary, you cared for Him who is the force of life. May your compassion enfold our fragility, bringing us the comfort of the divine presence.
We join with you in prayer, saying: "Lord Jesus, Son of Living God, say a word for our healing!"
Make us sensitive to the illnesses of those close to us. Support our efforts and grant us courage in the fight against all evil.
Help us to find meaning in God's great project for humanity beyond the sicknesses and sufferings that blind our sight. The love of God be with us, as our hope lies with Him! Amen.
Faithful Joseph, with the fulfillment of the Lord's promise, you peacefully leave this world in Jesus and Mary's hands. Your faith transforms death into the sowing of life; thus, God considers you to be a just man. Your heart overflows in the presence of the Lord. With your hands outstretched to God, your night is filled with prayers. Surrounded by the living, you embark upon the great march to the promise Land.
Open our eyes that we may glimpse the road to Life that lies beyond death. May nothing, not denial, anger, nor depression, separate us from the Love of God. Strengthen our faith in God who always finds ways of preserving us in his friendship. Be beside us to hold our hands when we take our first steps toward the Eternal Kingdom. Amen.
Brave Joseph, collaborator in God's project for humanity, your tenderness enfolds the newborn Church. Just as Mary and Jesus recognize in you the protection of the Father, so too does the community of faith place itself under your protection.
Strengthen us with the Spirit that filled the Nazarene home and guide our footsteps on the road to the Kingdom.
Accompany us in carrying out our mission. Help us to be lights in the world so that the family of God may spring forth from humanity transfigured in Christ.
Grant us the strength to imitate God's preference for the poor and weak. Guide us in our pastoral activities that our actions may be modeled on the Good News. Amen.
Courageous Joseph, advised by an angel, you confront your fears of the unknown. Your light shines brightly, penetrating the dark corners of your being. Your fears dispersed, you rediscover your true face, and actively participate in the divine project reuniting mother and Child, and the people with their God. Together with Mary and Jesus, you dwell in the love of God.
Help us to rediscover the united core of our identities, beyond all internal fears. Counsel us so we may build a better world to welcome the coming Kingdom. Shed your light on our inner lives that, freed from the grip of our fears, our decisions may be founded in Love. May the face of God shine on us! Amen.
Gentle Joseph, God is captivated by the quality of your heart. Your entire being is focused on doing his will. With Mary and Jesus, you answer the Holy Spirit's call to build a better world.
With one heart, we join you in saying: "Here we are, Lord, your will be done! Your kingdom come nearer to us!"
Keep the hope of a new world alive in our hearts. Inspire us to speak words of tenderness to awaken the love of hearts.
May we draw the energy for our actions from the source of all Love so our faces may shine with the freedom of the children of God. Amen.
O God Jesus, whose loving heart was ever troubled by the sorrows of others, look with pity on the souls of our dear ones in Purgatory. O Thou who didst "love thine own" hear our cry for mercy, and grant that those whom thou hast called from our homes and hearts may soon enjoy everlasting rest in the home of thy love in heaven. Amen.
V. Eternal rest grant unto them (her/him), O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them (her/him).
V. May they (she/he) rest in peace. Amen.
V. May their souls (her/his soul), and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R. Amen.
return to Pray-For-Purgatory list
O God, our Father, I turn to you God, help us to understand the meaning of your Son’s death and resurrection as a sign of hope.
We are learning to live with our grief and loss, the loss of the physical presence of our loved one. Teach us to reflect on the understanding of your Son’s death and resurrection in our lives. Open our heart so we can find comfort in knowing our loved ones are with You. Heal our sadness and yearning. You know all too well the pain of grief. Restore our sight, to greater awareness of Your healing touch through the people you place in our path as we travel the journey of grief toward healing. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
return to Pray-For-Purgatory list
Eternal Father, I offer You the Most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.
My Jesus, by the sorrows you suffered in your agony in the garden, in your scourging and crowning with thorns, in the way to Calvary, in your crucifixion and death, have mercy on the souls in Purgatory, and especially on those that are most forsaken. Deliver them from the dire torments they endure. Call them and admit them to your most sweet embrace in Paradise. Amen.
return to Pray-For-Purgatory list
Eternal Father, I offer You the Most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.
return to Pray-For-Purgatory list
(from 14th century, later used by St. Ignatius Loyola)
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from Christ's side, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Your wounds hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from You.
From the malicious enemy defend me.
In the Hour of my death, call me and bid me come to You.
That, with Your Saints, I may praise You forever and ever. Amen
return to Eucharist prayer/adoration list
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly and offer You the most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences with which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners. Amen
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O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!
return to Eucharist prayer/adoration list
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire You in my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though You were already there, I embrace You and unite myself wholly to You; permit not that I should ever be separated from You. Amen.
O Jesus, I turn toward the holy tabernacle where You live hidden for love of me. I love You, O my God, I cannot receive You in Holy Communion. Come, nevertheless, and visit me with Your grace. Come spiritually into my heart. Purify it. Sanctify it. Render it like unto Your own. Amen.
Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
(An indulgence of 500 days, if thrice repeated, 129 The Raccolta 1944).
I believe that You, O Jesus, are in the most holy Sacrament. I love You and desire You. Come into my heart. I embrace You. Oh, never leave me. May the burning and most sweet power of Your love, O Lord Jesus Christ, I beseech You, absorb my mind that I may die through love of Your love, Who were graciously pleased to die through love of my love.
St. John Vianney, "A spiritual communion acts on the soul as blowing does on a cinder-covered fire which was about to go out. Whenever you feel your love of God going cold, quickly make a spiritual communion."
St. Padre Pio, "Go to the tabernacle in spirit when you are unable to do so physically, and there pour out your ardent desires, talk, pray, and embrace the Beloved of our souls, even more if you had been permitted to receive Him sacramentally."
Blessed Virigin Mary in 1/14/1966 in Sen Damiano, Italy, "Receive Jesus often in your heart, for you receive Him alive in the Eucharist and Jesus is merciful to those who receive Him."
return to Eucharist prayer/adoration list
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist, I consecrate my body and soul to be entirely one with Your heart, being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars of the world and giving praise to the Father pleading for the coming of His Kingdom. Please receive this humble offering of myself. Use me as You will for the glory of the Father and salvation of souls. Most Holy Mother of God, never let me be separated from Your Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your special child. Amen.
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May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most mysterious and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved and glorified in heaven, on earth and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar.
return to Eucharist prayer/adoration list
Father in heaven, you have made us for yourself; our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Fulfill this longing through Jesus, the bread of life, so that we may witness to him who alone satisfies the hungers of the human family. By the power of your Spirit lead us to the heavenly table where we may feast on the vision of your glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Come, O blessed Savior, and nourish my soul with heavenly Food,
the Food which contains every sweetness and every delight.
Come, Bread of Angels, and satisfy the hunger of my soul.
Come, glowing Furnace of Charity and enkindle in my heart the
flame of divine love.
Come, Light of the World, and enlighten the darkness of my mind.
Come, King of Kings, and make me obedient to Your holy will.
Come, loving Savior, and make me meek and humble.
Come, Friend of the Sick, and heal the infirmities of my body and
the weakness of my soul.
Come, Good Shepherd, my God and my All, and take me to yourself.
O most holy Mother, Mary Immaculate, prepare my heart to receive
my Savior.
Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord, in your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness.
May I receive the bread of angles, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation.
May I receive the sacrament of the Lord’s body and blood, and its reality and power.
Kind God, may I receive the body of your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into his mystical body and numbered among his members.
Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive your beloved Son under the veil of a sacrament, may I one day see him face to face in glory, who lives and reigns with you for ever. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, I approach your banquet table in fear and trembling, for I am a sinner, and dare not rely on my own worth but only on your goodness and mercy. I am defiled by many sins in body and soul, and by my unguarded thoughts and words.
Gracious God of majesty and awe, I seek your protection, I look for your healing. Poor troubled sinner that I am, I appeal to you, the fountain of all mercy. I cannot bear your judgment, but I trust in your salvation. Lord, I show my wounds to you and uncover my shame before you. I know my sins are many and great, and they fill me with fear, but I hope in your mercies, for they cannot be numbered.
Lord Jesus Christ, eternal king, God and man, crucified for mankind, look upon me with mercy and hear my prayer, for I trust in you. Have mercy on me, full of sorrow and sin, for the depth of your compassion never ends.
Praise to you, saving sacrifice, offered on the wood of the cross for me and for all mankind. Praise to the noble and precious blood, flowing from the wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ and washing away the sins of the whole world.
Remember, Lord, your creature, whom you have redeemed with your blood. I repent my sins, and I long to put right what I have done. Merciful Father, take away all my offenses and sins; purify me in body and soul, and make me worthy to taste the holy of holies.
May your body and blood, which I intend to receive, although I am unworthy, be for me the remission of my sins, the washing away of my guilt, the end of my evil thoughts, and the rebirth of my better instincts. May it incite me to do the works pleasing to you and profitable to my health in body and soul, and be a firm defense against the wiles of my enemies. Amen.
Oh! Yes, Lord Jesus, come and reign! Let my body be Your temple, my heart Your throne, my will Your devoted servant; let me be Yours forever, living only in You and for You!
Mary, Mother of Jesus, give me your heart, so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate, so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life, love Him as you loved Him, and serve Him in the distressing disguise of the poorest of the poor. Amen.
return to Eucharist prayer/adoration list
Dear Lord, help me to remove from my mind every thought or
opinion which You would not sanction, every feeling form my heart
which You would not approve.
Grant that I may spend the hours of the day gladly working with
You according to Your will.
Help me just for today and be with me in it.
In the long hours of work, that I may not grow weary or slack in
serving You.
In conversations, that they may not be to me occasions of
uncharitableness.
In the day's worries and disappointments, that I may be patient
with myself and with those around me.
In moments of fatigue and illness, that I may be mindful of others
rather than of myself.
In temptations, that I may be generous and loyal, so that when the
day is over I may lay it at Your feet, with its successes which
are all Yours, and its failures which are all my own, and feel
that life is real and peaceful, and blessed when spent with You as
the Guest of my soul. Amen.
Pierce, O most Sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Your love, with true, serene, and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with love and longing for You, that it may yearn for You and faint for Your courts, and long to be dissolved and to be with You.
Grant that my soul may hunger after You, the Bread of angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and supersubstantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delight of taste; let my heart ever hunger after and feed upon You, upon whom the angels desire to look, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Your savor; may it ever thirst after You, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the richness of the house of God.
May it ever compass You, seek You, find You, run to You, attain You, meditate upon You, speak of You, and do all things to the praise and glory of Your name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, and with perseverance unto the end.
May You alone be ever my hope, my entire assurance, my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my fragrance, my sweet savor, my food, my refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession and my treasure, in whom may my mind and my heart be fixed and firmly rooted immovably henceforth and for ever. Amen.
I thank You, O holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, who have deigned, not through any merits of mine, but out of the condescension of Your goodness, to satisfy me a sinner, You unworthy servant, with the precious Body and Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Holy Communion be not a condemnation to punishment for me, but a saving plea to forgiveness. May it be to me the armor of faith and the shield of a good will. May it be the emptying out of my vices and the extinction of all lustful desires; an increase of charity and patience, of humility and obedience, and all virtues; a strong defense against the snares of all my enemies, visible and invisible; the perfect quieting of all my evil impulses of flesh and spirit, binding me firmly to You, the one true God; and a happy ending of my life. I pray too that You will deign to bring me, a sinner, to that ineffable banquet where You with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, are to You Saints true light, fulfillment of desires, eternal joy, unalloyed gladness, and perfect bliss. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so
that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength,
that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life and without You I am
without fervor.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light and without You I am in
darkness.
Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much and always
be in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me, Lord, as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place
of consolation for You, a nest of Love.
Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming
to a close and life passes, death, judgment and eternity
approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will
not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting
late and death approaches, I fear the darkness, the temptations,
the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus,
in this night of exile!
Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need
You.
Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the
bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which
disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique
joy of my heart.
Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to
remain united to You, if not by Communion, at least by grace and
love.
Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love,
Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You
and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.
With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth
and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. Amen.
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To make reparation for so many outrages and such cruel ingratitude, most adorable and lovable Heart of my lovable Jesus, and to avoid falling as far as it is in my power to do so into a like misfortune, I offer You my Heart with all the movements of which it is capable. I give myself entirely to You, and from this hour I protest most sincerely that I desire to forget myself and all that have any connection with me. I wish to remove the obstacle which could prevent my entering into this divine Heart which You have had the goodness to open to me and into which I desire to enter, there to live and to die with Your faithful servants entirely penetrated and enflamed with Your love.
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I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person.
I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God.
I adore You enclosed in the veins of Jesus, preserved in His humanity like the manna in the golden urn, the memorial of the eternal Redemption which He accomplished during the days of His earthly life.
I adore You, Blood of the new, eternal Testament, flowing from the veins of Jesus in Gethsemane, from the flesh torn by scourges in the Praetorium, from His pierced hands and feet and from His opened side on Golgotha. I adore You in the Sacraments, in the Eucharist, where I know You are substantially present....
I place my trust in You, O adorable Blood, our Redemption, our regeneration. Fall, drop by drop, into the hearts that have wandered from You and soften their hardness.
O adorable Blood of Jesus, wash our stains, save us from the anger of the avenging angel. Irrigate the Church; make her fruitful with Apostles and miracle-workers, enrich her with souls that are holy, pure and radiant with divine beauty.
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I place myself in the presence of Him, in whose Incarnate Presence I am before. I place myself there.
I adore You, O my Savior, present here as God and man, in soul and body, in true flesh and blood.
I acknowledge and confess that I kneel before that Sacred Humanity, which was conceived in Mary’s womb and lay in Mary’s bosom; which grew up to man’s estate, and by the Sea of Galilee called the Twelve, wrought miracles, and spoke words of wisdom and peace; which in due season hung on the cross, lay in the tomb, rose from the dead, and now reigns in heaven.
I praise, and bless, and give myself wholly to Him, Who is the true Bread of my soul, and my everlasting joy.
My Lord Jesus Christ, who, for the love you bear to mankind, do remain night and day in this Sacrament, full of pity and love, awaiting, calling, and receiving all who come to visit you; I believe that you are present in the Sacrament of the Altar; I adore You from the depths of my own nothingness; I thank You for the many graces you have given me, and especially for having given me Yourself in this Sacrament; for having given me Mary your Mother as my advocate, and for having called me to visit you in this church. Amen.
O most Sacred, most loving Heart of Jesus, You are concealed in the Holy Eucharist, and You still beat for us. Now as then You say, Desiderio desideravi—“With desire I have desired.” I worship You then with all my best love and awe, with my fervent affection, with my most subdued, most resolved will. O my God, when You do condescend to allow me to receive You, to eat and drink You, and You for a while do take up Your abode within me, O make my heart beat with Your Heart. Purify it of all that is earthly, all that is proud and sensual, all that is hard and cruel, of all perversity, of all disorder, of all deadness. So fill it with You that neither the events of the day nor the circumstances of the time may have power to ruffle it, but that in Your love and Your fear it may have peace.
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Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
(Optional) May the Heart of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament of
the Altar be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection at
every moment in all the tabernacles of the world, now and until
the end of time. Amen.
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I adore You, Lord and Creator, hidden in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I adore You for all the works of Your hands, that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O Lord. You have spread so much beauty over the earth and it tells me about Your beauty, even though these beautiful things are but a faint reflection of You, incomprehensible Beauty. And although You have hidden Yourself and concealed Your beauty, my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You and my soul recognizes its Creator, its Highest Good, and my heart is completely immersed in prayer of adoration.
My Lord and Creator, Your goodness encourages me to converse with You. Your mercy abolishes the chasm which separates the Creator from the creature. To converse with You, O Lord, is the delight of my heart. In You I find everything that my heart could desire. Here, Your light illumines my mind, enabling it to know You more and more deeply. Here streams of graces flow down upon my heart. Here my soul draws eternal life.
O my Lord and Creator, You alone, beyond all these gifts, give Your own self to me and unite Yourself intimately with Your miserable creature. Here, without searching for words, our hearts understand each other. Here, no one is able to interrupt our conversation. What I talk to You about, Jesus, is our secret, which creatures shall not know ... . These are secret acts of forgiveness, known only to Jesus and me; this is the mystery of His mercy, which embraces each soul separately. For this incomprehensible goodness of Yours, I adore You, O Lord and Creator, with all my heart and all my soul. And, although my worship is so little and poor, I am at peace because I know that You know it is sincere, however inadequate ... .
O Christ, let my greatest delight be to see You loved and Your praise and glory proclaimed, especially the honor of Your mercy. O Christ, let me glorify Your goodness and mercy to the last moment of my life, with every drop of my blood and every beat of my heart. Would that I be transformed into a hymn of adoration of You. When I find myself on my deathbed, may the last beat of my heart be a loving hymn glorifying Your unfathomable mercy. Amen.
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My Lord Jesus Christ, who, for the love which You bear to men, remain night and day in this Sacrament full of compassion and of love, awaiting, calling, and welcoming all who come to visit You, I believe that You are present in the Sacrament of the Altar: I adore You from the abyss of my nothingness, and I thank You for all the graces which You have bestowed upon me and in particular for having given me Yourself in this Sacrament, for having given me Your most holy Mother Mary as my advocate, and for having called me to visit You in this church. I now salute Your most loving Heart; and this for three ends: 1. In Thanksgiving for this great gift; 2. To make amends to You for all the outrages which You receive in this Sacrament from all Your enemies; 3. I intend by this visit to adore You in all the places on earth in which You are present in this Sacrament and in which You are the least revered and the most abandoned. My Jesus, I love You with all my heart. I grieve for having hitherto so many times offended Your infinite goodness. I purpose by Your grace never more to offend You for the time to come. And now, miserable and unworthy though I be, I consecrate myself to You without reserve; I give You and renounce my entire will, my affections, my desires, and all that I possess. Henceforward, dispose of me and of all that I have as You please. All that I ask of You and desire is Your holy love, final perseverance, and the perfect accomplishment of Your will. I recommend to You the souls in Purgatory, and especially those who had the greatest devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament and to the most Blessed Virgin Mary. I also recommend to You all poor sinners. Finally, my dear Savior, I unite all my affections with the affections of Your most loving Heart, and I offer them, thus united, to Your Eternal Father, and beseech Him in Your name to vouchsafe for Your love, to accept and grant them. Amen.
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My Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that You are really here in this Sacrament. Night and day You remain here compassionate and loving. You call, You wait for, You welcome everyone who comes to visit You. I thank You, Jesus my Divine Redeemer for coming upon the earth for our sake and for instituting the Adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world. I thank You for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Your infinite majesty and beauty, which Your Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Your mercy. I thank You dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim, to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul. I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal which He has bestowed on me. Grant me grace and perseverance in your faithful service. Amen.
(http://www.pjp2ea.org/pjp2ea/prayer.asp)
I adore You, O Jesus, God of Love, truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I adore You Who has come to Your Own but were not received by them. I adore You, Whom the majority of mankind rejected and despised. I adore You, Whom the impious incessantly offend by their sacrileges and blasphemies. I adore You, Who are grieved by the coldness and indifference of a vast number of Christians. I adore You, O Infinite Goodness, Who has worked so many miracles, in order to reveal Your love to us. I adore You, with all the angels and saints, and with those chosen souls that are now already the blessed of Your Father and are all aglow with burning love for You. I adore You with all Your friends, O Jesus! With them I prostrate myself at the foot of the Altar, to offer You my most profound homage, to receive Your Divine Inspiration, and to implore Your grace. Oh, how good it is for me to be here with You! How sweet to hear the Voice of my Beloved! O Victim of Divine Love! A piercing cry breaks forth from Your Heart here on the Altar, as it once did on Calvary; it is the cry of Love; "I thirst, " You call to Your children, "I thirst for Your love! Come all, whom I love as My Father has loved Me; come and quench the thirst that consumes Me!?
Lord Jesus, behold I come. My heart is small, but it is all Yours. You are a prisoner in our Tabernacles, You the Lord of Lords! And love it is, that holds You here as such! You leave the Tabernacle only to come to us, to unite Yourself with the faithful soul and allow Your Divine Love to reign within. O King of Love! Come, live and reign in me. I want no other law but the law of Your Love! No, no, I henceforth desire to know nothing, neither of this world nor of what is in it, nor of myself; Your Love alone shall rule in me eternally.
O Jesus, grant me this grace! Break all my fetters, strip me of all that is not of Yourself, in order that Your Love may be my life here below, and my happiness and delight in eternity, Amen.
(Monsignor Elliott, www.therealpresence.com)
Lord Jesus Christ, I adore you. I adore you for what you are ?my Savior. I adore you for what you will ?my Sacrifice. I adore you for what you intend ?my Food. Truly God, truly Man, you are present, risen and glorious beneath this veil of Bread. I adore you in your humility, eternal Son of the Father, involved in our world, enfleshed in our time, coming to us now under this simple form of Bread. I adore you in your power, risen Lord, King and Master of matter, space and time, the Victor who has liberated your People from the dominion of Satan and death. I adore you, above all for your love, and I see this love in your humility and your power, hidden in this Blessed Sacrament, this generous gift of your love to us, your love to the Father. Lord Jesus Christ, I adore you. Amen.
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We adore You, Lord Jesus Christ, here, and in all Your Churches throughout the whole world, and we bless You, because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. Amen.
All-powerful, all holy, most high and supreme God, sovereign good, all good, every good, you who alone are good, it is to you we must give all praise, all glory, all thanks, all honor, all blessing; to you we must refer all good always. Amen.
Let everyone be struck with fear, the whole world tremble, and the heavens exult when Christ, the Son of the living God, is present on the altar in the hands of a priest!
O admirable heights and sublime lowliness! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under the little form of Bread! Look at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before Him! Humble yourselves as well, that you may be exalted by Him. Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves so that He who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally.
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O God, we believe You are here. We adore You and love You with our whole heart and soul because You are most worthy of all our love. We desire to love You as the Blessed do in Heaven... Flood our souls with Your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess our whole being utterly, that our lives may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through us, and be so in us, that every soul we come in contact with may feel Your presence in our soul. Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus!
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(Monsignor Elliott, www.therealpresence.com)
Glory to you Eternal Father, for we thank you for the Gift of your Son in the Eucharist, the way of thanksgiving you provide for all people.
Glory to you Eternal Son, for we thank you for your obedient love, in your birth, your redeeming death, your resurrection and exaltation, all this for us, to your Father, for us, returned to us always in this Eucharistic Gift.
Glory to you Eternal Spirit, for we thank you for your loving power, transforming the bread and wine of man into the Gift of the Son from the Father, and we thank you for your life within us, renewed by Holy Communion, for your life within us, ever showing us how to pray, bonding us together as one people. With you and in you, O Christ, we offer ourselves today, as one Host.
"Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen.?
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Virgin Immaculate, perfect lover of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, we ask you to obtain for us the graces we need to become true adorers of our Eucharistic God.
Grant us, we beg of you, to know Him better, to love Him more, and to center our lives around the Eucharist, -- to make our lives a constant prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and petition to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Amen.
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(Monsignor Elliott, www.therealpresence.com)
Mary Immaculate, Mother of the Church, our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us, adore with us, help us to adore, teach us the way of faithful adoration, show us the way of humility in which the dignity of human nature is restored, pilgrims with you in one People. Mary Immaculate, always direct us to your Son in the Eucharist. Through you may we trust in Christ Jesus. Like you, may we trust in Christ Jesus. With you, may we count all things as nothing, except insofar as we know him, our Savior and our Lord. Hail Mary?
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Most holy Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, to you who are the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the advocate, the hope, and the refuge of sinners, I have recourse today, I who am the most miserable of all. I render you my most humble homage, 0 great Queen, and I thank you for all the graces you have conferred on me until now, particularly for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved.
I love you, 0 most amiable Lady; and for the love which I bear you, I promise to serve you always, and to do all in my power to make others love you also. I place in you all my hopes; I confide my salvation to your care.
Accept me for your servant, and receive me under your mantle, 0 Mother of Mercy. And since you are so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or rather obtain for me the strength to triumph over them until death. I ask of you a perfect love for Jesus Christ.
Through you I hope to die a good death. 0 my Mother, by the love which you bear to God, I beseech you to help me at all times, especially at the last moment of my life. Leave me not, I beseech you, until you have I me safe in heaven, blessing you, and singing your mercies for all eternity. Amen. So I hope. So may it be.
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(Fr. Peter M. Rookey, O.S.M., founder of International Compassion Ministry)
Lord Jesus, I come before you, just as I am, I am sorry for my sins, I repent of my sins, please forgive me. In your Name, I forgive all others for what they have done against me. I renounce Satan, the evil spirits and all their works. I give you my entire self, Lord Jesus, now and forever. I invite you into my life, Jesus. I accept you as my Lord, God and Savior. Heal me, change me, strengthen me in body, soul, and spirit.
Come Lord Jesus, cover me with your Precious Blood, and fill me with your Holy Spirit. I love you Lord Jesus. I praise you Jesus. I thank you Jesus. I shall follow you every day of my life. Amen.
Mary, My Mother, Queen of Peace, St. Peregrine, the cancer saint, all the Angels and Saints, please help me. Amen.
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O Jesus, eternal God, thank You for Your countless graces and blessings. Let every beat of my heart be a new hymn of thanksgiving to You, O God. Let every drop of my blood circulate for You, Lord. My sould is one hymn in adoration of Your mercy. I love You, God, for Yourself alone.
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You expired Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fountain of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world, and empty Yourself out upon us.
"Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world." (3 times)
"Jesus, I trust in You!"
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O Greatly Merciful God, Infinite Goodness, today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery to Your mercy, to Your compassion, O God; and it is with its mighty voice of misery that it cries out. Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this earth’s exiles! O Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding, Who are acquainted with our misery through and through, and know that by our own power we cannot ascend to You, we implore You: anticipate us with Your grace and keep on increasing Your mercy in us, that we may faithfully do Your holy will all through our life and at death’s hour. Let the omnipotence of Your mercy shield us from the darts of our salvation’s enemies, that we may with confidence, as Your children, await Your final coming ?that day known to You alone. And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus in spite of all our wretchedness. For Jesus is our hope: Through His merciful Heart, as through an open gate, we pass through to heaven.
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O my God, my only hope, I have placed all my trust in You, and I know I shall not be disappointed.
I know the full power of Your mercy, and I trust that You will give me everything Your feeble child needs.
O Jesus, concealed in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, my only love and mercy, I commend to You all the needs of my body and soul. You can help me, because You are mercy itself. In You lies all my hope.
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I fly to Your mercy, compassionate God, who alone are good. Although my misery is great, and my offenses are many, I trust in Your mercy, because You are the God of mercy; and, from time immemorial, it has never been heard of, nor do heaven or earth remember, that a soul trusting in Your mercy has been disappointed.
O God of compassion, You alone can justify me, and You will never reject me when I, contrite, approach Your merciful Heart, where no one has ever been refused, even if he were the greatest sinner.
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I want to be completely transformed into Your Mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors?souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors?needs and not be indifferent to their pains and meaning.
Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and illed with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one, I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your Mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
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(www.therealpresence.com)
(This prayer is said on the beads of the Rosary. There are 9 decades.)
(Glory be)
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, I adore You and I praise You in union
with the nine choirs of angels. (10 times)
(Glory be)
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, Burning with love for me, inflame my
heart with love for You. (10 times)
(Glory be)
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, Thy Kingdom come. (10 times)
(Glory be)
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, Make me one in mind, will and heart
with You, the Father and the Holy Spirit. (10 times)
(Glory be)
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, Make my
heart like unto Yours (10 times)
(Glory be)
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, Through the infinite value of each
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, offered now and until the end of time,
have mercy on us and on the whole world. (10 times)
(Glory be)
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, Thank You for the personal love you
have for me in this Most Blessed Sacrament. (10 times)
(Glory be)
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, With all my heart I love You. (10
times)
(Glory be)
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, I put all my trust in You. (10 times)
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This chaplet consists of three Our Fathers in honor of the Holy
Family, and twelve Hail Marys in memory of the twelve childhood
years of Jesus Christ. To this chaplet of fifteen beads is
attached a medal of the Infant Jesus.
The chaplet can be recited in the following way:
Begin on the medal with the words: Holy Infant Jesus, bless and
protect us! or with the following invocation: Divine Infant Jesus,
I adore Your Cross, and I accept all the crosses you will be
pleased to send me. Adorable Trinity, I offer you for the glory of
the Holy Name of God all the adorations of the Sacred Hear of the
Holy Infant Jesus.
You may kiss the medal.
Say three times And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and
the prayer Our Father.
Then twelve times And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us
and the prayer Hail Mary. During each Hail Mary it is recommended
that you meditate on one of the twelve mysteries of Jesus'
childhood:
The Incarnation of the Son of God
The life in the womb of the Virgin Mary
The birth in Bethlehem
The adoration by the shepherds
The circumcision of the Lord
The adoration by the three magi
The presentation in the Temple
The flight to Egypt
The stay in Egypt
The return to Nazareth
The hidden life in Nazareth
The twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple
At the end, you may add (once or thrice): Glory be to the Father…
and Holy Infant Jesus, bless and protect us!
Venerable Margaret of the Most Holy Sacrament
Jesus himself taught the Venerable Margaret of the Most Holy
Sacrament, a French Discalced Carmelite (died 26 May 1648 in the
Carmel in Beaune) to pray this short rosary. He asked her to make
it known among the faithful and promised special graces, above all
purity of heart and innocence, to all who carried the chaplet on
their person and recited it in honor of the mysteries of his holy
childhood.
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O my Lord Jesus, we gaze on You as a child and believe that You are the Son of God, who became man through the working of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Just as at Bethlehem, we too, adore You, with Mary, Joseph, the angels and the shepherds, and acknowledge You as our only Savior. You became poor to enrich us with Your poverty. Grant that we may never forget the poor and all those who suffer.
Protect our families, bless all the children of the world, and grant that the love You have brought us may always reign among us and lead us to a happier life. Grant, O Jesus, that all may recognize the truth of Your birth, so that they may know that You have came to bring to the whole human family light, joy and peace. You are God, who live and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
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O Infant Jesus, I run to You, begging You through Your Holy Mother to save me in this need (you may name it here), for I truly and firmly believe that Your Divinity can defend me. Full of trust I hope in You to obtain Your holy grace. I love You with all my heart, I am painfully sorry for my sins and on my knees I beg You, o Little Jesus, to free me from them. My resolution is to improve and never more to offend You. Therefore, I offer myself to You, ready to suffer everything for You and to serve You faithfully. I will love my neighbor as myself from my heart for the love of You. O Little Jesus, I adore You, o Mighty Child, I implore You, save me in this need (you can mention it here), that I may enjoy You eternally, with Mary and Joseph see You and with all the angels adore You. Amen.
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During the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque during
1673-1675, our Lord Jesus made 12 promises to souls devoted to his
Sacrament Heart:
1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of
life.
2. I will establish peace in their homes.
3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I will be their secure refuge in life and above all in death.
5. I will bestow abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my heart the source and the infinite
ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be
exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened
hearts.
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names
written in my heart, never to be blotted out.
12. I promise you, in the excessive mercy of my heart, that my
all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy
Communion on the first Friday for nine consecutive months the
grace of final repentance; they shall not die in my disgrace nor
without receiving the sacraments; my Divine Heart shall be their
safe refuge in that last moment.
To receive the blessings of these promises of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, you must fulfill certain conditions.
--Receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of the
month
--For nine consecutive months without interruption
--With the proper dispositions
--With the intention of making reparation to the Heart of Jesus
and to obtain the fruit of the "Great Promise.?
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O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to You I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying You. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to You, and to do all for Your love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease You.
I take You, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. O Most Merciful Heart, be my justification before God Your Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in You, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Your infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist You. Imprint Your pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget You or be separated from You.
I beseech You, through Your infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Your Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Your devoted servants. Amen.
O most loving Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, behold us humbly prostrate before your altar. We are yours and yours we wish to be. But to be more surely united in You, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to your most Sacred Heart. Many, indeed, have never known You; many, too, despising your precepts, have rejected You. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to your Sacred Heart.
Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken You, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned You. Grant that they may quickly return to their Father’s house, lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Grant, O Lord, to your Church, assurance of freedom and immunity from harm. Give peace and order to all nations. Make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation. To It be glory and honor forever. Amen.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love; broken by our ingratitude and pierced by our sins; yet loving us still; accept this consecration we make to You of all that we are and all that we have.
Take every faculty of our souls and bodies, only day by day draw us nearer and nearer to Your sacred Heart; and there as we shall hear the lesson, teach us Your Holy Way.
(I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be exposed and honored.)
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O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, You revealed to St. Margaret Mary Your desire to rule over Christian families; behold, in order to please You, we gather before You this day, to proclaim Your full sovereignty over our family. We desire henceforth to live Your life; we desire that the virtues, to which You have promised peace on earth, may flower in the bosom of our family; we desire to keep far from us the spirit of the world, which You have condemned. You are King of our minds by the simplicity of our faith; you are King of our hearts by our love for You alone, with which our hearts are on fire, and whose flame we shall keep alive by frequently receiving the Holy Eucharist.
Be pleased, O Sacred Heart, to preside over our gathering together, to bless our spiritual and temporal affairs, to ward off all annoyance from us, to sanctify our joys and comfort our sorrows. If any of us has ever been so unhappy as to fall into the misery of displeasing you, grant that we may remember, O Heart of Jesus, that You are full of goodness and mercy toward the repentant sinner.
And when the hour of separation strikes and death enters our family circle, whether we go or whether we stay, we shall bow humbly before Your eternal decrees. This shall be our consolation to remember that the day will come when our entire family, once more united in heaven, shall be able to sing of Your glory and Your goodness forever.
May the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the glorious patriarch St. Joseph deign to offer You our act of consecration, and to keep the memory of it alive in us all the days of our lives.
Glory to the Heart of Jesus, our King and our Father. Amen.
Most Sweet Jesus, humbly kneeling at Your feet, we (renew the consecration of) consecrate our family to Your Divine Heart. Be You our King forever! In You we have full and entire confidence. May Your spirit penetrate our thoughts, our desires, our words, and our works. Bless our undertakings, share in our joys, in our trials and our labors. Grant us to know You better, to love You more, to serve You without faltering.
By the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Peace, set up Your kingdom in our country. Enter closely into the midst of our families and make them Yours through the solemn enthronement of Your Sacred Heart, so that soon one cry may resound from home to home: "May the triumphant Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved, blessed, and glorified forever!" Honor and glory to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, protect our families.
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Adorable Heart of Jesus, glowing with love for us and inflamed with zeal for our salvation! O Heart ever sensible of our misery and the wretchedness to which our sins have reduced us, infinitely rich in mercy to heal the wounds of our souls! Behold us humbly prostrate before You to express the sorrow that fills our hearts for the coldness and indifference with which we have so long requited the numberless benefits You have conferred upon us. With a deep sense of the outrages heaped upon You by our sins and the sins of others, we come to make a solemn reparation of honor to Your most sacred Majesty. It was our sins that overwhelmed Your Heart with bitterness; it was the weight of our iniquities that pressed down Your face to the earth in the Garden of Olives and caused You to expire in anguish and agony on the cross. But now, repenting and sorrowful, we cast ourselves at Your feet and implore forgiveness.
Adorable Heart of Jesus, source of true contrition and ever merciful to the penitent sinner, impart to our hearts the spirit of penance and give to our eyes a fountain of tears, that we may sincerely bewail our sins now and for the rest of our days. Would that we could blot them out even with our blood! Pardon them, O Lord, in Your mercy, and pardon and convert to You all that have committed irreverences and sacrileges against You in the sacrament of Your love, and thus give another proof that Your mercy is above all Your works.
Divine Jesus, with You there is mercy and plentiful redemption. Deliver us from our sins. Accept the sincere desire we now entertain and our holy resolution, relying on the assistance of Your grace, henceforth to be faithful to You. And in order to repair the sins and ingratitude by which we have grieved Your most tender and loving Heart, we are resolved in the future ever to love and honor You in the most adorable Sacrament of the Altar, where You are ever present to hear and grant our petitions and to be the food and life of our souls. O compassionate Jesus, be our mediator with Your heavenly Father, whom we have so grievously offended. Strengthen our weakness, confirm our resolutions of amendment, and as Your Sacred Heart is our refuge and our hope when we have sinned, so may it be the strength and support of our repentance, that nothing in life or death may ever again separate us from You. Amen.
O sweet Jesus, whose overflowing charity for men is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Your altar eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries to which Your loving Heart is everywhere subject.
Mindful, alas! that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask Your pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary expiation not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who straying far from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow You, their Shepherd and Leader, or, renouncing the vows of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of Your law.
We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorable outrage committed against You; we are determined to make amends for the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent, for the frequent violation of Sundays and holidays, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against You and Your Saints. We wish also to make amends for the insults to which Your Vicar on earth and Your priests are subjected, for the profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege, of the very Sacrament of Your divine love; and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rights and the teaching authority of the Church which You had founded.
Would, O divine Jesus, we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation for these violations of Your divine honor, the satisfaction You did once make to Your eternal Father on the cross and which You do continue to renew daily on our altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of Your Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make reparation, as far as we can with the help of Your grace, for all neglect of Your great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past. Henceforth we will live a life of unwavering faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the gospel and especially that of charity. We promise to the best of our power to prevent others from offending You and to bring as many as possible to follow You.
O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of expiation; and by the crowning gift of perseverance keep us faithful unto death in our duty and the allegiance we owe to You, so that we may all one day come to that happy home, where You with the Father and the Holy Ghost live and reign, God, world without end. Amen.
(or)
O most loving Jesus, whose immense love for men is repaid by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before your altar. We are eager to repair, by a special act of homage, the cruel indifference and injuries to which your loving heart is everywhere subjected.
We ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts. We humbly ask your pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary penance not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who, straying far from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow You, their Shepherd and Leader, or renouncing the vows of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of your law.
And while we intend to expiate all such deplorable crimes, we propose to repair each one in particular: immodesty in dress and actions, the many seductions to ensnare the feet of the innocent, the violation of Sundays and holy days, the horrible blasphemies uttered against You and your saints, the insults hurled against your Vicar and your priests, the negligence and the horrible sacrileges by which the very sacrament of your love is profaned, and, finally, the public crimes of all nations which resist the rights and the teaching authority of the Church which You have founded.
Would that we could with our blood wash away such abominations! And now, in reparation for these violations of your divine honor, we offer the satisfaction that You once made on the cross to your Father, and which You renew daily on our altars. We offer it in union with the expiation of your Virgin Mother, all the saints and of all the devout faithful on earth. We promise sincerely to repair, as far as we are able, with the help of your grace, the neglect of your great love, and for the sins we and others have committed in the past: by a firm faith, an innocent life, the observance of the law of charity, and with all our power to prevent others from offending You and to bring as many as possible to follow You.
O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of reparation. By the crowning gift of perseverance keep us faithful until death in our duty and in the allegiance we owe to You, so that we may all one day come to that happy home, where You with the Father and the Holy Spirit live and reign God, world without end. Amen.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I give myself to You. Take all I do, all my joys, and all my sorrows. Take all of me. I want to be all Yours, and do all things for love of You. Help me to do only what pleases You. Please make my heart like Yours.
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1. God Almighty Father, please perfume the most thirsty hearts of the sinners in the world with the heavenly frankincense and myrrh.
2. My most beloved Mother, please perfume the most thirsty hearts of the sinners in the world with the rose of love.
Note:
1. Do it with a rosary, once one bead；
2. No distinction between big and small beads till the whole
string is finished；
3. Through this prayer, absolution will be gained, souls in
purgatory will be saved and God’s anger will be mollified；
4. Because of faith, the rosary will diffuse different fragrances.
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V. Lord, have mercy on us. R. Christ, have mercy on us.
V. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. R. Christ, graciously
hear us.
V. God the Father of Heaven, R. have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, R. have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, R. have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, R. have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, R. have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the
Virgin Mother, R. [etc.]
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God. R.
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty. R.
Heart of Jesus, sacred temple of God. R.
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High. R.
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven. R.
Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity. R.
Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love. R.
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love. R.
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues. R.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise. R.
Heart of Jesus, King and center of all hearts. R.
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge. R.
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells the fullness of divinity. R.
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased. R. have mercy
on us.
Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received. R.
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills. R.
Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy. R.
Heart of Jesus, rich to all who call upon You. R.
Heart of Jesus, fount of life and holiness. R.
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our offenses. R.
Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with reproaches. R.
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our iniquities. R.
Heart of Jesus, obedient even unto death. R.
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance. R.
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation. R.
Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection. R.
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation. R.
Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins. R.
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in You. R.
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in You. R.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all saints. R.
V. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R. spare
us, O Lord.
V. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R.
graciously hear us, O Lord.
V. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R. have
mercy on us.
V. Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, R. Make our hearts like Yours.
Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Your most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers You in the name of sinners; and to those who implore Your mercy, in Your great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You forever and ever. Amen.
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V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Jesus, hear us. R/ Jesus, graciously hear us.
V/ God, the Father of Heaven, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ God, the Holy Spirit, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ Holy Trinity, One God, R/ have mercy on us.
R/ for ff: save us.
Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father,
Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God,
Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament,
Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony,
Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging,
Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns,
Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross,
Blood of Christ, price of our salvation,
Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness.
Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls,
Blood of Christ, stream of mercy,
Blood of Christ, victor over demons,
Blood of Christ, courage of Martyrs,
Blood of Christ, strength of Confessors,
Blood of Christ, bringing forth Virgins,
Blood of Christ, help of those in peril,
Blood of Christ, relief of the burdened,
Blood of Christ, solace in sorrow,
Blood of Christ, hope of the penitent,
Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying,
Blood of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts,
Blood of Christ, pledge of eternal life,
Blood of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory,
Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. R/ spare us, O
Lord
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, R/ graciously
hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, R/ have mercy on
us.
You have redeemed us, O Lord, in your Blood. R/ And made us, for
our God, a kingdom.
Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, you have appointed your only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world, and willed to be appeased by his Blood. Grant we beg of you, that we may worthily adore this price of our salvation, and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of the present life, so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
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V. Lord, have mercy on us. R. Christ, have mercy on us.
V. Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear us. R. Jesus, graciously
hear us.
V. God the Father of Heaven R. Have mercy on us.
V. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, R. Have mercy on us.
V. God the Holy Spirit, R. Have mercy on us.
V. Holy Trinity, one God, R. Have mercy on us.
V. Jesus, Son of the living God, R. Have mercy on us.
Jesus, splendor of the Father, [etc.]
Jesus, brightness of eternal light.
Jesus, King of glory.
Jesus, sun of justice.
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary.
Jesus, most amiable.
Jesus, most admirable.
Jesus, the mighty God.
Jesus, Father of the world to come.
Jesus, angel of great counsel.
Jesus, most powerful.
Jesus, most patient.
Jesus, most obedient.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
Jesus, lover of chastity.
Jesus, lover of us.
Jesus, God of peace.
Jesus, author of life.
Jesus, example of virtues.
Jesus, zealous lover of souls.
Jesus, our God.
Jesus, our refuge.
Jesus, father of the poor.
Jesus, treasure of the faithful.
Jesus, good Shepherd.
Jesus, true light.
Jesus, eternal wisdom.
Jesus, infinite goodness.
Jesus, our way and our life.
Jesus, joy of Angels.
Jesus, King of the Patriarchs.
Jesus, Master of the Apostles.
Jesus, teacher of the Evangelists.
Jesus, strength of Martyrs.
Jesus, light of Confessors.
Jesus, purity of Virgins.
Jesus, crown of Saints.
V. Be merciful, R. spare us, O Jesus.
V. Be merciful, R. graciously hear us, O Jesus.
V. From all evil, R. deliver us, O Jesus.
From all sin, R. deliver us, O Jesus.
From Your wrath, [etc.]
From the snares of the devil.
From the spirit of fornication.
From everlasting death.
From the neglect of Your inspirations.
By the mystery of Your holy Incarnation.
By Your Nativity.
By Your Infancy.
By Your most divine Life.
By Your labors.
By Your agony and passion.
By Your cross and dereliction.
By Your sufferings.
By Your death and burial.
By Your Resurrection.
By Your Ascension.
By Your institution of the most Holy Eucharist.
By Your joys.
By Your glory.
V. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R. spare
us, O Jesus.
V. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R.
graciously hear us, O Jesus.
V. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R. have
mercy on us, O Jesus.
V. Jesus, hear us. R. Jesus, graciously hear us.
Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ, You have said, "Ask and you shall receive,
seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you."
Grant, we beg of You, to us who ask it, the gift of Your most
divine love, that we may ever love You with our whole heart, in
word and deed, and never cease praising You.
Give us, O Lord, as much a lasting fear as a lasting love of Your
Holy Name, for You, who live and are King for ever and ever, never
fail to govern those whom You have solidly established in Your
love. R. Amen.
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O Jesus, Who in Your bitter Passion became "the most abject of men, a man of sorrows," I venerate Your sacred Face whereon there once shone the beauty and sweetness of the Godhead; but now it has become for me as if it were the face of a leper! Nevertheless, under those disfigured features I recognize Your infinite love, and I am consumed with the desire to love You and make You loved by all men. The tears which well up abundantly in Your sacred eyes appear to me as so many precious pearls that I love to gather up, in order to purchase the souls of poor sinners by means of their infinite value. O Jesus, Whose adorable Face ravishes my heart, I implore You to fix deep within me Your divine image and to set me on fire with Your love, that I may be found worthy to come to the contemplation of Your glorious Face in Heaven. Amen.
O Jesus, through the merits of Your Holy Face, Have pity on us and on the whole world.
Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered. Let those who Hate Him flee before His Holy Face.
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Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, while before Your face I humbly kneel, and with burning soul pray and beseech You to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and charity, true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment; while I contemplate, with great love and tender pity, Your five most precious wounds, pondering over them within me and calling to mind the words which David, Your prophet, said of You, my Jesus: "They have pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My bones."
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Pray with Rosary
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
On the crucifix and first 3 beads:
O Jesus, Divine Redeemer, be merciful to us and to the whole world. Amen.
Strong God, holy God, immortal God, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen.
Grace and mercy, O my Jesus, during present dangers; cover us with Your Precious Blood. Amen.
Eternal Father, grant us mercy through the Blood of Jesus Christ, Your only Son; grant us mercy, we beseech You. Amen, Amen, Amen.
On the large beads:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ to
heal the wounds of our souls.
On the small beads:
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Your Holy Wounds.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Our Lord said to Sister Mary Martha Chembon, humble lay sister of the Visitation Order of Chambery, France, died 3/21/1907:
"The soul who during life has honored and studied the wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and has offered them to the Eternal Father for souls in purgatory, will be accompanied at the moment of death by the Holy Virgin and the angels; and Our Lord on the Cross, all brilliant in glory, will receive her and crown her … I will grant all that is asked of Me by the invocation of My Holy Wounds."
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Act of Contrition:
As I kneel before You on the cross, most loving Savior of my soul, my conscience reproaches me with having nailed You to that cross with these hands of mine, as often as I have fallen into mortal sin, wearying You with my base ingratitude. My God, my chief and perfect good, worthy of all my love, because You have loaded me with blessings; I cannot now undo my misdeeds, as I would most willingly; but I loathe them, grieving sincerely for having offended You, Who are infinite goodness. And now, kneeling at Your feet, I try, at least, to compassionate You, to give You thanks, to ask You pardon and contrition; wherefore with my heart and lips, I say:
To the Wound of the Left Foot:
Holy wound of the left foot of my Jesus, I adore You; I compassionate You, O Jesus, for the most bitter pain which You did suffer. I thank You for the love whereby You labored to overtake me on the way to ruin, and did bleed amid the thorns and brambles of my sins. I offer to the Eternal Father the pain and love of Your most holy humanity, in atonement for my sins, all of which I detest with sincere and bitter contrition.
(Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be)
Holy Mother, pierce me through, in my heart each wound renew of my Savior crucified.
To the Wound of the Right Foot:
Holy wound of the right foot of my Jesus, I adore You; I compassionate You, O Jesus, for the most bitter pain which You did suffer. I thank You for that love which pierced You with such torture and shedding of blood, in order to punish my wanderings and the guilty pleasures I have granted to my unbridled passions. I offer the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Your most holy humanity, and I pray You for grace to weep over my sins with hot tears, and to enable me to persevere in the good which I have begun, without ever swerving again from my obedience to the divine commands.
(Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be)
Holy Mother, pierce me through, in my heart each wound renew of my Savior crucified.
To the Wound of the Left Hand:
Holy wound of the left hand of my Jesus, I adore You; I compassionate You, O Jesus, for the most bitter pain which You did suffer. I thank You for having in Your love spared me the scourges and eternal damnation which my sins have merited. I offer to the Eternal Father the pain and love of Your most holy humanity: and I pray to You to teach me how to turn to good account my span of life, and bring forth in it worthy fruits of penance, and to disarm the justice of God, which I have provoked.
(Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be)
Holy Mother, pierce me through, in my heart each wound renew of my Savior crucified.
To the Wound of the Right Hand:
Holy wound of the right hand of my Jesus, I adore You; I compassionate You, O Jesus, for the most bitter pain which You did suffer. I thank You for Your graces lavished on me with such love, in spite of all my most perverse obstinacy. I offer to the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Your most holy humanity; and I pray to You to change my heart and its affections, and make me do all my actions in accordance with the will of God.
(Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be)
Holy Mother, pierce me through, in my heart each wound renew of my Savior crucified.
To the Wound of the Sacred Side:
Holy wound in the side of my Jesus, I adore You; I compassionate You, O Jesus, for the cruel insult You did suffer. I thank You, my Jesus, for the love which suffered Your side and Heart to be pierced, so that the last drops of blood and water might issue forth, making my redemption to overflow. I offer to the Eternal Father this outrage, and the love of Your most holy humanity, that my soul may enter once for all into that most loving Heart, eager and ready to receive the greatest sinners, and never more depart.
(Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be)
Holy Mother, pierce me through, in my heart each wound renew of my Savior crucified.
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return to Prayers to Jesus Passion list
O most pure heart of Mary, full of goodness, show your love towards us. Let the flame of your heart, O Mary, descend on all people. We love you immensely. Impress on our hearts true love so that we may long for you.
O Mary, gentle and humble of heart, remember us when we sin. You know that all people sin. Grant that through your most pure and motherly heart, we may be healed from every spiritual sickness. Grant that we may always experience the goodness of your motherly heart, and that through the flame of your heart we may be converted. Amen.
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, (here kiss your Brown scapular) and in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass being offered throughout the world, I offer You all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day in reparation for the offenses committed against
the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for my sins and the sins of the whole world.
My Queen, my Mother, I give myself entirely to you, and to show my devotion to you I consecrate to you this day my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole body without reserve. Wherefore, good Mother, as I am your own, keep me and guard me as your property and possession. Amen.
O Maria, transform my heart unto Yours. Place around it a wreath of purity, adorned in virtue. Take my heart, dear Mother, consecrated as your own. Present it to God the Father as an offering from me to you. Help me O Maria in each day to make your heart more known. Amen.
O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we turn to you. As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our hearts is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced your watchful care and your peaceful presence! You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young. We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns. We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons. We stopped being our neighbour’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!
Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war, you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life. He has given you to us and made your Immaculate Heart a refuge for the Church and for all humanity. By God’s gracious will, you are ever with us; even in the most troubled moments of our history, you are there to guide us with tender love.
We now turn to you and knock at the door of your heart. We are your beloved children. In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion. At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times. In you we place our trust. We are confident that, especially in moments of trial, you will not be deaf to our supplication and will come to our aid.
That is what you did at Cana in Galilee, when you interceded with Jesus and he worked the first of his signs. To preserve the joy of the wedding feast, you said to him: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). Now, O Mother, repeat those words and that prayer, for in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal help!
Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer.
Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war.
Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.
Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world.
Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness.
Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons.
Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love.
Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity.
Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world.
O Mother, may your sorrowful plea stir our hardened hearts. May the tears you shed for us make this valley parched by our hatred blossom anew. Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace. May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside.
Holy Mother of God, as you stood beneath the cross, Jesus, seeing the disciple at your side, said: “Behold your son” (Jn 19:26). In this way he entrusted each of us to you. To the disciple, and to each of us, he said: “Behold, your Mother” (v. 27). Mother Mary, we now desire to welcome you into our lives and our history. At this hour, a weary and distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ. The people of Ukraine and Russia, who venerate you with great love, now turn to you, even as your heart beats with compassion for them and for all those peoples decimated by war, hunger, injustice and poverty.
Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world. The “Fiat” that arose from your heart opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace. We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more. To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world.
Through your intercession, may God’s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days. Our Lady of the “Fiat”, on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony that comes from God. May you, our “living fountain of hope”, water the dryness of our hearts. In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster the growth of communion. You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace. Amen.
Virgin of Fatima, Mother of Mercy, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Refuge of Sinners, we who belong to the Marian Movement consecrate ourselves in a very special way to your Immaculate Heart.
By this act of consecration we intend to live, with you and through you, all the obligations assumed by our baptismal consecration. We further pledge to bring about in ourselves that interior conversion so urgently demanded by the Gospel, a conversion that will free us of every attachment to ourselves and to easy compromises with the world so that, like you, we may be available only to do always the will of the Father.
And as we resolve to entrust to you, O Mother most sweet and merciful, our life and vocation as Christians, that you may dispose of it according to your designs of salvation in this hour of decision that weighs upon the world, we pledge to live it according to your desires, especially as it pertains to a renewed spirit of prayer and penance, the fervent participation in the celebration of the Eucharist and in the works of the apostolate, the daily recitation of the Holy Rosary, and an austere manner of life in keeping with the Gospel, that shall be to all a good example of the observance of the law of God and the practice of the Christian virtues, especially that of purity.
We further promise you to be united with the Holy Father, with the hierarchy and with our priests, in order thus to set up a barrier to the growing confrontation directed against the Magisterium, that threatens the very foundation of the Church.
Under your protection we want moreover to be apostles of this sorely needed unity of prayer and lover for the Pope, on whom we invoke your special protection.
And lastly, insofar as is possible, we promise to lead those souls with whom we come in contact to a renewed devotion to you.
Mindful that atheism has caused shipwreck in the faith to a great number of the faithful, that desecration has entered into the holy temple of God, and that evil and sin are spreading more and more throughout the world, we make so bold as to lift our eyes trustingly to you, O Mother of Jesus and our merciful and powerful Mother, and we invoke again today and await from you the salvation of all your children, O Clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Virgin of Fatima, my dearly beloved Mother, I entrust myself today, in a very special way, to your Immaculate Heart. By this solemn act, I offer my whole life to you, my heart, my soul, my body and especially this time of my youth in which I am now living. Guide me along the way that Jesus has traced out for us: The way of love, of goodness and of sanctity.
Help me to flee from sin, from evil and from egoism and to resist temptations to violence, to impurity, and to drugs. I promise you to go to confession often and to receive Jesus into my heart as my spiritual food of life, to observe the commandments of God and to walk along the road of love and purity.
I want to be a witness of unity by my great love for the Pope, for my bishop, and for my priests. I love you, 0 sweetest Mother of mine, and I offer you my youth for the triumph of your Immaculate Heart in the world.
O Most Holy Virgin Mother, we listen with grief to the complaints of your Immaculate Heart surrounded with the thorns placed therein at every moment by the blasphemies and ingratitude of ungrateful humanity. We are moved by the ardent desire of loving you as Our Mother and of promoting a true devotion to your Immaculate Heart.
We therefore kneel before you to manifest the sorrow we feel for the grievances that people cause you, and to atone by our prayers and sacrifices for the offenses with which they return your love. Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so many sins. Hasten the conversion of sinners that they may love Jesus and cease to offend the Lord, already so much offended. Turn your eyes of mercy toward us, that we may love God with all our heart on earth and enjoy Him forever in heaven. Amen.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
O Mary conceived without sin. Pray for us who have recourse to you.
O Mary, most powerful Virgin, great and illustrious defender of the Church, wonderful Help of Christians, formidable as an army in battle array, you, who alone have overcome every heresy in the world, in our anguish, in our combats, in our difficulties, defend us from the enemy, and, in the hour of our death, receive our souls into Paradise. Amen.
My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. He looks on his servant in her lowliness; henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy his Name! His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him.
He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted. He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy, the mercy promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his sons for ever.
Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, our Lady appeared to three children—Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia—six times near Fatima, Portugal. On July 13 she predicted the end of World War One. "But, ?she said, "if people do not stop offending God, another, even worse one will begin in the reign of Pius XI [World War Two]?To prevent it, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays.?On December 10, 1925, Our Lady with the Christ Child appeared to Lucia, "Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce Me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console Me and announce for Me that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep Me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to Me.?
The promise is that Our Lady will "assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation?all those who fulfill these conditions:
On the first Saturdays of five consecutive months?
--Make a good confession within eight days
--Receive Holy Communion in the state of grace
--Recite five decades of the Rosary
--Meditate an additional fifteen minutes on the fifteen mysteries
of the Rosary
--All of this with the intention of making reparation for the sins
committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Start over if you miss a Saturday.
O Most Holy and afflicted Virgin, Queen of Martyrs! Who stood beneath the cross, witnessing the agony of your dying Son, look down with a mother’s tenderness and pity on us as we kneel before you to venerate your Dolores, and place our requests, with filial confidence, in the sanctuary of your wounded heart. Present them on our behalf to Jesus, through the merits of His most sacred Passion and Death, together with your sufferings at the foot of the cross, and through the united efficacy of both, obtain the favor which we humbly ask. To whom shall we go in our wants and miseries if not to you. O Mother of Mercy, who having so deeply drunk of the chalice of your Son, graciously alleviate the sufferings of those who still sigh in this land of exile. Amen.
Hail, O Star of the ocean, God's own Mother blest, ever sinless Virgin, gate of heavenly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave, which from Gabriel came, peace confirm within us, changing Eve's name.
Break the sinners' fetters, make our blindness day, Chase all evils from us, for all blessings pray.
Show yourself a Mother, may the Word divine born for us Your Infant hear our prayers through You.
Virgin all excelling, mildest of the mild, free from guilt preserve us meek and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless, make our way secure till we find in Jesus, joy for evermore.
Praise to God the Father, honor to the Son, in the Holy Spirit, be the glory one. Amen.
O Mary, my Mother and my Lady, I offer You my soul, my body, my life and my death, and all that will follow it. I place everything in Your hands. O my Mother, cover my soul with Your virginal mantle and grant me the grace of purity of heart, soul and body. Defend me with Your power against all enemies ... O lovely lily! You are for me a mirror, O my Mother!
Mother of God, Your soul was plunged into a sea of bitterness; look upon Your child and teach it to suffer and to love while suffering. Fortify my soul that pain will not break it. Mother of grace, teach me to live by the power of God.
O sweat Mother of God, I model my life on You; You are for me the bright dawn; in You I lose myself, enraptured. O Mother, Immaculate Virgin, in You the divine ray is reflected, midst storms, It is You who teach me to love the Lord, O my shield and defense from the foe.
Hail Mary, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father. Hail Mary, admirable Mother of the Son. Hail Mary, faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost. Hail Mary, my Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign. Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul. You are all mine by mercy, and I am yours by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently yours. I now give myself wholly to you without keeping anything back for myself or others. If you see anything in me which does not belong to you, I beseech you to take it and make yourself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine.
Destroy in me all that may displease God; root it up and bring it to naught. Place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to you. May the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind. May your profound humility take the place of my pride; may your sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination. May the continuous sight of God fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of your heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine. May your virtues take the place of my sins; may your merits be my only adornment in the sight of God and make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but yours to know Jesus, and His Divine Will; that I may have no other soul but yours to praise and glorify God; that I may have no other heart but yours to love God with a love as pure and ardent as yours.
I do not ask you for visions, revelations, sensible devotions, or spiritual pleasures. It is your privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is thy privilege to triumph gloriously in heaven at the right hand of thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men and demons.
It is your privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as you will. Such is, O heavenly Mary, the 'best part', which the Lord has given you, and which shall never be taken away from you---and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was yours, to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures, to suffer joyfully without human consolation, to die continually to myself without respite, and to work zealously and unselfishly for you until death, as the humblest of your servants. The only grace I beg you, for me, is that every moment of the day, and every moment of my life, I may say---"Amen, so be it, to all that you are doing in heaven. Amen, so be it, to all you did while on earth. Amen, so be it to all you are doing in my soul, " so that you alone may fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity. Amen.
O kind and good Mother, whose own soul was pierced by the sword of sorrow, look upon us while, in our sickness, we arraign ourselves beside you on the Calvary where your Jesus hangs.
Dowered with the high grace of suffering, and hopeful of fulfilling in our own flesh what is wanting in our sharing of Christ’s passion, on behalf of his Mystical Body, the Church, we consecrate to you ourselves and our pain. We pray that you will place them on that Altar of the Cross to which Jesus is affixed. May they be little victims of propitiation for our salvation, for the salvation of all peoples.
O Mother of Sorrows, accept this consecration. Strengthen our hopeful hearts, that as partakers of Christ’s sufferings we may also share in his comfort now and for evermore. Amen.
Mary, my Mother, your love for us could not be greater or more powerful. You are rich in love and your power brings us relief. You want everyone to be saved. I beg you therefore, protect me in temptation and strengthen me when I weaken. I struggle daily to be faithful to Jesus your son. Help me my Mother at every moment. But above all take me by the hand when you see that I am weakening and about to fall. I will have to battle with temptation till the day I die. My Lady, you are my hope, my refuge, my strength; never let me lose the grace of God. In every temptation I resolve to turn to you at once and pray: Mary help me.
Holy Virgin, in the midst of your glorious days, do not forget the sadness of earth. Cast a look of goodness on those who are suffering, who are fighting against difficulties.
Have pity on those who love one another and who have been separated.
Have pity on the loneliness of our hearts.
Have pity on the weakness of our faith.
Have pity on the troubled objects of our love.
Have pity on those who are weeping, on those who are praying, on those who are seized with fear.
Give to all of us hope and peace with justice. Amen.
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life: Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy. Grant that all who believe in your Son may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time. Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new, the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, in order to build, together with all people of good will, the civilization of truth and love, to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life. Amen.
O beautiful Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, O Mother of Divine Love, we turn to you in confidence that you will obtain for us the grace we are in need of. We know that you will never turn us away, you who have been worthily greeted by an angel with the words “Hail, full of grace!”
Yes, O Mother, You are truly full grace, for your heavenly spouse, the Holy Spirit, with his Divine Love, has designed to come upon you the moment you took form in your mother’s womb, thus preserving you from the stain of sin and keeping you ever immaculate; again he came down upon you at the time of the annunciation, rendering you the mother of Jesus, at the same time keeping you ever virgin. He came down upon you at Pentecost, filling you with his seven gifts, and making you the fount and dispenser of all heavenly blessings.
Therefore, O gracious Mother of Divine Love, listen to our prayers. THANK YOU DEAR MOTHER!
Grant peace and prosperity (to our community,) to (our country) and to the whole world, protect our Holy Father (Pope's name), bring into perfect unity all Christians according to the desire of your divine Son, illumine with the light of the Gospel all who have not yet come to the true faith; convert poor sinners; give us too a sincere contrition for our sins; render us always strong enough to say “no” when temptations assail us; lead us along the path of fraternal love and charity; and, finally, when God would beckon us, open to us the portals of heaven. You who see us mourning and weeping in this world, come to our aid when we are weighed down by the load of our suffering; give us strength to accept the inevitable difficulties and trials of life; grant, O Mother of Grace, health in mind and body to all who turn to you.
Comfort, O Virgin Mary, and bring all souls to your Son Jesus.
Cast your maternal gaze on us (and on our parish), keep it ever in your sweet protection; grant that we, your beloved children, will always render you praise with our lives; keep ever burning in us the flame of Divine Love so that we will let ourselves be entirely consumed by it here in this life and for ever in heaven. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send now Your Holy Spirit over the earth. Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all Nations, that they may be preserved from degeneration, disaster and war. May the Lady of All Nations, who once was Mary, be our Advocate! Amen.
Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title “Help of Christians”, the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection. We come before you today to implore your protection. Look upon the People of God and, with a mother’s care, guide them along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.
When you obediently said “yes” in the house of Nazareth, you allowed God’s eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption. You willingly and generously cooperated in that work, allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul, until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary, standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.
From that moment, you became, in a new way, the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross. Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter. Grant that your children may discern at all times, even those that are darkest, the signs of God’s loving presence.
Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love. May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and of the world to Jesus.
In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high, offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love. Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love, ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built. Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. 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, R. Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, R. Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, R. Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, R. Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, Pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Mother of the Church,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the Covenant,
Gate of Heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of angels,
Queen of patriarchs,
Queen of prophets,
Queen of apostles,
Queen of martyrs,
Queen of confessors,
Queen of virgins,
Queen of all saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into Heaven,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace,
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, R. Spare us, O
Lord.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, R. Graciously
hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, R. Have mercy on
us.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: Grant we beseech Thee, Oh Lord God that we Thy servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, Ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy eternal happiness through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you, God entrusted his only Son; In you, Mary placed her trust; With you, Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us, too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen.
To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our afflictions, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also.
Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness.
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.
O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
O Saint Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, so that having experienced here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.
O Saint Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Hold Him close in my name and kiss His fine head from me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for me. Amen.
Remember O most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, my good protector St. Joseph, that never was it known that anyone who came to your protection, and sought your intercession was left unaided. Confidently I prostrate myself before you and fervently beg for your powerful intervention. O foster-father of our dear Redeemer, despise not my petition, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.
O dearest St. Joseph, I consecrate myself to your honor and give myself to you, that you may always be my father, my protector and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me a greater purity of heart and fervent love of the interior life. After your example may I do all my actions for the greater glory of God, in union with the Divine Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.
Receive me, dear and chosen Father, and the offering of every movement of my body and soul, which I desire to present through thee to my blessed Lord.
Purify all! Make all a perfect holocaust! May every pulsation of my heart be a Spiritual Communion, every look and thought an act of love, every action a sweet sacrifice, every word an arrow of Divine love, every step an advance toward Jesus, every visit to Our Lord as pleasing to God as the errands of Angels, every thought of thee, dear Saint, an act to remind thee that I am thy child.
I recommend to thee the occasions in which I usually fail, particularly . . . [Mention these]. Accept each little devotion of the day, though replete with imperfection, and offer it to Jesus, Whose mercy will overlook all, since He regards not so much the gift as the love of the giver. Amen.
O Glorious Saint Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in a spirit of penance for the expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations; to work with thankfulness and joy, considering it an honor to employ and develop by means of labor the gifts received from God; to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, never shrinking from weariness and trials; to work above all with purity of intention and detachment from self, keeping unceasingly before my eyes death and the account that I must give of time lost, talents unused, good omitted, and vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God.
All for Jesus, all through Mary, all after thy example, O Patriarch, Saint Joseph. Such shall be my watch-word in life and in death. Amen. (Composed by Pope St. Pius X)
Dear Jesus, we believe that You are here, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament: that You see us, that You hear us. We adore You with profound reverence. We beg pardon for our sins and the grace to make this time of prayer fruitful.
Our Immaculate Mother, St. Joseph our Patron, our guardian angels, our patron saints, intercede for us during this time of prayer and adoration. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, whose power makes the impossible possible, come to my aid in these times of anguish and difficulty. Take under your protection the serious and troubling situations that I commend to you, that they may have a happy outcome. My beloved father, all my trust is in you. Let it not be said that I invoked you in vain, and since you can do everything with Jesus and Mary, show me that your goodness is as great as your power. Amen.
My beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as your child. Take charge of my salvation. Watch over me night and day. Preserve me from occasions of sin. Obtain for me purity of body and soul and the spirit of true prayer. Win for me a spirit of sacrifice, humility, and self-denial. Obtain for me a burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and tender love for Mary, my Mother. St. Joseph, be with me in life; be with me in death and obtain for me a favorable judgment from Jesus. Amen.
In faithful imitation of Jesus and Mary, I place myself and all my concerns under your care and protection, St. Joseph. Instruct me in every doubt, comfort me in each affliction, and defend and protect me in time of danger. Watch over me at all times, but especially at that last hour of my life on earth so that with you I may praise the Adorable Trinity forever. Amen.
O God, the creator of all things, who formed the law of labor for the human race, graciously grant that by merits and patronage of St. Joseph, we may do the work You assign us and earn the reward You promise. Through our Lord, Jesus. Amen.
Lord God, You have created all things, and imposed on man the necessity of work. Grant that, following Joseph’s example, and under his protection, we may accomplish the works You give us and obtain the rewards You promise. This we ask through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
St. Joseph, you are the faithful protector of and intercessor for all who love and venerate you. I have special confidence in you, for you are all-powerful with God and will never abandon your faithful servants. I humbly invoke you and commend myself with all who are dear to me to your protection and intercession. Do not abandon me or them during life, and assist me and them when we die. Amen.
Blessed Joseph, you yielded your last breath in the embrace of Jesus and Mary. When death closes my career, come, Holy Father, with Jesus and Mary, to aid me, and obtain for me the only solace which I ask at that hour-to die encircled by their holy arms. Living and dying, I commend my soul into your sacred hands, O Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Amen.
Compassionate Joseph, one with us in our human condition, together with Mary and Jesus you experience exile, hunger and violence. Refusing vengeance, you choose mercy.
Your forgiveness breaks the circle of violence. Through your goodness, God's hope for our humanity is preserved. Joy is yours, for the Kingdom of God is your inheritance.
Open our compassionate hands in times of war, famine and exile. Keep us from developing a victim's mentality, and make our pain a source of growth. Sustain us in fulfilling our responsibility of cultivating inner peace, joy and serenity. In your wisdom, counsel us to close all doors to bitterness, so that, watched over by God, we may dance for joy. Amen.
Good Saint Joseph, when God wanted a family for his Son, He looked among the laborers, and chose you along with Mary, demonstrating His esteem for human work.
You put your heart into your work, and share your workshop with Jesus. Your work, like that of other humans, found new meaning in the presence of God.
Sustain us in the hope of finding work when we are confronted with the desolation of unemployment. Counsel business leaders to create an equitable division of labor that is respectful of individuals, and promotes our growth and happiness.
Help us to perform our work joyfully, conscientiously, fairly and honestly. Prepare our hearts to recognize your Son in our colleagues at work. Amen.
Attentive Joseph, in Mary and you, the Divine Word finds a favorable environment in which to carry out the will of the Father; thus, you become the family of the Child-God.
In your gentle life together, you experience Love daily. The unity of your hearts transforms life's lessons into growing wisdom and grace.
Open our hearts to the Word that lives within us, that our actions may bear witness to our connection to the family of God.
Sustain us in our emotional commitments, where giving and forgiveness shape our identities. Grant us your tenderness in the things we do each day! Amen.
Benevolent Joseph, the Son of God placed his life in your hands. With Mary, you cared for Him who is the force of life. May your compassion enfold our fragility, bringing us the comfort of the divine presence.
We join with you in prayer, saying: "Lord Jesus, Son of Living God, say a word for our healing!"
Make us sensitive to the illnesses of those close to us. Support our efforts and grant us courage in the fight against all evil.
Help us to find meaning in God's great project for humanity beyond the sicknesses and sufferings that blind our sight. The love of God be with us, as our hope lies with Him! Amen.
Faithful Joseph, with the fulfillment of the Lord's promise, you peacefully leave this world in Jesus and Mary's hands. Your faith transforms death into the sowing of life; thus, God considers you to be a just man. Your heart overflows in the presence of the Lord. With your hands outstretched to God, your night is filled with prayers. Surrounded by the living, you embark upon the great march to the promise Land.
Open our eyes that we may glimpse the road to Life that lies beyond death. May nothing, not denial, anger, nor depression, separate us from the Love of God. Strengthen our faith in God who always finds ways of preserving us in his friendship. Be beside us to hold our hands when we take our first steps toward the Eternal Kingdom. Amen.
Brave Joseph, collaborator in God's project for humanity, your tenderness enfolds the newborn Church. Just as Mary and Jesus recognize in you the protection of the Father, so too does the community of faith place itself under your protection.
Strengthen us with the Spirit that filled the Nazarene home and guide our footsteps on the road to the Kingdom.
Accompany us in carrying out our mission. Help us to be lights in the world so that the family of God may spring forth from humanity transfigured in Christ.
Grant us the strength to imitate God's preference for the poor and weak. Guide us in our pastoral activities that our actions may be modeled on the Good News. Amen.
Courageous Joseph, advised by an angel, you confront your fears of the unknown. Your light shines brightly, penetrating the dark corners of your being. Your fears dispersed, you rediscover your true face, and actively participate in the divine project reuniting mother and Child, and the people with their God. Together with Mary and Jesus, you dwell in the love of God.
Help us to rediscover the united core of our identities, beyond all internal fears. Counsel us so we may build a better world to welcome the coming Kingdom. Shed your light on our inner lives that, freed from the grip of our fears, our decisions may be founded in Love. May the face of God shine on us! Amen.
Gentle Joseph, God is captivated by the quality of your heart. Your entire being is focused on doing his will. With Mary and Jesus, you answer the Holy Spirit's call to build a better world.
With one heart, we join you in saying: "Here we are, Lord, your will be done! Your kingdom come nearer to us!"
Keep the hope of a new world alive in our hearts. Inspire us to speak words of tenderness to awaken the love of hearts.
May we draw the energy for our actions from the source of all Love so our faces may shine with the freedom of the children of God. Amen.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, 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, pray for us.
St. 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.
Lover of poverty, pray for us.
Model of artisans, pray for us.
Glory of home life, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of families, 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 takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
He made him the lord of his household,
And prince over all his possessions.
Let us pray. O God, in Your ineffable providence You were pleased to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Your most holy Mother; grant, we beg You, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our Protector: You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately.
"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife with you. In fact the child that has been conceived in her comes from the Holy Spirit; she will give birth to a son and you will call him Jesus: he in fact will save his people from their sins."
O chaste Spouse of Mary most holy, glorious St. Joseph, great was the trouble and anguish of your heart when you wert minded to put away privately your inviolate Spouse, yet your joy was unspeakable when the surpassing mystery of the Incarnation was made known to you by the Angel!
By this sorrow and this joy, we beseech you to comfort our souls, both now and in the sorrows of our final hour, with the joy of a good life and a holy death after the pattern of your own, in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Our Father ✠ Hail Mary ✠ Glory Be
And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. – St. Luke 2:6-7
And the angel said to them: “Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy… For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord …” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: “Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.” … And they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
O most blessed Patriarch, glorious St. Joseph, who was chosen to be the foster father of the Word made flesh, your sorrow at seeing the Child Jesus born in such poverty was suddenly changed into heavenly exultation when you did hear the angelic hymn and beheld the glories of that resplendent night.
By this sorrow and this joy, we implore you to obtain for us the grace to pass over from life’s pathway to hear the angelic songs of praise, and to rejoice in the shining splendour of celestial glory.
Our Father ✠ Hail Mary ✠ Glory Be
And after eight days were accomplished, the child was circumcised…
And Joseph … did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him … and he called his name Jesus.
O glorious St. Joseph you faithfully obeyed the law of God, and your heart was pierced at the sight of the Precious Blood that was shed by the Infant Savior during His Circumcision, but the Name of Jesus gave you new life and filled you with quiet joy.
By this sorrow and this joy, obtain for us the grace to be freed from all sin during life, and to die rejoicing, with the holy Name of Jesus in our hearts and on our lips.
Our Father ✠ Hail Mary ✠ Glory Be
And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.
Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace; because my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him.
O most faithful Saint who shared the mysteries of our Redemption, glorious St. Joseph, the prophecy of Simeon regarding the sufferings of Jesus and Mary caused you to shudder with mortal dread, but at the same time filled you with a blessed joy for the salvation and glorious resurrection which, he foretold, would be attained by countless souls.
By this sorrow and this joy, obtain for us that we may be among the number of those who, through the merits of Jesus and the intercession of Mary the Virgin Mother, are predestined to a glorious resurrection.
Our Father ✠ Hail Mary ✠ Glory Be
Behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: “Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him.” Who arose, and took the child and his mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod.
Behold the Lord will ascend upon a swift cloud, and will enter into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst thereof.
O most watchful Guardian of the Incarnate Son of God, glorious St. Joseph, what toil was your in supporting and waiting upon the Son of the most high God, especially in the flight into Egypt! Yet at the same time, how you did rejoice to have always near you God Himself, and to see the idols of the Egyptians fall prostrate to the ground before Him.
By this sorrow and this joy, obtain for us the grace of keeping ourselves in safety from the infernal tyrant, especially by flight from dangerous occasions; may every idol of earthly affection fall from our hearts; may we be wholly employed in serving Jesus and Mary, and for them alone may we live and happily die.
Our Father ✠ Hail Mary ✠ Glory Be
But when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt, saying: “Arise, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel. For they are dead that sought the life of the child.” Who arose, and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither: and being warned in sleep retired into the quarters of Galilee.
And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and the grace of God was in him.
O glorious St. Joseph, an angel on earth, you did marvel to see the King of Heaven obedient to your commands, but your consolation in bringing Jesus out of the land of Egypt was troubled by your fear of Archelaus; nevertheless, being assured by the Angel, you dwelt in gladness at Nazareth with Jesus and Mary.
By this sorrow and this joy, obtain for us that our hearts may be delivered from harmful fears, so that we may rejoice in peace of conscience and may live in safety with Jesus and Mary and may, like you, die in their company.
Our Father ✠ Hail Mary ✠ Glory Be
And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast, and having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not. And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance. And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him.
And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? Did you not know, that I must be about my father's business? … And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men.
O glorious St. Joseph, pattern of all holiness, when you did lose, through no fault of your own, the Child Jesus, you sought Him sorrowing for the space of three days, until with great joy you did find Him again in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors.
By this sorrow and this joy, we supplicate you, with our hearts upon our lips, to keep us from ever having the misfortune to lose Jesus through mortal sin; but if this supreme misfortune should befall us, grant that we may seek Him with unceasing sorrow until we find Him again, ready to show us His great mercy, especially at the hour of death; so that we may pass over to enjoy His presence in Heaven; and there, in company with you, may we sing the praises of His Divine mercy forever.
Our Father ✠ Hail Mary ✠ Glory Be
V. And Jesus himself was beginning his ministry about the age of thirty years.
R. Being, as it was supposed, the son of Joseph. (St. Luke 3:23)
Pray for us, O holy Joseph, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. O God, in your ineffable providence you were pleased to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most holy Mother; grant, we beg you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our Protector: You who live and reign forever and ever.
R. Amen.
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9
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 Christ's 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 Mary's virginity before and during your married life with her. You made the virginal marriage possible, and this was a part of God's 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 father's 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.
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.
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.
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 Mary's virginity. By your marriage you gave to each other your virginity, and also the mutual right over it -- a right to safeguard the other's 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 God's 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. Mary's 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.
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.
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.
Saint Joseph, you were the man chosen by God the Father. He selected you to be His representative on earth, hence He granted you all the graces and blessings you needed to be His worthy representative.
You were the man chosen by God the Son. Desirous of a worthy foster-father, He added His own riches and gifts, and above all, His love. The true measure of your sanctity is to be judged by your imitation of Jesus. You were entirely consecrated to Jesus, working always near Him, offering Him your virtues, your work, your sufferings, your very life. Jesus lived in you perfectly so that you were transformed into Him. In this lies your special glory, and the keynote of your sanctity. Hence, after Mary, you are the holiest of the saints.
You were chosen by the Holy Spirit. He is the mutual Love of the Father and the Son -- the heart of the Holy Trinity. In His wisdom He draws forth all creatures from nothing, guides them to their end in showing them their destiny and giving them the means to reach it. Every vocation and every fulfillment of a vocation proceeds from the Holy Spirit. As a foster-father of Jesus and head of the Holy Family, you had an exalted and most responsible vocation -- to open the way for the redemption of the world and to prepare for it by the education and guidance of the youth of the God-Man. In this work you cooperated as the instrument of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the guide; you obeyed and carried out the works. How perfectly you obeyed the guidance of the God of Love!
The words of the Old Testament which Pharaoh spoke concerning Joseph of Egypt can well be applied to you: 'Can we find such another man, that is full of the spirit of God, or a wise man like to him?' (Gen. 41:38). No less is your share in the divine work of God than was that of Egypt. You now reign with your foster-Son and see reflected in the mirror of God's Wisdom the Divine Will and what is of benefit to our souls.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for having made you the man specially chosen by Him. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to imitate your virtues so that I too may be pleasing to the Heart of God. Help me to give myself entirely to His service and to the accomplishment of His Holy Will, that one day I may reach heaven and be eternally united to God as you are.
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.
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.
Saint Joseph, you lived for one purpose -- to be the personal servant of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Your noble birth and ancestry, the graces and gifts, so generously poured out on you by God -- all this was yours to serve our Lord better. Every thought, word, and action of yours was a homage to the love and glory of the Incarnate Word. You fulfilled most faithfully the role of a good and faithful servant who cared for the House of God. How perfect was your obedience! Your position in the Holy Family obliged you to command, but besides being the foster-father of Jesus, you were also His disciple. For almost thirty years, you watched the God-Man display a simple and prompt obedience, and you grew to love and practice it very perfectly yourself. Without exception you submitted to God, to the civil rulers, and to the voice of your conscience.
When God sent an angel to tell you to care for Mary, you obeyed in spite of the mystery which surrounded her motherhood. When you were told to flee into Egypt under painful conditions, you obeyed without the slightest word of complaint. When God advised you in a dream to return to Nazareth, you obeyed. In every situation your obedience was as simple as your faith, as humble as your heart, as prompt as your love. It neglected nothing; it took in every command.
You had the virtue of perfect devotedness, which marks a good servant. Every moment of your life was consecrated to the service of our Lord: sleep, rest, work, pain. Faithful to your duties, you sacrificed everything unselfishly, even cheerfully. You would have sacrificed even the happiness of being with Mary. The rest and quiet of Nazareth was sacrificed at the call of duty. Your entire life was one generous giving, even to the point of being ready to die in proof of your love for Jesus and Mary. With true unselfish devotedness you worked without praise or reward.
But God wanted you to be in a certain sense a cooperator in the Redemption of the world. He confided to you the care of nourishing and defending the Divine Child. He wanted you to be poor and to suffer because He destined you to be the foster-father of His Son, who came into the world to save men by His sufferings and death, and you were to share in His suffering. In all of these important tasks, the Heavenly Father always found you a faithful servant!
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being God's faithful servant. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to be a faithful servant of God as you were. Help me to share, as you did, the perfect obedience of Jesus, who came not to do His Will, but the Will of His Father; to trust in the Providence of God, knowing that if I do His Will, He will provide for all my needs of soul and body; to be calm in my trials and to leave it to our Lord to free me from them when it pleases Him to do so. And help me to imitate your generosity, for there can be no greater reward here on earth than the joy and honor of being a faithful servant of God.
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.
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.
Saint Joseph, God has appointed you patron of the Catholic Church because you were the head of the Holy Family, the starting-point of the Church. You were the father, protector, guide and support of the Holy Family. For that reason you belong in a particular way to the Church, which was the purpose of the Holy Family's existence.
I believe that the Church is the family of God on earth. Its government is represented in priestly authority which consists above all in its power over the true Body of Christ, really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, thus continuing Christ's life in the Church. From this power, too, comes authority over the Mystical Body of Christ, the members of the Church -- the power to teach and govern souls, to reconcile them with God, to bless them, and to pray for them.
You have a special relationship to the priesthood because you possessed a wonderful power over our Savior Himself. Your life and office were of a priestly function and are especially connected with the Blessed Sacrament. To some extent you were the means of bringing the Redeemer to us -- as it is the priest's function to bring Him to us in the Mass -- for you reared Jesus, supported, nourished, protected and sheltered Him. You were prefigured by the patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his people. But how much greater than he were you! Joseph of old gave the Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. You nourished, and with the most tender care, preserved for the Church Him who is the Bread of Heaven and who gives eternal life in Holy Communion.
God has appointed you patron of the Church because the glorious title of patriarch also falls by special right to you. The patriarchs were the heads of families of the Chosen People, and theirs was the honor to prepare for the Savior's incarnation. You belonged to this line of patriarchs, for you were one of the last descendants of the family of David and one of the nearest forebears of Christ according to the flesh. As husband of Mary, the Mother of God, and as the foster-father of the Savior, you were directly connected with Christ. Your vocation was especially concerned with the Person of Jesus; your entire activity centered about Him. You are, therefore, the closing of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New, which took its rise with the Holy Family of Nazareth. Because the New Testament surpasses the Old in every respect, you are the patriarch of patriarchs, the most venerable, exalted, and amiable of all the patriarchs.
Through Mary, the Church received Christ, and therefore the Church is indebted to her. But the Church owes her debt of gratitude and veneration to you also, for you were the chosen one who enabled Christ to enter into the world according to the laws of order and fitness. It was by you that the patriarchs and the prophets and the faithful reaped the fruit of God's promise. Alone among them all, you saw with your own eyes and possessed the Redeemer promised to the rest of men.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being the Patron of the Church. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to live always as a worthy member of this Church, so that through it I may save my soul. Bless the priests, the religious, and the laity of the Catholic Church, that they may ever grow in God's love and faithfulness in His service. Protect the Church from the evils of our day and from the persecution of her enemies. Through your powerful intercession may the church successfully accomplish its mission in this world -- the glory of God and the salvation of souls!
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.
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.
Saint Joseph, I venerate you as the gentle head of the Holy Family. The Holy Family was the scene of your life's work in its origin, in its guidance, in its protection, in your labor for Jesus and Mary, and even in your death in their arms. You lived, moved, and acted in the loving company of Jesus and Mary. The inspired writer describes your life at Nazareth in only a few words: 'And (Jesus) went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them' (Luke, 2:51). Yet these words tell of your high vocation here on earth, and the abundance of graces which filled your soul during those years spent in Nazareth.
Your family life at Nazareth was all radiant with the light of divine charity. There was an intimate union of heart and mind among the members of your Holy Family. There could not have been a closer bond than that uniting you to Jesus, your foster-Son and to Mary, your most loving wife. Jesus chose to fulfill toward you, His foster-father, all the duties of a faithful son, showing you every mark of honor and affection due to a parent. And Mary showed you all the signs of respect and love of a devoted wife. You responded to this love and veneration from Jesus and Mary with feelings of deepest love and respect. You had for Jesus a true fatherly love, enkindled and kept aglow in your heart by the Holy Spirit. And you could not cease to admire the workings of grace in Mary's soul, and this admiration caused the holy love which you had consecrated to her on the day of your wedding grow stronger every day.
God has made you a heavenly patron of family life because you sanctified yourself as head of the Holy Family and thus by your beautiful example sanctified family life. How peacefully and happily the Holy Family rested under the care of your fatherly rule, even in the midst of trials. You were the protector, counselor, and consolation of the Holy Family in every need. And just as you were the model of piety, so you gave us by your zeal, your earnestness and devout trust in God's providence, and especially by your love, the example of labor according to the Will of God. You cherished all the experiences common to family life and the sacred memories of the life, sufferings, and joys in the company of Jesus and Mary. Therefore the family is dear to you as the work of God, and it is of the highest importance in your eyes to promote the honor of God and the well-being of man. In your loving fatherliness and unfailing intercession you are the patron and intercessor of families, and you deserve a place in every home.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of living in the Holy Family and being its head. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain God's blessing upon my own family. Make our home the kingdom of Jesus and Mary -- a kingdom of peace, of joy, and love.
I also pray for all Christian families. Your help is needed in our day when God's enemy has directed his attack against the family in order to desecrate and destroy it. In the face of these evils, as patron of families, be pleased to help; and as of old, you arose to save the Child and His Mother, so today arise to protect the sanctity of the home. Make our homes sanctuaries of prayer, of love, of patient sacrifice, and of work. May they be modeled after your own at Nazareth. Remain with us with Jesus and Mary, so that by your help we may obey the commandments of God and of the Church; receive the holy sacraments of God and of the Church; live a life of prayer; and foster religious instruction in our homes. Grant that we may be reunited in God's Kingdom and eternally live in the company of the Holy Family in heaven.
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.
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.
Saint Joseph, you devoted your time at Nazareth to the work of a carpenter. It was the Will of God that you and your foster-Son should spend your days together in manual labor. What a beautiful example you set for the working classes!
It was especially for the poor, who compose the greater part of mankind, that Jesus came upon earth, for in the synagogue of Nazareth, He read the words of Isaiah and referred them to Himself: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor...' (Luke 4:18). It was God's Will that you should be occupied with work common to poor people, that in this way Jesus Himself might ennoble it by inheriting it from you, His foster-father, and by freely embracing it. Thus our Lord teaches us that for the humbler class of workmen, He has in store His richest graces, provided they live content in the place God's Providence has assigned them, and remain poor in spirit for He said, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven' (Matt. 5:3).
The kind of work to which you devoted your time in the workshop of Nazareth offered you many occasions of practicing humility. You were privileged to see each day the example of humility which Jesus practiced -- a virtue most pleasing to Him. He chose for His earthly surroundings not the courts of princes nor the halls of the learned, but a little workshop of Nazareth. Here you shared for many years the humble and hidden toiling of the God-Man. What a touching example for the worker of today!
While your hands were occupied with manual work, your mind was turned to God in prayer. From the Divine Master, who worked along with you, you learned to work in the presence of God in the spirit of prayer, for as He worked He adored His Father and recommended the welfare of the world to Him, Jesus also instructed you in the wonderful truths of grace and virtue, for you were in close contact with Him who said of Himself, 'I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.'
As you were working at your trade, you were reminded of the greatness and majesty of God, who, as a most wise Architect, formed this vast universe with wonderful skill and limitless power.
The light of divine faith that filled your mind, did not grow dim when you saw Jesus working as a carpenter. You firmly believed that the saintly Youth working beside you was truly God's own Son.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to work side by side with Jesus in the carpenter shop of Nazareth. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to respect the dignity of labor and ever to be content with the position in life, however lowly, in which it may please Divine Providence to place me. Teach me to work for God and with God in the spirit of humility and prayer, as you did, so that I may offer my toil in union with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass as a reparation for my sins, and gain rich merit for heaven.
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.
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.
Saint Joseph, your share of suffering was very great because of your close union with the Divine Savior. All the mysteries of His life were more or less mysteries of suffering. Poverty pressed upon you, and the cross of labor followed you everywhere. Nor were you spared domestic crosses, owing to misunderstandings in regard to the holiest and most cherished of all beings, Jesus and Mary, who were all to you. Keen must have been the suffering caused by the uncertainty regarding Mary's virginity; by the bestowal of the name of Jesus, which pointed to future misfortune. Deeply painful must have been the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the disappearance of Jesus at the Paschal feast. To these sufferings were surely added interior sorrow at the sight of the sins of your own people.
You bore all this suffering in a truly Christ-like manner, and in this you are our example. No sound of complaint or impatience escaped you -- you were, indeed, the silent saint! You submitted to all in the spirit of faith, humility, confidence, and love. You cheerfully bore all in union with and for the Savior and His Mother, knowing well that true love is a crucified love. But God never forsook you in your trials. The trials, too, disappeared and were changed at last into consolation and joy.
It seems that God had purposely intended your life to be filled with suffering as well as consolation to keep before my eyes the truth that my life on earth is but a succession of joys and sorrows, and that I must gratefully accept whatever God sends me, and during the time of consolation prepare for suffering. Teach me to bear my cross in the spirit of faith, of confidence, and of gratitude toward God. In a happy eternity, I shall thank God fervently for the sufferings which He deigned to send me during my pilgrimage on earth, and which after your example I endured with patience and heartfelt love for Jesus and Mary.
You were truly the martyr of the hidden life. This was God's Will, for the holier a person is, the more he is tried for the love and glory of God. If suffering is the flowering of God's grace in a soul and the triumph of the soul's love for God, being the greatest of saints after Mary, you suffered more than any of the martyrs.
Because you have experienced the sufferings of this valley of tears, you are most kind and sympathetic toward those in need. Down through the ages souls have turned to you in distress and have always found you a faithful friend in suffering. You have graciously heard their prayers in their needs even though it demanded a miracle. Having been so intimately united with Jesus and Mary in life, your intercession with Them is most powerful.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to suffer for Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace to bear my suffering patiently for love of Jesus and Mary. Grant that I may unite the sufferings, works and disappointments of life with the sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass, and share like you in Mary's spirit of sacrifice.
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.
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.
Saint Joseph, how fitting it was that at the hour of your death Jesus should stand at your bedside with Mary, the sweetness and hope of all mankind. You gave your entire life to the service of Jesus and Mary; at death you enjoyed the consolation of dying in Their loving arms. You accepted death in the spirit of loving submission to the Will of God, and this acceptance crowned your hidden life of virtue. Yours was a merciful judgment, for your foster-Son, for whom you had cared so lovingly, was your Judge, and Mary was your advocate. The verdict of the Judge was a word of encouragement to wait for His coming to Limbo, where He would shower you with the choicest fruits of the Redemption, and an embrace of grateful affection before you breathed forth your soul into eternity.
You looked into eternity and to your everlasting reward with confidence. If our Savior blessed the shepherds, the Magi, Simeon, John the Baptist, and others, because they greeted His presence with devoted hearts for a brief passing hour, how much more did He bless you who have sanctified yourself for so many years in His company and that of His Mother? If Jesus regards every corporal and spiritual work of mercy, performed in behalf of our fellow men out of love for Him, as done to Himself, and promises heaven as a reward, what must have been the extent of His gratitude to you who in the truest sense of the word have received Him, given Him shelter, clothed, nourished, and consoled Him at the sacrifice of your strength and rest, and even your life, with a love which surpassed the love of all fathers.
God really and personally made Himself your debtor. Our Divine Savior paid that debt of gratitude by granting you many graces in your lifetime, especially the grace of growing in love, which is the best and most perfect of all gifts. Thus at the end of your life your heart became filled with love, the fervor and longing of which your frail body could not resist. Your soul followed the triumphant impulse of your love and winged its flight from earth to bear the prophets and patriarchs in Limbo the glad tidings of the advent of the Redeemer.
Saint Joseph, I thank God for your privilege of being able to die in the arms of Jesus and Mary. As a token of your own gratitude to God, obtain for me the grace of a happy death. Help me to spend each day in preparation for death. May I, too, accept death in the spirit of resignation to God's Holy Will, and die, as you did, in the arms of Jesus, strengthened by Holy Viaticum, and in the arms of Mary, with her rosary in my hand and her name on my lips!
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.
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.
(This novena is prayed on 30 consecutive days in memory of the 30 years which the great Saint Joseph is said to have spent in the company of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.)
(The extraordinary graces obtained by this prayer are innumerable. St. Teresa of Avila said: “If you really want to believe in it, prove it to yourself by reciting the Novena and you will be finally convinced.”)
(It is most efficacious to say a prayer for the souls in Purgatory. With the same solicitude that we help dry the tears of the suffering souls, so, too, can we hope that St. Joseph will help dry our tears in our necessities. In this way, the “holy cloak” of St. Joseph will spread itself over us and will serve as a shield against all those dangers which beset us so that we may all one day, with the grace of God, obtain eternal salvation.)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, we give you our hearts and our souls.
(Pray the Glory Be 3 times to our Heavenly Father in thanksgiving for having exalted St. Joseph to a position of such exceptional dignity.)
O Glorious Patriarch St. Joseph, we humbly prostrate ourselves before you. We beg the Lord Jesus, your Immaculate Spouse the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the Angels and Saints in the Heavenly Court to join us in this devotion. We offer you this precious cloak while pledging our sincerest faith and devotion. We promise to do all in our power to honor you throughout our lifetime to prove our love for you.
Help us, St. Joseph. Assist us now and throughout our lifetimes, but especially at the moment of our deaths, as you were assisted by Jesus and Mary, that we may join you one day in Heaven and there honor you for all eternity. Amen.
O Glorious Patriarch St. Joseph, prostrate before you and your Divine Son Jesus, we offer you with heartfelt devotion this precious treasury of prayers, being ever mindful of the numerous virtues which adorned your sacred person. In you, O Glorious Patriarch, was fulfilled the dream of your precursor the first Joseph, who indeed seemed to have been sent by God to prepare the way for your presence on this earth. In fact, not only were you surrounded by the shining splendor of the rays of the Divine Sun, Jesus, but you were splendidly reflected in the brilliant light of the mystic moon, the Blessed Virgin Mary. O Glorious Patriarch, if the example of the ancient Jacob, who personally went to congratulate his favorite son, who was exalted on the throne of Egypt, served to bring all his progeny there, should not the example of Jesus and Mary, who honored you with their greatest respect and trust, serve to bring us, your devoted servants, to present you with this precious cloak in your honor.
Grant, O great St. Joseph, that the Almighty God may turn a benevolent glance toward us. As the ancient Joseph did not reject his guilty and cruel brothers, but rather accepted them with love and protected and saved them from hunger and death, we beseech you, O Glorious Patriarch, through your intercession, grant that the Lord may never abandon us in this exiled valley of sorrows. Grant that He may always number us among your devoted servants who live serenely under the patronage of your Holy Cloak. Grant that we may live always within the protection of this patronage every day of our lives and particularly at that moment when we draw our dying breath.
I. Hail, O Glorious St. Joseph, you who are entrusted with the priceless treasures of Heaven and earth and foster-father of Him who nourishes all the creatures of the universe. You are, after Mary, the Saint most worthy of our love and devotion. You alone, above all the Saints, were chosen for that supreme honor of rearing, guiding, nourishing, and even embracing the Messiah, whom so many kings and prophets would have so desired to behold.
St. Joseph, save our souls and obtain for us from the Divine Mercy of God that petition for which we humbly pray. And for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, grant a great comfort from their pain.
(Recite the Glory Be 3 times, etc.)
II. O powerful St. Joseph, you were proclaimed the Patron of the Universal Church; therefore, we invoke you, above all the other Saints, as the greatest protector of the afflicted, and we offer countless blessings to your most generous heart, always ready to help in any need.
To you, O Glorious St. Joseph, come the widows, the orphans, the abandoned, the afflicted, the oppressed. There is no sorrow, heartache, or anguish which you have not consoled. Deign, we beseech you, to use on our behalf those gifts which God has given you, until we, too, shall be granted the answer to our petition. And you, Holy Souls in Purgatory, pray to St. Joseph for us.
(Recite the Glory Be 3 times, etc.)
III. Countless are those who have prayed to you before us and have received comfort and peace, graces and favors. Our hearts, so sad and sorrowful, cannot find rest in the midst of this trial which besets us. O Glorious St. Joseph, you know all our needs even before we set them forth in prayer. You know how important this petition is for us. We prostrate ourselves before you as we sigh under the heavy weight of the problem which confronts us.
There is no human heart in which we can confide our sorrow; and even if we should find a compassionate creature who would be willing to assist us, still he would be unable to help us. Only you can help us in our sorrow, St. Joseph, and we beg you to hear our plea.
Has not St. Teresa left it written in her Dialogues that the world may always know, “Whatever you ask of St. Joseph, you shall receive”?
O St. Joseph, comforter of the afflicted, have pity on our sorrow and pity on those Poor Souls who place so much hope in you.
(Recite the Glory Be 3 times, etc.)
IV. O Sublime Patriarch St. Joseph, because of your perfect obedience to God, you may intercede for us.
For your holy life full of grace and merit, hear our prayer.
For your most sweet name, help us. For your most holy tears, comfort us.
For your seven sorrows, intercede for us. For your seven joys, console us.
From all harm of body and soul, deliver us. From all danger and disaster, save us.
Assist us with your powerful intercession and seek for us, through your power and mercy, all that is necessary for our salvation and particularly the favor of which we now stand in such great need.
(Recite the Glory Be 3 times, etc.)
V. O Glorious St. Joseph, countless are the graces and favors which you have obtained for afflicted souls. Those who suffer illness of every nature, those who are oppressed, persecuted, betrayed, bereft of all human comfort, even those in need of their life bread—all who implore your powerful intercession are comforted in their affliction.
Do not permit, O dearest St. Joseph, that we alone be the only ones of all who have appealed to you, to be denied this petition which we so earnestly beg of you. Show your kindness and generosity even to us, that we may cry out in thanksgiving, “Eternal glory to our Holy Patriarch St. Joseph, our great protector on earth and the defender of the Holy Souls in Purgatory.”
(Recite the Glory Be 3 times, etc.)
VI. Eternal Father, Who art in Heaven, through the merits of Jesus and Mary, we beg You to grant our petition. In the name of Jesus and Mary we prostrate ourselves before Your Divine Presence and we beseech You to accept our hopeful plea to persevere in our prayers that we may be numbered among the throngs of those who live under the patronage of St. Joseph.
Extend Your blessing on this precious treasury of prayers which we today offer to him as a pledge of our devotion.
(Recite the Glory Be 3 times, etc.)
St. Joseph, pray that Jesus may come into our souls and sanctify us.
St. Joseph, pray that Jesus may come into our hearts and inspire them with charity.
St. Joseph, pray that Jesus may come into our minds and enlighten them.
St. Joseph, pray that Jesus may guide our wills and strengthen them.
St. Joseph, pray that Jesus may direct our thoughts and purify them.
St. Joseph, pray that Jesus may guide our desires and direct them.
St. Joseph, pray that Jesus may look upon our deeds and extend His blessings.
St. Joseph, pray that Jesus may inflame us with love for Him.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus the imitation of your virtues.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus true humility of spirit.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus meekness of heart.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus peace of soul.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus a holy fear of the Lord.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus a desire for perfection.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus a gentleness of heart.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus a pure and charitable heart.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus the wisdom of faith.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus His blessing of perseverance in our good deeds.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus the strength to carry our crosses.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus a disdain for the material goods of this world.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus the grace to always walk on the narrow path toward Heaven.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus the grace to avoid all occasions of sin.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus a holy desire for eternal bliss.
St. Joseph, request for us from Jesus the grace of final perseverance.
St. Joseph, do not abandon us.
St. Joseph, pray that our hearts may never cease to love you and that our lips may ever praise you.
St. Joseph, for the love you did bear for Jesus, grant that we may learn to love Him.
St. Joseph, graciously accept us as your devoted servants.
St. Joseph, we give ourselves to you; accept our pleas and hear our prayers.
St. Joseph, do not abandon us at the hour of our death.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, we give you our hearts and our souls.
(Recite the Glory Be 3 times, etc.)
I. Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our good protector St. Joseph, that never was it known that anyone who came to your protection and sought your intercession was left unaided. Confidently we prostrate ourselves before you and fervently beg for your powerful intervention. O foster-father of our dear Redeemer, despise not our petition, but in your mercy hear and answer us. Amen.
II. Glorious St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and virginal father of Jesus, look upon us and watch over us; lead us on the path of sanctifying grace; take heed of the urgent needs which we now beg you to envelop within the folds of your fatherly cloak. Dismiss those obstacles and difficulties standing in the way of our prayers and grant that the happy answer to our petition may serve for the greater glory of God and our eternal salvation.
As a pledge of our undying gratitude, we promise to spread the word of your glory while offering thanks to the Lord for having so blessed your power and might in Heaven and on earth.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, 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, pray for us.
St. 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.
Lover of poverty, pray for us.
Model of artisans, pray for us.
Glory of home life, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of families, 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 takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
He made him the lord of his household,
And prince over all his possessions.
Let us pray. O God, in Your ineffable providence You were pleased to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Your most holy Mother; grant, we beg You, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our Protector: You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
O Glorious Patriarch St. Joseph, you who were chosen by God above all men to be the earthly head of the most holy of families, we beseech you to accept us within the folds of your holy cloak, that you may become the guardian and custodian of our souls.
From this moment on, we choose you as our father, our protector, our counselor, our patron; and we beseech you to place in your custody our bodies, our souls, all that we are, all that we possess, our lives and our deaths.
Look upon us as your children; defend us from the treachery of our enemies, invisible or otherwise; assist us at all times in all our necessities; console us in the bitterness of our lives, and especially at the hour of our deaths. Say but one word for us to the Divine Redeemer whom you were deemed worthy to hold in your arms, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, your most chaste spouse. Request for us those blessings that will lead us to salvation. Include us among those who are most dear to you and we shall set forth to prove ourselves worthy of your special patronage. Amen.
To you do we cry in our tribulations, O Blessed Saint Joseph, as we confidently invoke your patronage, after that of your most holy spouse the Blessed Virgin Mary.
By that sacred bond of devotion which linked you to the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and by the fatherly love you lavished on the Child Jesus, we beg you to cast a glance on those heavenly gifts which the Divine Redeemer has obtained for all mankind through His Precious Blood, and through your power and mercy, help us in our needs.
O holy protector of the Holy Family, protect us children of the Lord Jesus Christ; keep far from us the errors and evils which corrupt the world; assist us from Heaven in our struggles against the powers of darkness. And as you once did protect the Divine Child from the cruel edict of Herod, now defend the Church and keep it safe from all dangers and threats; spread over all of us your holy patronage so that by following your example and aided by your spiritual guidance, we may be enabled to lead a holy life, die a happy death, and come at last to the possession of everlasting blessedness in Heaven. Amen.
Praise be to Jesus Christ, now and forever! Amen!
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, Day 28, Day 29, Day 30, Day 31, Day 32, Day 33, Consecration, Consecration prayer
"When God wishes to raise a soul to greater heights, he unites it to St. Joseph by giving it a strong love for the good saint." — St. Peter Julian Eymard
Do you want to ascend to greater heights in the spiritual life? Consecration to St. Joseph will take you there.
Many Christians have consecrated themselves to the Virgin Mary so as to be more closely united to Jesus. Without a doubt, consecration to Mary is one of the best things you can do for your spiritual life. The essence of Marian consecration is to help you become “another Mary” for Jesus, a faithful, loving, and trusting companion of the Savior. Consecration to St. Joseph does something similar.
Consecration to St. Joseph will help you become “another Joseph” for Jesus and Mary. That is, entrusting yourself entirely to St. Joseph helps you become a faithful, loving, and trusting companion of Jesus and Mary!
In the New Testament, we read that Jesus “increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man” (Lk 2:52) under the watchful care of his parents. Such an “increase” can happen to you, too, if you entrust yourself to the paternal care of St. Joseph. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux explains how it works. He writes:
Who and what manner of man this blessed Joseph was, you may conjecture from the name by which, a dispensation being allowed, he deserved to be so honored as to be believed and to be called the father of God. You may conjecture it from his very name, which, being interpreted, means “Increase.”
Saint Joseph is “The Increaser.” He has paternal love for you and the power to increase the presence of God in your life and take you to greater heights in the spiritual life. For centuries, this “secret” of St. Joseph lay hidden. Saints, mystics, and a handful of popes knew of it. Now it is your turn to discover it.
Now is the time of St. Joseph! The Church and the world greatly need St. Joseph. We need him to help us return to the love of Jesus and to living lives of virtue. We desperately need St. Joseph’s protection as well. The family — the foundation of society — is under attack. The family of God — the Catholic Church — is also undergoing vicious assaults from the world, the flesh, the devil, and some of her own children. We need St. Joseph to protect us. He is our loving and merciful spiritual father, holy, strong, and ready to help. He is forever linked to Jesus, Mary, and the Church. He protected the Holy Family; he will protect us, too, if we entrust ourselves to his paternal heart and his spiritual care.
Saint Joseph is your spiritual father. All children resemble their parents. You are a child of St. Joseph. You need to resemble him, especially by imitating his virtues and faithfulness to Jesus and Mary. Saint Joseph plays a vital (life-giving) role in your spiritual growth and well-being. This is the heart of consecration to St. Joseph. Blessed William Joseph Chaminade explains it well. He states:
He [St. Joseph] was not a passive instrument in the great work of our salvation; he played a very active role, and that is why he was included in the merciful counsels of the incarnate Wisdom.
The merciful love of God has given St. Joseph to you as a spiritual father. Are you ready to ascend to greater heights in the spiritual life? Are you ready to draw nearer to Jesus and Mary, and experience an increase in virtue? Let’s go to Joseph!
"We are going to consecrate ourselves to St. Joseph. We shall place at his feet all that we are and all that we have." — St. Peter Julian Eymard
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
return to 33 Day consecration to Joseph list
"Knowing by experience St. Joseph’s astonishing influence with God, I would wish to persuade everyone to honor him with particular devotion. I have always seen those who honored him in a special manner make progress in virtue, for this heavenly protector favors in a striking manner the spiritual advancement of souls who commend themselves to him." — St. Teresa of Avila
You have probably heard of St. Maximilian Kolbe, the heroic priest who gave his life for another prisoner in the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Saint Maximilian was a zealous promoter of Our Lady and Marian consecration. He founded the Militia Immaculatae in 1917 to spread devotion to Our Lady around the world. But have you heard of Fr. Joseph Kentenich, another great promoter of devotion to Our Lady?
In 1941, Fr. Kentenich was arrested by the Gestapo and put in prison in Germany. For medical reasons, the Nazis did not intend to send him to a concentration camp. Zealous for Our Lady, however, Fr. Kentenich requested he be sent to the concentration camp at Dachau. He wanted to offer his suffering for the Marian movement he had initiated in 1914, called Schoenstatt. He founded the Schoenstatt Movement in order to teach Our Lady’s virtues to people and transform the world through Marian consecration. Father Kentenich spent three years in Dachau.
Father Kentenich’s method of Marian consecration is known as the “covenant of love.” He believed that a covenant of love with Mary would transform the world by turning the members of Schoenstatt into “apparitions of Mary.” Not literal apparitions, of course; rather, by imitating Mary’s virtues, the members of Schoenstatt would become reflections of Mary, “apparitions” of Our Lady, in the world. The Church and the world need such apparitions!
The Church and the world also need “apparitions” of St. Joseph: men and women who radiate the virtues of St. Joseph, especially his faithful love as a husband and father. In a world plagued with gender ideology and confusion about marriage and the family, reflections of Mary and St. Joseph are very much needed. Consecration to St. Joseph and imitation of his virtues will make this happen.
The Litany of St. Joseph will prepare you for total consecration to your spiritual father and teach you how to resemble his virtues. The litany dates back to at least the 16th century and has been prayed by countless saints. The version you will pray was approved and indulgenced by St. Pope Pius X in 1909. Through the Litany of St. Joseph, you will learn the virtues and wonders of your spiritual father and become an “apparition of St. Joseph” in the world.
"I take refuge in thy arms [St. Joseph], so that thou mayest lead me in the path of virtue." — St. Clement Mary Hofbauer
Saint Joseph is your model for loving Jesus, Mary, and souls. Models are meant to be replicated. Through imitation of St. Joseph’s virtues, you will become like your model and have a tremendous impact on the world. Saint Joseph’s virtues will become your virtues. You are to become “another Joseph.”
"His [St. Joseph’s] eminent virtues constitute his merit and he becomes our model." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
"St. Joseph is our guide and our model. Because our vocation is like his, we must live his life, practice his virtues, and assimilate his spirit." — St. Peter Julian Eymard "Let us love Jesus above all, let us love Mary as our mother; but then, how could we keep from loving Joseph, who was so intimately united to both Jesus and Mary? And how can we honor him better than by imitating his virtues? Now, what else did he do in all his life but contemplate, study, and adore Jesus, even in the midst of his daily labors? Behold, therefore, our model." — St. Madeleine Sophie Barat
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
return to 33 Day consecration to Joseph list
"Our heavenly Father has had only one saint to represent him on earth. Hence he bestowed everything he could on that favored saint, and equipped him with all that he needed to be his worthy representative." — St. Peter Julian Eymard
God the Father loves you. He loves you so much that he sent his Son into the world to save you. But saving you is not all the Father sent his Son to do for you. He sent his Son to save you and make you a child of God. Through Jesus, you are able to have a filial relationship with God the Father. Through Jesus, you can cry out, “Abba, Father!”
To be a child of God is why you were created; it’s the very purpose for which you exist. And there is only one way to the Father: Jesus Christ (see Jn 14:6). Only Jesus has the power to take you to the Father. Yet, in God’s merciful love, St. Joseph plays a very important role in your spiritual growth and journey to the Father.
Consecration to St. Joseph will increase the presence of the Father in your life. We learn this truth from the life of Jesus himself. When the Heavenly Father sent his Son into the world to save us and make us his children, he selected one saint to represent him on earth: St. Joseph. Jesus, in living under the roof of St. Joseph and being his Son, gave us a personal example of total entrustment to St. Joseph. Jesus loved, obeyed, and imitated his earthly father. Saint Joseph is the only man that Jesus ever called father; Jesus delighted in being known as the “son of Joseph” (see Jn 6:42). We, too, should consider it an honor to be his children. If, according to the plans of the Father, Jesus needed St. Joseph, how much more do we need him, too!
The fatherhood of St. Joseph increased the presence of the Heavenly Father in the life of Jesus. Now, to be clear, St. Joseph is not God. He cannot add anything to the divine and eternal communion existing between God the Father and God the Son. Nor can St. Joseph improve the ability of Jesus, as a Divine Person, to perpetually behold the presence of his Heavenly Father. Rather, St. Joseph was chosen to stand in the place of the Heavenly Father according to the demands of Jesus’ human nature. God the Father doesn’t have a human nature. Every time Jesus saw St. Joseph, heard him speak, watched him work, or witnessed his chaste love for Mary, the humanity of Jesus witnessed a perfect reflection of the Heavenly Father.
"God chose to make Joseph his most tangible image on earth, the depository of all the rights of his divine paternity, the husband of that noble Virgin who is Mistress of angels and men." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
What the Heavenly Father did for Jesus, he wants to do for you. God the Father wants you to entrust yourself to the loving paternal care of St. Joseph in a manner similar to God’s entrustment of the human nature of Jesus to St. Joseph. God planned these entrustments, both of Jesus to St. Joseph and of the members of the Church to St. Joseph, from all eternity; they were not done haphazardly. Saint Joseph is the shadow of the Heavenly Father. He was the image and reflection of the Father for Jesus. God the Father wants you to accept St. Joseph as your spiritual father as well. Jesus is the one in whom we see most perfectly the image of the mercy and love of his heavenly Father (as he said: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” [Jn 14:9]), but Jesus also wants to share with us the one who was for him the earthly image of his heavenly Father.
"This holy man [St. Joseph] had such towering dignity and glory that the Eternal Father most generously bestowed on him a likeness of his own primacy." — St. Bernardine of Siena
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
return to 33 Day consecration to Joseph list
"The holy example of Jesus Christ who, while upon earth, honored St. Joseph so highly and was obedient to him during his life should be sufficient to inflame the hearts of all with devotion to this saint." — St. Alphonsus Liguori
Are you familiar with the phrase “To Jesus through Mary”? It’s a wonderful expression of devotion coined in the early 18th century by St. Louis de Montfort. In his book True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis taught that Mary is the surest, easiest, and fastest way of going to Jesus. To instill this message in people’s hearts, St. Louis fervently promoted the rosary and Marian consecration. What is interesting, though, is that in all of St. Louis’ writings, he only mentions St. Joseph a few times. Why is that? Didn’t he love St. Joseph? Oh yes, St. Louis de Montfort loved St. Joseph very much. Every saint loves St. Joseph. The reason he didn’t offer any significant teaching on St. Joseph is because the Church had not yet developed a theology of St. Joseph.
An understanding of the greatness of St. Joseph did not begin to flourish in the devotional life of the Church until the mid-19th century, 100 years after St. Louis de Montfort lived. Were St. Louis de Montfort preaching in the streets of France today, he would most likely be heard extolling the wonders of St. Joseph. He might even add St. Joseph to his famous phrase, and say, “To Jesus through Mary and Joseph!” Jesus wants you to know and love his mother and his father.
"Mary and Joseph form the most faithful image of Jesus; and for this reason I can formulate the shortest path to holiness: 'For me, to live is Jesus, it is Mary and Joseph.'" — Venerable Francis Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận
The two greatest saints in Christianity are Mary and St. Joseph. Consecration to St. Joseph flows naturally from baptismal consecration to Jesus Christ and filial consecration to Mary. Indeed, consecration to St. Joseph, your spiritual father, allows you to be consecrated to each person of the Holy Family!
In our day, marriage and family are under attack. Jesus and Mary want you to be consecrated to St. Joseph because there is no father or husband who knows more about the sacredness of marriage and the family or the self-sacrificing love required of fathers and husbands than St. Joseph. His paternal mission continues from heaven. He is our guardian, loving protector, and fearless defender. He is the model of saintly fatherhood. After Christ, St. Joseph is the model of heroic manhood and the defender of marriage, chastity, and life itself. Consecration to St. Joseph is the key to overcoming the anthropological confusion so prevalent in our times. Under the watchful, steadfast love and care of St. Joseph, all ideologies and idols will crumble and fall before Jesus Christ!
"How thou [St. Joseph] didst rejoice to have always near you God himself, and to see the idols of the Egyptians fall prostrate to the ground before him." — Blessed Januarius Maria Sarnelli
Consecration to St. Joseph will increase your love for Jesus! The entire life and mission of St. Joseph points to Jesus. Saint Joseph never points to himself. His role is to lead everyone to Jesus, just as Mary does. Mary was predestined to be the Immaculate Mother of the Savior; St. Joseph was predestined to be the earthly father of the Savior and your spiritual father. Your spiritual father has been given all the graces necessary to complete his mission, a mission that includes increasing your relationship with Jesus.
"Joseph carried Jesus Christ first to Egypt, then to Judea, and so traced for us the path of the apostles who preached his name to the Jews and to the Gentiles." — St. Hilary of Poitiers
"Saint Joseph was the guardian of Jesus and Mary. He was naturally also the one who introduced those souls eager to approach them more closely." — Blessed Jean Joseph Lataste
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"How great his [St. Joseph’s] union with God, how sublime his gift of prayer, how wonderful the direction of the Holy Spirit!" — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
The Holy Spirit wants you to know and love St. Joseph. With the exception of Our Lady’s life, the Holy Spirit was more active in the life of St. Joseph than in any other saint. The earthly father of Jesus never did anything without seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit. Saint Joseph’s docility to the Holy Spirit made it possible for him to communicate with God even while he slept!
Saint Joseph wants you to be docile to the direction of the Holy Spirit so that you can be led in the ways of holiness. What is holiness, anyway? Is it some unattainable spiritual summit you can never hope to reach? No, it is not. Holiness is living in intimate, loving communion with God. More specifically, holiness is observing the two great commandments of love of God and neighbor, avoiding sin, leading a life of virtue, and abiding in sanctifying grace. None of this is possible without the Holy Spirit in your life.
Wherever St. Joseph is present, the Holy Spirit is present. And St. Joseph would tell you that if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit there is one absolutely necessary thing: prayer. Without prayer, you will never be able to have intimacy with God. Without prayer, you will not be able to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit.
To be holy, you need to imitate St. Joseph. You need to maintain a heart aflame with love of God and neighbor through committing to a devout interior life. Don’t panic after reading this. You don’t have to become a monk or a nun. Holiness is for everyone. Yet, no matter what your vocation in life, holiness is only attained by those who pray and have an active interior life, ignited and sustained by the Sacraments, fueled by prayer and a life of charity.
Saint Joseph is a model of the interior life for all his children. Saint Joseph was not a priest, yet he is holier than all priests, including the patron saint of parish priests, St. John Vianney. After Jesus and Mary, St. Joseph is the holiest, most prayerful, and most virtuous person who has ever lived. He avoided anything and everything that displeased the Holy Spirit. How did he do it? Prayer. Through prayer, St. Joseph perfectly exercised the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, as well as the moral virtues of prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude.
"Consider that the entire life of Saint Joseph was interior and hidden in God; so little known to the world that but a few holy writers mention him in a few places; and of his death give no information. His was a life of prayer, quiet work, and constant sacrifice, and at the same time, a life shining with the splendor of all virtues." — St. Joseph Sebastian Pelczar
There has never been another quite like St. Joseph, and there never will be. Yet you can become “another Joseph” in the world. You can become an “apparition” of Joseph for others. If you imitate St. Joseph’s dedication to prayer and the interior life, you can resemble your spiritual father.
Consecration to St. Joseph will increase the Holy Spirit in your life. Through consecration to St. Joseph, the Holy Spirit will recognize St. Joseph in you and pour extraordinary graces into your heart, mind, and soul. You can be a saint! Ask the Holy Spirit to make you into “another Joseph.” Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with graces similar to those he gave to the paternal heart of St. Joseph.
"Those souls most sensitive to the impulses of divine love have rightly seen in Joseph a brilliant example of the interior life." — St. John Paul II
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
return to 33 Day consecration to Joseph list
"He [St. Joseph] is head of the Holy Family, father of the trinity on earth which resembles so closely the Holy Trinity on high." — St. Peter Julian Eymard
The Holy Trinity is a family, a Holy Family. They want you to be a member of their family. To make this happen, they have established a trinitarian replica on earth — an earthly trinity. The trinity on earth consists of Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph. In a sense, they are the first church. Membership in this family will prepare you for membership in God’s eternal family in heaven.
Saint Joseph is the father of the trinity on earth. Many saints have compared the earthly trinity (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) to the heavenly Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The comparison has its limitations, of course. Mary and St. Joseph are not divine, and the Holy Spirit is not a mother. Nonetheless, the comparison is important because it teaches us something about God’s Trinitarian family. Saint Francis de Sales offers us a great insight on this subject. He writes:
"There is no doubt at all that St. Joseph was endowed with all gifts and graces required by the charge which the Eternal Father willed to commit to him, over all the domestic and temporal concerns of our Lord, and the guidance of his family, which was composed of three persons only, representing to us the mystery of the Most Holy and Adorable Trinity. Not that there is any real comparison in this matter excepting as regards our Lord, who is one of the persons of the Most Blessed Trinity, for the others were but creatures; yet still we may say that it was a trinity on earth representing in some sort the Most Holy Trinity."
Saint Francis de Sales teaches us a very important truth in this statement. He beautifully articulates that the trinity of Nazareth (Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph) represents the heavenly Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and, therefore, consists only of three persons. In other words, Jesus did not have any biological brothers and sisters. This is what the Catholic Church has always taught. But the Church has also always taught that the Trinity in heaven and the trinity on earth want you to be a member of their family through adoption!
Let’s be clear, though: You are never going to become a divine person. You and I are not God, and we never will be. God does, however, want to bring us into the familial life of his Triune Godhead through spiritual adoption. This happens when we are baptized. As members of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, we are made members of God’s family on earth, the Holy Family. Membership in the Holy Family on earth prepares us to enter the Holy Family in heaven.
If you want to be a member of the Trinitarian family in heaven, you need to be a child of St. Joseph on earth. Saint Joseph, your spiritual father, will help you become a true child of the Heavenly Father. Saint Joseph will teach you how to love, pray, sacrifice, and work. He will teach you how to do the will of God. The pathway to heaven is paved with virtues, and St. Joseph will give you a father’s example of holiness. With his holy assistance, your transition to the Trinity in heaven will be an easy one. Membership in the family of Nazareth — accepting St. Joseph as your father, Mary as your mother, and Jesus as your brother — is the surest, easiest, and quickest way of becoming a member of the Trinitarian family in heaven.
"What an honor it was [for St. Joseph] to enter into an alliance with the family of the heavenly Father, to become the third person of the created Trinity." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
return to 33 Day consecration to Joseph list
"All Christians belong to St. Joseph because Jesus and Mary belonged to him." — St. Leonard of Port Maurice
You belong to Jesus. He wants you to grow in virtue and holiness — that is, in true love of God and neighbor. To make this happen, you must imitate Jesus. In particular, the best way is to imitate his total entrustment to Mary and St. Joseph.
Jesus is not offended when people entrust themselves to Mary and Joseph. How could he be? He is the first one to have entrusted himself to them! He, more than anyone else, wants you to love Mary and St. Joseph. He wants you to love them and resemble them.
What brother would be offended if his younger siblings expressed reverence toward their mother and father? What man would be upset if another person wrote a song about his mother or placed roses at her feet? Likewise, what son would be disturbed if someone praised the virtues of his father? A person who honored a father would not receive condemnation from the father’s son. On the contrary, such a person would receive praise and tremendous favors from the son. Well, this is exactly what Jesus stands ready to do for those who honor Mary and St. Joseph. Jesus will give them everything. Jesus stands ready to give you everything!
Now, if a son is willing to give gifts to the person who honors his mother and father, what kind of gifts would a husband give to the person who honors his wife? All we have to do is look to St. Joseph to find out. Saint Joseph will empty the treasure of heaven for those who honor Mary, his wife!
Saint Joseph will greatly bless those who love and honor Mary. The Virgin Mary is St. Joseph’s wife, his queen, and the delight of his heart. She was the only woman who could ever satisfy his chaste heart. As Adam was not fulfilled until he rested in a creature similar to himself (Eve), Joseph only found rest when he found Mary. When he took Mary’s hand in marriage, he consecrated himself to her and made a promise to treasure her femininity, especially her blessed virginity. He was her beloved provider, protector, and servant. Saint Joseph earnestly desires for her to be honored and loved by everyone.
Saint Joseph will increase your love for the Virgin Mary. Saint Joseph is so in love with Mary that he wants everyone to acknowledge her beauty. What husband would not want this for his wife? Doesn’t every husband desire for his wife to be loved and honored by others? What husband would not do everything in his power to increase the reverence shown to his bride? If you allow St. Joseph to increase your love for his queen, he will empty the treasures of heaven for you. He has access to all the treasures of heaven!
Consecration to St. Joseph will make you a knight of the Holy Queen! Saint Joseph knows that Mary is worth living for, fighting for, and dying for. She is the Queen of the Kingdom of Heaven. To fight for her is to fight for the King. Saint Joseph, the most valiant of knights, knows that the surest, easiest, and fastest way to the King is through the Queen. His mission is to reveal this truth to souls.
For her part, Mary has full confidence in the chivalrous love of St. Joseph, her knight. She completely trusts him. Saint Joseph will teach you how to be a knight of the Holy Queen as well, making you capable of conquering hearts for the Kingdom of Heaven.
"A servant of Mary will have a tender devotion to St. Joseph, and by his pious homage of respect and love, will endeavor to merit the protection of this great saint." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
"O my dear father St. Joseph, I want to love you with the love that Mary has for you." — Blessed Bartolo Longo
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"We see that at the beginning of the New Testament, as at the beginning of the Old, there is a married couple. But whereas Adam and Eve were the source of evil which was unleashed on the world, Joseph and Mary are the summit from which holiness spreads all over the earth. The Savior began the work of salvation by this virginal and holy union." — St. Pope Paul VI
Marriage is at the heart of creation and redemption. As St. Pope Paul VI states, Adam and Eve were present at the beginning of creation (Old Testament), and Joseph and Mary are present at the beginning of God’s re-creation (New Testament). Jesus himself speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven as a wedding feast (see Mt 22:2).
Saint Pope Paul VI’s statement at the beginning of this section is incredibly profound. On some level, he is presenting the idea that St. Joseph is the head of the new covenant family, as Adam was head of the first covenant family. This is a fascinating idea, one that has rarely been explored in theological studies. Usually, when we think of the new head of the human family (the new Adam) we think of Jesus (see 1 Cor 15:45), and rightly so. Jesus is God; he alone regenerates humanity. Nonetheless, as Head of the Holy Family, St. Joseph was the head of our Head. He is the father of our Savior, the Patron of the Universal Church, and our spiritual father.
Saint Joseph is a new Adam. Saint Joseph is, after Christ, the new head of the human family. As such, we are obliged to obey the Fourth Commandment in his regard: “Honor your father and your mother” (Ex 20:12). Failure to love and honor St. Joseph is an offense against God. In fact, the fatherhood of St. Joseph is so important for us that our spiritual growth depends on it. If Jesus himself increased in wisdom and knowledge through the fatherhood of St. Joseph, we need St. Joseph’s fatherhood to help us acquire the “proper attire” needed for entrance into the wedding feast of heaven (see Mt 22:12).
Saint Joseph will help you get to the wedding feast of heaven. Since we know that St. Joseph loves us and so we love and honor him in return, we can trust that he will help us get to heaven. The greatest thing any father can do for his children is help them get to heaven. Our first father (Adam) ruined this possibility for all his children. Our first father’s disobedience caused the downfall of all creation and kept us from entering heaven. Saint Joseph’s fatherhood, on the other hand, elevates us and helps us to enter heaven. He loves us, helps us become saints, and brings us to the only path that leads to heaven: Jesus.
Saint Joseph is the delight of saints. Every saint loves St. Joseph. It is impossible to find a single saint who did not love St. Joseph. While devotion to St. Joseph developed slowly over time, no saint ever disliked St. Joseph. It is impossible to truly have love of God and neighbor in your heart — that is, be holy — if you disdain the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ. To enter heaven, you need to resemble your spiritual father in his steadfast love. He will help you acquire the correct attire — virtues and holiness — needed to enter the wedding feast of heaven!
"It is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being,” the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. As was the earthly one, so also the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one." — 1 Cor 15:45-49
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"He [God] saw to it that Joseph be born of the royal family; He wanted him to be noble even with earthly nobility. The blood of David, of Solomon, and of all the kings of Judah flows in his veins." — St. Peter Julian Eymard
In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we learn that St. Joseph is of the lineage of the Davidic kings. The Old Testament prophets always taught that the Messiah would come from the Davidic line. Mary, our spiritual mother, was most likely a descendant of King David as well, but her ancestry is not given in the New Testament. Matthew and Luke present the lineage of Joseph because the Davidic ancestry of the Messiah needed to be shown through the father’s line. Therefore, Matthew and Luke made a point of emphasizing that even though Jesus is not the biological son of Joseph, he is the Son of Joseph by law. As such, Jesus has a legal right to be called a descendant of King David.
"The espousals between Joseph and Mary are an episode of great importance. Joseph was of the royal line of David and, in virtue of his marriage to Mary, would confer on the Son of the Virgin — on God’s Son — the legal title of “Son of David,” thus fulfilling the prophecies." — Pope Benedict XVI
Saint Joseph was king of the Holy Family. He was not the king of Nazareth, Israel, or anything like that. Since every man is the king of his home, St. Joseph was the king of his house. In the home of Nazareth, St. Joseph was king, Mary was queen, and Jesus was the prince awaiting the kingdom prepared for him by his Heavenly Father. Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, of course, but God’s providential love desires that we acknowledge the kingship of St. Joseph in the Holy Family. Jesus himself gave us an example of the filial love and reverence we owe to St. Joseph, our spiritual father.
Saint Joseph is a noble lord. Many saints have often lovingly referred to St. Joseph as their “lord.” Saint Teresa of Avila was particularly fond of referring to St. Joseph as her lord. In using this term, no saint intends to claim that St. Joseph is God. Saint Joseph is not God. Saints sometimes use the term “Lord” when addressing St. Joseph out of respect, as is done when addressing dignitaries and rulers. Saints are pious and love to express their filial relationship to Mary and St. Joseph in devotional language. Mary, for example, is called Madonna. (“Madonna” derives from the Latin mea domina, that is, “My Lady,” and is the feminine form of “lord.”)
"Since God has wanted to obey you [St. Joseph], allow me to be in your service, to honor you and love you as my Lord and Master." — St. Alphonsus Liguori
"The whole Church recognizes St. Joseph as a patron and guardian. For centuries many different features of his life have caught the attention of believers. That is why, for many years now, I have liked to address him affectionately as “our father and lord.”" — St. Josemaría Escrivá
Referring to St. Joseph as “lord” has biblical foundations as well. Remember Joseph in the Old Testament, the one sold into slavery by his brothers? Well, Joseph’s brothers end up calling him their “lord” (see Gen 44) when they encounter him again and he saves their family from famine. For us, St. Joseph is more than a brother; he is our noble spiritual father. He is our loving spiritual father and lord.
"Noble St. Joseph, I rejoice that God found you worthy of holding this eminent position whereby, established as the father of Jesus, you saw the one whose orders heaven and earth obey subjecting himself to your authority." — St. Alphonsus Liguori
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"How I love to call St. Joseph the Patriarch of Christians and of God’s elect! How could we not give him this venerable title ... he, above all, who played such a large part in the mysteries of our spiritual regeneration?" — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
The word “patriarch” means father. What all the patriarchs of the Old Testament foreshadowed, and all Christian fathers are called to reflect, is the paternal light of God shining through the fatherhood of St. Joseph. After Christ, St. Joseph is the greatest of all the patriarchs; he is the greatest of all fathers!
"Picture to yourself the sanctity of all the patriarchs of old, that long line of successive generations which is the mysterious ladder of Jacob, culminating in the person of the Son of God. See how great was the faith of Abraham, the obedience of Isaac, the courage of David, the wisdom of Solomon. After you have formed the highest opinion of these saints, remember that Joseph is at the top of the ladder, at the head of the saints, the kings, the prophets, the patriarchs, that he is more faithful than Abraham, more obedient than Isaac, more generous than David, wiser than Solomon, in a word, as superior in grace as he is close to the source, Jesus sleeping in his arms." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
Saint Joseph is a reflection of the Father of Lights. In the Letter of James, we read:
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change." — Jas 1:17
In the beginning, God created the great luminaries in the heavens: the sun, the moon, and the stars. Without light, creation would be in darkness. In the New Testament, the Father establishes a new creation in Christ. Through Christ, the Father places his divine life, love, and light within our hearts. Saint Joseph and his fatherhood play a very important role in God’s wonderful plan. Saint Joseph is the perfect reflection of the Father of Lights, and he helps us to receive the light of Christ. Saint Joseph is a bearer of light. He brings Jesus, the true Light of the World, to us.
Saint Joseph will help you live in the light of God. You are a child of the light. As a Christian, Jesus gives you a share in his light. He makes you the light of the world (see Mt 5:14-16).
"All of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness." — 1 Thess 5:5
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth." — Eph 5:8-9
The “Lumen Patriarcharum” terrifies Satan. In the Latin version of the Litany of St. Joseph, the title “Light of Patriarchs” appears as “Lumen Patriarcharum.” The Devil hates St. Joseph and his light. Satan’s other name is Lucifer, which means “light bearer.” Lucifer lost the light because of his pride and disobedience to God. Now, Satan lives in perpetual darkness and abhors the light. Satan fears your spiritual father because St. Joseph is a humble creature of flesh and blood, the perfect reflection of the Father of Lights. Saint Joseph is a true and everlasting light bearer, an icon of God the Father. After Jesus and Mary, there is no person that Satan detests more than St. Joseph. Stay close to St. Joseph and walk in the light!
"I wish to extend a particular word of encouragement to fathers so that they may take St. Joseph as their model. He who kept watch over the Son of Man is able to teach them the deepest meaning of their own fatherhood." — Pope Benedict XVI
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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How hard he [St. Joseph] must have prayed to come to know and ever increase in love toward his immaculate wife." — Blessed Gabriele Allegra
There has never been a man more in love with a woman than St. Joseph was in love with Mary. What dignity and holiness were required of St. Joseph to be the husband of Mary! In her feminine Heart, Mary knew that she was secure in the manhood of St. Joseph. He was her knight and warrior. Every wife desires such a husband — a gentleman, a protector, and a good father.
Women deserve men who are strong and protective, yet gentle, loving, and trustworthy. Every woman wants to find security in the arms of a man who is willing to lay down his life for her. The Church and the world need men like St. Joseph. He is the model husband.
"Saint Joseph was the spouse of Mary. In the same way, each father sees himself entrusted with the mystery of womanhood through his own wife. Dear fathers, like St. Joseph, respect and love your spouse; and by your love and your wise presence, lead your children to God." — Pope Benedict XVI
Every Catholic heart wants shepherds like St. Joseph as well, priests and bishops — spiritual fathers — who are gentlemen, chivalrous warriors, protectors, and defenders. Catholics expect their priests and bishops to be prayerful, trustworthy, gentle, compassionate, and virtuous. The bride of Christ, the Church, deserves to have leaders who are willing to fight off the wolves for love of the flock, slay spiritual dragons, and preach the truth with passion, Christian charity, and zeal. Saint Joseph is the model of all fatherhood. Without looking to the model of St. Joseph, no husband, father, or priest will ever fully understand what it means to be a sacrificial man, a loving husband and father, and a truly masculine saint.
Saint Joseph is the model husband and father. The vocation of all men is to be at the service of those entrusted to their love and care. Many men have forgotten this today, but St. Joseph will help them remember. He will help men be holy and chivalrous again. All men discover in St. Joseph a model of strength, fidelity, heroism, and virtue. If men — husbands, fathers, priests, and bishops — follow the example of St. Joseph, families will be loving and secure, husbands will be holy, priests will be dragon-slayers, and bishops will again be shepherds of souls and pillars of truth.
Saint Joseph is a model for all men. Real men are true gentlemen, at the service of others. Real men love. Real men protect women and children against any and all threats. Real men are willing to die for their wives and children. Holy priests and bishops are willing to suffer and die for the souls entrusted to their care. Priests and bishops of this caliber are not afraid of ridicule, slander, poverty, or imprisonment. Men like St. Joseph are willing to fight for what they love, what is good, true, and beautiful. May the Church and families once again be filled with such men!
"To you, O Blessed Joseph, we come in our trials, and having asked the help of your most holy spouse, we confidently ask your patronage, also." — Pope Leo XIII
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse!
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"It was necessary that divine Providence should commit her [Mary] to the charge and guardianship of a man absolutely pure." — St. Francis de Sales
Chastity is a virtue. A very important virtue.
To be chaste is to have self-mastery, to be in control of your passions and sexuality. Contrary to what many people think, a person who exercises chastity is not repressing or rejecting the beauty of human sexuality. On the contrary, chastity preserves the human heart and body for authentic self-giving. All people, no matter their vocation in life, are called to chastity. Chastity is the virtue that prevents us from being slaves to our passions and acting like irrational animals.
Celibacy, on the other hand, is a special form of chastity. God calls some men and women to celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Saint Joseph was both chaste and celibate. He was called by God to espouse a virgin consecrated to God in her mind, body, and soul. Saint Joseph was the Chaste Guardian of the Virgin.
Saint Joseph and Mary lived in what is often called a “Josephite marriage.” They were truly husband and wife, but they never engaged in sexual relations. Their vocation was to be united in heart, mind, and soul, but never in body. They were both consecrated to God and sacrificed a natural good for a greater good: the salvation of souls.
Saint Joseph is pure of heart. To be chaste is to be pure of heart. If a person’s heart is not pure, they are incapable of seeing God. Saint Joseph’s heart is exceptionally pure. Saint Joseph gazed on the countenance of God in the Person of his Son for decades. Poets have often stated that the eyes are the window to the soul. If this is true, St. Joseph must have had the most chaste and pure eyes of any husband who ever lived. His eyes and heart were pure-intentioned, chaste, and afire with love for Jesus and Mary.
Modern man has become blinded by impurity. The world encourages premarital relations, cohabitation, contraception, and many other immoral practices. Chastity is a forgotten virtue today. Even married couples live with the idea that they are free to do whatever they desire with the body of their spouse. However, this is not true. Chastity is required in marriage as well, in order for couples to truly love one another, to retain their dignity and respect for each other.
Your spiritual father is a gentleman. Saint Joseph is the first Christian gentleman; next to Jesus, he is the greatest example of masculine chastity. He was married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and he treated her with respect, dignity, and reverence. If men today were more like St. Joseph — protectors and defenders of beauty, instead of users and abusers of the feminine mystery — what a different world this would be.
God wants all men to be like St. Joseph. He is the first Chaste Guardian of the Virgin. Most men will be called to marriage, while some are called to consecrated celibacy. Both vocations are necessary. Without marriage, there are no children. Without priests, there are no Sacraments. Married men need to be chaste in marriage; priests and bishops need to be like St. Joseph in their chaste love for the virginal Church — guardians, defenders, and protectors of the beauty entrusted to them, not users and abusers of the sacred mysteries.
"Joseph, the just man, is appointed to be the steward of the mysteries of God, the paterfamilias and guardian of the sanctuary, which is Mary the bride and the Logos in her. He [Joseph] thus becomes the icon of the bishop, to whom the bride is betrothed; she is not at his disposal but under his protection." — Pope Benedict XVI
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"The position of St. Joseph as husband and foster father gives witness to the dignity of fatherhood." — Venerable Joseph Mindszenty
Christians use many terms to describe the fatherhood of St. Joseph. He is called the legal, putative, spiritual, virginal, and foster father of Jesus. While none of these titles is found in the New Testament, they are all legitimate ways of describing St. Joseph’s fatherhood. Of these titles, foster father is the most common. The reason it is the most common title is that the naming of a child in ancient Jewish custom was the legal responsibility of the father.
Although you [St. Joseph] are not necessary for the [child’s] conception and birth, nevertheless you will be necessary for [his] sustenance; and your first care will concern his name." — St. Albert the Great
Saint Joseph’s legal responsibility of naming the Christ Child was given by God when the angel revealed to St. Joseph that he was not to be afraid to take Mary — and the Child in her womb — into his home and under his care. Saint Joseph’s role of naming the Savior is an extremely important one. It is meant to signify to the world that St. Joseph is the legal father of Jesus.
"Saint Joseph’s dignity springs from his privilege of being the legal father of the Incarnate Son of God. Here, then, is a man whom the Son of God calls father, one whom he [Jesus] serves and obeys and before whom he kneels for a paternal blessing." — St. Peter Julian Eymard
Saint Joseph’s role as the “Foster Father” of Jesus might come across as something merely contractual, but the Latin provides us with a deeper insight into St. Joseph’s role. In Latin, the title given to St. Joseph to signify his role as foster father is Filii Dei Nutricie. Literally, it means “Nurturer of the Son of God.” As you can see, the title foster father is a very poor translation from the Latin original. Calling St. Joseph the foster father of Jesus is valid, of course, but it needs to be emphasized that St. Joseph’s fatherhood was more than a legal fatherhood; St. Joseph’s fatherhood was an authoritative, affectionate, faithful, and everlasting fatherhood.
Saint Joseph’s spiritual fatherhood is forever. The loving relationship between a spiritual father and child endures forever. In other words, Jesus continues to be the Son of Joseph in heaven. In paradise, St. Joseph no longer exercises a “legal” fatherhood over Jesus, but his relationship of love, affection, and faithfulness toward Jesus, as well as the Mystical Body of Jesus, remains. Unlike marriage, where the relationship does not remain into eternity (see Mt 22:30), St. Joseph’s spiritual fatherhood over Christ and his Mystical Body endures forever.
Spiritual fatherhood, like spiritual motherhood, endures forever. Were this not the case, the Church would need to cease invoking Jesus as the “Son of Joseph.” The Church would also be required to cease invoking Mary, who is in heaven, as our spiritual mother.
Saint Joseph will always be your spiritual father. What is valid for Jesus is valid for you. Saint Joseph is forever your spiritual father. As he took care of Jesus while on earth, St. Joseph will take care of you on your earthly pilgrimage. Saint Joseph is your loving provider, educator, and protector. When your life on earth is over, St. Joseph will continue to be your father, not on an earthly level, but on a spiritual level. In heaven, you will forever be known as a child of St. Joseph.
"No one will ever be able worthily to praise Joseph, whom thou, O true only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father, has deigned to have for thy foster father!" — St. Ephrem the Syrian
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"He [St. Joseph] protects those who revere him and accompanies them on their journey through this life — just as he protected and accompanied Jesus when he was growing up." — St. Josemaría Escrivá
From the moment the angel revealed to St. Joseph that he was to be the father of the Messiah to when he took his final breath in the arms of Jesus and Mary, St. Joseph zealously defended Jesus.
Saint Joseph always defended his Son from any threat against him. Saint Joseph was a dutiful watchman, guarding, defending, and sacrificing everything for Jesus and his safety. Saint Joseph offered the same protection for his wife, too. He protected his Son and his wife as a loving father and faithful husband.
In some translations of the Litany of St. Joseph, the title “Zealous Defender of Christ” (in Latin, Christi Defensor Sedule) is given as “Diligent Defender of Christ” or “Watchful Defender of Christ.” Both are acceptable translations and have similar meanings — namely, St. Joseph defended Jesus. As a child of St. Joseph, you can have great confidence knowing that your spiritual father also desires to zealously defend you.
Saint Joseph zealously defends you. The paternal mission of St. Joseph is not finished. A father’s work is never finished until his children are safely home. In heaven, St. Joseph no longer needs to watch over and protect Jesus. You, however, are not yet in heaven. You need the protection of St. Joseph. Your spiritual father knows what is harmful to your soul, and he wants to watch over you and help you arrive safely home. Saint Joseph will never abandon you. Your role is to entrust yourself to his diligent care and never look back.
"Our destiny is in the hands of Joseph. Joseph, the guardian of his Lord and the spouse of his Queen, Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the head of the Holy Family, has in his kindness deigned to accept us as his children and permits us to call him father." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
You have nothing to fear with St. Joseph at your side. What is there to be afraid of with such a zealous defender as your father who loves you? Saint Joseph held the Maker of the Universe in his hands. Saint Joseph fed the Creator of the heavens. In his role as earthly father to Jesus, St. Joseph lovingly commanded the Son of God. Heaven and earth obeyed him. All hell trembles before him!
"Joseph’s name will be a name of protection all during our lives."
"As Christians, we ought to honor St. Joseph; to thank him for his protection; to pray to him with fervor and confidence; to strive to reproduce in our conduct the virtues he practiced with so much perfection." — Venerable Nelson Baker
Saint Joseph will increase your zeal for Christ. As your father and model, St. Joseph will teach you how to defend Christ zealously. If you are a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, you are going to be criticized, hated, ridiculed, and mocked by the world — oftentimes by your own family and friends. Your suffering will be great, but your witness to truth — your witness to Jesus — will be greater. Saint Joseph will help you be a zealous witness to the truth of Jesus Christ.
Your defense of Christ must be great. You should always strive to defend the person and name of Jesus Christ against all blasphemy, insult, and sacrilege. You must defend the Church, as well as her teachings and Sacraments, from all attacks, heresies, and falsehoods. To defend the Church is to defend Christ. You must resemble your spiritual father, always willing to sacrifice yourself for love of truth. Like St. Joseph, you, too, can bring many souls to Jesus.
"How happy and blessed are they whom you [St. Joseph] love and whom you take under your protection!" — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"Jesus and Mary not only bent their wills to Joseph’s, for he was head of the Holy Family, but they lovingly surrendered their hearts to him as well." — St. Peter Julian Eymard
Today, calling a man the “head” of the family is frowned upon. God is not worried about political correctness, however. He established the family and designated that fathers be the heads of their families. Now, this doesn’t mean that men are better than women. The greatest human person who ever lived was not a man, but a woman — Mary, the Mother of God. (Jesus is a divine Person.) Jesus and Mary both delighted in the headship of St. Joseph in their home.
Why are many people offended by such terminology today? Sadly, it often stems from having been emotionally, physical, or sexually abused by a father figure. Such abuse breaks the heart of God. Yet the crisis in manhood can be corrected if men begin to imitate St. Joseph. His fatherly example shows that strength, authority, and headship are meant to be at the service of others.
"In Joseph, heads of the household are blessed with the unsurpassed model of fatherly watchfulness and care." — Pope Leo XIII
Husbands and fathers need to imitate St. Joseph. Families around the world will experience a revolution of holiness if husbands imitate St. Joseph. Important passages in the New Testament will no longer be seen as offensive but life-giving.
"Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So [also] husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “For this reason a man shall leave [his] father and [his] mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church. In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband." — Eph 5:22-33
Make St. Joseph the spiritual head of your family. Obtain a statue or a beautiful image of St. Joseph for your home. Place it in a prominent location and frequently invoke the intercession of St. Joseph as a family. You will see the difference St. Joseph makes.
"Dear Brothers and Sisters, the sacrament which unites you to each other, unites you in Christ! It unites you with Christ! “This mystery is a profound one!” (Eph 5:32). He comes to you and is present in your midst and dwells in your souls. In your families! In your homes! Saint Joseph was well aware of this. For this reason he did not hesitate to entrust himself and his family to God. By virtue of this trust he completely fulfilled his mission, entrusted to him by God for the sake of Mary and his son. Supported by the example and protection of St. Joseph, offer a constant witness of devotion and generosity." — St. John Paul II
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"He [St. Joseph] won for himself the title of “The Just Man,” and thus serves as a living model of that Christian justice which should reign in social life." — Pope Pius XI
What does it mean to call St. Joseph a just man? Saint Josemaría Escrivá provides a great answer for us. He states:
"Saint Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life. That is why Scripture praises Joseph as “a just man.” In Hebrew a just man means a good and faithful servant of God, someone who fulfils the divine will (cf. Gen 7:1; 18:23-32; Ezek 18:5ff; Prov 12:10), or who is honorable and charitable toward his neighbor (cf. Tob 7:6; 9:6). So a just man is someone who loves God and proves his love by keeping God’s commandments and directing his whole life towards the service of his brothers, his fellow men."
What about you? Are you just? Do you love God, keep his commandments, and act with honor and charity toward your neighbor?
Saint Joseph will increase in you the virtue of justice. Theologians define the virtue of justice as “giving to another his due.” For example, in our relationship with God, we owe it to him to be grateful for our existence, and to praise him for his goodness. We act justly toward God, giving him his due, when we worship him, especially by our participation in Holy Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. If we fail to do this, we are not loving God. We are not acting justly toward God; we are not giving him his due.
For St. Joseph, being a just man meant he observed the dictates of the Jewish religion. This required him to travel to Jerusalem three times a year — a long distance from Nazareth — and participate in various rituals and ceremonies. You, on the other hand, most likely live a short distance from a Catholic church. If you can’t spend one hour a week thanking God and worshipping him, you are not loving God or giving God his due. You are not a just man.
Holy Mass is not about the priest, the people, or the choir. It’s about returning love for love and giving God his due. Yes, priests should preach well, liturgical music should be sacred and inspiring, and it’s always pleasant to see familiar faces at Mass. Yet even if you find the priest less than edifying, the music a distraction, and the congregation spiritually dead, you need to remember it’s not about them — it’s about you acting justly and lovingly toward God. There is no greater way to tell God “I love you,” give thanks to God, and worship him than through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving.”
God is not the only one that we are to act justly towards out of love. You also need to give others their due. Do you? Do you love, venerate, and honor Mary, your spiritual mother? Do you love, venerate, and honor St. Joseph, your spiritual father? Do you treat members of your family with love, respect, and dignity? What about your neighbors, co-workers, and everyone else with whom you daily interact? If you are an employer, do you offer a just wage? Remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Lk 6:31). Your spiritual father acted justly and lovingly toward everyone; you should, too.
"Do you wish to know why Joseph is called just? Because he possessed perfectly all the virtues." — St. Maximus of Turin
"The Gospel describes St. Joseph as a Just Man. No greater praise of virtue and no higher tribute to merit could be applied to a man." — St. Pope Paul VI
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"Who can ever understand how great he [St. Joseph] had to be in this virtue of virginity who was destined by the Eternal Father to be the guardian, or rather the companion, of Mary’s virginity?" — St. Francis de Sales
In the Litany of Loreto, Mary is called “Mother Most Chaste.” In the Litany of St. Joseph, our spiritual father is called “Most Chaste” as well. No other saints can be invoked as the most chaste, just, prudent, courageous, obedient, faithful, or any other virtue. Mary and St. Joseph together share these superlative qualities, in part, because their hearts as husband and wife are one.
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Lk 12:34). Saint Joseph has three treasures: Jesus, Mary, and you. Nothing consumes the heart of St. Joseph other than these three treasures. The heart of St. Joseph is the heart of a loving father, and you have access to his heart. The Chaste Heart of St. Joseph is your home.
In Catholicism, when we speak of devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, we are essentially referring to devotion to the personhood of Jesus and Mary. We love the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts — and often depict them in art — because we love the persons of Jesus and Mary. While devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is well established in the Church — each having liturgical feast days — devotion to the heart of St. Joseph has not fully developed in the Church. Perhaps there will one day be a liturgical feast honoring St. Joseph’s heart, but only God knows the future. Whether it happens or not, all children desire a father whose heart (person) is strong, protective, and gentle. Saint Joseph has such a heart. He has the heart of a father, a king, a warrior, and a chaste gentleman. His chaste heart beats with love for you.
Saint Joseph will help you have a chaste heart. Lust is the predominant vice at work in the hearts of men today. The world is filled with immoral and lust-filled actions. These actions greatly offend God, ruin families, and cry out to heaven for justice. Did not Our Lady warn St. Jacinta of Fatima that many souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh?
In the battle for purity, everyone needs to go to St. Joseph. If a man — or a woman — struggles with lust, they must go to St. Joseph. If temptations against purity batter your mind, heart, and soul, run to your spiritual father. Cling to St. Joseph! Your spiritual father is capable of increasing the virtue of chastity in your heart and leading you to true, virtuous love of God and neighbor. You will be victorious against lust and triumphant over sin if you take refuge beneath the fatherly cloak of St. Joseph. Prayer is difficult when you are assailed with temptations against purity, but St. Joseph will fight for you if only you invoke his holy name.
Men, in particular, need to imitate the chaste heart of St. Joseph. The world needs men who love their wives as St. Joseph loved Mary. If men reverence their wives as holy temples, families will be renewed, dragons will be slain, and the evils of our age that attack the dignity of the human person will be overcome. The imitation of St. Joseph will spread a revolution of holiness over the earth.
"That God may be more favorable to our prayers, and that he may come with bounty and promptitude to the aid of his Church, we judge it of deep utility for the Christian people, continually to invoke with great piety and trust, together with the Virgin-Mother of God, her chaste spouse, the Blessed Joseph." — Pope Leo XIII
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"What prudence was required to educate a God become a child, who willed to obey him [St. Joseph] for thirty years!" — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
What is prudence? In modern times, many people consider it to be a vice or a flaw. If a person is cautious or circumspect in moral matters, they are quite often called a prude. Prudence, however, is a virtue — an extremely important virtue.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a concise definition of prudence. It states:
"Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it ... It is not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure."
Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that prudence is the “principal of all the virtues.” Its role is to govern the other cardinal (preeminent) virtues: temperance, justice, and fortitude. Without prudence, a person will be either too lenient or too harsh. Prudence serves as a guide and a “charioteer,” helping the soul to avoid erroneous extremes.
Prudence is the virtue of kings and rulers. Without prudence, no leader can exercise temperance, justice, and fortitude. Saint Joseph, king of the Holy Family and your spiritual father, is (after Jesus) the most prudent of all men. In every situation in life, he is a model of prudence. He prayed and waited on the Lord to reveal the mysteries of his wife’s pregnancy to him. He educated the GodMan and, in every situation, allowed prudence to govern his actions.
"The prudence of St. Joseph was a supernatural prudence." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
Supernatural prudence is different from human prudence. Human prudence guides a person to avoid difficulty, suffering, and hardship. Supernatural prudence, on the other hand, does not seek to avoid suffering. Supernatural prudence embraces the cross out of love and always strives for the greater good. By God’s grace, St. Joseph’s prudence was supernatural and heroic. Before the wisdom of the cross was revealed to the world, St. Joseph willingly and voluntarily embraced suffering for the good of others. Before the mystery of co-redemptive suffering was unveiled to souls, St. Joseph lived it out of love.
Saint Joseph will increase in you the virtue of prudence. Saint Joseph will help you exercise supernatural prudence. In every situation, he will teach you to allow prudence to be your charioteer, guiding you to always do what is right for the sake of love of God and neighbor, no matter how much you have to suffer for it.
"Saint Joseph teaches us that prudence is correct knowledge about things to be done or, more broadly, the knowledge of things that ought to be done and of things that should be avoided." — Servant of God John A. Hardon
A man of human prudence would never arise from sleep and flee to Egypt with his spouse and child in response to a dream. A man of human prudence would quickly rebuke any man who informed his wife that her heart would be pierced with a sword and his Son be a cause of division. But St. Joseph is no ordinary man. By the power of the Holy Spirit, he is a man of supernatural prudence. He ponders, prays, discerns, and acts. Prudence is his charioteer. With St. Joseph, the virtue of supernatural prudence will be your charioteer as well.
"Master that he [St. Joseph] is, he remains always the prudent and faithful servant. Saint Joseph, of the family of the kings of Judah, leads a poor and hidden life. Because he was destined to become, as it were, the governor and father of a weak and humble God, it was fitting that he should resemble him." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"So perfectly was he [St. Joseph] dead to the world and the flesh, that he desired nothing but the things of heaven." — St. Bridget of Sweden
Saint Joseph desired nothing but the things of heaven. He lived entirely for love of Jesus Christ and, after Mary, is Jesus’ most faithful disciple. Saint Joseph is the father of Jesus, but he is also a disciple of Jesus. It takes courage to be a faithful disciple of Jesus. Many are willing to follow Jesus when it is pleasant, but not many are willing to follow Jesus when it is difficult and filled with sorrow. Saint Joseph was always faithful, always courageous.
In different translations of the Litany of St. Joseph, the title “Most Courageous” is sometimes rendered as “Most Valiant” or “Most Strong.” The three titles have the same essential meaning: Saint Joseph was courageous and fearless. He feared nothing other than offending God and exercised tremendous fortitude in his protection of Jesus and Mary. Fortitude is a cardinal virtue that strengthens the will and gives a person courage and a firm resolve to do God’s will, even in the midst of great suffering.
Saint Joseph is a man of courage. The root word of courage is “cour,” meaning “heart.” To be courageous is to love the good more than you fear evil and suffering. The courageous man is stouthearted, bold, and brave in the midst of trials. That St. Joseph was courageous, no one can deny. It took courage for St. Joseph to take his family into enemy territory (Egypt). He knew that he might need to defend his wife and Child against physical assaults, and he was willing to do it. No man who is easily intimidated would embark on such a journey. Saint Joseph is intimidated by no one.
Saint Joseph will help you to be courageous. To be a saint, you must be courageous. If you imitate St. Joseph, you will not hesitate to enter enemy territory or undergo spiritual combat. Egypt was a land notorious for thieves, pagan rituals, idols, and sorcerers. Saint Joseph fears no man because God is with him. Your spiritual father is a man on fire with love for God! “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31).
Saint Joseph will increase the virtue of fortitude in you. Do you remember the passage in Scripture when Jesus came walking on the water to his disciples? The disciples were terrified, and Jesus had to calm their spirits, saying: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid” (Mt 14:27). What about you? What are you afraid of? Losing your job? Sacrificing your good name and worldly honors? Saint Joseph sacrificed everything for love of Jesus and Mary. Your spiritual father was a poor man and of no esteem in the world. Yet demons and the sorcerers of Egypt were terrified of the courageous heart of St. Joseph.
Jesus himself learned courage from the example of St. Joseph. Jesus witnessed his father’s courage in Egypt, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and the many other places they traveled together. Saint Joseph gave his Son an example of manly love, courage, strength, and fortitude. With St. Joseph as your spiritual father, you also have nothing to be afraid of. Our Lord himself, immediately before his suffering and death, instructed his disciples to exercise manly courage, telling them, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33). Set your face toward the heavenly Jerusalem and never look back!
"O Joseph, virgin father of Jesus, most pure spouse of the Virgin Mary, pray for us daily to the Son of God, that, armed with the weapons of his grace, we may fight as we ought in life, and be crowned by him in death." — St. Bernardine of Siena
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"If you want to know St. Joseph’s obedience, look at how he rose at night at the angel’s voice and, giving no care to hunger, hardships, or cold, went to Egypt where he led a hard life until the next command of God." — St. Joseph Sebastian Pelzcar
Obedience is a misunderstood virtue. Many people are of the opinion that obedience to authority limits their freedom, requiring them to hand over their rights to others. This is not the case. In fact, obedience to laws is a part of everyday human life. A road sign, for example, doesn’t take away a person’s freedom. Road signs and other legitimate laws are designed to give people true freedom and happiness. You are able to disobey stop signs while driving, but obedience to the stop sign is what allows you and others to reach your destinations in safety.
Natural law and divine law are not inhibitors to freedom. In God’s plan, the purpose of these laws is to help us reach our ultimate destination: heaven. Those who fail to obey reason and the divine dictates will end up psychologically, anthropologically, and spiritually frustrated, and run the risk of never reaching heaven.
Saint Joseph is a model of obedience. Obedience requires trust. Lack of trust on the part of our first parents (Adam and Eve) is what caused all mankind to fall into sin. In the Garden of Eden, our first parents were tricked into disobeying God by the serpent. The devil instilled in their minds doubts regarding God’s trustworthiness. “Did God really say you would die?” (Gen 3:1). Our new parents, Mary and St. Joseph, trusted God and were willing to suffer for their obedience to God. Mary and Joseph were certain that God had their best interests in mind.
"Why was St. Matthew so keen to note Joseph’s trust in the words received from the messenger of God, if not to invite us to imitate this same loving trust?" — Pope Benedict XVI
Saint Joseph will increase the virtue of obedience in you. You are probably familiar with the heavenly visions given to St. Faustina containing the Divine Mercy message and devotion. Did you know that St. Faustina also had visions of St. Joseph? Saint Faustina loved St. Joseph very much and frequently turned to him for his powerful intercession, asking him to help her do the will of God and be faithful to her mission of spreading devotion to God’s mercy. With the help of St. Joseph, St. Faustina was able to complete her mission and be obedient to her superiors, even when they sent her for a psychological evaluation!
The virtue of obedience is not only for nuns and priests, though. Everyone needs to be obedient to both natural and divine law. Obeying the 10 Commandments, the teachings of the Catholic Church, attending Mass faithfully on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and going to Confession when you fall into sin are all ways of showing that you trust and obey God.
Everyone needs to trust God and obey the natural law as well. The person who defends marriage as an institution between one man and one woman is obeying the natural law. Protecting children in the womb by voting for candidates who are uncompromisingly pro-life is also a sign of being obedient to the natural law. Resisting the nonsense of gender ideology is another way of obeying the natural law. If you are mocked, ridiculed, and made to suffer for your trust and obedience to divine and natural law, you are not far from the Kingdom of Heaven.
Joseph, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, found in the Holy Spirit the source of love.3 — St. John Paul II Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"The Church admires the simplicity and the depth of his [St. Joseph’s] faith." — St. John Paul II
Venerable Fulton J. Sheen spoke of three rings in marriage: the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffering. Those who are married know this to be true. Marriage is not easy. It begins with a honeymoon and will be filled with many hardships, difficulties, and trials. For a marriage to work, mutual love, sacrifice, and faithfulness are necessary.
A Christian’s relationship with God is a spiritual marriage. It, too, requires mutual love, sacrifice, and faithfulness. Those who are spiritually espoused to God need to be faithful in good times and in bad, in health and in sickness, in riches and in poverty. Saint Joseph was always faithful to his wife and to God.
Saint Joseph is a model of faith. Faith is one of the three theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity). But what exactly is faith? How is it defined? The Letter to the Hebrews gives us a good definition. It states: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). Christian faith acknowledges who Jesus is, adheres to his teaching, and trusts in his promises.
"Joseph was deeply pious; he prayed much for the coming of the Messiah." — Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
A Christian is called to have faith in Jesus and trust in him. Acknowledging who Jesus is just is not enough. Demons acknowledge who Jesus is (see Mt 8:29; Mk 5:7; Lk 8:28), but they don’t love or trust him. Saint Joseph, on the other hand, is a model of faith and trust. He knows who Jesus is and trusts in him. Saint Joseph held fast to Jesus’ words even when his mind and senses were unable to completely understand what Jesus meant. Saint Joseph exercised an active, trusting, and zealous faith.
Saint Joseph never doubted the divinity of Jesus or his power to conquer evil. To the world, Jesus looked like an ordinary child, but St. Joseph knew he was God. He adored our Lord in the cradle, in the home in Nazareth, in the Temple in Jerusalem, and as a grown man in his workshop. Saint Joseph was always aware that, in seeing Jesus, he was gazing upon God Almighty.
Saint Joseph was faithful to Jesus in good times and in bad (at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and when Jesus was lost in the Temple in Jerusalem). Saint Joseph was faithful to Jesus in health and in sickness (teaching Jesus to be a good carpenter and dying in the arms of Jesus). Saint Joseph was faithful to Jesus in riches and in poverty (when gold was given to Jesus by the Magi, and when the gold ran out and they lived in poverty in Egypt).
Saint Joseph will increase your faith. Today, it is not easy to be faithful to Jesus. The world does not want you to trust Jesus, hope in his promises, or love him. If you live according to the teachings of Jesus, you will be ridiculed and mocked by the world, and maybe even by your family and friends. Should you endure exile and isolation out of love for Jesus, he is worth it. Should you suffer financial loss out of love for the truth, God will reward you. If you are belittled, spoken ill of, and calumniated because of your stance against abortion, homosexual “marriage,” and contraception, your reward will be great in heaven.
Imitate the faith and loving trust of St. Joseph. Be steadfast, trusting, and intrepid in your faith.
"It is precisely the intrepid faith of St. Joseph that the Church needs today in order to courageously dedicate herself to the urgent task of the new evangelization." — St. John Paul II
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"This flower of Israel [St. Joseph] had the faith of Abraham, the piety of David his ancestor, the wisdom of the prophets, a patience more heroic than that of Job and of Tobias, and a zeal greater than that of Elijah for the glory of God." — Blessed Gabriele Allegra
Patience is a virtue that many people find hard to practice. Remaining peaceful and calm can be very challenging when you find yourself in a situation that is completely out of your control. Indeed, there are countless things in life that will test your patience.
In modern times, advances in technology have put almost everything in life at our fingertips. Our meals, entertainment, music, and contacts are instantly available to us. With this capability, it can be very difficult to wait and acquire the virtue of patience. If you want to be like St. Joseph, however, you must learn patience.
"Blessed are all those who wait on the Lord." — Is 30:18
Saint Joseph is a model of patience. Life was not easy for St. Joseph. His mission required a lot of waiting. If St. Joseph did not accompany Mary on her journey to Elizabeth’s house, he had to wait three long months to see his wife again. When St. Joseph observed that his wife was pregnant, he had to wait for the Lord to reveal what he wanted him to do in response to the wondrous pregnancy. Such trials of patience must have been extremely challenging for St. Joseph. Saint Joseph used them as an opportunity to grow in patience and holiness. He mastered every opportunity.
Saint Joseph exhibited heroic patience in Egypt. Taking his wife and newborn Child to a country with a different language, culture, religion, and currency must have filled his heart with anxiety. Finding work in Egypt and providing food and shelter for his family could not have been easy. What husband and father would not be in a constant state of anxiety in such a situation? He had no idea how long he would have to stay in Egypt. Yet, in every situation, St. Joseph was always peaceful, kind, calm, and abandoned to Divine Providence.
Exercising patience does not mean that a person will be free of the anxieties of life. When Mary and Joseph lost Jesus for three days in Jerusalem, we are told that they searched for their beloved Son with great anxiety (see Lk 2:48). They were greatly concerned but had boundless confidence in Divine Providence.
Saint Joseph will increase your patience. You, too, are going to experience many trials in life, trials that will test your love and your patience. Whether you like it or not, your patience is going to be tried. Hardly a day will go by in which you will not be given the opportunity to acquire patience. God allows such trials because he wants us to grow in virtue.
A concrete area in your life where you can exercise the virtue of patience is by being merciful to others, especially when you know their faults. Saint Joseph lived with two perfect people, but he must have frequently encountered unpleasant and difficult people: employers, co-workers, tax collectors, politicians, etc. You, too, will experience unpleasant people in life. In such instances, imitate the patience of St. Joseph. Ask God for the grace to love your neighbor. Be kind, peaceful, and merciful.
In the workplace, offer forgiveness for offenses. On the highway, be patient and courteous. With difficult family members and friends, be pleasant and merciful. Exercising patience and mercy always brings about good. The lovingly patient and merciful person is always victorious, in this life or the next!
"He [St. Joseph] was always imperturbable, even in adversities. Let us model ourselves after this sublime example and let us learn to remain peaceful and tranquil in all of life’s circumstances." — St. Joseph Marello
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"Truly, I doubt not that the angels, wondering and adoring, came thronging in countless multitudes to that poor workshop to admire the humility of him who guarded that dear and divine child, and labored at his carpenter’s trade to support the son and the mother who were committed to his care." — St. Francis de Sales
Saint Joseph was unpretentious in the eyes of the world. He had no worldly ambition or desire for recognition.
Throughout the centuries, people have often wondered what the financial status of the Holy Family was, or what their living conditions were. To answer this question, we need look no further than the New Testament. The Holy Family was poor. Very poor.
Saint Joseph was so lowly and poor in the sight of the world that the Wise Men who entered the stable in Bethlehem did not even acknowledge his presence (see Mt 2:11). When the Holy Family journeyed to the Temple in Jerusalem to participate in the Jewish ritual of purification for a new mother, Joseph couldn’t even afford to purchase a lamb for a burnt offering (see Lev 12:6-7). Lambs were expensive. Saint Joseph could only offer a poor man’s gift, that is, two turtledoves or two young pigeons (see Lev 12:8).
The Holy Family lived on Divine Providence. Had Baby Jesus not been given gold, frankincense, and myrrh by the Wise Men in Bethlehem (see Mt 2:11), it is likely that St. Joseph would not have had money to purchase food and other necessities for his family when they traveled to Egypt. When they left from Nazareth for Bethlehem to fulfil the census, they had not brought many things with them because they expected to return to Nazareth. The gifts of the Wise Men were God’s providential way of taking care of the Holy Family. Years later, after returning to Nazareth from Egypt, the Holy Family lived for almost 30 years in a house in Nazareth that was simple and small.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). Have you ever wondered what that actually means? Is Jesus saying that poverty is wonderful? No, that’s not what he is saying. What he is saying is that those who are detached from the things of this world are not far from the Kingdom of Heaven. When a person is detached from the things of this world, poverty is understood to be a virtue. The person who is detached from material things is truly blessed in spirit and rich in the sight of God. This explains why St. Joseph is called “Lover of Poverty.” He relied on Divine Providence for all of his needs.
Saint Joseph will help you be poor in spirit. Saint Joseph will teach you how to be detached from material things and abandoned to Divine Providence. You will never find true happiness in material goods. Those who allow their relationship to God to depend on whether they have worldly things are destined for unhappiness. The person who is poor in spirit, on the other hand, is able to proclaim, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
The silence of St. Joseph proves his greatness and poverty of spirit. Everyone likes to boast of their achievements and have others acknowledge their work. Saint Joseph, however, never saw the results of his hard work and sacrifice. He trusted that God would bring good fruit from his labor and years of service to Jesus and Mary. And God did — more than St. Joseph could have ever imagined. He was poor in the world, but rich in the Kingdom of Heaven.
"He [St. Joseph] lived content in his poverty." — St. Bonaventure
"Jesus, Mary, Joseph, my most sweet loves, may I live, suffer, and die for you!" — St. Pope John XXIII
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"At the workbench where he [St. Joseph] plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption." — St. John Paul II
The devil hates an honest and diligent worker. At the beginning of human history, the wicked serpent initiated his attack on the human family in the workplace — that is, the garden God gave Adam and Eve to tend and keep. Lucifer hates work. He particularly disdains the fact that because of love, God humbled himself and became a man, making himself capable of manual labor. Jesus spent many years in St. Joseph’s workshop diligently working. It was preparation for his re-entering man’s original workshop — a garden; the Garden of Gethsemane, specifically — and accomplishing the work of our redemption.
Jesus is God. Together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, he made the heavens and the earth. Our Lord’s ability to create far exceeds anything we can possibly imagine. When he became flesh, Jesus sanctified human work and elevated it to a level of greatness that did not exist prior to his Incarnation. Though divine, God humbled himself, became a man, and worked like a man. In his humanity, he learned how to work as a man by imitating the example of his earthly father, St. Joseph.
Saint Joseph is the model workman. If St. Joseph taught the God-Man how to work, he is more than capable of serving as our model as well. Hard work benefits the person, the family, and society.
"He [St. Joseph] belongs to the working-class, and he bore the burdens of poverty for himself and the Holy Family, whose tender and vigilant head he was." — Pope Pius XI
Work is not always easy and pleasant. Putting in a hard day’s work can be taxing on the mind, body, and soul. Sometimes work can be downright burdensome. As a carpenter, Jesus knew this firsthand. He offers comfort to all who make their living by the sweat of their brow.
"Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." — Mt 11:28-30
Saint Joseph will teach you how to be a diligent worker. Our Lord desired to do manual labor for many years before initiating his public ministry. Why did he do it? He did it because he wanted to sanctify work and teach us that work is honorable and pleasing to God. However, neither Jesus nor St. Joseph were workaholics. Workaholics are of no benefit to themselves, the family, or society. God does not delight in a workaholic.
Jesus learned the proper place of work in his life through the loving example of St. Joseph. Saint Joseph made time for God, family, recreation, and rest. Saint Joseph modeled these aspects of human life for Jesus. Saint Joseph will teach you these important lessons as well.
Saint Joseph also serves as the model workman for the imitation of those who work for the salvation of souls, especially deacons, priests, bishops, and religious. Consecrated souls are to work diligently and faithfully in God’s vineyard. This work, too, can be difficult and burdensome. Priests, deacons, and consecrated religious are human; they need rest and recreation like everyone else. On rare occasions, God gives extraordinary graces for a person to perform heroic penances, fasts, and mortifications. However, God never desires for his workers to burn out from sheer exhaustion. He wants them to take delight in mountain streams, forests, and sunsets. He wants priests and nuns who are like St. Joseph: loving, prayerful, hard-working, and not afraid to rest.
"Let us ask St. Joseph to foster staunch vocations for our Lord." — St. Peter Julian Eymard Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"Joseph loved Jesus as a father loves his son and showed his love by giving him the best he had." — St. Josemaría Escrivá
In the 16th century, St. Teresa of Avila helped reform the female branch of the Carmelite Order. She had a tremendous devotion to St. Joseph and named the majority of her reformed convents after him. To protect the convents (and the nuns in them), she buried medals of St. Joseph around the convents as a sign that they belonged to God and St. Joseph. In the 20th century, St. André Bessette did something similar.
Saint André wanted to erect a shrine dedicated to St. Joseph in Montreal, Canada. He found the perfect location and placed medals of St. Joseph around the property as a way of asking St. Joseph to bless and obtain the property. Needless to say, he got it!
Saint Joseph wants to bless your home. If you lovingly welcome St. Joseph into your home, invoke his intercession, and honor him in pious devotions, he will greatly bless your domestic life. Wherever St. Joseph is present, Jesus and Mary are present as well.
Saint Joseph wants to be in your home and present in your family life. Even if you move, he wants to go with you. Speaking of moving, let me quickly say something about a practice that concerns me: There is no need for you to bury a statue of St. Joseph to sell your house. Burying a statue of St. Joseph in an effort to sell a home is a modern phenomenon. Saint Teresa of Avila and St. André Bessette never buried statues of St. Joseph. Statues, unlike medals, are not made to be buried. Statues represent a person, and are meant to be venerated above ground, not buried in the ground. Place a statue of St. Joseph inside your home and pray to St. Joseph frequently for your domestic needs, including the selling of your home. Do not bury a statue of St. Joseph in your yard.
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house." — Mt 5:14-15
Whatever you do, never bury a statue of St. Joseph upside down. People sometimes do this bizarre practice as a form of spiritual bribery, promising to turn the statue of St. Joseph right side up only if their home is sold. Such a practice is akin to treating a statue of St. Joseph as a talisman or a good luck charm. Saint Joseph is your spiritual father, not a trinket. There’s no need to bury a statue of him. Talk to him; he hears you.
Saint Joseph loves domestic life. Saint Joseph is the saint of the hidden years of Jesus. This reality is incredible to ponder. Consider your own memories of living at home: family outings, birthdays, religious celebrations, playing together, singing, etc. Most likely, you only lived in the house of your parents for 20 years or so. Our Lord, however, lived with Mary and St. Joseph for 30 years. The love, intimacy, and familiarity Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph shared is amazing! Saint Joseph knew what Jesus’ walk sounded like. He knew the sound of Jesus’ sneeze, laughter, and voice raised in song. He knew Jesus’ mannerisms, morning routine, posture, smile, yawn, and favorite food and drink. These are treasured memories that reside deep in the heart and mind of St. Joseph.
"Jesus and Mary themselves obey and offer their homage to Joseph, for they reverence what the hand of God has established in him, namely, the authority of spouse and the authority of father." — Pope Pius XI
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"I prayed to St. Joseph to watch over me. From my childhood, my devotion to him was mingled with my love for the Blessed Virgin. Each day I recited the prayer, “O Saint Joseph, father and protector of virgins.” It seemed to me that I was well protected and completely sheltered from every danger." — St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Saint Joseph has a special love for those consecrated to God through religious vows. Saint Joseph loves everyone, of course, but he has a special place in his heart for virgins. A virgin himself, St. Joseph knows firsthand the intimacy that a virgin is capable of having with God. Saint Joseph lived for 30 years with the two greatest virgins to ever grace this planet: Jesus and Mary. Virginity is a treasure. It is a treasure that St. Joseph guards and wants others to know about.
Remember St. Joseph! Many people know the Memorare prayer to the Virgin Mary. What many people don’t know about is the Memorare to St. Joseph. It’s almost identical to the Marian Memorare. The Memorare to St. Joseph goes like this:
"Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, my spiritual father, and beg your protection. O foster father of the Redeemer, despise not my petitions, but in your goodness hear and answer me. Amen."
Saint Faustina’s religious community, the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, recite the Memorare to St. Joseph every day. Saint Faustina herself had a tremendous devotion to St. Joseph and daily asked his intercession for her vocation and mission. She wrote:
"Saint Joseph urged me to have a constant devotion to him. He himself told me to recite three prayers [the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be] and the Memorare [to St. Joseph] once every day. He looked at me with great kindness and gave me to know how much he is supporting this work [of mercy]. He has promised me this special help and protection. I recite the requested prayers every day and feel his special protection."
Saint Joseph will help you be a guardian of virginity and purity. If you maintain a daily loving relationship with St. Joseph, your eyes, intentions, heart, and relationships can be pleasing to God and free of anything that goes against purity. If you walk with St. Joseph, you will find less and less pleasure in filthy and perverse films. Such “entertainment” will repulse your soul. Music that is foul, degrading to women, and offensive to God will not appeal to you either. This doesn’t mean you must only listen to Christian music or watch Christian movies, but it does mean that you will know light from darkness.
Everyone is going to be tempted to sin against purity — some more than others. In St. Joseph, everyone has a guardian and a protector. Turn to him in times of temptation and you will grow in innocence and purity. Frequently ask his intercession to keep your heart pure and chaste.
"I have taken for my advocate and protector, the glorious St. Joseph, to whom I have recommended myself with all the fervor of my heart, and by whom I have been visibly aided. This tender father of my soul, this loving protector hastened to snatch me from the wretched state in which my body languished, as he had delivered me from greater dangers of another nature, which threatened my honor and my eternal salvation." — St. Teresa of Avila
"I beg the great St. Joseph, in whom I have a very great confidence, to come to my aid." — St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"Those who are devoted to prayer should, in a special manner, cherish devotion to St. Joseph. I know not how anyone can ponder on the sufferings, trials, and tribulations the Queen of Angels endured whilst caring for Jesus in his childhood, without at the same time thanking St. Joseph for the services he rendered the Divine Child and his Blessed Mother." — St. Teresa of Avila
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph love families. Their three hearts are very concerned about what is happening to families today. Families are falling apart.
Modern man has distanced himself from God and attempted to redefine what it means to be a family. As a result, divorce rates are at an all-time high; the majority of married couples use contraception; abortion is legal; and it is socially acceptable for children to be raised by two dads and/or two moms. The family stands on the edge of a great precipice.
"Various programs backed by very powerful resources nowadays seem to aim at the breakdown of the family. At times it appears that concerted efforts are being made to present as “normal” and attractive, and even to glamourize, situations which are in fact “irregular.” Indeed, they contradict “the truth and love” which should inspire and guide relationships between men and women, thus causing tensions and divisions in families, with grave consequences particularly for children. The moral conscience becomes darkened; what is true, good, and beautiful is deformed; and freedom is replaced by what is actually enslavement." — St. John Paul II
Saint John Paul II is absolutely correct. God established the family to be a school of love, something beautiful, delightful, and life-giving, and the devil and his agents want to destroy it. How are we ever going to turn the situation around? How can we return to order? The only way is to elevate the Holy Family as the model and blueprint of the family. When the Holy Family is celebrated in society, we will again know the sanctity of motherhood, the heroism of fatherhood, and the blessing of children.
Saint Joseph wants to be the pillar of your family. A pillar is a foundation. In order for your home to stand on a firm foundation and be unshakable, your family needs St. Joseph. He will teach your family the importance of prayer, mutual respect, purity, honesty, forgiveness, love, and, most importantly, placing God above all things.
Saint Joseph loves the family! Saint Joseph, the pillar of the family, teaches us the importance of motherhood, fatherhood, and children. He is the saint of the childhood and hidden years of Jesus. He teaches modern man that the only true definition of a family is that it consists of a mother, a father, and children. The notion of a “modern family” is a deception from the devil. The redefinition of marriage and the family causes the breakdown of society, culture, morals, and true family values.
In the person of St. Joseph, men can learn what it means to be a husband and a father. They must be self-sacrificing for women, children, and the common good. It is honorable for men to sacrifice themselves for others. Manhood and fatherhood are perfected through love, sacrifice, and faithfulness to those entrusted to their care. The exercise of such manhood is how husbands and fathers become pillars of civilization, and indeed, become holy. A world filled with men like St. Joseph will experience a renewal of social and moral order.
"I saw Jesus assisting his parents in every possible way, and also on the street and wherever opportunity offered, cheerfully, eagerly, and obligingly helping everyone. He assisted his fosterfather in his trade, and devoted himself to prayer and contemplation. He was a model for all the children of Nazareth." — Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"Nothing will be refused him [St. Joseph], neither by Our Lady nor by his glorious Son." — St. Francis de Sales
Comforting the afflicted is a work of mercy. The Church has seven Spiritual Works of Mercy and seven Corporal Works of Mercy. The works of mercy help us to be devout followers of Jesus Christ by serving others; they help us to be like St. Joseph.
Seven Corporal Works of Mercy:
Feed the Hungry
Give Drink to the Thirsty Clothe the Naked
Shelter the Homeless
Visit the Prisoners
Comfort the Sick
Bury the Dead
Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy:
Teach the Ignorant
Pray for the Living and the Dead
Correct Sinners
Counsel Those in Doubt
Console the Sorrowful
Bear Wrongs Patiently
Forgive Wrongs Willingly
The Latin title "Solatium Miserorum" is generally translated as “Comfort of the Afflicted,” but it can also be rendered “Solace of the Miserable” or “Solace of Those in Misery.” Experiencing misery or feeling miserable is not pleasant. Yet the reality is that we are all going to have miserable moments in life. This world is a valley of tears, and everyone is going to suffer. There is no way around it. Whether it’s financial problems, marital hardships, psychological struggles, difficulties in relationships, the death of loved ones, or a thousand other woes, we will all experience misery in life. It’s good to have someone we can turn to for comfort and solace in such times.
Saint Joseph will comfort you in difficult times. Life is filled with many sorrows. Loved ones will die, children sometimes rebel, and gravity will eventually take away your youthfulness, making you old and immobile. No matter what life brings, however, St. Joseph will always be your consolation, comfort, and solace. He knows well the hardships of life. He is a kind and loving father. He comforts everyone who comes to him in times of affliction. His fatherhood is unlike any other.
"Let us commend ourselves to our good father, St. Joseph, who is the Patriarch of troubled people, since he himself went through so much trouble." — St. Joseph Marello
A loving father provides comfort to his children, especially when they are going through difficulties. A father’s wisdom and presence are reassuring and life-giving. Knowing you can always go to your father in difficult times reassures you that everything will be okay, even when your world seems to be falling apart. Regrettably, many people have never experienced this kind of love from a father. Many people today have grown up with emotionally abusive, distant, and less-thanvirtuous fathers. This has led many people to experience great anxieties and fears in life, as well as a tremendous sense of insecurity.
God wants you to rest in St. Joseph’s fatherhood. Saint Joseph will never abandon you. No matter what your experience of fatherhood has been, St. Joseph will always be there for you. He is your spiritual dad, and he loves you. He will never hurt you. He would give his life for you a million times over.
When life has you down, run to your spiritual father. Pour out your heart to him. Tell him your troubles. He is the most loving of fathers. He is always available for you, always attentive, always understanding.
"If discouragement overwhelms you, think of the faith of Joseph; if anxiety has its grip on you, think of the hope of Joseph; if exasperation or hatred seizes you, think of the love of Joseph, who was the first man to set eyes on the human face of God in the person of the Infant conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Let us praise and thank Christ for having drawn so close to us, and for giving us Joseph as an example and model of love." — Pope Benedict XVI
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"As the Church’s Liturgy teaches, he [St. Joseph] “cooperated in the fullness of time in the great mystery of salvation” and is truly a 'minister of salvation.'" — St. John Paul II God has healed many people through the intercession of St. Joseph, such as St. Teresa of Avila. She often told people how she was so terribly ill that she considered herself half-dead, but after praying to St. Joseph, she experienced a miraculous cure.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux would have died in infancy were it not for the intercession of St. Joseph. Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, Thérèse’s parents, were very devoted to St. Joseph. They named two of their children after St. Joseph but, sadly, both of the children died in childbirth. When Zélie was again pregnant, she believed the child in her womb was a boy, and she planned to name the child Joseph. After childbirth, however, the baby was discovered to be a girl, and it was decided that her name would be Thérèse.
Shortly after Thérèse was born, she became deathly ill. No one knew the cause of the illness. Her mother, having already experienced the death of several other children, was greatly saddened but resigned to God’s holy will. Fearing that little Thérèse was going to die, Zélie knelt before a statue of St. Joseph in her bedroom and asked the saint to heal her daughter. Miraculously, Thérèse was healed! Thérèse’s mother wrote down an account of what had happened to her little Thérèse. She wrote:
"I went up to my room [little Thérèse was on the first floor with a wet nurse], I knelt at the feet of St. Joseph, and I asked him for the grace of healing for the little one, while resigning myself to God’s will. I do not often cry, but I was crying as I prayed. I didn’t know if I should go downstairs. In the end, I decided to go down, and what did I see? The baby was nursing vigorously. She did not let go until 1 p.m. She spit up a bit and fell back as though dead on her wet nurse. There were five of us around her. Everyone was stunned. There was a worker who was crying; I felt my blood run cold. The baby had no visible breath. It did no good for us to lean over to try and discover a sign of life because we could see nothing. But she was so calm, so peaceful, that I thanked God for having her die so gently. Then a quarter of an hour went by, and my little Thérèse opened her eyes and started to smile."
Saint Joseph offers hope in times of sickness. If you or someone you know is sick, go to St. Joseph. Jesus wants you to go to your spiritual father and ask him for help and healing. It’s up to God whether or not a physical healing will be given, but it doesn’t hurt to ask, as St. Zélie did for her little Thérèse.
If you or a loved one receive a healing, don’t forget that you are still going to suffer in life. Saint Thérèse was healed as an infant, but she suffered many other ailments in life, and eventually succumbed to death. Even Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, died again. Thus, whether you experience a physical healing or not, St. Joseph always offers hope for an illness-free life in heaven. Saint Joseph will help you be abandoned to Divine Providence.
"Like St. Joseph, let us live each day according to the dispositions of providence, doing whatever God suggests." — St. Joseph Marello
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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The name of Joseph will be our protection during all the days of our life, but above all at the moment of death." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
Saint Joseph died a holy and happy death. He died gazing upon Jesus and resting in the arms of Mary. What greater death could a person experience? God has designated St. Joseph as the Patron of the Dying because he wants us to experience a death similar to that of St. Joseph, a holy and happy death.
Death is a part of life, but it is not an easy part of life. Letting go and saying goodbye to family and friends is not easy. In many monasteries, there are signs that read “Memento Mori” (“Remember You Will Die”). The sign is not meant to be morbid, but rather to serve as a reminder that our life on earth will come to an end, and we need to be prepared for death.
We need to be prepared for death because Satan always tries to get a soul to despair and turn away from our loving God at the hour of death. Ask any priest; he will tell you that a spiritual battle takes place over a soul at the hour of death. For this reason, we need the intercession of our spiritual father to fortify us, protect us, and fill us with trust in God’s love and mercy.
"Jesus granted to him [St. Joseph] the special privilege of safeguarding the dying against the snares of Lucifer, just as he had also saved him [Jesus] from the schemes of Herod." — St. Alphonsus Liguori
Saint Joseph is your personal patron. Saint Joseph is everyone’s personal patron because everyone is going to die. None of us is going to be here forever. You have a loving spiritual father who can help you prepare for death. On his deathbed, St. Joseph himself must have been concerned about the future of his wife and Son. Would they suffer? Would they be treated cruelly by others? Would their future be a happy one? Yet St. Joseph had boundless confidence in God’s love and mercy. He died trusting in Divine Providence, full of confidence that God would take care of his wife and Son. With St. Joseph in your life, you do not have to be fearful of death either. When your time comes, St. Joseph will help you experience a happy and holy death.
"The Church encourages us to prepare ourselves for the hour of our death. In the litany of the saints, for instance, she has us pray: 'From a sudden and unforeseen death, deliver us, O Lord,' to ask the Mother of God to intercede for us 'at the hour of our death' in the Hail Mary; and to entrust ourselves to St. Joseph, the patron of a happy death." — Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catechism tells us that, in order to prepare for death, we should “entrust ourselves to St. Joseph.” In other words, consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! To prevent an unhappy death — a death that catches us unprepared, without the last Sacraments — prepare for it now by consecrating yourself to St. Joseph and living a holy life. In giving everything to St. Joseph, death will not catch you unprepared. Today, many people are not prepared for death. They do not consider their mortality, living as if they are immortal and immune to the grave. The finality of death will be a torture for such people.
As for you, live a pious life in union with the Church. Remain in a state of sanctifying grace. Go to Confession and Holy Communion frequently. Give everything to St. Joseph!
"He [a servant of St. Joseph] will beg of him the grace of dying as he himself did, with the kiss of Jesus and in the arms of Mary." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
"Happy are you if your death has the assistance of St. Joseph. Then, no matter if flames devour you, or waters overwhelm you, or disease slays you, the prayers of St. Joseph will throw around you an all protecting mantle of defense." — Venerable Nelson Baker
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph pursued their way through many towns of Egypt, driving out the demons not only from the idols, but out of many bodies possessed by them, curing many that were grievously and dangerously ill." — Venerable Mary of Ágreda
Demons fear Jesus. Demons fear Mary. Did you know that demons fear St. Joseph as well? It’s true. Demons are absolutely terrified of St. Joseph.
Evil spirits are terrified of St. Joseph because he alone is the spouse of the Immaculata and the father of Jesus Christ. Saint Joseph is the gateway to Jesus and Mary. Everything that touches him becomes a relic. He saved the Savior from Herod, spent decades in adoration, exercised paternal authority over Jesus, and made it possible for Jesus and Mary to offer their sacrifice on Calvary. Demons have plenty to be afraid of in the person of St. Joseph. He is mighty!
Saint Joseph is a dragon slayer! The title “Terror of Demons” is the most unique title of St. Joseph. It is a fearsome and commanding title. It is the title of a warrior. The lily St. Joseph holds in his hand is a mighty spiritual weapon, a sword of purity. It has the power to pierce fire-breathing dragons (demons) and conquer every form of filth and darkness. The lily he wields is a threat to all the filthy forces of Satan.
Demons are terrified at the mere mention of St. Joseph’s name. They fear everything about St. Joseph. “How terrified are they?” you ask. Well, terrified enough that they fear when he sleeps! When St. Joseph slumbers, he speaks to God! It doesn’t matter if his mind and body are at rest. Saint Joseph’s spirit is always at attention and ready to protect, defend, and fight for Jesus, Mary, and souls. When St. Joseph rises from sleep, demons know he will promptly do the will of God and block their evil intentions. Whether St. Joseph is awake or asleep, all hell trembles before the father and king of the Holy Family.
Saint Joseph is a quiet man, but he is not a timid man. One glance of his eyes sends all hell into flight. One word from his mouth routs the forces of darkness as an axe levels a field of trees! Who can stand against you if the Terror of Demons protects you?
Saint Joseph will protect you against Satan and his demons. Satan is not a myth; neither are evil spirits and demons. The world considers these creatures to be fairytales and legends, but they are real. We are in a spiritual battle. Satan and his demons are out to get you.
Saint Peter offered the following description of the devil and the hellish threat he poses:
"Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. — 1 Pet 5:8-9
To defeat the devil, you need Jesus, Mary, St. Joseph, and the teachings and Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Every Christian needs truth and the strong spiritual fatherhood of St. Joseph.
You are a child of St. Joseph. It doesn’t matter if you are 6 years old or 60 years old. Jesus himself referred to grown men on the shores of Galilee as children (see Jn 21:5). Jesus is God, and he has appointed St. Joseph to be your loving spiritual father. In times of fear, oppression, mortal danger, and extreme temptation, run to your spiritual father. He will fight for you. The Terror of Demons is ready to slay dragons for you!
"Saint Joseph, may you and your immaculate spouse assist me in the final struggle." — St. John Neumann
Pray the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit, Come)
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
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"The Church invokes St. Joseph as her Patron and Protector through her unshakable trust that he to whom Christ willed to confide the care and protection of his own frail human childhood, will continue from heaven to perform his protective task in order to guide and defend the Mystical Body of Christ himself, which is always weak, always under attack, always in a state of peril." — St. Pope Paul VI
The Church needs the protection of St. Joseph. According to the designs of Providence, the Church has always needed his protection, but today it needs it more than ever. The Church is being assaulted by those outside it (Satan and the world) and by those inside it (many of her own children). Sadly, the Church also has to be protected from heterodox and spiritually weak priests and bishops.
Don’t believe me? Well, on June 29, 1972, St. Pope Paul VI made the claim that “the smoke of Satan has entered the Church.” He was right. The Church is in a mess. The smoke of Satan has infiltrated even the highest levels of the Church. The only way to clear away the smoke and make the Church beautiful again is to repent and return to order. There is no other way.
Jesus never promised that everyone in the Church would be holy. The weeds and the wheat grow together. The Church in her essence is holy because she is the bride of Christ, but there are many individual members of the Church who are not holy, marring the beauty of the bride of Christ by their sinful and criminal actions. In God’s time, the weeds and the wheat will be separated. Our role is to stay close to St. Joseph. In this way, we will be wheat, not weeds.
"To be faithful as humble collaborators with the divine plan over our lives, we need, along with the protection of the Virgin Mary, that of St. Joseph, a most powerful intercessor." — St. Pope John XXIII
Saint Joseph protects the Church. The days in which we live are filled with scandal, confusion, and division. It is not easy to remain faithful, zealous, and hopeful. Yet, we have reason for hope. God will never abandon us. Saint Joseph will never abandon us either. He knows what is going on in the Church, and he wants to correct it.
"Saint Joseph is always the choir director who intones the songs, but he sometimes allows a few sour notes." — St. Joseph Marello
There are many sour notes in the Church today. Don’t jump ship, though! In his time, the Heavenly Father will put his foot down. We will see the glory of the Church again. All is in the hands of Divine Providence. Trust.
At a time of persecution of the Church in Mexico, Blessed Miguel Pro turned to St. Joseph for help. His first Mass had been said at an altar of St. Joseph. He would later give his life as a martyr before a firing squad, crucifix in one hand, rosary in the other, and St. Joseph in his heart. Blessed Miguel offers words of comfort for the difficult times in which we live. He states:
"The splendor of the Resurrection [of the Church] is already on its way because now the gloom of the passion [of the Church] is at its height."
Hold fast to Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph. They are with us. Trust in Divine Providence.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Pray the Memorare to St. Joseph
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"As Almighty God appointed Joseph, son of the patriarch Jacob, over all the land of Egypt to save grain for the people, so when the fullness of time was come and he was about to send on earth his only-begotten Son, the Savior of the world, he chose another Joseph of whom the first had been a type, and he made him the lord and chief of his household and possessions, the guardian of his choicest treasures." — Blessed Pope Pius IX
Our spiritual father St. Joseph is lord, chief, and guardian of the treasures of heaven! Many saints believe that Jesus referred to the greatness of St. Joseph in his preaching. It occurred when the mother of James and John asked Jesus if her sons could sit next to him in his kingdom. The text reads as follows:
'Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”' — Mt 20:20-28
What are we to make of Jesus’ statement? What persons has the Father prepared to sit next to Jesus in heaven? Obviously, Mary, the mother of Jesus, sits on Jesus’ right side. She is the Queen Mother in God’s kingdom. What about the other side? Who is that seat reserved for? It makes sense that it is reserved for St. Joseph. It is fitting that God would place St. Joseph on the left side of Jesus because no saint is greater than the father of Jesus Christ!
"It is a monstrous crime for a father to be poor while the son lives in abundance. Who could imagine that the son of God, who is master of all virtues, would forget Joseph whom he loved and cherished as his father? He [Jesus] must have spared no effort to enrich him." — Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
Seated on the left of Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven, St. Joseph dispenses all the treasures of heaven.
"Devotion to St. Joseph is one of the choicest graces that God can give to a soul, for it is tantamount to revealing the entire treasury of Our Lord’s graces." — St. Peter Julian Eymard
Saint Joseph is your Increaser. Let him increase your intimacy with Jesus and Mary.
"Joseph is an all-powerful intercessor. We must, then, be devoted to him; we must honor him and consecrate ourselves to him. In that way we shall greatly please Jesus and Mary, who consider as done for themselves what is done for Joseph." — St. Peter Julian Eymard
"We do not know precisely how much we are indebted to him [St. Joseph]. It is a secret that will not be revealed to us until the great day; but let us not doubt that he, to whom God entrusted the care of all his house, has bestowed special favors upon us that call for our sincerest thanks." — Venerable Nelson Baker
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
Read “Consecration Day”
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O God, who, in your loving providence, chose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most Holy Mother, grant us the favor of having him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our protector. You, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
You’ve made it! Today, you are going to consecrate yourself entirely to St. Joseph. A comprehensive program of consecration to St. Joseph has been long in the making. It has taken centuries for the secret weapon of consecration to St. Joseph to develop. It is now revealed, and you have been chosen by God to be the recipient of a tremendous blessing in the spiritual life. You have been selected at this time in history to be a part of Consecration to St. Joseph. Do you know how blessed you are?
In days of old, saints would have been delighted by a comprehensive method of preparation and consecration to St. Joseph. Their saintly instincts knew of the greatness and wonders of St. Joseph and each one, in their own way, sought to honor him and love him with a filial devotion. But it is you who will be ranked among the very first in the history of the Church to live in a tremendous era of devotion to St. Joseph. The era of St. Joseph!
The Holy Trinity wants St. Joseph to be more known and loved. You have been invited to imitate the virtues and holiness of St. Joseph’s pure heart. With St. Joseph at your side, virtue and holiness will increase in your life. With St. Joseph’s paternal cloak over you, you will be protected from spiritual harm. Fear nothing, my friend. Your spiritual father is the father of Jesus, the husband of the Mother of God, and the Terror of Demons!
"Those who honor their father atone for sins … In word and deed honor your father, that all blessings may come to you." — Sir 3:3, 8
"For the rest of your life, love, trust, and honor St. Joseph. Go to him in times of plenty, in times of poverty, in good times and in bad. He will be your guardian, your strength, and your certainty of not being lost. If you become weary, go to Joseph. If you become anxious, go to Joseph. When you are alone, mourning, or tempted, run to St. Joseph! He will never be far from you. He will hear your voice and be your quick defense. A fearless warrior, your spiritual father will rush to your side and protect you. God demands much from you, but he will favor you generously on this earth, and will exalt you, if you will but imitate St. Joseph in his virtues." — St. Joseph Sebastian Pelczar
Never forget what you have learned in these days of preparation. Renew your consecration frequently. Strive to please the loving heart of your spiritual father. Avoid sin and live as a faithful member of the Church. Should scandals persist, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph. They will never disappoint you. They will never abandon you. They will always love you and be with you.
"I have prayed to our Lord that he might give me St. Joseph for a father, as he had given me Mary for a mother; that he might put in my heart that devotion, that confidence, that filial love of a client, of a devotee of St. Joseph. I trust the good Master has heard my prayers, for I now feel greater devotion to this great saint, and I am full of confidence and hope." — St. Peter Julian Eymard
Pray an Act of Consecration to St. Joseph
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O Glorious Patriarch and Patron of the Church! O Virgin Spouse of the Virgin Mother of God! O Guardian and Virginal Father of the Word Incarnate! In the presence of Jesus and Mary, I choose you this day to be my father, my guardian, and my protector.
O great St. Joseph, whom God has made the Head of the Holy Family, accept me, I beseech you, though utterly unworthy, to be a member of your “Holy House.” Present me to your Immaculate Spouse; ask her also to adopt me as her child. With her, pray that I may constantly think of Jesus, and serve him faithfully to the end of my life. O Terror of Demons, increase in me virtue, protect me from the evil one, and help me not to offend God in any way.
O my Spiritual Father, I hereby consecrate myself to you. In faithful imitation of Jesus and Mary, I place myself and all my concerns under your care and protection. To you, after Jesus and Mary, I consecrate my body and soul, with all their faculties, my spiritual growth, my home, and all my affairs and undertakings. Forsake me not, but adopt me as a servant and child of the Holy Family. Watch over me at all times, but especially at the hour of my death. Console and strengthen me with the presence of Jesus and Mary so that, with you, I may praise and adore the Holy Trinity for all eternity. Amen.
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On this day, before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, I, ___________________, a repentant sinner, consecrate myself, body and soul, to you, St. Joseph.
I turn to you as my spiritual father and place my life and my salvation into your hands. Confident in your goodness, I place myself under your paternal cloak and ask you to protect me from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Saint Joseph, you are the virginal husband of the Mother of God! Help me to love her with tender affection and filial devotion. Mary is my spiritual mother and the surest, fastest, and easiest way to Jesus. Keep me close to her and, together with her, bring me closer to Jesus.
Never depart from me, St. Joseph. Nourish me with the Bread of Life, instruct me in the wisdom of the saints, help me carry my cross, and keep me always in the Catholic Church. When I die, take me to the Kingdom of Heaven to see Jesus and Mary.
From this day onward, I will never forget you. I will speak of you often, spend time with you in prayer and, with your help, earnestly strive to sin no more. Should I fall, help me to repent and go to Confession. Should I go astray, guide me back to the truth.
Before heaven and earth, my soul cries out: Praise to the Holy Trinity who has made you prince over all their possessions! Praise to the Virgin Mary who loves you and longs to see you loved! Praise to you, my spiritual father, the great St. Joseph!
I give everything to you, St. Joseph. Take me as your own. I am yours. Amen!
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(by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930), secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X)
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, R. Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, R. Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...
That others may be loved more than I, R. Jesus, grant me the
grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may
decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become
as holy as I should ...
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Oh my God! I offer You all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to His infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of His merciful love.
Oh my God! I ask of You for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Your holy will, to accept for love of You the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in Heaven for all eternity. Amen.
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O my God! Will Your Justice alone find souls willing to immolate themselves as victims? Does not Your Merciful Love need them too? On every side this love is unknown, rejected; those hearts upon whom You would lavish it turn to creatures seeking happiness from them with their miserable affection; they do this instead of throwing themselves into Your arms and of accepting Your infinite Love. O my God! Is Your disdained Love going to remain closed up within Your Heart? It seems to me that if You were to find souls offering themselves as victims of holocaust to Your Love, You would consume them rapidly; it seems to me, too, that You would be happy not to hold back the waves of infinite tenderness within You. If your Justice loves to release itself, this Justice which extends only over the earth, how much more does Your Merciful Love desire to set souls on fire since Your Mercy reaches to the heavens. (Psalm 35:6) O my Jesus, let me be this happy victim; consume Your holocaust with the fire of Your Divine Love! Amen.
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Large bead: Apostles' Creed
Small bead: "Jesus, Mary, I love You. Save souls; save the consecrated."
End: Hail Mary Queen: 5 times.
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O my God, I thank you and I praise you for accomplishing your holy and all-lovable will without any regard for mine. With my whole heart, in spite of my heart, do I receive this cross I feared so much! It is the cross of Your choice, the cross of Your love. I venerate it; nor for anything in the world would I wish that it had not come, since You willed it. I keep it with gratitude and with joy, as I do everything that comes from Your hand; and I shall strive to carry it without letting it drag, with all the respect and all the affection which Your works deserve. Amen.
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Most sweet Jesus, set on fire my love for You and transform me into Yourself. Divinize me that my deeds may be pleasing to You. May this be accomplished by the power of the Holy Communion which I receive daily. Amen.
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Jesus, give me an intellect, a great intellect, for this only, that I may understand You better; because the better I get to know you, the more ardently will I love You. Jesus, I ask You for a powerful intellect, that I may understand divine and lofty matters. Jesus, give me a keen intellect with which I will get to know Your Divine Essence and Your indwelling, Triune life. Give my intellect these capacities and aptitudes by means of Your special grace. Although I know that there is a capability through grace which the Church gives me, there is still a treasure of graces which You give us, O Lord, when we ask You for them. But if my request is not pleasing to You, then I beg You, do not give me the inclination to pray thus. Amen.
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Give me yourself, O my God, give yourself to me. Behold I love you, and if my love is too weak a thing, grant me to love you more strongly. I cannot measure my love to know how much it falls short of being sufficient, but let my soul hasten to your embrace and never be turned away until it is hidden in the secret shelter of your presence. This only do I know, that it is not good for me when you are not with me, when you are only outside me. I want you in my very self. All the plenty in the world which is not my God is utter want. Amen.
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Breathe in me O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.
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Lord, teach me to see You,
and reveal Yourself to me when I seek You.
For I cannot find You unless You teach me,
nor find You except if You reveal Yourself.
Let me seek You in longing.
Let me long for You in seeking.
Let me find You in love,
and love You in finding.
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Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand, to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
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Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing frighten you.
All things pass away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices.
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Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
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The fruit of silence is PRAYER
The fruit of prayer is FAITH
The fruit of faith is LOVE
The fruit of love is SERVICE
The fruit of service is PEACE
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O my God, Trinity whom I adore, let me entirely forget myself that I may abide in you, still and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity; let nothing disturb my peace nor separate me from you, O my unchanging God, but that each moment may take me further into the depths of your mystery! Pacify my soul! Make it your heaven, your beloved home and place of your repose; let me never leave you there alone, but may I be ever attentive, ever alert in my faith, ever adoring and all given up to your creative action.
O my beloved Christ, crucified for love, would that I might be for you a spouse of your heart! I would anoint you with glory, I would love you ?even unto death! Yet I sense my frailty and ask you to adorn me with yourself; identify my soul with all the movements of your soul, submerge me, overwhelm me, substitute yourself in me that my life may become but a reflection of your life. Come into me as Adorer, Redeemer and Savior.
O Eternal Word, Word of my God, would that I might spend my life listening to you, would that I might be fully receptive to learn all from you; in all darkness, all loneliness, all weakness, may I ever keep my eyes fixed on you and abide under your great light; O my Beloved Star, fascinate me so that I may never be able to leave your radiance.
O Consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, descend into my soul and make all in me as an incarnation of the Word, that I may be to him a super-added humanity wherein he renews his mystery; and you O Father, bestow yourself and bend down to your little creature, seeing in her only your beloved Son in whom you are well pleased.
O my 'Three', my All, my Beatitude, infinite Solitude, Immensity in whom I lose myself, I give myself to you as a prey to be consumed; enclose yourself in me that I may be absorbed in you so as to contemplate in your light the abyss of your greatness!
Trinity, whom I adore, calm and changeless mystery,
I hide within Your Life: "You in me, and I in You."
Make my soul Your dwelling place,
Your heaven on earth, Your home of rest.
May I never leave You alone,
But keep me there in living faith.
Word of God, eternal Sound, I give all to learn from You;
Through darkest poverty I will cling to Your embrace.
PRAISE OF GLORY I shall be,
Oh, Star of mine with lustrous beams:
Fascinate me with Your Light, and hold me fast within "MY THREE.?
Dove of Love, consuming Fire, form in me His mystery.
For Him, the Word of God, I will be humanity.
Father mine, look down on me, And see in me Your only Son.
Oh, my Life, my joy, my All,
You are "MY THREE, MY TRINITY."
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"Before a Picture of Christ in My Cell"
O Jesus, when I look on you,
My love for you starts up anew,
And tells me that your heart loves me,
And you my special friend would be.
More courage I will need for sure,
But any pain will I endure,
Because it makes me like to you
And leads unto your kingdom too.
In sorrow do I find my bliss,
For sorrow now no more is this:
Rather the path that must be trod,
That makes me one with you, my God.
Oh, leave me here alone and still,
And all around, the cold and chill.
To enter here I will have none;
I weary not when I'm alone,
For, Jesus, you are at my side;
Never so close did we abide.
Stay with me, Jesus my delight,
Your presence near makes all things right.
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Too late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient, O Beauty so new. Too late have I loved you! You were within me but I was outside myself, and there I sought you! In my weakness I ran after the beauty of the things you have made. You were with me, and I was not with you. The things you have made kept me from you - the things which would have no being unless they existed in you! You have called, you have cried, and you have pierced my deafness. You have radiated forth, you have shined out brightly, and you have dispelled my blindness. You have sent forth your fragrance, and I have breathed it in, and I long for you. I have tasted you, and I hunger and thirst for you. You have touched me, and I ardently desire your peace.
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Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know You, and desire nothing
save only You.
Let me hate myself and love You.
Let me do everything for the sake of You.
Let me humble myself and exalt You.
Let me think of nothing except You.
Let me die to myself and live in You.
Let me accept whatever happens as from You.
Let me banish self and follow You, and ever desire to follow You.
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in You,
That I may deserve to be defended by You.
Let me fear for myself.
Let me fear You, and let me be among those who are chosen by You.
Let me distrust myself and put my trust in You.
Let me be willing to obey for the sake of You.
Let me cling to nothing save only to You,
And let me be poor because of You.
Look upon me, that I may love You.
Call me that I may see You, and for ever enjoy You. Amen
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Saint John Bosco, Father and Teacher of youth, docile to the gifts of the Spirit and open to the reality of your times, you were for the young, especially the little ones and the poor, a sign of the love and the special care of God.
Be our guide as we walk the path of friendship with the Lord Jesus, so that we may discover in Him and in his Gospel the meaning of our lives and the source of true happiness.
Help us to respond with generosity to the vocation we have received from God, so that in daily life we may be builders of communion, and may collaborate with enthusiasm, and in communion with the whole Church, in creating a civilization of love.
Obtain for us the grace of perseverance in living a high standard of Christian life, according to the spirit of the beatitudes; and grant that, guided by Mary Help of Christians, we may one day be with you in the great family of heaven. Amen.
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Dearest Lord,
teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not count the cost;
to fight and not heed the wounds;
to labor and not seek to rest;
to give of myself and not to ask for reward;
except the reward of knowing that I am doing you will. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, take all my freedom, my memory, my understanding and my will, all that I have and cherish You have given me. I surrender it all to be guided by your will. Your grace and your love are wealth enough for me. Give me these, Lord Jesus, and I ask for nothing more.
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Creator of all things,
True source of light and wisdom,
Lofty origin of all being,
Graciously let a ray of your brilliance
penetrate into the darkness of my understanding,
and take from me the double darkness
in which I have been born -
an obscurity of both sin and ignorance.
Give me a sharp sense of understanding,
a retentive memory,
and the ability to grasp things correctly.
Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations,
and the ability to express myself with thoroughness.
Point out the beginning.
Direct my progress, and help in the completion.
And I ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
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Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance wherever I go. Flood my soul with Your Spirit and Life. Penetrate and possess my being so utterly that my life may only be a radiance of Yours. Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your Presence in my soul.
Let them look up, and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me, and then I will begin to shine as You shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from You. None of it will be mine. I will be You, shining on others through me. Let me thus praise You in the way in which You love best: By shining on those around me. Let me preach without preaching, not by words but by example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears of You. Amen.
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Lord, have mercy on us. R. Lord have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us. R. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. R. Lord have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us. R. Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, R. have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Holy Mary, R. pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
St. Michael,
St. Gabriel,
St. Raphael,
All you Holy Angels and Archangels,
St. John the Baptist,
St. Joseph,
All you Holy Patriarchs and Prophets,
St. Peter,
St. Paul,
St. Andrew,
St. James,
St. John,
St. Thomas,
St. James,
St. Philip,
St. Bartholomew,
St. Matthew,
St. Simon,
St. Jude,
St. Matthias,
St. Barnabas,
St. Luke,
St. Mark,
All you holy Apostles and Evangelists,
All you holy Disciples of the Lord,
All you holy Innocents,
St. Stephen,
St. Lawrence,
St. Vincent,
Sts. Fabian and Sebastian,
Sts. John and Paul,
Sts. Cosmos and Damian,
All you holy Martyrs,
St. Sylvester,
St. Gregory,
St. Ambrose,
St. Augustine,
St. Jerome,
St. Martin,
St. Nicholas,
All you holy Bishops and Confessors,
All you holy Doctors,
St. Anthony,
St. Benedict,
St. Bernard,
St. Dominic,
St. Francis,
All you holy Priests and Levites,
All you holy Monks and Hermits,
St. Mary Magdalene,
St. Agatha,
St. Lucy,
St. Agnes,
St. Cecilia,
St. Anastasia,
St. Catherine,
St. Clare,
All you holy Virgins and Widows,
All you holy Saints of God,
Lord, be merciful, R. Lord, save your people
From all evil,
From all sin,
From your wrath,
From a sudden and unprovided death,
From the snares of the devil,
From anger, hatred, and all ill-will,
From the spirit of uncleanness,
From lightning and tempest,
From the scourge of earthquake,
From plague, famine, and war,
From everlasting death,
By the mystery of your holy Incarnation,
By your Coming,
By your Birth,
By your Baptism and holy fasting,
By your Cross and Passion,
By your Death and Burial,
By your holy Resurrection,
By your wonderful Ascension,
By the coming of the Holy Spirit,
On the day of judgment,
Be merciful to us sinners, Lord, hear our prayer.
That you will spare us,
That you will pardon us,
That it may please you to bring us to true penance,
Guide and protect your holy Church,
Preserve in holy religion the Pope, and all those in holy Orders,
Humble the enemies of holy Church,
Give peace and unity to the whole Christian people,
Bring back to the unity of the Church all those who are straying,
and bring all unbelievers to the light of the Gospel,
Strengthen and preserve us in your holy service,
Raise our minds to desire the things of heaven,
Reward all our benefactors with eternal blessings,
Deliver our souls from eternal damnation, and the souls of our
brethren, relatives, and benefactors,
Give and preserve the fruits of the earth, Grant eternal rest to
all the faithful departed,
That it may please You to hear and heed us, Jesus, Son of the
Living God,
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R. Spare us, O
Lord!
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R. Graciously
hear us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord! R. Have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us, R. Christ, graciously hear us.
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer. R. Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.
Lord, have mercy on us. R. Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us. R. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. R. Lord, have mercy on us.
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Act of contribution
Act of Invocation:
O God, come to my assistance
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be …
1. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial choir of Seraphim, may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.
Our Father (1 time); Hail Mary (3 times)
2. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial choir of Cherubium, may the Lord vouchsafe to grant us grace to leave the ways of wickedness to run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.
Our Father (1 time); Hail Mary (3 times)
3. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial choir of Thrones, may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen.
Our Father (1 time); Hail Mary (3 times)
4. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial choir of Dominions, may the Lord give us grace to govern our sense and subdue our unruly passions. Amen.
Our Father (1 time); Hail Mary (3 times)
5. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial choir of Powers, may the Lord vouchsafe to protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen.
Our Father (1 time); Hail Mary (3 times)
6. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial choir of Virtues, may the Lord preserve us from evil and suffer us not to fall into temptation. Amen.
Our Father (1 time); Hail Mary (3 times)
7. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial choir of Principalities, may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.
Our Father (1 time); Hail Mary (3 times)
8. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial choir of Archangels, may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we gain the glory of paradise. Amen.
Our Father (1 time); Hail Mary (3 times)
9. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial choir of Angels, may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted hereafter to eternal glory. Amen.
Our Father (1 time); Hail Mary (3 times)
4 Our Father each in honor of St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael and your Guardian angel.
Conclude with:
O glorious Prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King, and our admirable conductor, you who does shine with excellence and super human virtue, vouchsafe to deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence, and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day.
V. Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ,
R. that we may be made worthy of His promises.
Almighty and Everlasting God, who by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has appointed the most glorious Archangel, St. Michael, Prince of the Your Church, make us worthy, we beseech You, to be delivered by his powerful protection from all our enemies, that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him into the august presence of Your Divine Majesty. This we beg through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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O God, Father of mercy, you have given us St. Josephine Bakhita as a “universal sister,” and evangelical model of humble faith and ardent charity. Grant also to us the will to believe and to love in the spirit of the Gospel, and listen favorably to the prayers of those who ask for her intercession. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Glory be to the Father … .
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(www.jeanclaudecolin.org)
God our Father, in your servant Jean-Claude Colin you gave your people a zealous priest and religious founder dedicated to serving the Church in the spirit of Mary.
We ask for the glorification of your faithful servant in the midst of your Church and to grant us the favor which we ask through his intercession (mention request).
This we ask through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
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Heavenly Father, you called your servant Isaac Thomas Hecker to preach the Gospel to the people of North America and through his teaching, to know the peace and the power of your indwelling Spirit. He walked in the footsteps of Saint Paul the Apostle, and like Paul spoke your Word with a zeal for souls and a burning love for all who came to him in need. Look upon us this day, with compassion and hope. Hear our prayer. We ask that through the intercession of Father Hecker your servant, you might grant us (state the request). We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. One God, forever and ever. Amen.
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1. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and it
will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be
opened to you." Behold, I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of
... . (say your intention)
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to the Father.
"Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you."
2. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask
anything of the Father in my name, He will give it to you."
Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of ... .
(say your intention)
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to the Father.
"Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you."
3. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, Heaven and
earth will pass away but my words will not pass away."
Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of
... . (say your intention)
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be to the Father.
"Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you."
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have
compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners
and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the
sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender mother and
ours.
Say the Hail Holy Queen and add "St. Joseph, foster father of
Jesus, pray for us."
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Daily
(Source: Copyright 1947, Daniel A. Lord, S.J. Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, William J. Hirten Company, R.I.).)
The word heart is a strong word and a beautiful one. "Take heart!" we say, when we want a man to pick up courage. "He gave her his heart," we say when a man gives to a woman his pure love. With perfect understanding we talk of a motherly heart ... of a man who puts heart into his work ... of the innocent heart of a child ... of the pulsing heart of a city.
What more natural then that when Christ the Savior revealed Himself once more to humanity He should borrow our word knowing that it would ring with complete familiarity?
"Behold the heart that hath loved men so much," He cried, indicating His own heart. And men of good heart and of loving heart answered, "Indeed we know how much you have loved us."
To the Savior who revealed Himself to the world that needs love, we say:
Ours is a gracious God of love, of that there is no slightest doubt. God the Father created the world lovingly and tenderly. The long passages of the ages—a flash of God's eternity-were spent in the preparation of a beautiful, convenient, well-stocked earth to be man's dwelling place. The newly made creatures, made to the image and likeness of the heavenly Father, He adopted as His sons and daughters.
When in dark rebellion these sons and daughters revolted, "God so loved the world, as to give His only-begotten Son that . . . the world may be saved . . ." The love story of God is written anew in the star of Bethlehem, the smile of the Child Jesus, His hidden life of service to Mary and to the villagers of Nazareth, the miracles and parables of His public life, the death by which Christ laid down His Life for His friends.
Then on the wings of wind and in the symbolic form of flame the Spirit of love came to dwell in human souls, divine love taking up its residence in the men and the women that God had loved into life, loved unto death, loved to their own sanctification.
Before the Three Persons of the Trinity, who love us with a divine love, we kneel and pray:
Christ of the tender and loving heart…
The Infant heart that beat with the impulse of love on Christmas…
The heart that yearned over the world which was dark in ignorance and wandering in sin ...
The heart that leaped in response to the love of Mary and knew the warmth of a devoted Son for the foster father who guarded Him tenderly…
The heart that could hardly wait for the beginnings of His work among men . . .
The heart that wept over the lost multitudes . . .
The heart of the Good Shepherd searching for His lost sheep…
The heart that speaks in the poetry of the parables and the strength of the sermons . . .
The heart that yearned for sinners and drove the Savior questing for them far into the night . . .
The heart that raised the widow's son from death...
The heart that selected twelve men as intimate friends and then responded gratefully to the love of the innocent John…
The heart that poured itself out in miracles of healing and forgiveness and mercy and loving kindness . . .
This is the Sacred Heart of the Savior.
To this heart we say:
The heart of the Savior broke during the course of the Passion.
The paschal moon that shone with fierce brilliance over the garden was like a searchlight beating upon the sins of the parading world. Christ saw that world, knew its horror and vileness, and broke into a bloody sweat.
Yet that heart held Him captive when the traitor came and made Him call the betrayer friend.
Upon the loving Savior, bound, not with cords and chains, but by His heartstrings, fell the blows of the scourging, the mockery of the mob, the spittle of the soldiers, the awful humiliation of public rejection.
It was His heart rather than His head that was crowned with thorns.
Upon the cross it was His heart that held Him fast. He loved us and delivered Himself for us. He bore our bruises and our infirmities. Greater love than this no man hath, that He die for His executioners.
And that the last drop of love might flow out and the lowest and meanest of His sinners might find safe entrance to His heart. He offers that heart to the lance of the centurion. In the cleft of His heart, as in the cleft of a rock, the penitent world has found warmth, safety, and protection.
Before the suffering Christ of love we say:
The ages roll swiftly along their course.
God's love for His creatures is undying.
The love of Christ lives on in the Mass and in the sacraments and in His abiding presence upon the altar and in the soul.
But men are fickle. Doubt is a cold and chilling thing. The hot flame of passion has a way of dying down to the dark, cold, dusty ashes of bitterness and despair. So it was that into an age when men taught the denial of God's love, when they rejected His presence on the altar or for-bade believers to approach the altar, the God of love came again.
A little nun, holy and loving, knelt in her Visitation Convent. Margaret Mary, she was called. The combination of the two names has become music to the Catholic world ever since that time.
On the altar before her was the vision of the loving Christ.
There was shown the tortured, flaming heart.
There were spoken such words of pathetic beauty, of such divine yearning, of dignity combined with passion that only God could have said them.
"Behold the heart that has loved men so much and has been loved so little in return."
Beholding that heart, we kneel adoringly to say:
As the symbol of love, Christ had chosen the heart, the favorite symbol of human speech.
It was His human heart, still pierced with the spear of Calvary, still open to welcome returning sinners.
Around that heart was twined the crown of thorns; for though Christ is indeed king, He is a king who won His kingdom along the bloody course of love.
From the heart leap up living flames. They are like the tongues that descended upon the Apostles when the Spirit of love came to inflame them for the apostolate. These flames are restless, as love is always restless; but while, like fire, they warm and light, they do not burn or destroy or even smudge.
A tiny cross, that unfailing symbol of God's love even unto death, surmounts the heart.
Poetry has known that a sequence of sonnets could not say what a single glimpse of this heart reveals.
Catholics everywhere have looked upon the heart of the Savior and have known that it was offered to them. God s heart was theirs for the asking, theirs if only they would give their own worthless hearts in exchange.
Before the symbol of the Sacred Heart we say:
Love is always generous. It gives without the prospect of reward. It asks only to give in a flooding desire to be lavishly generous.
Much as the heart of the Savior had during His public life sought love and responded to love and been divinely grateful for the slightest sign of love, that heart always thought first in terms of giving… giving . . . and more giving.
Miracles for the needy, forgiveness for the sinful faith for those in darkness, hope for the despairing---these were the outpourings of the heart of the Savior.
Now again He speaks, this time to promise the sweet gifts of His love.
To those who love Him, assurance of eternal salvation . . .
To those who honor, a picture of Him peace in their households and blessings upon their family.
His reward for little acts of devotion just before death ... His presence in the Blessed Sacrament . . .
Favors, gifts-promises made out of the greatness of His love---to anyone who will show some little signs of love for Him.
With that vision the great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, old as Christianity itself but new in its present manifestation, moves in the wind-fed fire of love across the earth.
Loving the Lover of our souls, we say:
"Behold the heart that has loved men so much and that has been loved so little in return."
It is upon the second half of the Savior's statement that the loving Christian focuses his attention.
We have known always the love of God.
We have tried not to remember the lovelessness of men and women.
With love for everyone and for everything, now as on the first Christmas, no love remains for Christ. With love walking in a thousand cheap disguises, as it did even during the climax of love on Calvary, love passes by without a nod to the victim of love.
That is why the Savior Himself asked loving souls for a little reparation:
"Make up," He pleads, "for the millions who do not love me."
"Tell me at least that you wish sinners would stop their sin, and the faithful in name would become faithful in fact, and the sins committed in the ugly travesty on love would cease to kill the human power of love.
"Consecrate yourself," He begs, "to my heart. Dedicate your homes and your children to my loving protection. Spend at least an occasional hour with me."
We consecrate ourselves to the loving Christ and say:
Christ of the Sacred Heart, Christ of the Blessed Sacrament---these two are identical. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is inseparably linked to devotion to the Holy Eucharist. Love for the Sacred Heart must inevitably lead to the tabernacle.
Host and Heart are equal manifestations of the love of the savior for saints and sinners.
The impulse of love in the heart of the Savior made inevitable the promise of the Eucharist, which climaxed the love feast of the loaves and the fishes.
Love in the wonderful evening before His Passion, when love was the sole subject of His speech, inevitably passed beyond words and became bread made flesh and wine made blood with the guarantee that never would He leave us orphans.
That is why in His revelation to Saint Margaret Mary, Christ speaks of Holy Communion, that close union of the human soul with the divine. That is why He asks that on the first Friday we come to welcome Him. That is why He begs that on our knees before His loving Presence in the tabernacle we find the Eucharistic Christ and remember that the love of Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Before the Eucharistic heart of Christ we kneel and say:
O God, Who in the heart of Your Son wounded by our sins, did deign mercifully to bestow upon us the infinite treasures of Your love, grant, we beseech You, that we who now pay Him the devout homage of our piety may also perform the duty of worthy satisfaction. Through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
(For emergency, this novena can be said at the same time every hour for 9 consecutive hours within one day.)
O Jesus, Who has said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you, " through the intercession of Mary, Your Most Holy Mother, I knock, I seek, I ask that my prayer be granted. (Mention your request.)
O Jesus, Who has said, "All that you ask of the Father in My Name, He will grant you, " through the intercession of Mary, Your Most Holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask Your Father in Your Name that my prayer be granted. (Mention your request.)
O Jesus, Who has said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away but My Word shall not pass, " through the intercession of Mary, Your Most Holy Mother, I feel confident that my prayer will be granted. (Mention your request.)
I prostrate myself before your holy image, Oh most gracious Infant Jesus, to offer you my most fervent thanks for the blessings you have bestowed on me. I shall incessantly praise your ineffable mercy and confess that You alone are my God, my helper, and my protector. Henceforth my entire confidence shall be placed in You! Everywhere I will proclaim aloud Your mercy and generosity, so that Your great love and the great deeds which You perform through this miraculous image may be acknowledged by all. May devotion to Your most holy infancy increase more and more in the hearts of all Christians, and may all who experience Your assistance persevere with me in showing unceasing gratitude to Your most holy infancy, to which be praise and glory forever, Amen.
Devotion to the Infant Jesus of Prague is devotion to the Child Jesus. It is veneration of the Son of God, who in the form of an infant chose a stable for a palace, a manager for a cradle and shepherds for worshippers. Our Savior grants special graces to all who venerate His Sacred Infancy. The image of the Child Jesus known as the "infant Jesus of Prague" was in reality of Spanish origin. In the 17th century, this beautiful statue was brought to Bohemia by a Spanish pricess whose mother had given it to her as a wedding gift. This noble lady, in turn, presented the image to her daughter. When the latter's husband died in 1623, she resolved to spend the remainder of her days in work of piety and charity. She was particularly generous to the Carmelite priests and brothers of Prague who, after Emperor Ferdinand II, their founder, had removed his residence to Vienna, fell into such utter destitution that at times they had scarcely enough to eat. Accordingly, she presented her beloved statue to the religious with these prophetic words: "I hereby give you what I prize most highly in this world, As long as you venerate this image, you will not be in want ." Her prediction was verified. As long as the Divine Infant was venerated, God showed Himself as a kind helper through His Son, and the community prospered both spiritually and temporally. But when the devotion to the Infant was relaxed, God's blessing seemed to depart from the house. For many years this statue has been enshrined on a side altar in the Church of Our Lady of Victory in the city of Prague. It is of wax and is about nineteen inches high. It is clothed in a royal mantle and has a beautiful jeweled crown on its head. Its right hand is raised in blessing; its left holds a globe, signifying sovereignty. So many graces have been received by those who invoke the Divine Child before the original statue that it has been called "The Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague."
We read the following in an old book printed in Kempt: "All who approach the miraculous statue and pray there with confidence receive assistance in danger, consolation in sorrows, aid in poverty, comfort in anxiety, light in spiritual darkness, stream of grace in dryness of soul, health in sickness and hope in despair." In thanksgiving for the numerous graces and cures received, the miraculous statue at Prague was solemnly crowned on the Sunday after Easter, in 1665. What is said of the original statue may be applied also to the images of the "Little King" which are venerated the world over. From small beginnings, this devotion has grown to great proportions. The Divine Child attracts an ever-increasing number of clients, who appeal to Him in every need.
(This is a good prayer to say during the Lent for the true understanding of spiritual life.)
FIRST DAY
Venerate the holy head of the Divine Infant in order to receive the three Divine virtues: Faith, hope and love.
Prayer:
Enrich within me the light of faith, I pray You. Strengthen my
faith in Your miraculous Image, representing You, as the eternal
King of heaven and earth, the Son of the heavenly Father and the
Blessed Virgin Mary, who served You so passionately and nurtured
You with loving care. O Infant of Prague, full of mercy, give me
some hope, for I am afraid because of all my sins. Help me to love
You in all and above all.
Second Day
One worships the royal appearance of the Divine Infant in order to gain mercy for all sins.
Prayer
O dearest Infant Jesus! Remember that Your most gracious Image lay
seven years in dust, forgotten in a dark room, and yet it did not
lose its beauty. Cleanse the room of my soul from the dust and
dirt of sin and bring back to it the original beauty that belonged
to it at the time of Holy Baptism. Amen
Third Day
Venerate the eyes of the Divine Infant to gain complete victory over temptations.
Prayer
Truly, I resolved never to insult You again, my dearest Jesus.
Yet, I am fully aware of my changeable mind and afraid that I
could break my promise under duress of temptations. My evil
desires, Satan and the world do not cease trying to make me fall.
For they are my sworn enemies. W here shall I look for help and
find it? Where else than with You, my Infant of Prague?
Fourth Day
One adores the mouth of the Divine Infant in order to gain the love of one's neighbor, including the love of an adversary.
Prayer
How strongly You urge love of one's neighbor and one's enemies.
You taught this by a marvelous example when You were on the cross.
Place a lock on my lips and a door before my mouth to keep me from
offending my neighbor or sadden him by my tongue. Help me to live
fully in accordance with the most important law of Christians,
neighborly love.
Fifth Day
Adore the hands of the Divine Infant to receive strength and patience in persecution, cross and suffering.
Prayer
Perhaps these broken hands of Your Image of Prague are a symbol of
all Your sufferings that You endured when still a Child: Your
Circumcision and Your Flight to Egypt, and all the other ones in
the mysteries of the Holy Childhood. I, although a sinner, do not
want to suffer. Whenever there is offense of humiliation, pain or
sickness, I like to complain and carry on and show my sadness.
This must change: give me patience and joy to endure, because You
love a joyful giver.
Sixth Day
For sincere humility one worships the Divine Heart.
Prayer
O great and most wonderful God in the shape of an Infant, how
deeply ashamed am I. You are the Supreme Highness, holy and
perfect throughout, and yet You are humble of heart: I, misery
personified, a profound sinner, and arrogant and haughty. This is
why I am without peace of mind. You could turn Your face away from
me and justly so, because I am lacking virtues.
Seventh Day
Honor the breast of the Infant Jesus and you shall receive a blessed hour of death.
Prayer
O merciful Infant Jesus! I come to You to pray for a happy and
blessed hour of death. When my last hour approaches, please come
to me. Also let Your Holy Mother and Saint Joseph stay with me.
Lessen my pain and my fear, let me conquer all temptations
successfully, and be merciful unto me that I may gladly give my
earthly life in hopes for eternal life and reward, and absolve my
sins.
Eighth Day
Adore devoutly the feet of the Infant Jesus, that you may receive merciful judgment.
Prayer
O just Jesus, the Heavenly Father gave You the power and the
judgment. Oh, that You could be my merciful, instead of severe,
judge. Grant me the mercy to be reminded of the last judgment many
times so that I may serve You truly and avoid Your condemnation.
In the name of Your Holy Infancy, I pray: Do not be my judge; be
my Savior.
Ninth Day
Worship in the Name of the Divine Infant, in order to win deliverance from purgatory.
Prayer
I am afraid that I will have to stay for a long time in purgatory,
because I am lukewarm in my repentance and much too slow in
gaining all graces. Once there, I will not be able to do anything
on my behalf and will have to depend on the prayers of others. The
dead are quickly forgotten. Therefore, I beg of You today, my
dearest Jesus, and in the name of Your purest Childhood, deliver
me soon from the pain and loneliness of purgatory. Amen.
"To be with the children of men is my happiness," says the Lord. Jesus lived among the people as friend and helped them in their needs. He healed everyone who had faith in Him and came to be known as their spiritual physician. Here, represented as a Child, He stretches out His helping hands to all those who have recourse to Him. "The more you honor me, the more will I bless you," says the Infant Jesus of Prague.
PETITIONS:
Let us pray: (together)
O Holy Infant Jesus, through your life on earth, you revealed to
us by many marvels, your hidden power. So now bless us abundantly
with your uplifted hand and graciously deign to hear our petitions
who call upon you in faith and trust. Amen.
(Three times "Our Father" in honor of the Holy Family)
Our Father, … ‘And the Word became flesh, And dwelt among us’ – 3
times
(Twelve times "Hail Mary" in honor of the Infancy of Jesus)
Hail Mary … – 12 times
(Three times "Glory be" in honor of the Holy Trinity)
Glory be … ‘O Infant Jesus bless us, And hear our prayers’ – 3
times
PRAYER TO INFANT JESUS (together)
O Miraculous Infant Jesus, look upon us, as we turn to you,
imploring your assistance, in our needs and anxieties. Let your
compassionate heart be moved to pity by our supplications and
grant us the favor which we ardently implore you. Free us from all
afflictions and despair, all trials and misfortunes; give us your
support and consolation; good health and happiness so that we may
praise you and the Father and the Holy Spirit now and forever,
Amen.
THANKS FOR THE FAVORS RECEIVED (together)
O most generous Infant Jesus, we on our knees before you have come
to express our deep thankfulness to you for all the favors we have
received at your hands. We believe Jesus that together with the
Father and the Holy Spirit you are our Creator and Savior.
Henceforth we place all our trust in you. Through this miraculous
statue, may your devotion be spread throughout the world and may
all Christians pay homage to your Holy childhood and gain thereby
untold divine blessings and favors. All praise and honor be to the
Infant Jesus, Amen.
BLESSING:
May the Lord Jesus be with you to defend you; may He be with you
to sustain you; may He go before you to show you the way; may He
follow you to guard you; from above may He bless you with the
Father and the Holy Spirit who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen.
HISTORY:
The Infant Jesus of Prague originally came from Spain. The legend
tells that the Infant Jesus appeared miraculously to a certain
monk, who modelled the statue based on the appearance of the
apparition. According to another legend the statue belonged to St.
Teresa of Avila, the founder of the Discalced Carmelites, who was
aflame with a great love for the Child Jesus. She is said to have
given the statue to a friend of hers, whose daughter was setting
out to travel to Prague.
When the Duchess Maria Manrique de Lara came to Bohemia to marry a Bohemian nobleman in 1556, she received the statue from her mother as wedding gift. When her daughter Polyxena of Lobkowicz was widowed, she gave the precious statue to the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites attached to the church of Our Lady of Victory in 1628.
The Carmelites placed the statue in the novitiate chapel, so that the young monks could learn from the virtues of the Child Jesus. At that time the Thirty Years’ War was raging through Europe and even the Infant Jesus was not spared when the Saxon army occupied Prague in 1631. It was only after his return to Prague in 1637 that Father Cyril of the Mother of God, originally from Luxemburg, discovered the statue, abandoned in a corner. To his sorrow, however, he found that the Infant Jesus had had both hands broken off. At this moment it seemed to him that the Infant Jesus was saying to him:
"Have mercy on me and I will have mercy on you. Give me bands and I will give you peace. The more you honor me, the more I will bless you."
Eventually Father Cyril had new hands made for the Infant Jesus. The gold coin invested in this was returned many times over, as the Child Jesus began to bless the monastery, the local people, and the whole of Prague. Miraculous healings were attributed to him, as was the protection of Prague when it was laid siege to by the Swedes in 1639. In 1651 the statue was carried as a pilgrim around all the churches in Prague and in 1655 it was solemnly crowned by the Bishop of Prague. This event is still remembered today on the anniversary feast-day, falling on the first Sunday in May.
Leader: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and
kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and
they shall be created.
People: And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Leader: Let us pray. O God, who instructed the hearts of the
faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same
Spirit to savor what is right, and always to rejoice in his
consolation. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
People: Amen.
Leader: O Mary, conceived without sin,
People: Pray for us who have recourse to you.
PRAYERS
Leader and People: Lord Jesus Christ, who has glorified your mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, immaculate from the first moment of her conception, grant that all who devoutly implore her protection on earth may eternally enjoy your presence in heaven. Lord Jesus Christ, who for the accomplishment of your greatest works have chosen the weak things of the world, that no flesh may glory in your sight, and who for a better and more widely diffused belief in the Immaculate Conception of your Mother, have wished that the Miraculous Medal be manifested to Saint Catherine Laboure, grant, we ask you that filled with like humility, we may glorify this mystery by word and work. Amen.
NOVENA PRAYER
Leader and People: Immaculate Virgin Mary, mother of our Lord Jesus and our mother, we have confidence in your powerful and never-failing intercession, manifested often through the Miraculous Medal. We your loving and trustful children, a sk you to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this novena if they will be for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. (Here privately form your petitions.) You know, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of your Son who hates iniquity. Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone so that our every thought, word, and deed may tend to his greater glory. Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where you are the queen of angels and of men. Amen.
PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL
Leader and People: Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we unite ourselves to you under your title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your motherly affection for us and a constant reminder of our filial duties towards you. While wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son. Most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to you every moment of our lives so that like you we may live and act according to the teaching and example of your Son. Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death so that in union with you we may enjoy the happiness of heaven forever. Amen.
Leader: O Mary, conceived without sin,
People: Pray for us who have recourse to you.
CLOSING PRAYER
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us: O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (once)
(St. Peter Julian Eymard)
First Day: THE TITLE OF OUR LADY OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all
thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, Mother of Jesus and our tender Mother, we invoke thee under the title of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, because thou art the Mother of the Savior who lives in the Eucharist, and because it was from thee that He took the Flesh and the Blood with which He there feeds us! We invoke thee under that title because, again, you are the sovereign dispensatrix of all graces and, consequently, of those contained in the august Eucharist, also, because thou didst first fulfill the duties of the Eucharistic life, teaching us by thy example how to assist properly at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, how to communicate worthily, and how to visit frequently and piously the Most Blessed Sacrament.
V. Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to
make us sharers in Your Divinity, are truly our Bread in the
adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech You, that in venerating so
great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary,
of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the
Holy Ghost! Grant, also, that we may imitate the worship that she
rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so that we
may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout
the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament:
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament, the glory of
Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the
world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion
to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be made worthy to
receive Holy Communion every day.
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console
the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Second Day: MARY AND THE HOLY MASS
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all
thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, after having been present at the death of thy Divine Son on Calvary, where thou didst unite thy immense sorrow to the Redeemers sacrifice, thou didst frequently assist at the real, though mysterious, renewal of the adorable Sacrifice in the celebration of the Holy Mass. Teach us by thy example to esteem as it deserves the divine action performed at the altar, and obtain for us the grace to be able often, and even daily, to assist piously at the Holy Sacrifice.
V. Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to
make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the
adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so
great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary,
of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the
Holy Ghost! Grant, also, that we may imitate the worship that she
rendered w hile on earth to this most august Sacrament, so that we
may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout
the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament:
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament, the glory of
Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the
world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion
to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be made worthy to
receive Holy Communion every day.
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console
the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Third Day: MARY AND HOLY COMMUNION
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all
thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, thy Communions were the most fervent, the most holy that were ever made! When thou didst possess thy Divine Son in thy breast, thou didst love Him with a love exceeding that of any other creature soever for his God. Teach us to make Holy Communion the center of our life, and may that life be spent in preparing us for so great an action and in thanking God for so inappreciable a benefit!
V. Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to
make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the
adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so
great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary,
of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the
Holy Ghost! Grant, also, that we may imitate the worship that she
rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so that we
may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout
the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament:
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament, the glory of
Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the
world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion
to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be made worthy to
receive Holy Communion every day.
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console
the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Fourth Day: MARY AND THE REAL PRESENCE
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all
thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, who, after the ascension of thy Divine Son, didst console thy exile on earth by the Real Presence of Jesus in the Sacrament, and didst spend before the tabernacle the greater part of thy days and even thy nights, make us comprehend the treasure we possess on the altar. Inspire us to visit often the God of Love in the Sacrament in which He abides to receive the homage that He deserves by so many titles, and to guide, protect, and console us in this exile!
V. Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to
make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the
adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so
great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary,
of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the
Holy Ghost! Grant, also, that we may imitate the worship that she
rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so that we
may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout
the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament:
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament, the glory of
Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the
world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion
to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be made worthy to
receive Holy Communion every day.
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console
the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Fifth Day: MARY, THE MODEL OF ADORERS
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all
thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, thou art our perfect Model in the service of the Divine Eucharist. With the most lively faith and the most profound respect thou didst adore Jesus hidden under the sacramental veils. After thy example, we desire to render to the Sacred Host all the honor due the Divinity and the glorified Humanity of the Son of God made Man. We wish to maintain at all times in the holy place the modesty and recollection becoming true adorers.
V. Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to
make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the
adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so
great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary,
of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the
Holy Ghost! Grant, also, that we may imitate the worship that she
rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so that we
may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout
the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament:
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament, the glory of
Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the
world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion
to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be made worthy to
receive Holy Communion every day.
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console
the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Sixth Day: MARY, THE MODEL OF THANKSGIVING
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all
thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, who didst return to Jesus so perfect thanksgiving for the institution of the Divine Eucharist and the ineffable Gift in which the Savior exhausted His power and the treasures of His Heart, teach us to thank thy Divine Son for this great benefit, and especially to make our thanksgiving well when we have had the happiness of receiving Him in Holy Communion.
V. Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to
make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the
adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so
great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary,
of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the
Holy Ghost! Grant, also, that we may imitate the worship that she
rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so that we
may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout
the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament:
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament, the glory of
Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the
world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion
to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be made worthy to
receive Holy Communion every day.
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console
the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Seventh Day: MARY, THE MODEL OF REPARATION
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all
thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, thou didst adore thy Divine Son in His state of perpetual Victim, always immolated on our altars, incessantly demanding, by His death, grace and mercy for sinners. We unite with thy dolores and thy perfect reparation. We desire to accept our daily trials for love of Him, and with thee to console Jesus for the ingratitude of men and the outrages He daily receives in the Blessed Sacrament.
V. Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to
make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the
adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so
great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary,
of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the
Holy Ghost! Grant, also, that we may imitate the worship that she
rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so that we
may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout
the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament, the glory of
Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the
world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion
to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be made worthy to
receive Holy Communion every day.
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console
the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Eighth Day: MARY, THE MODEL OF PRAYER
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all
thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, while the Apostles went to preach the Gospel, thou didst remain close to the tabernacle, supplicating for them the goodness of the Savior, and thy prayer obtained for them the grace to convert the world! Teach us to pray, above all, to pray near the tabernacle, where Jesus wills to abide continually in order to hear our petitions. Teach us to pray for the extension of the Eucharistic Kingdom, for the salvation of the whole world, for the exaltation of the Holy Church, and most especially for the sanctification of the clergy and the conversion of sinners.
V. Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to
make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the
adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so
great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary,
of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the
Holy Ghost! Grant, also, that we may imitate the worship that she
rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so that we
may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout
the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament:
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament, the glory of
Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the
world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion
to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be made worthy to
receive Holy Communion every day.
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console
the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
Ninth Day: MARY, THE DISPENSATRIX OF EUCHARISTIC GRACES
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all
thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God!
O Virgin Immaculate, Mother most loving, and admirable Model of adorers of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, thou art also the dispensatrix of the graces necessary to fulfill that great duty! Grant us, then, we beseech thee, as a fruit of this novena, the virtues that will render our adoration less unworthy of thy Divine Son. Teach us to honor so well this Mystery of mysteries that we may receive here below the graces It contains, in order to enjoy in heaven the eternal life of which It is the pledge!
V. Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament.
R. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, our King and our God, who having become Man to
make us sharers in Thy Divinity, art truly our Bread in the
adorable Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that in venerating so
great a Mystery, we may be mindful of the most sweet Virgin Mary,
of whom Thou didst will to be conceived by the operation of the
Holy Ghost! Grant, also, that we may imitate the worship that she
rendered while on earth to this most august Sacrament, so that we
may behold Thy Eucharistic Kingdom spread and flourish throughout
the whole world! O Thou who livest and reignest forever and ever!
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament:
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Holy Sacrament, the glory of
Christians, the joy of the universal Church, and the hope of the
world, pray for us. Kindle in all the faithful a lively devotion
to the most Holy Eucharist, so that they may be made worthy to
receive Holy Communion every day.
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, supplicate, and console
the most sacred and beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!
(Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, Baclaran, Phillippines)
Foreword
Since the second Vatican Council the liturgy of the Mass has been
gradually revised in accordance with the directives of that
Council. It is in keeping with the same directives that the novena
has now been similarly revised. "Popular devotions (e.g. the
Novena)...should be so drawn up that they harmonize with the
liturgical seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some
fashion derived from it, and lead the people to it." (s.c.13)
How to make the perpetual novena
Attend the Perpetual Novena devotions to our Mother of Perpetual Help for nine consecutive Wednesdays. If possible, assist at mass on novena days. Those unable to go to the church because of sickness or the like may pray the Novena at home before a picture of our Mother of Perpetual Help.
At the conclusion of the Novena there may be Benediction or Holy
Mass. "That practice in a special manner is to be highly commended
by which many exercises of piety, customary among the faithful,
end with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. "Litt. Encycl.
Mediator Dei, Part II Chapter 4)
Bring this booklet with you and join in the prayers and hymns.
Write your petition to our Blessed Mother and place it in the box
marked, "petitions".
During the Novena make a good confession.
Receive Holy Communion as often as possible.
When your petition has been answered, write a letter of
thanksgiving to our Blessed Mother and place it in the box marked,
"Thanksgiving", so that others also may be inspired to see the
Novena as a means of going to God.
Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help
(Leader: Please stand for The opening hymn Immaculate Mother)
Opening Hymn (stand): Immaculate Mother
Immaculate Mother, to you do we plead
To ask God our Father; for help in our need.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
We pray for our country the land of our birth;
we pray for all nations, that peace on earth.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria.
Opening Prayers (Remain standing)
Leader: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. All: Amen.
Leader: Brothers and sisters, as children of our Blessed Mother,
we are gathered before her miraculous picture to honor her and to
pray for all our needs. Unworthy children that we are, let us
first of all ask God’s mercy and pardon.
All: Merciful Father * you sent your Divine Son * to redeem us by his death and resurrection * and to give us new life. By this you make us your children * to love one another in Christ. How many times in the past * we have forgotten this sublime dignity. We have sinned against our brothers and sisters; * we have offended you. Merciful Father, forgive us. Repenting sincerely of our sins we ask your mercy; * may we always live as your truly devoted children.
(Leader: let us now sing Mary Immaculate, Star of the Morning)
Mary Immaculate, Star of the Morning
1. Mary Immaculate, star of the morning. Chosen before the
creation began, Destined to bring through the light of your
dawning, conquest of Satan and rescue to man.
Refrain:
Bend from your throne at the voice of our crying. Look to this
earth, where your footsteps have trod. Stretch out your arms to
us, living and dying. Mary Immaculate, Mother of God.
2. We sinners honor your sinless perfection; Fallen and weak, for
God’s mercy we plead. Grant us the shield of your mighty
protection. Measure your aid by the depth of our need. Refrain
(Leader: Please kneel)
Novena Prayer
Dear Mother of Perpetual Help * from the cross Jesus gave you to
us for our Mother. You are the kindness, the most loving * of all
mothers. Look tenderly on us your children * as we now ask you to
help us in all our needs * especially this one… (Pause to recall
your petitions)
While you were on earth, dear Mother * you willing shared in the
sufferings of your Son. Strengthened by your faith and confidence
* in the fatherly love of God * you accepted the mysterious
designs of His Will.
We too have our crosses and trials. Sometimes they almost crush
us to the ground. Dearest Mother, * share with us your abundant
faith and confidence in God. Make us aware that God never ceases
to love us; * that He answers all our prayers * in the way that is
best for us. Strengthen our hearts to carry the cross * in the
footsteps of your Divine Son. Help us to realize * that he who
shares the cross of Christ * will certainly share His
resurrection.
Dearest Mother, as we worry about our own problems * let us not
forget the needs of others. You always loved others so much; *
help us to do the same. While praying for our own intentions * and
for all the intentions of all here present at this Novena * we
earnestly ask you, our Mother * to help us comfort the sick and
the dying * give hope to the poor and unemployed * heal the
broken-hearted * lighten the burden of the oppressed * teach
justice to their oppressors and bring back to God all those who
have offended Him.
Dearest Mother, help us to avoid sin which separates us from our
heavenly Father * and from one another. Full of trust in you, * we
place ourselves under the mantle of your maternal protection * and
confidently hope for your powerful help. Amen.
Prayer for the Home
Mother of Perpetual Help, * we choose you as Queen of our homes.
We ask you to bless all our families * with your tender motherly
love. May the Sacrament of Marriage * bind husbands and wives so
closely together * that they will always be faithful to each other
* and love one another as Christ love His Church.
We ask you to bless all parents. May they love and cherish their
children * whom God has entrusted to them. May they always give
them the example * of a truly Christian life. Help them to bring
up their children in the love and fear of God. Bless all children
* that they may love, honor, and obey * their fathers and mothers.
To your loving care * we especially entrust the youth of today.
Give us all a sense of responsibility * that we may do our part *
in making our home a haven of peace * like your own home at
Nazareth. We take you as our model. Help us to grow daily in
genuine love of God and neighbor * so that justice and peace may
happily reign * in the entire family of mankind. Amen.
Petition to Our Mother of Perpetual Help
L: Holy Mary, R: PRAY FOR US
L: Holy Virgin conceived without sin, R: PRAY FOR US
L: Our Mother of Perpetual Help, R: PRAY FOR US
L: We sinners call to you, R: LOVING MOTHER HELP US
Response: LOVING MOTHER HELP US
Seasonal:
Advent: That we may prepare like you for the coming of Christ, R
Christmas: That we may give our hearts completely to Christ, this
Christmas, R
Lent: That we may be faithful to the promises we made at Baptism,
R
Easter: That we may rejoice with you at Christ’s victory over sin
and death, R
Other weeks: That we may be filled with the Holy Spirit and
become courageous witnesses of Christ’s love for men. R
That we may be more and more like our Divine Lord as you were. R
That we may be meek and humble of heart like your son Jesus. R
That we may fear losing God’s friendship forever by unrepented
sin. R
That we may seek Christ’s mercy and forgiveness constantly in the
sacrament of Penance. R
That we may be aware of God speaking to us in the events of daily
life. R
That we may pray daily with love and trust, especially in moments
of temptation. R
That we may realize the value of worshipping God together in the
Eucharist. R
That we may grow in the love of Christ and neighbor by frequent
Communion. R
That we may reverence our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. R
That we may strive to be true Christian by our loving concern for
others. R
That we may proclaim the dignity of work by doing our own work
conscientiously. R
That we may forgive from our heart those who have wronged us. R
That we may see the evil of seeking our own interest at the
expense of others. R
That we may work for the just distribution of this world's goods.
R
That we may share our talents with others for the good of the
community. R
That we may accept our responsibility in the community in the
spirit of genuine service. R
To pray that the Holy Spirit may guide and strengthen Pope
Francis, the Bishops, and the clergy. R
That we may be blessed with an increase of priestly and religious
vocations. R
That we may bring the knowledge of Christ to those who do not know
Him. R
That we may be aware of our dependence on God in the midst of
human achievements. R
That we may be ready at death to enter the home of our heavenly
Father. R
That we may die at peace with Christ and our fellowmen. R
That we may be comforted at the death of our dear ones by our hope
in the risen Lord. R
To pray that our departed brothers and sisters quickly share in
your Son’s resurrection. R
(Let us pray in silence for our own intentions)
ALL: Holy Mary, * help us in our needs * pray for all the people
of God; * may all experience your perpetual help.
Leader: Lord, you gave us Mary to be our Mother ever ready to help
us; grant us the grace to have recourse to her in all our needs.
ALL: Amen.
Consecration
(every first Wednesday of each month)
Immaculate Virgin Mary, * Mother of God and Mother of the Church
* you are also our Mother of Perpetual Help. * With hearts full of
love for you, * we consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart *
so that we may be your devoted children. * Obtain for us true
sorrow for our sins * and fidelity to the promises of our Baptism.
We consecrate our minds and hearts to you * that we may always do
the Will of our heavenly Father. We consecrate our lives to you *
that we may love God better* and live not for ourselves * but for
Christ your Son, *and that we may see him and serve him in others.
By this humble act of consecration, * dear Mother of Perpetual
Help, * we pledge to model our lives on you, * the perfect
Christian, * so that consecrated to you in life and in death, * we
may belong to your Divine Son for all eternity. Amen.
(Leader: Please stand to sing Mother of Christ.)
Mother of Christ (stand)
Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ, What shall I ask of thee?
I do not sigh for the wealth of earth For the joys that fade and
flee.
But, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ, This do I long to see.
The bliss untold which your arms enfold. The treasure upon your
knee.
Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ, I toss on a stormy sea.
Oh, lift your Child as a beacon light to the port where I fain
would be
And, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ This do I ask of thee
When the voyage is over, O stand on the shore, and show Him at
last to me.
Benediction or Holy Mass
(Suggested format for Benediction: The Blessed Sacrament is
exposed. Kneel)
O Saving Victim:
O saving Victim opening wide the gate of heaven to men below!
Our foes press on from every side, Your aid supply, Your strength
bestow.
To your great name be endless praise. Immortal God-head, one in
three;
Oh, grant us endless length of days in our true native land with
thee. Amen…
(Leader: Please kneel.)
Silent Prayer (Pause)
Thanksgiving Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, * truly present in the Most Blessed Eucharist
* we adore You. It has pleased the Father * that in you all his
fullness should dwell * and that through You * He should reconcile
all things to Himself. Grant us the grace to be truly grateful *
for all that our Father has done for us. Grant that we may be
truly sorry for our sins * and do penance for them.
Through you, we thank the Eternal Father for the gift of life. He
has created all the wonderful things of this world for us. May we
learn to use them well * so that through them * we may grow in
love for Him. Above all, * we thank our Father for sending You to
us * as the greatest expression of His love * to save us and all
creation * by Your death and resurrection.
We thank you Lord, * for giving us your own Mother, to be our
Mother of Perpetual Help. May the countless favors we have
received through her intercession, * and especially through the
Novena * inspire us to greater confidence in God’s loving mercy *
and her perpetual help. Grant us that we may always do the holy
Will of God * and persevere in His love.
To the most Holy Trinity * Father, Son, and Holy Spirit * be
honor, glory and thanksgiving forever and ever. Amen.
Silent Prayer (Pause)
Prayer for the Sick
All: Lord Jesus Christ, * you bore our sufferings and carried our
sorrows * in order to show us clearly * the value of human
weakness and patience; * graciously hear our prayers for the sick.
Grant that those who are weighed down * with pain and other
affliction of illness, * may realize that they are among the
chosen ones * whom you call blessed. Help them to understand *
that they are united with You in your sufferings * for the
salvation of the world. Amen
Let us Raise our Voice
Let us raise our voice to proclaim our faith Christ the Lord for
us has died. Dying, He destroyed our death, Rising, He restored
our life. O Lord Jesus, we await Your last return in glory. When
we eat the bread and we drink the cup in the Blessed Eucharist, We
meet You, our Risen Savior, giving life to us anew. Through life’s
journey, be with us, to strengthen us forever. Amen.
V: You have given them bread from heaven (Alleluia)
R: The source of all happiness (Alleluia)
LET US PRAY.
Lord God, by the paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of
Your only Son, You accomplish the work of man’s redemption. Full
of trust, we proclaim the paschal mystery in the sacramental signs
of the Eucharist. Help us to see ever growing in us the fruits of
Your saving work through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
The Divine Praises
Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste Spouse.
Blessed be God in his angels and in his saints.
(The Blessed Sacrament is returned to the tabernacle)
O Sacrament Most Holy
O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine,
All praise and all thanksgiving, Be every moment Thine.
(Leader: Please stand to sing Hail Mary.)
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you
among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy
Mary, Mother of God. Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.
OPENING
O St. Therese of the Child Jesus, who during your short life on earth became a mirror of angelic purity, of love strong as death, and of wholehearted abandonment to God, now that you rejoice in the reward of your virtues, cast a glance of pit on me as I leave all things in your hands. Make my troubles your own, speak a word for me to Our Lady Immaculate, whose flower of special love you were -- to that Queen of Heaven "who smiled on you at the dawn of life" Beg her powerful intercession the grace I yearn for so ardently at this moment ... and that she join with it a blessing that may strengthen me during life, defend me at the hour of death, and lead me straight on to a happy eternity. Amen.
O God, who did inflame with the Spirit of Love, the soul of your servant Therese of the Child Jesus, grant that we also may love you and make you much loved. Amen.
FIRST DAY
O Therese of the Child Jesus, well beloved and full of charity, in union with you, I reverently adore the majesty of God, and since I rejoice with exceeding joy in the singular gifts of grace bestowed upon you during your life, and your gifts of glory after death, I give Him deepest thanks for them; I beseech you with all my heart's devotion to be pleased to obtain for me (...mention request here). But if what I ask of you so earnestly does not tend to the glory of God and the greater good of my soul, do you, I pray, obtain for me that which is more profitable to both these ends. Amen.
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
SECOND DAY
Almighty God, giver of all good gifts, who did will that Blessed Therese, being watered by the heavenly dew of your guiding grace, should bloom in Carmel with the beauty of virginity and patience in suffering, grant that I your servant may go forward in the order of her sweetness and may be found worthy to become a devoted and loyal follower of Christ. Amen.
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
THIRD DAY
O Therese of the Child Jesus, lily of purity, ornament and glory of Carmel, I greet you, great saint, seraph of divine love. I rejoice in the favors our Lord so liberally bestowed on you. I humility and confidence I ask you to help me, for I know God has given you love and pity as well as power. Tell Him, now, I beseech you, of the favor I seek in this novena ... . Your request will crown my petition with success and bring joy to my heart. Remember your promise to do good here on earth. "I shall spend my heaven doing good on the Earth After death I shall let fall a shower of roses."
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
FOURTH DAY
O Little Flower of Jesus, who at an early age had your heart set on Carmel and in your brief earthly life did become the mirror of angelic purity, of courageous love and of whole hearted surrender to Almighty God, turn your eyes of mercy upon me who trusts in you. Obtain for me the favor I seek in this novena ... and the grace to keep my heart and mind pure and clean. O dear saint, grant me to feel in every need the power of your intercession; help to comfort me in all the bitterness of this life and especially at its end, that I may be worth to share eternal happiness with you in heaven. Amen.
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
FIFTH DAY
O Little Flower of Carmel, Almighty God endowed you, consumed by love for him, with wondrous spiritual strength to follow the way of perfection during the days of your short life. Sickness touched you early but you remained firm in faith and prayer was your life. O pray for me that I may benefit by your intercession and be granted the favor I ask in this novena ... .
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
SIXTH DAY
O Little Flower of Jesus, you have shown yourself so powerful in your intercession, so tender and compassionate toward those who honor you and invoke you in suffering and distress, that I kneel at your feet with perfect confidence and beseech you most humbly and earnestly to take me under your protection in my present necessity and obtain for me the favor I ask in this novena ... . Vouchsafe to recommend my request to Mary, the merciful Queen of Heaven, that she may plead my cause with you before the throne of Jesus, her divine Son. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted.
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
SEVENTH DAY
Therese of the Child Jesus, most loving Saint, in union with you I adore the divine Majesty. My heart is filled with joy at the remembrance of the marvelous favors with which God blessed your life on earth and of the great glory that came to you after death. In union with you, I praise God, and offer him my humble tribute of thanksgiving. I implore you to obtain for me, through your powerful intercession, the greatest of all blessings -- that of living and dying in the state of grace. I also beg of you to secure for me the special favor I seek in this novena ... .
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
EIGHTH DAY
O glorious St. Therese, who, burning with the desire of increasing the glory of God, invariably attended to the sanctification of your soul by the constant practice of prayer and charity so that, becoming in the Church a model of holiness, you are now in Heaven the protector of all those who have recourse to you in faith, look down upon me who invokes your powerful patronage and join your petition to mine that I be granted the favor I seek in this novena ... .
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
NINTH DAY O St. Therese, seraphic virgin, beloved spouse of our Crucified Lord, you who on earth did burn with a love so intense toward your God and my God, and now glow with a bright and purer flame in paradise, obtain for me, I beseech you, a spark of that same holy fire which shall help me to put things of the world in their proper place and live my life always conscious of the presence of God. As I conclude my novena I also beg of you to secure for me the special favor I seek at this time ... .
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.
Conclude this novena by reciting one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.
(pray during August 27 to September 4 preceding the Feast of Mother Teresa on September 5)
(Prayer to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta prayed each day of the Novena)
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, you allowed the thirsting love of
Jesus on the Cross to become a living flame within you, a nd so
became the light of His love to all. Obtain from the Heart of
Jesus (here make your request). Teach me to allow Jesus to
penetrate and possess my whole being so completely that my life,
too, may radiate His light and love to others. Amen.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cause of Our Joy, pray for me.
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for me.
First day - Know the Living Jesus
Thought for the day: "Don't search for Jesus in far lands; He is not there. He is close to you; He is in you." Ask for the grace of an intimate knowledge of Jesus.
(Recite the prayer to Blessed Teresa)
Second Day - Jesus Loves You
Thought for the day: "Do not be afraid - you are precious to
Jesus. He loves you."
Ask for the grace to be convinced of Jesus' unconditional and
personal love for you.
(Recite the prayer to Blessed Teresa)
Third Day - Hear Him Say to You: "I Thirst"
Thought for the day: "Just think! God is thirsting for you and
me to come forward to satiate His thirst."
Ask for the grace to understand Jesus' cry of thirst.
(Recite the prayer to Blessed Teresa)
Fourth Day - Our Lady Will Help You
Thought for the day: "How close we must keep to Our Lady who
understood what depth of Divine Love was being revealed as she
stood at the foot of the Cross and heard Jesus cry out: 'I
thirst.' "
Ask for the grace to learn from Our Lady to quench Jesus' thirst
as she did.
(Recite the prayer to Blessed Teresa)
Fifth Day - Trust Jesus Blindly
Thought for the day: "Confidence in God can do all things. It is
our emptiness and lowliness that God needs and not our plenitude."
Ask for the grace to have an unshakeable trust in the God's power
and love for you and for all.
(Recite the prayer to Blessed Teresa)
Sixth Day - True Love is Surrender
Thought for the day: "Allow God to use you without consulting
you."
Ask for the grace to surrender your whole life to God.
(Recite the prayer to Blessed Teresa)
Seventh Day - God Loves a Cheerful Giver
Thought for the day: "Joy is the sign of union with God, of God's
presence. Joy is love, the normal result of a heart burning with
love."
Ask for the grace to find joy in loving and to share this joy with
all you meet.
(Recite the prayer to Blessed Teresa)
Eighth Day - Jesus Made Himself the Bread of Life and the Hungry One
Thought for the day: "Believe that He, Jesus, is in the
appearance of Bread and that He, Jesus, is in the hungry, naked,
sick, lonely, unloved, homeless, helpless and hopeless."
Ask for the grace of a deep faith to see Jesus in the Bread of
Life and to serve Him in the distressing disguise of the poor.
(Recite the prayer to Blessed Teresa)
Ninth Day - Holiness is Jesus Living and Acting in Me
Thought for the day: "Charity for each other is the surest way to
great holiness."
Ask for the grace to become a saint.
(Recite the prayer to Blessed Teresa)