SECOND DAY
We should, indeed, honor St. Joseph, since the Son of God Himself was
graciously pleased to honor him by calling him father. "Christ," says
Origen, "gave to Joseph the honor due to a parent." The Holy
Scriptures speak of him as the father of Jesus. "His father and mother
were marveling at the things spoken concerning Him" (Luke 2:33). Mary also
used this name: "in sorrow thy father and I have been seeking thee"
(Luke 2:48 ). If, then, the King of Kings was pleased to raise Joseph to so
high a dignity, it is right and obligatory on our part to endeavor to honor him
as much as we can.
St. Joseph, I consecrate
myself to thy service forever. Protect me all the days of my life.
THIRD DAY
The example of Jesus Christ, Who wished to honor St. Joseph so much, and to be
subject to him on earth, ought to inflame all with a fervent devotion toward
this great Saint. Since the Eternal Father shared His Own authority with St.
Joseph, Jesus always regarded him as a father, and respected and obeyed him for
thirty years. St. Luke says He "was subject to them" (Luke 2:51).
These words mean that during all this time the sole occupation of the Redeemer
was to obey Mary and Joseph. To St. Joseph, as head of the little family,
belonged the office of commanding, and to Jesus as a subject, the duty of
obedience. Hence, a learned author has justly said: "Men should pay great
honor to him whom the King of Kings wished to raise to such a
height."
St. Joseph, by the obedience which Jesus
rendered to thee, make me always obedient to the will of God.
FOURTH DAY
St. Bernardine of Siena says that we should be persuaded that Our Lord, Who
respected St. Joseph on earth as His father, will refuse Him nothing in Heaven;
but on the contrary, will most abundantly grant His petitions. Jesus Himself
advised St. Margaret of Cortona to cherish a special devotion to St. Joseph,
and never to allow a day to pass without rendering some homage to him as His
foster father. Let us not, then, fail to recommend ourselves each day to St.
Joseph and to ask him for graces.
St. Joseph, make me faithful in invoking thee
daily.
FIFTH DAY
All the faithful should be devoted to St. Joseph in order to obtain the grace
of a good death, and this for three reasons. 1. Because Jesus Christ loved him
not only as a friend, but as a father, and, therefore, his intercession is more
powerful than that of the other Saints. 2. Because Our Lord, in return for
having saved Him from Herod, has given St. Joseph the special privilege of
protecting the dying against the snares of the devil. 3. Because St. Joseph,
who died in the company of Jesus and Mary, is the model of a holy death and can
obtain this grace for his clients.
St. Joseph, obtain for me
that, like thee, I may die in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
SIXTH DAY
According to St. John Damascene: "God gave St. Joseph the love, the care,
and the authority of a father over Jesus. He gave him the affection of a father
that he might guard Him with great love; the solicitude of a father, that he
might watch over Him with care; and the authority of a father that he might
feel sure that he would be obeyed in all that he arranged concerning this
Son."
St. Joseph, be always a
father to us; and grant that we may be always thy faithful
children.
SEVENTH DAY
When God, destines anyone for a particular office, He gives him the graces that
fit him for it. Therefore, since God chose St. Joseph to fill the office of
father over the person of the Incarnate Word, we must certainly believe that he
conferred upon him all the sanctity which belonged to such an office. Gerson
says that among other privileges Joseph had three which were special to him. 1.
That he was sanctified in his mother's womb, as ere Jeremias and St. John the
Baptist. 2. That he was at the same time confirmed in grace. 3. That he was
always exempt from the inclinations of concupiscence-----a privilege with which
St. Joseph by the merit of his purity, favors his devout clients by delivering
them from carnal appetites.
St. Joseph, shining light of chastity, preserve the angelic virtue in
me.
EIGHTH DAY
In the Gospels St. Joseph is called "just." What is meant by a just
man? St. Peter Chrysologus says: "It means a perfect man-----one who
possesses all virtues." Joseph was already holy before his marriage; but
how much must his sanctity have increased after his union with the Blessed
Virgin? The example of his holy spouse sufficed to sanctify him; and since Mary
is the dispenser of all the graces which God grants to men, in what profusion
must she not have showered them down upon her spouse, who she loved so much and
by whom she was so tenderly loved!
St. Joseph, increase my devotion to Mary.
NINTH DAY
The two disciples, going to Emmaus were inflamed with Divine love by the few
moments which they spent in company with our Savior, and by His words. What
flames of holy love must not, then, have been enkindled in the heart of St.
Joseph, who for thirty years conversed with Jesus Christ, and listened to His
words of eternal life; who observed the perfect example which Jesus gave of
humility and patience, and saw the promptness with which He obeyed and helped
him in his labors, and all that was needed for the household!
St. Joseph, inflame us with the love of Jesus.
TENTH DAY
St. Paul writes that in the next life Jesus Christ "will render to every
man according to His works" (Rom. 2:6). What great glory must we not
suppose that He has bestowed upon St. Joseph, who served and loved Him so much
while He lived on earth! Our Lord has promised a reward to him who gives a cup
of cold water to the poor in His name. What, then, must be the reward of St.
Joseph, who can say to Jesus Christ: "I not only provided Thee with food,
with a dwelling, and with clothes, but I saved Thee from death, delivering Thee
from the hands of Herod."
St. Joseph, increase our zeal for growing in holiness by the
hope of eternal reward.
ELEVENTH DAY
We must believe that the life of St. Joseph, spent in the presence of Jesus and
Mary, was a continual prayer, abounding in acts of faith, confidence, love,
resignation, and oblation. Since, then, the reward of the Saints corresponds to
their merits during life, consider how great must be the glory of St. Joseph in
Heaven. St. Augustine compares the other Saints to the stars, but St. Joseph to
the sun.
It is, then, very reasonable to suppose that St. Joseph, after Mary, surpasses
all the other Saints in merit and glory. The Venerable Bernardine de Bustis
says that when St. Joseph asks any grace for those who are devoted to him, his
prayers have in a certain manner the force of a command with Jesus and
Mary.
St. Joseph, obtain for us a great spirit of prayer.
TWELFTH DAY
To prove the power which St. Joseph possesses in Paradise, St. Bernardine of
Siena writes thus: "We cannot doubt that Christ accords to St. Joseph, now
that he is in Heaven, even more perfectly the respect and reverence which He
paid to him on earth. Our Lord, Who on earth revered St. Joseph as His father,
will certainly deny him nothing that he asks in Heaven." Let us then say
to him with confidence:
St. Joseph, powerful protector of souls, keep us from all sin.
THIRTEENTH DAY
Oh great St. Joseph, since God has served thee, I also wish to enroll myself in
thy service. I wish henceforth to serve thee, to honor and love thee. Take me
under thy protection and dispose of me as thou pleasest. My holy St. Joseph,
pray to Jesus for me. Having obeyed all thy commands on earth, He will
certainly never refuse anything thou doth ask Him. Tell Him to pardon me the
offenses that I have committed against Him. Tell Him to detach me from
creatures and from myself. Ask Him to inflame me with His holy love.
St. Joseph, watch over us, thy children.
FOURTEENTH DAY
Most holy patriarch, now that thou art on a lofty throne in Heaven near thy
beloved Jesus, Who was subject to thee on earth, have pity on me, who am
exposed to the attacks of so many enemies, to the evil spirits, and the
passions that continually strive to rob me of the grace of God. Through the
grace given to thee on earth of enjoying the continual society of Jesus and
Mary, obtain for me the grace of living during the remaining days of my life
united to God, by resisting the attacks of Hell. Grant, too, that I may die
with the love of Jesus and Mary in my heart so that I may be able one day to
enjoy with thee their company in the kingdom of Heaven.
St. Joseph, grant me a horror of sin and the grace to conquer
my passions.
FIFTEENTH DAY
St. Bernard, speaking of St. Joseph's power of dispensing graces to his devout
servants, makes use of the following remarkable words: "To some of the
Saints power is granted to succor us in particular necessities; but to St.
Joseph power is granted to succor in all necessities, and to defend all those
who, with devotion have recourse to him." Let us then often say to
him:
St. Joseph, help us when we are in need.
SIXTEENTH DAY
St. Teresa says: "I do not remember to have asked any favor from St.
Joseph which he did not grant. An account of the many graces which God has
bestowed upon me, and of the dangers, corporal and spiritual, from which He has
delivered me through this Saint would excite wonder. The Lord appears to have
given power to the other Saints to assist us in a single necessity; but
experience shows that St. Joseph gives aid in all. The Lord gives us to
understand that, as He was to be subject to St. Joseph on earth, so in Heaven
He does whatever the Saint asks."
St. Joseph, obtain for me the grace of perseverance in
prayer.
SEVENTEENTH DAY
St. Teresa also writes: "I would wish to persuade all the world to be
devoted to St. Joseph, because I have long experience of the great favors which
he obtains from God. I have never known any soul especially devoted to him that
did not always advance in virtue. I ask, for God's sake, that they who do not
believe me will at least make a trial of this devotion. I cannot believe that
favors are not grant ed to St. Joseph in return for the help which he gave on
earth to Jesus and Mary."
St. Joseph, patron of the interior life, lead me to that
perfection which God requires of me.
EIGHTEENTH DAY
Let us ask St. Joseph for the grace to love our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the
particular grace which St. Joseph obtains for those who are devout to him-----a
tender love toward the Incarnate Word. The Saint merited the power to bestow
this grace upon his servants by the great love which he himself bore toward
Jesus while he lived on earth.
St. Joseph, make me love Jesus with all my heart.
NINETEENTH DAY
When Jesus lived in this world in the house of St. Joseph, could a sinner who
desired to obtain forgiveness from Our Lord have found a more efficacious means
of obtaining pardon than through St. Joseph? If, then, we desire to receive the
forgiveness of our sins, let us have recourse to St. Joseph who, now that he is
in Heaven, is more loved by Jesus Christ than he was loved by Him on
earth.
St. Joseph, obtain from Jesus the pardon of my sins.
TWENTIETH DAY
"And Joseph also went from Galilee out of the town of Nazareth into Judea
to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem" (Luke 2:4). In response
to the decree of Caesar Augustus, St. Joseph made the long journey across the
hills from Galilee to Bethlehem with Mary, who bore beneath her heart the
Incarnate Son of God. What sweet conversations must Mary and Joseph have held
on this journey on the mercy of God in sending His Son into the world to redeem
the human race, and on the love of this Son in coming into this valley of tears
in order to atone by His suffering and death for the sins of men!
St. Joseph, I wish to belong entirely to thee, so that
through thee I may belong entirely to Jesus and Mary.
TWENTY-FIRST DAY
"And it came to pass while
they were there, that the days for her to be delivered were fulfilled. And she
brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid
him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke
2:6-7). How great must have been the sorrow of St. Joseph when he could find no
shelter for Mary on the night of the birth of the Divine Word, and was obliged
to bring her to a stable! How his heart must have been pierced with anguish to
see his holy spouse, who was pregnant, and near the time of childbirth,
trembling with cold in that damp cave, which was open on every side.
Dear St. Joseph, through the pain which thou didst feel in seeing the Divine
Word born in a stable, so poor, without fire, without clothes, and in hearing
the cries caused by the cold which afflicted Him, I pray thee to obtain for me
a true sorrow for my sins, by which I have drawn tears from Jesus.
St. Joseph, penetrate my heart with contrition and obtain for
me the grace never to sin again.
TWENTY-SECOND DAY
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger" (Luke 2 : 7). How great must have been
the joy of St. Joseph when he heard Mary calling him and saying "Joseph,
come, and adore our infant God, Who is just born in this cave. Behold how
beautiful He is. Look at the King of the world in this manger, on this straw.
See how He, Who makes the seraphs burn with love, trembles with cold. Behold
how He Who is the joy of paradise weeps!" Dear St. Joseph, through the joy
which thou didst receive at the first sight of the infant Jesus in the crib, so
beautiful and lovely that thy heart began from that moment to beat with love
for Him alone, obtain for me also the grace to love Jesus with an ardent love
on earth so that I may one day go to enjoy Him in Heaven.
St. Joseph, share with me a little of the burning love that
thou didst bear to Jesus.
TWENTY-THIRD DAY
"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men of good
will" (Luke 2: 14). Consider how great was the love and tenderness of St.
Joseph when he beheld with his own eyes the Son of God become an infant; when
he heard the Angels singing around their newborn Lord, and saw the stable
filled with light. Kneeling down and weeping with love and compassion, Joseph
said: "I adore Thee, yes I adore Thee, my Lord and my God. How great is my
happiness to be the first, after Mary, to see Thou born, and to know that in
this world Thou wisheth to be called and reputed my Son! Allow me, then, also
to call Thee my Son, and to say: My God and my Son, to Thee I consecrate my
whole being. My life shall be no longer mine, but shall be Thine without
reserve!"
St. Joseph, grant that I may spend my life, like thee, in the
service of God.
TWENTY-FOURTH DAY
"An Angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying, Arise, and
take the child and His mother and flee into Egypt" (Matt. 2:13). Consider
the ready obedience of St. Joseph, who raised no doubts about the time of the
journey, nor about the manner of traveling, nor about the place in Egypt in
which they were to stay, but immediately prepared to set out. He instantly
makes known to Mary the command of the Angel, and on the same night sets out
without guide on a journey of 400 miles through mountains, across rugged roads
and deserts.
My holy protector, obtain for me the grace of perfect
obedience to the Divine will.
TWENTY-FIFTH DAY
How much St. Joseph must have suffered on the journey into Egypt in seeing the
sufferings of Jesus and Mary! Their food must have been a piece of hard bread.
They could have slept only in some poor hut, or in the open air. Joseph was
indeed conformed in all things to the will of the Eternal Father, but his
tender and loving heart could not but feel pain in seeing the Son of God
trembling and weeping from cold and the other hardships which He
experienced.
St. Joseph, obtain for me the grace that in my journey to
eternity I may never lose the company of Jesus and Mary.
TWENTY-SIXTH DAY
"The boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His parents did not know
it" (Luke 2:43). How great was the pain of St. Joseph when Jesus was lost
in the temple! Joseph was accustomed to the enjoyment of the sweet presence of
his beloved Savior. What, then, must have been his sorrow when he was deprived
of it for three days, without knowing whether he should evermore find Jesus,
and most painful of all, without knowing why he had lost Him. How great, on the
other hand, was Joseph's joy when he found Jesus and realized that the absence
of the Child did not arise from any neglect on his part, but from a zeal for
the glory of the Father.
St. Joseph, through the merits of the pains which thou didst
suffer at losing Jesus, obtain for me tears to weep always for my sins.
TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY
"He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to
them" (Luke 2:51). Reflect on the holy life which Joseph led in the
company of Jesus and Mary. In that family there was no business except that
which tended to the greater glory of God; there were no thoughts or desires
except the thought and desire of pleasing God; there were no discourses except
on the love which men owe to God, and which God has shown to men, especially in
sending His only begotten Son into the world to suffer and to end His life in a
sea of sorrows and insults for the salvation of mankind.
St. Joseph, through the tears which thou didst shed in
contemplating the future passion of Jesus, obtain for me a continual
remembrance of the suffering of my Redeemer.
TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY
Consider the love which St. Joseph bore to Mary, his holy spouse. She was the
most beautiful of all women. She was more humble, more meek, more pure, more
obedient, more inflamed with the love of God, than all the Angels and than all
men that have been or shall be created. Hence, she merited all his love. Add to
this his realization of the love that she bore for him, and the fact that God
had chosen her as His beloved Mother.
St. Joseph, obtain for me a great love for Mary, thy most
holy spouse.
TWENTY-NINTH DAY
Consider the love which Joseph bore to Jesus. This love was not purely human.
like the love of other fathers, but superhuman; for he loved Jesus not only as his
son but also as his God. Joseph knew from the Angel that his child was the
Divine Word Who had become man to save mankind. He realized, too, that he
himself had been chosen from among all men to be the protector and guardian of
this Divine Infant. What a flame of holy love must, then, have been enkindled
in the heart of Joseph by reflecting on all these things, and by the sight of
his Lord obeying him like a little boy, opening and closing the door, helping
him to saw or to plane, gathering fragments of wood, or sweeping the
house!
St. Joseph, remove from my heart all that could be an
obstacle to the love of God.
THIRTIETH DAY
"Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His faithful ones"
(Ps. 115:6). After having faithfully served Jesus and Mary, St. Joseph reached
the end of his life in the house at Nazareth. There, surrounded by Angels,
assisted by Jesus Christ the King of Angels, and by Mary, his spouse, who
placed themselves at each side of his poor bed, filled with the peace of
Paradise, he departed from this miserable life. Who shall ever be able to
understand the sweetness, the consolation, the blessed hope, the acts of
resignation, the flames of charity which the words of eternal life coming
alternately from the lips of Jesus and Mary, breathed into the soul of Joseph
at the end of his life?
St. Joseph, grant me peace and resignation to God's will at
the hour of my death.
THIRTY-FIRST DAY
Great, indeed, will be the comfort of those, who, at the hour of death shall be
protected by St. Joseph. For this great Saint has received from God power to
command the devils and to drive them away, less they tempt his servants in
their dying moments. Happy is the soul that shall be assisted by this great
advocate, who, on account of having died with the assistance of Jesus and Mary,
and because of having preserved the infant Jesus from the danger of death by
his flight into Egypt, has received the privilege of being the patron of a good
death, and of delivering his clients from the danger of eternal death.
St. Joseph, defend me from the attacks of the
devils at the last moment of my life.
The Litany of Saint Joseph
