 When Jesus Christ, while hanging on the Cross, said to His blessed
Mother, pointing at the same time to Saint John the Apostle, "Woman, behold thy
son . . . Behold thy mother", He intended to place all the human race under her
protection in the person of the beloved disciple, who then, says Saint Bernardine of
Sienna, represented all the 'elect'.
In like manner, we may believe that the Eternal Father, in appointing Saint Joseph, in
his capacity of Head of the Holy Family, to guide and protect Jesus and Mary during the
flight into Egypt, to watch over and provide for them,
designed to place all men under his fatherly care, and to inspire them with veneration for a Saint to whom He confided the most precious trust ------
the Savior of the World, the Incarnate Word, the Source of all Delights, and the Center of
all the Riches of Paradise. This motive alone suffices to inspire us with a tender
devotion to Saint Joseph; but a still more powerful one is the example which the Son of
the Most High has given us.
 Devotion to Saint
Joseph is a powerful means of obtaining favors, both spiritual
and temporal. At the Council of Constance in 1416, when the legates of the Holy See,
twenty cardinals, two
hundred bishops, besides, large number of the doctors and theologians of
the Church were gathered together to device
the best means to stem the tide
of corruption then inundating the Church, there appeared before them Gerson,
the learned Chancellor of the University of Paris. He
pointed out that as Saint Joseph
was guardian of Jesus on earth, he still remains the guardian of the Mystical Body of Jesus, which is His Church, and as his
wishes were obeyed by Christ while on earth, so now, when he is in heaven, will his
intercession still be granted. Gerson strongly counseled devotion
to Saint Joseph as the effective
remedy. His counsel was accepted by all, as the counsel of one
who had a mission from on high. Within a few years after the spread of this devotion
throughout the Church, the schisms were healed and
the troubles had all disappeared.
 In practically every Catholic
Church throughout the land, there is a side alter dedicated
to the Spouse of
Mary. Before that altar or
in the solitude of one’s own home, or under the vault of the open skies, a person can
appear to Saint Joseph for aid in
life’s struggle. The assistance which thousands of the faithful have secured through
their devotion to Saint Joseph in the
overcoming of moral difficulties
is, by its very nature, not susceptible of external observation, but can be vouched for by
the introspection of the individual conscience.
The attainment of moral
and spiritual values and the continued
growth of the soul in
holiness should be the supreme
objectives in the life of every human being, rather than the gaining of temporal
favors, which may have no real bearing upon the attainment of the
individual’s ultimate salvation, his eternal union with God in Heaven.
There are instances, however, where the attainment of a temporal good
has an obvious bearing upon the moral and spiritual life of the individual. At such times
recourse may well be had to prayer to supplement the individual’s efforts to attain
the same through the use of natural means.
So today in all the continents under the sun and in the islands out in the sea,
millions and millions of Catholics can exclaim as with a single voice :
"Holy Joseph, guardian of Mary and the Infant Jesus, on
that long dark journey into Egypt, guard and guide us safety in the journey across this
earthly life. And when our steps falter at the journey’s end and the lengthening
shadows fall, when life’s fitful fever is o’er, and the angel of death comes to
close our eyes, ah! then take us by the hand and lead us across the frontier of eternity
into that heavenly Nazareth, where with thee we shall see the smiling face of Mary, and
feel the embrace of Jesus, the Eternal King".
Ancient
Miraculous Prayer to Saint Joseph
This prayer was found in the fiftieth year of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. In 1505 it was sent from the Pope to Emperor Charles when he was
going into battle. Whoever shall read this prayer or hear it or keep it about themselves
shall never die a sudden death, or be drowned, nor shall poison take effect on them;
neither shall they fall into the hands of the enemy, nor shall they be burned in any fire,
nor shall they be overpowered in battle.
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 engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving
and homage to the most loving of Fathers.
O Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus
asleep in your arms; I dare not approach 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, Saint Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us.
Amen.
Many miracles have been attributed to this daily prayer.
Make this prayer known everywhere...
Pray along with Sister Grace Marie
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