NOVENA TO SAINT JOSEPH: DAY 4 – (SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PURITY)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

ACT OF CONTRITION

Oh 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.

INTRODUCTORY PRAYER

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 belongs 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 on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

MEDITATION: DAY 4

(SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PURITY)

Saint Joseph was preeminent in purity because he feared God and faithfully observed His holy law; because he safeguarded his virtue by fear of the Sovereign Good and by prudence; because he sheltered it under the virginity of Mary, and felt the influence of Jesus, the divine Son of all sanctity.

How pure must he have been who was to become the worthy spouse of the Immaculate Virgin! How holy must he have been whose relations with the thrice-holy God were so intimate. What about you?

—-PAUSE FOR A MOMENT—-

DAY FOUR PRAYER

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 practise 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. 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 honour of being a faithful servant of God.

As I lay my intentions before you today (Mention your request), grant me the grace to be ever grateful to God for favours received. Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.

Saint Joseph answers Prayers! If Saint Joseph does not grant graces, he would not be Saint Joseph!!

LITANY OF SAINT JOSEPH

Lord, have mercy.	Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.	Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.	Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.	Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.	Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father in 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.
Saint Joseph,	pray for us.
Illustrious son of David,	pray for us.
Light of Patriarchs,	pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God,	pray for us.
Guardian of the Redeemer,	pray for us.
Pure Guardian of the Virgin,	pray for us.
Provider for the Son of God,	pray for us.
Zealous defender of Christ,	pray for us.
Servant of Christ,	pray for us.
Minister of salvation,	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 brave,	pray for us.
Joseph, most obedient,	pray for us.
Joseph, most loyal,	pray for us.
Mirror of patience,	pray for us.
Lover of poverty,	pray for us.
Model for workers,	pray for us.
Glory of family life,	pray for us.
Guardian of virgins,	pray for us.
Cornerstone of families,	pray for us.
Support in difficulties,	pray for us.
Comfort of the sorrowing,	pray for us.
Hope of the sick,	pray for us.
Patron of exiles,	pray for us.
Patron of the afflicted,	pray for us.
Patron of the poor,	pray for us.
Patron of the dying,	pray for us.
Terror of demons,	pray for us.
Protector of the Holy Church,	pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Jesus.

God made him the lord of his household, and prince over all his possessions.

Let us pray. God, in your infinite wisdom and love you chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary, the mother of your Son. May we have the help of his prayers in heaven and enjoy his protection on earth. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

CONCLUDING PRAYERS

TO SAINT JOSEPH’S PATRONAGE

Dear St. Joseph, after the Blessed Virgin Mary, you’re the most powerful intercessor before God. In a sense, Jesus remains obedient to you and will listen to you as you bring my intentions to Him. Because of this, I especially want to entrust myself to your fatherly care, just as Jesus Himself did. And while in the past, I may have brought to you one of my intentions here or there, this time I want to do something new. This time, I want to give you all. In other words, St. Joseph, I’m not here to offer you a regular “novena” for just one of my intentions. Rather, I want to forever entrust to you all of my needs and cares, trusting that you will bring them, with Mary, to your Son, Jesus.

Dear St. Joseph, as the best of fathers, as the one God chose to be the virginal father of Jesus, I believe that you know what I need better than I do myself. So go ahead, St. Joseph. I give you permission to care for me as your child. In doing so, I trust that you will do everything in your power to make my life into something beautiful for God. I trust that you will watch over me and that your prayers will guide me, bless me, and protect me. I trust that you will now care for me with the same love and tenderness with which you cared for Jesus. I’ll confirm this special relationship with you in nine days if it so pleases God.

Saint Joseph, Powerful Intercessor, please pray for me and all my intentions.

MEMORARE

Remember, o 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 † help me to understand the excellence of purity † and how dear it is to the heart of God. Teach me to preserve carefully this delicate virtue † and the shadow of the fear of God; † to safeguard it by prayer, by vigilance, † by shunning the world, † by careful watch over my heart and my senses. † Grant that I may henceforward close my heart to all disorderly affections; † that I may deserve to enjoy like thee upon earth † the friends and intimacy of Jesus, † and that it may be given to me one day to sing in Heaven the canticle reserved for Virgins.

 

Blessing+

Through the intercession of Saint Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family, may the Lord bless + us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

👏🏼👏🏼 Great job praying Day 4! Click here for Day 5 Prayer👏🏼👏🏼

Shalom!
Compiled by Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Paroquia Nossa Senhora da Immaculada Conceição, Paulo Ramos, Maranhão, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com
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PS: Have you prayed your Rosary today?