NOVENA TO SAINT JOSEPH: DAY 5 – (SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF HUMILITY)

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 5

(SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF HUMILITY)

Joseph excelled in humility because he realized that glory is due to God alone, and that, of himself, man is but misery and nothingness. By reason of his humility, Joseph was accorded the most glorious privileges and entrusted with the most sublime mission. To accomplish His designs, God employs only the humble who do not claim for themselves the glory. 

As Father of Jesus and Spouse of the Queen of heaven and earth, Joseph was more highly honoured than any king in this world. What pretexts, furnished by zeal for the glory of God, might have prompted him to speak, to put himself forward, to attribute to himself the greatness of the precursor of the Messiah, and the glories of the apostles! He rather conceals the astonishing prodigies which have been revealed to him, and the sublimity of the functions he exercises. Under an impenetrable veil, he hides all that can draw upon him the esteem of men. This is something we all can learn from…

—-PAUSE FOR A MOMENT—-

DAY FIVE PRAYER

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. 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 honour 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!

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.

O Joseph, † what a lesson for me † ever so eager to appear, † so anxious to display before the eyes of men † the graces that I owe entirely to the liberality of God. † Obtain that I may attribute to God the glory of all things;  † that I may love the humble and hidden life; † that I may not desire any other position than the one given by Providence; † and that I may always be a docile instrument in the hands of God.

 

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 5! Click here for Day 6 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?