Virgo Potens

PRAYER 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. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ O JOSEPH, Virgo pater JESU, purissime sponsæ Virginis Maríæ, quotidie deprecare pro nobis ipsum JESUM FILIUM DEI, ut, armis suæ gratiæ muniti, legitime certantes in vita ab eodem coronemur in morte. 100 days, twice a day. Pius X, Nov. 26, 1906 (The Raccolta, 1910)

Month of the St. Joseph ~ March 27th Application.— The Holy Home of Nazareth, over which St. Joseph presided as superior, was, 1st, a home of discipline and order. There was loving and exact submission to authority, punctual observance of the duties of the day, all that constitutes a regular and well regulated home or community. 2nd. It was a home of contentment. Everyone was happy and contented. There was no grumbling or dissatisfaction on the part of Jesus and Mary, at the arrangements of St. Joseph. Peace and contentment, the offspring of personal holiness of life, of prayer, and of obedience, reigned in the hearts of the happy inmates of this blessed home. ~ Rev. Joseph McDonnell, S.J., St. Joseph, A Novena of Meditations and Prayers (1926)

Prayer for the Success of a Temporal Affair O great St. Joseph, whose influence over the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is all powerful and who hast never been invoked in vain, I ask, with the most firm and lively confidence, the speedy granting of my request. (State your petition.) Dear St. Joseph, obtain for me the object of my prayer if it be for the glory of God and my own salvation; but if it is not, then obtain for me the grace lovingly to resign myself to the Will of my Heavenly Father, who in the afflictions He permits, as well as in the temporal favors He grants me, has in view only my happiness here and my eternal salvation. Amen. (Say the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, three times, to thank God for the privileges bestowed upon St. Joseph.) Favorite Prayers to Saint Joseph (1997)

Month of the St. Joseph ~ March 26th The Seven Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph (continued) 1st Prelude — Picture to yourself the Holy Home of Nazareth ; see St. Joseph working in the workshop at his trade with Jesus Christ. 2nd Prelude — Ask for grace to understand and sympathise with the Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph. 1st Point — St. Joseph’s Sixth Joy Consideration.— At length his wanderings are over. Now, at last he can in peace and quiet settle down with Jesus and Mary in the old place at Nazareth. Henceforth his days, with one exception, will be days of silent prayer and work, of holy contemplation, of sweetest union with Jesus and Mary, the dearest objects of his love. He is to become our model and instructor in the quiet, uneventful routine of his daily life. The Holy Home is to become the pattern of Christian homes and of religious communities in all succeeding ages. ~ Rev. Joseph McDonnell, S.J., St. Joseph, A Novena of Meditations and Prayers (1926)

❀•°❀°•❀•°❀°•❀ Temporal Miseries are to be Borne with Patience, after the Example of Jesus Christ Imitation of Christ ~ Book III, Chapter 18 CHRIST SON, I came down from Heaven for thy salvation. I took upon Me thy miseries, not of necessity, but moved thereto by charity, that thou mightest learn patience and mightest bear without repining the miseries of this life. For from the hour of My Incarnation till My expiring on the Cross, I was never without suffering. I underwent a great want of temporal things; I frequently heard many complaints against Me; I meekly bore with confusions and reproaches; for My benefits I received ingratitude; for My miracles, blasphemies; and for My heavenly doc­trine, reproaches. DISCIPLE 2. Lord, because Thou wast patient in Thy lifetime, in thus chiefly fulfilling the command­ment of Thy Father, it is fitting that I, a wretched sinner, should, according to Thy will, take all with patience and, as long as pleaseth Thee, support the burden of this corruptible life, in order to my salvation. (2 Mach. 6:25). For though this present life be burdensome, yet it is now become, through Thy grace, very meritorious and, by the help of Thine example and the footsteps of Thy saints, more supportable to the weak and more lightsome. It is also much more consoling than it was formerly under the Old Law, when the gate of Heaven remained shut and the way to it seemed more obscure, when so few concerned them­selves to seek the Kingdom of Heaven. Neither could they, who were then just and to be saved, enter into Thy heavenly Kingdom, before Thy Passion and the payment of our debt by Thy sacred death. Oh, what great thanks am I obliged to re­turn to Thee for having vouchsafed to show to me and to all the faithful a right and good way to an everlasting Kingdom. For Thy life is our way, and by holy patience we walk on to Thee, Who art our crown. (John 14:6). If Thou hadst not gone before and instructed us who would have cared to follow? Alas, how many would have stayed afar off and a great way behind, if they had not before their eyes Thine excellent example? Behold we are still tepid, notwithstanding all Thy miracles and the instructions we have heard: what then would it have been if we had not this great light to follow Thee. ~ Thomas á Kempis, The Imitation of Christ. Translated by the Right Rev. Richard Challoner, D.D. ❀•°❀°•❀•°❀°•❀

Month of the St. Joseph ~ March 25th Application.— Yet all this happened while the Hand of Providence was guiding the footsteps of St. Joseph. He abandoned himself to the Divine guidance, blindly, trustfully, and lovingly, a true model of obedience. Affections and Resolutions.— O glorious Saint ! obtain for me through life, in joy and sorrow and doubt, in storm and sunshine, ever to give myself without reserve into the hands of God. How happy am I if I am under the direction of obedience. At any rate I will always ask of God in all things to direct my steps. Colloquy with St. Joseph. Spiritual Reading.— “Imitation of Christ” Book III., Chapter 18. ~ Rev. Joseph McDonnell, S.J., St. Joseph, A Novena of Meditations and Prayers (1926)

2 of 2 TO THEE, O BLESSED JOSEPH (continued from above) Most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, protect the chosen people of Jesus Christ; keep far from us, most loving father, all blight of error and corruption: mercifully assist us from heaven, most mighty defender, in this our conflict with the powers of darkness; and, even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the supreme peril of His Life, so now defend God's holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; keep us one and all under thy continual protection, that, we may be supported by thine example and thine assistance, 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. An indulgence of 3 years. An indulgence of 7 years during the month of October, when said after the recitation of the Rosary. A plenary indulgence once a month, on the usual conditions, for the daily recitation of this prayer. (Leo XIII, Encyclical Aug. 15, 1889; S. C. Ind., Sept. 21, 1889; S. P. Ap., May 17, 1927 and Dec. 13, 1935). The Raccolta (1943)

1 of 2 TO THEE, O BLESSED JOSEPH TO thee, O blessed Joseph, do we have recourse in our tribulation, and, having implored the help of thy thrice-holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. By that charity wherewith thou wast united to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly affection with which thou didst embrace the Child Jesus, we beseech thee and we humbly pray, that thou wouldst look graciously upon the inheritance which Jesus Christ hath purchased by His Blood, and assist us in our needs by thy power and strength. (continued)

1 of 2 TO THEE, O BLESSED JOSEPH TO thee, O blessed Joseph, do we have recourse in our tribulation, and, having implored the help of thy thrice-holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. By that charity wherewith thou wast united to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly affection with which thou didst embrace the Child Jesus, we beseech thee and we humbly pray, that thou wouldst look graciously upon the inheritance which Jesus Christ hath purchased by His Blood, and assist us in our needs by thy power and strength. (continued)

2 of 2 Month of St. Joseph ~ March 24th Again an angel stood beside him in the night and told him that Herod was now dead, and that he might return to the land of Israel. And so, a second time, he made the weary journey across the sandy deserts that lay between him and his home. But, when wearied out and footsore, he arrived in his own country, we may well picture his dismay and disappointment to discover that Archelaus, the son of Herod, was now upon the throne, and that, thus apparently, the danger to the life of the Divine Child was in no wise lessened. ~ Rev. Joseph McDonnell, S.J., St. Joseph, A Novena of Meditations and Prayers (1926)

1 of 2 Month of the St. Joseph ~ March 24th 3rd Point — St. Joseph’s Sixth Sorrow Consideration.— How long St. Joseph tarried in the land of banishment, we do not know with any certainty. He must have had much to suffer, and have found it hard, a stranger as he was, unfriended and unknown, to secure the means of subsistence for the Holy Family. He must have longed for the day of return to his native land. At last the summons came. (continued below)

Go to Joseph! An ANCIENT PRAYER to SAINT JOSEPH O ST. JOSEPH, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in thee all my interests and desires. O Saint Joseph, assist me by thy powerful intercession and obiain for me all spiritual blessings through thy foster Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord, so that having engaged here below thy heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage. O Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating thee and Jesus asleep in thine arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near thy 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. Favorite Prayers to Saint Joseph (1997)

Month of the St. Joseph ~ March 23rd Application.— Like St. Joseph, let us be submissive to the Will of God, even should painful and unexpected incidents befall us. It is in such times of sudden adversity that most of all we need to turn to God in prayer and acts of resignation, and then to abandon ourselves blindly and in loving trustfulness to the guidance of His Providence. Beg of the Divine Infant, through the merits of St. Joseph, to overthrow in your heart the idols of self-love, pride, and other disorderly affections, and to enable you to conquer your predominant passions. Affections and Resolutions.— “In Thee, O Lord ! have I hoped; I shall not be confounded for ever.” ~ Rev. Joseph McDonnell, S.J., St. Joseph, A Novena of Meditations and Prayers (1926)

2 of 2 Prayer for Priests (continued from above) Obtain for them the humility of St. John the Baptist, the faith of St. Peter, the zeal and charity of St. Paul, the purity of St. John and the spirit of prayer and recollection of which Thou, my dear Saint, are the model, so that, after having been on earth, the faithful dispensers of the Mysteries of thy foster Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, they may in Heaven receive the recompense promised to pastors according to the Heart of God. Amen. Favorite Prayers to Saint Joseph (1997)

(continued below) 2 of 2 Prayer for Priests (continued from above) Obtain for them the humility of St. John the Baptist, the faith of St. Peter, the zeal and charity of St. Paul, the purity of St. John and the spirit of prayer and recollection of which Thou, my dear Saint, are the model, so that, after having been on earth, the faithful dispensers of the Mysteries of thy foster Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, they may in Heaven receive the recompense promised to pastors according to the Heart of God. Amen. Favorite Prayers to Saint Joseph (1997)

1 of 2 PRAYER for PRIESTS O illustrious Patriarch St. Joseph, who carried the Infant Jesus in thy blessed arms and who, during the space of thirty years, lived in the most intimate familiarity with Him, take under thy powerful protection those whom He has clothed with His authority and honored with with the dignity of His priesthood, whom He has charged to continue His mission to preach His Gospel, and to dispense everywhere His graces and blessings. Sustain them in their fatigues and labors; console them in their pains; fortify them in their combats; but above all, keep far from them all the evils of sin. (continued below)

2 of 2 Month of St. Joseph ~ March 22nd 2. Strange rumours reached them on the very night of their arrival in the land of Egypt. The wonder was on every lip. On all sides, it was related, the idols had just fallen prostrate in the pagan temples, struck down by an invisible hand. And Joseph clasped the little Infant to his breast in wondering love and admiration. For now, indeed, for the first time, the omnipotence of the Divinity was clearly manifested in his precious charge. ~ Rev. Joseph McDonnell, S.J., St. Joseph, A Novena of Meditations and Prayers (1926)

1 of 2 Month of the St. Joseph ~ March 22nd 2nd Point — St. Joseph’s Fifth Sorrow and Fifth Joy Consideration.— One night a vision came to Joseph in his sleep. An angel bade him rise and take the Child and His Mother and fly into Egypt. Joseph wakened up his spouse, and with the Child they hurried forth into the darkness. On and on they went across the sandy wastes that seemed to stretch interminably towards Egypt. The weary night winds sigh around them, and the sunrise comes, and still they are toiling on. Sunrise and glowing moon, and sunset and starry midnight, and still the weary travellers journey on, carrying their precious Burden to a far off foreign land. For there are those behind them that would have robbed them of their treasure, had they not hurried out into the desert. And St. Joseph’s heart is full of apprehension lest even still they might be overtaken by their enemies. (continued below)

Dearest St. Joseph, pray for us and help us to defend human life. PRAYER to ST. JOSEPH, Defender of Life USCCB Prayer Campaign to End Abortion March 25, 2024 ~ Supreme Court Ruling in June 2024 Dearest St. Joseph, at the word of an angel, you lovingly took Mary into your home. As God’s humble servant, you guided the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem, welcomed Jesus as your own Son in the shelter of a manger, and fled far from your homeland for the safety of both Mother and Child. We praise God that as their faithful protector, you never hesitated to sacrifice for those entrusted to you. May your example inspire us also to welcome, cherish, and safeguard God’s most precious gift of life. Help us to faithfully commit ourselves to the service and defense of human life — especially where it is vulnerable or threatened. Obtain for us the grace to do the will of God in all things. Amen. ~ USCCB

ANOTHER PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH O Blessed Joseph, who yielded up thy last breath in arms of Jesus and Mary, obtain for me, I beseech thee, the grace of a happy death. Defend me from the attacks of my enemy in that hour of pain and anguish, to which I now invite thee, that thou mayest assist me by thy presence and protect me by thy power. Obtain for me this grace, O holy Joseph, that I may breathe forth my soul in praise, saying in spirit, if I am unable to do so in words: “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give Thee my heart and my soul.” Amen. Favorite Prayers to Saint Joseph (1997)