The following list is offered as a suggestion for increasing one's personal devotion to St. Joseph. On each day of the month of March, one could consider St. Joseph:
1. Foster Father of Jesus, the Son of God, help me to give my life, as you did, in the service of God.
2. Spouse of Mary, the Mother of God, inspire in me the desire to draw closer to Mary, my Mother.
3. Patron of the universal Church, obtain for me the grace to be a loyal son/daughter of my mother, the Church.
4. Patron of workers, teach me to sanctify my ordinary daily tasks, my work.
5. Patron of a happy death, may I know how to live each day as if it were to be my last.
6. Patron of the home, bless all the families in the world, make Christian homes bright and cheerful.
7. Master and Teacher of the interior life, help me to grow daily in awareness of the presence of God.
8. Master and Teacher of personal prayer, help me to learn the ways of sincere, deep and pious prayer.
9. Master and Teacher of the sanctification of work, show me how to convert my work into an offering to God for the salvation of souls.10. Most humble, teach me to be like you: meek and humble of heart, relying on God for everything.
11. Most responsible, may I know how to put greater effort into everything.
12. Most loyal, may I know how to be ever loyal to God, the Church, my family and country.
13. Most faithful in the fulfillment of God's will, help me to say "fiat" (be it done) to all that God asks of me.
14. Most serene in the face of contradictions and hardships, obtain for me the grace I need to accept my daily cross.
15. Most patient in trials, help me to fight against anger and to be patient.
16. Most obedient to the divine Will, help me to know the Will of God and to carry it out promptly.
17. Most just, teach me to live not only justice but charity in all my dealings with others.
18. Most docile instrument of the Holy Spirit, make me ever more receptive to his inspirations.
19. Most faithful, help me to fulfill my commitment of love for God, the Church and all souls.
20. Model of fortitude, obtain for me the strength of character I need to be patient and persevering.
21. Model of all who love Jesus and Mary, may I learn to perform all my actions out of the purest love
for Jesus and Mary.
22. Model of perfection in little things, may I seek to please my Father God in each thing I do.
23. Ardent lover of Jesus and Mary, may I always be with the three of you.
24. Fervent lover of the whole of creation, help me to love what is good in the world.
25. Fervent lover of God's glory, make me zealous for the glory of God.
26. Fervent lover of things temporal and eternal, teach me to use with moderation the things of this world so that I might obtain eternal goods.
27. Generous cooperator in God's plan of Redemption, help me to work to make the fruits of Christ's Redemption superabundant.
28. Attentive to serving God in all things big and small, help me to see the value of hidden and silent sacrifice.
29. Totally dedicated to pleasing God in every moment, help me to sanctify the duty of each moment.
30. Constant in good works, help me to persevere and to lay the last stones in my work.
31. Father to all who call upon you, heed my requests.
Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteI can also warmly recommend Pere Lallemant's novena (found here under the heading "A Powerful Novena to St. Joseph"), according to which each day you "turn to St. Joseph in spirit four times," considering first his fidelity to grace, then his fidelity to the interior life, then his love for Mary, and finally his love for Jesus.
It adds a Josephine note to the whole day if you spread out the reflections. And if you forget about the novena until you're in bed for the night, you can catch up for the day in a matter of minutes without even turning on the light (which, for the unrecollected, can really help).
Tom, thanks. Please leave a comment here each day so I remember to do these. I'm one of them there unrecollected types.
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