The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/Devotions to St Joseph
Devotions to St. Joseph.
A PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH.
O Holy Joseph, chaste spouse of the Mother of God, most glorious advocate of all such as are in danger or in their last agony, and most faithful protector of all the servants of Mary your dearest spouse, I [N.], in the presence of Jesus and Mary, do, from this moment, choose you for my powerful patron and advocate, for the obtaining a most happy death; and I firmly resolve and purpose to invoke thy aid, and never to say or do, or even to suffer any under my charge to say or do, anything against your honour. Receive me, therefore, for your perpetual servant, and recommend me to the constant protection of Mary, your dearest spouse, and to the everlasting mercies of Jesus my Saviour. Assist me in all the actions of my whole life, all which I now offer to the greater and everlasting glory of Jesus and Mary, as well as to your own. Never, therefore, forsake me; and whatsoever grace you see most necessary and profitable to me obtain it for me now and at the hour of my death, to which I now invite you against the uncertain hour in which it shall happen, that whatsoever at this moment, and on my death-bed, I cannot of myself obtain, may by your gracious prayers be bestowed on me by the Saviour of my soul, our Lord Jesus Christ, who, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.
V. Pray for us, O holy St. Joseph.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY.
O GOD, who by thy wonderful providence, didst vouchsafe to choose St. Joseph to be the spouse of thy most holy Mother! grant, we beseech thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth, may be our intercessor in heaven: who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.
Special favours have been obtained by the recital of the following prayers in honour of St. Joseph.
O GLORIOUS St. Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, to you do we raise our hearts and hands to implore your powerful intercession, in obtaining from the benign Heart of Jesus all the helps and graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare; particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special favour we now implore. [ Here mention or reflect upon your lawful requests.]
O guardian of the Word Incarnate, we feel animated with confidence that your prayers in our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.
Say the following versicle seven times, in honour of the seven joys and sorrows of St. Joseph.
V. O glorious St. Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ, and for the glory of his name.
R. Hear our prayers, and obtain our petitions.
LET US PRAY.
O GLORIOUS St. Joseph, spouse of the immaculate Virgin, obtain for me a pure, humble, and charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the Divine will. Be my guide, father, and model through life, that I may merit to die as thou didst, in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
FOR THE PATRONAGE OF ST. JOSEPH,
[To begin on Saturday before the second Sunday after Easter.]
JOYS AND DOLORS OF THE SAINT.
The First Prayer.
CHASTE Spouse of the most Immaculate Mother of Jesus ! holy Joseph ! how great was thy grief when, ignorant of the mystery and co-operation of the Holy Ghost in that sublime mystery, thou perceivest the pregnancy of thy beloved Spouse, and on that account had thoughts of leaving her. By this thy grief, and by the unspeakable joy thou hadst when the Angel of God opened to thee the mystery of the Incarnation of the Eternal Word, pray for us, that endeavouring to advance thy honour and worship through the whole world, we may, by God’s holy grace, overcome all affliction and dejection of mind in this life, and in the other become a fit mansion of the Holy Ghost for all eternity. Amen.
Our Father, etc.
Hail Mary, etc.
The Second Prayer.
O THRICE happy Joseph, foster father to Jesus!
by the great grief that pierced thy heart when thou didst contemplate this beloved infant lying in the manger, weeping and shivering with cold, and by the great joy thou receivedst in beholding the holy angels adoring and honouring him with their heavenly music, and in seeing the three kings prostrate before him, and offering him their precious gifts; pray for us, O great Saint, to the end that our souls may become a fit mansion to receive our Saviour, and that we may lodge and keep him always therein, even to the last moment of our lives; that then we may find and enjoy him in heaven, in the possession of his everlasting glory. Amen.
Our Father, etc.
Hail Mary, etc.
The Third Prayer.
O GREAT Joseph, a man according to God’s own heart! by the grief thou didst feel at the circumcision of the tender infant Jesus, shedding his most precious blood, and by the joy thou hadst in giving him the most sweet name of Jesus, according to the revelation which the angel had made to thee; pray for us to thy blessed Son, that we may be washed and purified with his most precious blood, and always bear his name imprinted in our hearts. Amen.
Our Father, etc.
Hail Mary, etc.
The Fourth Prayer.
O MOST glorious Joseph, and prudent Spouse of the Mother of God! by the great grief that wounded and pierced thy afflicted heart when thou didst hear from the mouth of Simeon that the soul of thy dear spouse was to be pierced with a sword, and by the joy thou hadst when thou didst hear from the same Simeon that Jesus was designed for the resurrection and salvation of mankind; pray for us, to the end that we may so partake in the sorrow of the Mother, as to be hereafter partakers of the joy and happiness of her beloved Son Jesus. Amen.
Our Father, etc.
Hail Mary, etc.
The Fifth Prayer.
O PIOUS comforter of the Mother of God! by the dolors and anxieties thou didst undergo in thy flight into Egypt, and by the joy thou receivedst when, at thy arrival, thou didst see the idols fall on the ground, as not being able to bear the presence of thy divine Jesus; pray for us, we beseech thee, that flying the dangers of all terrene and inordinate inclinations, we may one day rejoice to see all the black idols of our sins entirely cast down and destroyed in our souls. Amen.
Our Father, etc.
Hail Mary. etc. The Sixth Prayer.
O MOST chaste and vigilant guardian of Mary, the Virgin of Virgins ! by thy great perplexity when, being called out of Egypt, thou didst hear that Archelaus, the son of Herod, was made king, who was no less cruel and bloody than his father, and by the great joy that possessed thy heart when the angel bid thee not to fear, because all were dead that sought his life; pray for us, that we may so live in the midst of this Egypt, a sinful world, that one day we may deserve to be called to the heavenly land of promise. Amen.
Our Father, etc.
Hail Mary, etc.
The Seventh Prayer.
O MERCIFUL Joseph ! who is able to conceive the sensible sorrow and extreme grief thou sufferedst when thou hadst lost the child Jesus; and on the other side, who is able to express the joy and extreme satisfaction wherewith thy heart was replenished when thou didst find him in the midst of the doctors ! we humbly beseech thee, by this inconceivable sadness and joy, that we may never lose our most amiable Jesus; or if ever we be so unhappy as to lose him, make us feel such a true and lively sorrow with thee, that we may so carefully seek him as soon to find him, with so great and sensible, a comfort, that our only care for the future may be always to keep him and never to lose him any more. Amen.
Our Father, etc.
Hail Mary, etc.