Day 29

Hope of the Sick, Pray for Us

God has healed many people through the intercession of St Joseph, such as St Teresa of Avila. She often told people how she was so ill that she considered herself half-dead, but after praying to St. Joseph, she experienced a miraculous cure. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux would have died in infancy were it not for the intercession of

St Joseph. Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, Thérèse's parents, were very devoted to St Joseph. They named two of their children after St Joseph but, sadly, both of the children died in childbirth. When Zélie was pregnant again, she believed the child in her womb was a boy, and she planned to name the child Joseph. After childbirth, however, the baby was discovered to be a girl, and it was decided that her name would be Thérèse.

Shortly after Thérèse was born, she became deathly ill. No one knew the cause of the illness. Fearing that little Thérèse was going to die, Zélie knelt before a statue of St. Joseph in her bedroom and asked the saint to heal her daughter. Miraculously, Thérèse was healed! Thérèse's mother wrote down an account of what had happened to her little Thérèse. She wrote: “I went up to my room [little Thérèse was on the first floor with a wet nurse], I knelt at the feet of St. Joseph, and I asked him for the grace of healing for the little one while resigning myself to God's will. I do not often cry, but I was crying as I prayed. I didn't know if I should go downstairs. In the end, I decided to go down, and what did I see? The baby was nursing vigorously. She did not let go until 1 p.m. She spit up a bit and fell back as though dead on her wet nurse. There were five of us around her. Everyone was stunned. There was a worker who was crying; I felt my blood run cold. The baby had no visible breath. It did no good for us to lean over to try and discover a sign of life because we could see nothing. But she was so calm, so peaceful, that I thanked God for having her die so gently. Then a quarter of an hour went by, and my little Thérèse opened her eyes and started to smile.”

If you or someone you know is sick, go to St Joseph. Jesus wants you to go to your spiritual father and ask him for help and healing. It's up to God whether or not physical healing will be given, but it doesn't hurt to ask, as St Zélie did for her little Thérèse. Saint Joseph will help you to abandon yourself to Divine Providence.

Prayer

O St Joseph, you who cared for the Lord of the Sick, and the Lord has rightly rewarded you with the title of “The Hope of the Sick”. Father most dear, obtain for us the grace to recourse to you in all our ailments. Especially when the mental anguish and spiritual fragility accompany the physical ailments, teach us to run to your healing refuge. Let us learn to resign ourselves to the Divine Providence. When suffering from ailments, help us not to lose the one thing which is lost most easily: hope. Train our eyes to see beyond the ailments, to seek God’s will and to wait for his deliverance with steadfast hope. Amen

Litany of St Joseph

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of 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.

Noble Offspring of David, pray for us.

Light of Patriarchs, pray for us.

Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.

Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.

Foster-Father of the Son of God, pray for us.

Zealous Defender of Christ, 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 Courageous, pray for us.

Joseph Most Obedient, pray for us.

Joseph Most Faithful, pray for us.

Mirror of Patience, pray for us.

Lover of Poverty, pray for us.

Model of Workmen, pray for us.

Glory of Domestic Life, pray for us.

Guardian of Virgins, pray for us.

Pillar of Families, pray for us.

Comfort of the Afflicted, pray for us.

Hope of the Sick, 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 Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

V. He has made him lord of his household,

R. And prince over all his possessions.

Let us pray. O God, who, in your loving providence, chose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most Holy Mother, grant us the favor of having him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our protector. You, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

Source: Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, Fr. Donald Calloway MIC

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Znhkw 29

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Bhnembnse hn. A½t{Xkymsb t]mse At\Iw BfpIsf ssZhw

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