Do not be afraid.
Today is a special feast for me. I owe much to St. Joseph.
I liked the morning meditation from Cardinal Begoglio in Magnificat, on how Joseph was afraid, yet found courage ...
St. Joseph has always saved me, as he saved Our Lady and the Child Jesus. He also saved me from an isolated life. He reordered my life, rearranged things.
Prayer. Never give up prayer. If you seek chastity - go to Joseph. He will be your director and protector. He will teach you to pray, he will be your good Samaritan, he will find you lodging, support, and healing. He will guide you and bring you to Jesus and Mary, in the Church. Be not afraid.
What seems impossible for man is possible with God.
O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong,so prompt before the Throne of God,I place in you all my interests and desires.O St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercessionand obtain for me from your Divine Sonall spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord;so that having engaged here below your Heavenly powerI may offer my Thanksgiving and Homageto the most Loving of Fathers.O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating youand Jesus asleep in your arms.I dare not approach while He reposes near your 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.St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls,pray for us.Amen
Lovely meditation, Terri. I love St. Joseph as well and put all my sons and son-in-laws and their families under his protection. What a great saint. Not a word spoken in Scriptures, but his silent faithfulness speaks volumes. St. Joseph, protector of the family, pray for us!
ReplyDeleteHe is the perfect saint for all men - and especially families - for women too of course - as St. Teresa of Jesus proved. He will fix everything.
DeleteIt's for this tendency towards true poverty of spirit that I am grateful. I have been praying to our Lord, particularly the Holy Spirit, to understand the present "crisis", and my crisis. I wonder if he has answered me through some of my reading, from which I'll quote here:
ReplyDelete"The dream of Pope Innocent III, in which he saw St. Francis holding up and restoring a Church crumbling into ruins, offers the answer. What is needed today is not another book on the errors of Vatican II. What is needed is not slick, expensive new catechisms, Catholic Universities and Colleges, more Catholic forums and conferences, more Monuments. What is needed most is not even the total restoration of the Traditional Mass. The Mass was the universal possession of all the faithful before Vatican II, and it did not prevent our present infidelity. What is demanded is hearts turned away from the world in poverty, and turned towards Christ in depth of desire and simplicity of intention. What is required is St. Francis, and the life of Poverty which was his Lady."
(From James Larson)
I know you don't I.
DeleteIt depends on what you mean by "know", I think.
DeleteTerry knows everyone.
DeleteI do the LoTH but I for the second year I gifted my wife with a Magnificat subscription and she often points out readings to me, like this one. I read that reflection today. I thought about it at the Noon mass. St. Joseph, though the ministry of St. Andre Bessette is very special to me also. In fact, I even half thought about returning to blogging on his feast day. Threats, I know.
ReplyDeleteDid you paint this, Terry? I really like it.
ReplyDeleteHappy feast day!
Yes I didn't. I love it though.
DeleteIt is a great image. Pietro Annigoni, I think.
ReplyDeleteSo much less cheesy than many. Fr. James Martin has an interesting, non traditional image up on his FB today.
Yes - he is a great painter. You are too - you are also very Catholic.
Deleteit is for to blush much
DeletePapa Francis has a wonderful little statue of St. Joseph asleep. I read the article in La Stampa about his life long devotion the the humble faithful carpenter entrusted by the Lord to watch over his two precious gifts to us all, I consider St. Joseph the third precious gift. ^^
ReplyDeleteAnyway, if no one has read the article you can find it here:
http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/francesco-francis-francisco-33839/
I believe Terry could do a wonderful painting of that precious statue.
It's a very good sign that the Pope loves St. Joseph and is under his protection.
DeleteI agree. I told my mom about his devotion to San Jose. She loved the image too as it is a very Latin American looking one. ^^
DeleteLovely painting & heartening comments. When I was pastor in Capitola, I was called to anoint a blind woman who was close to death. She told me she had been afraid of death her whole life so had prayed to St Joseph and now, she said "I am having a wonderful death!" Her two sons surprised me at the funeral by leaving her mobile home to the parish [named what else?] St Joseph's in Capitola. Happy feast of St Athanasius.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what happened to The Four Last Things? Did anyone witness their departure from the centrality of the Catholic's mind and heart?
ReplyDelete