Novena to Saint Joseph
First Day
Saint Joseph, model of purity
In this glorious saint we find every perfection and every Gospel virtue. As for the virtue of purity, after the Virgin Mary, his most pure spouse, he is the most chaste of all people. His purity did not merely equal that of all other people; it surpassed it, because he brought this noble virtue to perfection, and it shone in him in the fullest way. He is the one whom the Holy God chose from among all people to be the guardian of the pure and spotless Virgin Mary, who was so exalted in this angelic virtue that minds cannot grasp the depth of her purity.
Through this most precious virtue, which the glorious Saint Joseph guarded so carefully, he was granted graces beyond all description: to see in his home, in his arms and before his eyes the Son of God, the Word made flesh, and to rejoice in his adorable presence.
Let us listen closely to these reflections, for they can make us love this angelic virtue, help us avoid everything that puts us in danger of losing it, and move us to turn devoutly to this glorious saint whenever we find ourselves in such danger. Let us begin from this moment to live as true Christians. Let us be prudent in our conduct and not presume on our own holiness, for we are no holier than King David, no wiser than Solomon and no stronger than Samson.
If these heroes fell into temptation, how much more must we, who are weak, be on our guard against ourselves, asking the Lord for help and support, for he is ready to come to our aid. The Lord does not despise a broken and contrite heart. In this way, with the Lord’s help, we will obtain purity of heart and uprightness of intention, and we will finally be worthy to see him, according to his divine promise: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
Resolution
Watch carefully over your senses and guard your heart. Place yourself under the protection of the glorious Saint Joseph, and always turn to him, especially in times of temptation.
Prayer
O Word of God made flesh, who spent your life on earth in the company of the glorious Saint Joseph, and who are the example and model of all virtues:
make us worthy, through his intercession, to serve you with a pure heart and an upright intention. Grant us the grace to turn to him in our troubles, so that we may overcome the enemies of our salvation and, through his intercession, reach the eternal happiness prepared for your chosen ones who strive on the path of salvation. Amen.
Second Day
Saint Joseph, model of humility
We are filled with wonder at the great humility that the glorious Saint Joseph showed among the saints: in his kindness, his gentle conduct and his mild character. He was gentle with everyone he dealt with, especially with those who came to him for work related to his trade. In this way everyone found in him a meekness, patience and humility that put to shame their pride and boasting and the vainglory that had taken hold of their hearts, for they were infatuated with honour, fame and distinction.
Joseph, on the other hand, preferred contempt and humiliation to all of these. They prided themselves on their lineage, their ancestry and their rank. He, although he belonged to the royal line of David from which the awaited Saviour of the world was to be born, never spoke a word of boasting and never displayed anything that pointed to the greatness of his lineage or the nobility of his descent, or to his own personal qualities. Instead, he always hid from people’s eyes the favour and virtue he had before the Lord God. He gave to Caesar what was Caesar’s and to God what was God’s. He thanked God for his gifts and regarded himself as unworthy of receiving mercy.
This virtue shone in him most brilliantly when he was troubled by the Virgin Mary’s pregnancy, before the angel of the Lord had told him about his betrothed. Even so, he rejected every thought that would cast suspicion on that pure one in whom he saw every virtue and perfection. He supported his thoughts and held her in good esteem through his submission to the faith, which told him that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, as the prophet Isaiah said: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
From this wonderful model we can draw some lessons for how we should behave toward our neighbour, imitating his qualities and character: not rushing to judge, but examining matters carefully so that the truth may become clear to us from what is false, following the prudence of the great Saint Joseph, and practising true humility in all our conduct and dealings. Let us store up for our souls the treasures of true humility, and we will find grace with God.
Resolution
Never praise yourself, and never scheme to be praised by others.
Prayer
O Lord God, abundant in generosity and mercy, you who seek a humble heart and take your divine delight in it:
we ask you to grant us, through the intercession of Saint Joseph, to put to death in ourselves the spirit of pride, and to seek in all our deeds and words nothing but your greater glory and the salvation of our souls. Amen.
Third Day
Saint Joseph, model of obedience
While Saint Joseph was asleep, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him” (Matthew 2:13). Joseph rose at once and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. But what an exhausting journey, and what an extremely difficult task to carry out! It was winter, in the harshness of the cold. Yet his love and his firm trust in God strengthened him against all these difficulties and enabled him to carry out this command well, entrusting himself to divine providence. He did not care about the hardships, nor was he troubled by the terrors and dangers; instead, he grounded his faith in God, who strengthened him to overcome every difficulty.
Let us now consider for a moment the great value of obedience, how pleasing it is to God, and the rich reward prepared for those who practise it after the example of the glorious Saint Joseph. Could this righteous man not have said: “Why does God make me suffer these hardships and command me to go to an unknown land I have never travelled, a land with nothing but idol temples, where I will be a stranger to its people? Since he can do all things, can he not work a dazzling miracle, save his Son from his enemies and wipe out all who wish him harm? Or if only he had exchanged this journey for another, far from all these dangers, it would be bearable. Or if he had commanded me to go to the land of the Magi, who came and worshipped him only a short time ago, they would welcome us with love and honour and protect us from the dangers that might surprise us.” Words like these are the words of the wise of this world and of those who love to question and probe.
The saints and true servants of Christ served God with simplicity of heart, purity of spirit and uprightness of intention, because the works of God are beyond understanding. We must submit to them, for they are above all examination and probing. Recall that the devil, may God put him to shame, brought about the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, through this kind of probing, when he asked the woman about the tree: “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1).
Because she began to argue with him, she was deceived and brought misery on the human race. So let us turn away from such probing, and let us know for certain that if we attain the perfection of this virtue, we will easily attain all the other virtues. Saint Augustine says of obedience that it is the greatest of the virtues and the root of them all, so much so that by this submission we become worthy to receive from the Lord the light we need to understand the truths of the Catholic faith. Our humility makes us small in our own eyes and beloved by the Lord. For he said in the Gospel: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes” (Matthew 11:25).
Resolution
Obey your superiors well, whether spiritual or temporal, and submit to them after the example of the glorious Saint Joseph.
Prayer
We ask you, O Lord, to forgive our sins and iniquities, we your children, who are not able to please you by our own deeds. Save us through the intercession of the glorious Saint Joseph. Teach us obedience as you taught it to him, and make us know its worth and value in your sight. Move our hearts to carry out your divine commands, made known to us through our superiors. We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the living and Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
Fourth Day
Saint Joseph, model of faith
Saint Augustine said: “There are no riches greater than the Catholic faith.” And the Apostle said: “Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:12). We attribute this divine virtue in a special way to the glorious Saint Joseph. The virtue of faith was his wealth and his happiness, and he did his works according to his faith. The Apostle said: “What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works?” (James 2:14).
So it was by faith that Abraham offered his son as a sacrifice to God, because he believed that the Lord would fulfil his promise to him in whatever way he willed. Saint Augustine says: “The one who believes has God, and so the whole world is his.” When we look at the virtues of the glorious Saint Joseph, we find in them what moves us to follow his example. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, begging God to send the Redeemer who would buy back the human race from slavery to the devil through his Incarnation and his coming into the world.
His prayers were not without fruit and benefit, for as Saint Augustine says: “The prayer of the righteous is the key of heaven: the petition rises and God’s mercy comes down.” To this we add what Holy Scripture says: “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord; he will not desist until the Most High visits him” (Sirach 35:17). God made him worthy to see the Redeemer and to live with him for a long time. Even before the angel told him that the Virgin had conceived, he believed that the Messiah had become flesh in her pure womb. So he fought the enemies of his salvation with great courage. As Saint Ambrose says: “Faith that is not tested in battle soon grows weak.” And the one who has virtue is hard to overcome, as Saint John Chrysostom says: “Virtue shines everywhere and cannot be overcome.”
So walk, my brother, in a faith free of all doubt and hesitation. Whatever you are unable to understand, entrust it with confidence and peace to God, for he does not deceive or mislead you. Know well that God keeps company with the simple and gives understanding to those who are little in their own eyes, while he withholds grace from those who love empty questioning and probing. Christ the Lord said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Luke 21:33). He also said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and: “He who follows me will not walk in darkness” (John 8:12).
Everything that Holy Church teaches us, she has drawn from the mouth of her divine Teacher, Jesus Christ. So strive to make your life agree with your faith, for, as Saint Peter Damian says, what does it profit a Christian to believe rightly like the faithful and walk in the way of hypocrites?
Never be ashamed to show yourself a complete Christian, lest the Lord of glory be ashamed of you and not recognize you as his disciple, as he said: “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).
Resolution
Strive to grow each day in faith and virtue, and turn to Saint Joseph whenever temptations against the faith come upon you, for you will obtain from him what you humbly ask.
Prayer
We ask you, O Lord Jesus Christ, to root firmly in our hearts the truths of the Catholic faith and to keep us steadfast in it until our last breath. As you adorned the heart of your chosen one, Saint Joseph, with this virtue, adorn our souls with it too, so that we may always be formed by your teaching. We ask this, O Father, in the name of your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Saint Joseph, the glorious Virgin Mary and all the saints.
Fifth Day
Saint Joseph, model of patience and endurance
The angel Raphael said to the righteous Tobit: “Because you were acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove you” (Tobit 12:13). This is how God treats those who love him: he tests them with trials to prove their faithfulness and their love for him.
While Joseph was living in Nazareth, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that everyone should be enrolled in his own town. Joseph obeyed this order and went with Mary his betrothed to Bethlehem. When he could find no place to shelter with his betrothed, whose time to give birth had come, he was forced to go outside the town and stay in a cave.
Let us consider how great Joseph’s distress was in this trial, when he could not find a place fit for the one who was carrying in her womb the Creator of all things, the Lord of all creatures, the Redeemer and Saviour of the human race. This caused him a deep sorrow that only someone who has lived through it and felt it can understand.
Let us take this glorious saint as our model in following the virtues. Let us remember that nothing happens except by the Lord’s command or permission. If the Creator allows us to be tested, his purpose is the opposite of what the one who caused the trial intended. Here is a simple example that helps us understand how different God’s purposes are from those of people. When doctors judged that blood should be let, they used to order leeches to be applied to draw out the bad blood. The leech, in drawing that blood, intends nothing but to fill itself. The doctor, on the contrary, intends only to draw out the bad blood for the relief and healing of the patient.
In the same way, God’s purposes differ from those of human beings. Caesar Augustus ordered everyone to be enrolled in his own town so that he could know the number of his subjects. God, however, intended to give Saint Joseph an occasion for patience and endurance, and so to fulfil what the prophets wrote about the Messiah, that he would be born in Bethlehem of Judah.
We must bear hardships in order to obtain eternal happiness. The Apostle Paul says on this subject: “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). So let us hurry from now on to do good works, for Saint Paul also says: “He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). The Lord said: “The kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force” (Matthew 11:12), and: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). The Lord Jesus bore grievous sufferings for us, as the Evangelist says: “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26). And as Saint Bernard says: “It is a shame to be a pampered member under a head crowned with thorns.”
Resolution
Practise the virtue of self-surrender whenever you are tempted by the enemies of your salvation, and say: “Your will be done, O Lord, on earth as it is in heaven,” hoping in him for help in your weakness.
Prayer
Holy Father, who have given us in the person of Saint Joseph a living model, so that we may understand how much we are bound to be always ready to carry out your divine commands: help us, weak as we are, to serve you with all courage in this life, overcoming the temptations that come upon us from every side. We ask this in the name of your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and your Holy Spirit for ever. Amen.
Sixth Day
Saint Joseph, model of faithfulness
Christ the Lord, to whom be glory, said: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21). When Almighty God appoints his servants to serve him, he gives each of them talents according to his plan and to each one’s readiness and ability. In this way each receives from his generosity enough grace to fulfil his state in life. With this little, the Lord wishes to test our love and faithfulness toward him. He does not ask of us things beyond our strength, but that we carry out our daily duties in a spirit of faith and love.
You know the works of Saint Joseph in his life, and the trade he practised, through which he reached the summit of perfection and holiness. As you contemplate the model of his life, you will find great comfort for your soul, since God may ask of you nothing more than to carry out your ordinary tasks faithfully out of love for him. True holiness lies in fulfilling God’s will in our daily life, and so we reach the summit of perfection. The Lord asks for the human heart, as Scripture says: “My son, give me your heart” (Proverbs 23:26).
You must become holy according to God’s will and his holy pleasure, not according to your own inclination and will. Be content with the state in which God has placed you, learning from the model of Saint Joseph, whose only concern was to fulfil God’s will and his duties perfectly toward Our Lady the Virgin Mary and her divine Son, providing everything they needed to live. If you are the head of a household in the world, take care to provide your family with what it needs. If you are a religious, strive to keep the rules of your monastery, the constitutions of your order and the commands of your superiors. To draw benefit from your labours, lift your heart to God, begging him to accept your labours and unite them with the merits of his Passion, death and Resurrection.
In this way your work will be useful to your neighbour, pleasing to God and helpful for your eternal salvation, as the Lord said: “He who does the will of my Father who is in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21). How many people in this life are not distinguished or esteemed by others, yet by doing their duties well they are held in the highest regard and honour before God. After this life we see them raised in heaven to the highest degree of glory, far beyond what you would think of them, and this only because they persevered in doing what God wanted of them.
Resolution
Carry out the duties of your calling well, uniting your works and deeds with the labours of Saint Joseph and saying: “For you, O Lord, I do this work, and for love of you I begin it.”
Prayer
I ask you, my Lord Jesus Christ, to grant me your grace, for without it I can do nothing that pleases you. Give me wisdom and understanding to know your divine will and to fulfil it with all eagerness, following the example of the glorious Saint Joseph. We ask this, O Father, in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit for ever. Amen.
Seventh Day
Saint Joseph, model of poverty
Christ the Lord said: “What will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?” (Matthew 16:26). This religious truth should be enough to convince us that true happiness does not lie in owning property and piling up wealth, but in acquiring Christian virtues and keeping far from everything that puts a person in danger of perdition.
The true servants of God understood this truth well. To escape the dangers that could arise, they left everything and followed Christ, freeing their hearts from love of the goods of this world, convinced by what the Apostle said: “If we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (1 Timothy 6:8).
As for you, my Christian brother, you can be perfect without living in the wilderness and without leaving the world. Perhaps God is not calling you to that kind of perfection. It is enough that you free your heart from love of these goods and show mercy to the poor, Christ’s brothers and sisters, by sharing your money or other things with them to relieve them. Do not fear want, for God encourages you by saying: “He who gives to the poor will not want” (Proverbs 28:27).
Saint John Chrysostom said: “When you do good, you make God your debtor.” Whatever you do for one of the poor and wretched, it is as though you did it for Christ himself, as the Lord said: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). If your heart does not soften toward these unfortunate people, you should fear God’s just judgment, as the Apostle said: “Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy” (James 2:13).
As for the poverty of Saint Joseph, he worked and laboured to meet the needs of the Holy Family, content with the little he earned and thanking God for it. His regard for virtue kept him from spending his time looking for ways to make the greatest profit, because he contemplated the example of the Son of God who lived with him, considering how the Lord of majesty and glory came into the world in this wondrous way: poor, lowly and in need. The Son of God gave us an example in his own person, not to mention all the other saints.
What shame will seize us on the Day of Judgment if we let our hearts cling to love of these passing goods! Wake up to your poor condition while you still have time to amend. “Do not be a fool; why should you die before your time?” (Ecclesiastes 7:17). “Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep” (Luke 6:25). Woe to you, Christian, enlightened by the light of faith, because although you know these clear truths, you keep running after the passing desires of your heart. If you could own the world, you would not pass it up. And suppose you did obtain it: what would you gain from it? Would it quench your heart, which is burning with thirst? Not at all! You would always want to gain more greatness and more wealth, without thinking about God or his heaven, and without caring whether you are among the chosen or the lost. Love of the world’s vanities is the easiest of all concerns to fall into.
Perhaps until now you have not noticed the vanities of your heart? Turn to Saint Joseph and ask him for help in your weakness and for support, so that you may obtain from Jesus Christ the grace of a detached heart and a pure life, remembering what the Lord said: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13).
Resolution
Free your heart from love of the goods of the earth, after the example of Saint Joseph, and show mercy to your neighbour by giving alms, as far as your means and ability allow.
Prayer
My Lord Jesus Christ, who out of love for us chose to be born in a manger in the greatest poverty and lowliness, lacking everything although you are rich by nature: we ask you to put in our hearts a love for the virtue of poverty, so that, once we have obtained the virtue of a heart detached from every earthly good, we may then raise our eyes to love your eternal goods, following the example of the glorious Saint Joseph. We hope to obtain this through his intercession, so that we may glorify you with him in eternal life. Amen.
Eighth Day
Saint Joseph, model of love for Jesus
The Lord Jesus said: “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23). These words, so full of love, should urge us to grow ever more attached to the love of this gentle Saviour. It is right to say of the glorious Saint Joseph that he shone in this love. God favoured him with gifts, graces and the heights of holiness. For many years he enjoyed seeing the Lord Jesus in a visible way, rejoicing in his presence and thanking him for these abundant graces.
Who can grasp the greatness of the love with which the glorious Saint Joseph burned for the divine Saviour? How happy he was to do works and services for him! With what fatherly care he kept watch with Mary beside his bed! With what zeal he fled with him to Egypt, fearing Herod’s anger for him! With what devotion he watched over him! And when the glorious Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary returned from their visit to the Temple, not knowing that he had stayed behind, Saint Joseph went back with Mary to search for him.
Let us consider how eagerly this saint asked after Jesus, and how much sorrow and anguish losing him caused him. With all these labours and dangers he did not complain, nor did he care about the difficulties of the road; he thought only of how to find him. They found him after three days in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions (Luke 2:46). “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them” (Luke 2:51). Every moment he filled their hearts with joy and increased their gladness and delight.
This is the effect of true love, as Saint Cyprian says: “Love faces the sword, mocks dangers and laughs at death.” And the author of The Imitation of Christ said: “Love is a great thing, a great good in every way; it alone makes every burden light and bears evenly all that is uneven… Love watches, and even while sleeping, does not slumber.”
Do not turn your heart away from the love of this Saviour God. Rather, turn away from everything that puts you in danger of losing this loving God, so rich in goodness. Saint Joseph did not rest until he found him, even though he had lost him through no fault of his own. So you too must do the same and search for the Saviour. Be reconciled with him in the confessional, repent of your sins and do not despair, for he will comfort you. “If it seem slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3). Turn to him with the prophet, with a fervent heart, saying: “Hold not thy peace at my tears! For I am thy passing guest, a sojourner, like all my fathers” (Psalm 39:12). “Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee” (Psalm 73:25).
Resolution
Visit the Most Blessed Sacrament today as an expression of your love for Jesus, and beg him not to go far from you, but to grant you the grace of perseverance in his divine service.
Prayer
We ask you, O Lord, rich in mercy, by the love you placed in the heart of Saint Joseph, which made him seek you eagerly without delay: grant us, through his intercession, to love you with a great love, because you loved us first and gave yourself up for us, O our beloved Saviour. You are our comfort. Make us among those inscribed on the page of your Most Sacred Heart. To you be glory for ever. Amen.
Ninth Day
Saint Joseph, model of love for the Virgin Mary
The love that filled Joseph’s heart for the Virgin Mary, his betrothed, goes beyond every limit and measure, and tongues fall short of describing even a part of it. If we compared Joseph’s love for Mary with the love of all the faithful, we would see that this saint surpassed them all in his love for the pure Virgin Mary. A great number of saints excelled in love for the Virgin Mary, such as Saint Bernard, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Alphonsus Liguori and many others. But their love did not reach the heights of Saint Joseph’s, who loved her with a sublime love for the beauty of her holiness and the height of her purity. Saint Joseph was diligent in serving her and in providing what she needed to live, with love and faith. And she, the most glorious among all people, always obtained new graces for him by her prayers to God, begging him to pour out his abundant blessings upon him.
Let us hasten to honour the glorious Virgin Mary after the example of Saint Joseph, so that through her powerful intercession we may obtain the graces we need for the salvation of our souls. Her love for us surpasses the love of all mothers. If you want to grow in virtue, honour the Virgin Mary well. She is the sign of heavenly glory and the refuge of sinners. As Saint Basil the Great says: “God has opened to sinners the gate of salvation, wide open, in the person of the Virgin Mary.” Saint Bernard said: “God wills that we obtain nothing that has not passed through the hands of the Virgin Mary.” So let us hasten to honour her and love her and to place ourselves under the banner of her protection. Saint Bernard also says: “Mary does not examine merits, but of her own accord bends down to help those who call on her. She is their salvation and their sure hope, their help and their constant protection.”
Resolution
Persevere until your last breath in saying a prayer each day in honour of the glorious Mother of God and of Saint Joseph, her ever-faithful spouse.
Prayer
We ask you, O Lord, to grant us, through the intercession of Saint Joseph, to love your glorious Mother with a pure love, to place our hope firmly in her intercession and to turn to her in all our hardships, as children turn to their mothers, so that, having loved her on earth as our mother, we may be worthy after this life to see her reigning over us in the heavenly kingdom. Amen.
Litany of Saint Joseph
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus Christ, hear us.
Lord Jesus 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, virgin spouse of Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, chaste and virginal, pray for us.
Bearer of the saving Sacrifice, pray for us.
Guardian of Mary’s virginity, pray for us.
Protector of Christ in the flight, pray for us.
Model of perfect obedience, pray for us.
Carpenter greater in dignity than kings, pray for us.
Guardian of the Word made flesh, pray for us.
Shelter of God who came as a stranger, pray for us.
Model of perfect justice, pray for us.
Lily of spotless chastity, pray for us.
Servant of the great counsel, pray for us.
Comforter of the Shepherd of the world, pray for us.
Silent tongue of the Word, pray for us.
Foster father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Keeper of the heavenly treasure, pray for us.
You who ransomed the Redeemer when he was offered for us in the Temple, pray for us.
Guardian of the Saviour of the world, pray for us.
Virgin spouse of the Virgin Mother, pray for us.
Our mighty advocate, pray for us.
Zealous for the salvation of souls, pray for us.
Our beloved patron, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, hear us.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
V. He made him the lord of his household,
R. and prince over all his possessions.
Prayer
We ask you, O Lord, to help us through the merits of Saint Joseph, the spouse of your most holy Mother, so that through his intercession we may be given what we cannot obtain by our own strength. You who live and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
