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Prayer to St. Joseph for sanctification of labor

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We offer the following prayer to St. Joseph for sanctification of labor. The prayer was composed by Pope St. Pius X.

➕
Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance in expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously by placing love of duty above my inclinations; to gratefully and joyously deem it an honor to employ and to develop by labor the gifts I have received from God, to work methodically, peacefully, and in moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from it through weariness or difficulty; to work above all, with purity of intention and unselfishness, having unceasingly before my eyes death and the account I have to render of time lost, talents unused, good not done, and vain complacency in success, so baneful to the work of God.

All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate thee, O patriarch St. Joseph! This shall be my motto for life and eternity.

Amen.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Lessons

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Lessons from The Church’s Year of Fr. Leonard Goffine.

Instruction on the festival of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Church on this day celebrates the commemoration of the day, ever memorable in the Book of Life, upon which the holy, angelically pure Virgin Mary received the glorious announcement that she was chosen to be the Mother of the Redeemer.

The Church in the INTROIT exclaims: All the rich among the people shall entreat thy countenance: after her shall virgins be brought to the King: her neighbors shall be brought to thee in gladness and rejoicing. (Ps. 44) My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my works to the King. Glory be to the Father, etc.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH O God, who wast pleased that Thy Word, at the message of an angel, should take flesh in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary: grant us Thy suppliants, that we who believe her to be truly the Mother of God may be assisted by her intercession with Thee. Through, etc.

GOSPEL (Luke 1:26-38) At that time, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And the Angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be.

And the Angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God: Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father: and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

And Mary said to the Angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the Angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.

Why does the Evangelist so minutely detail the announcement of the Incarnation?

That we may clearly impress upon our mind, believe in, and meditate upon the mystery of the Incarnation, upon which depends our eternal salvation.

Why was an angel sent to Mary?

To announce to her that it was God’s will that His divine Son, in order to redeem the human race by His sufferings and death, should take human nature from her, and because the human race, redeemed by Christ, was to occupy the place made vacant by the fallen angels.

Was the Incarnation necessary for our redemption?

Yes; for as God, Christ could not suffer; without an infinitely meritorious suffering a sufficient satisfaction could not have been rendered to God, had not the Son of God humiliated Himself before His heavenly Father, and suffered: this could only be effected by the Incarnation. This shows the enormity of sin, for which no man however pure, no, not even an angel, but only a God-Man could atone.

Why did God require Mary’s consent for the Incarnation of His Son?

To show us that God forces no one to good, much less to evil; that we might learn that our good intention and free assent are necessary even to good works, if we wish them to be meritorious. Venerable Bede says: that because of her consent God imparted to Mary all, even the greatest graces, greater than all creatures, angels as well as men, ever merited.

Why was Mary troubled at the angel’s message?

On account of her humility and modesty. She was so humble that she regarded herself as the least of all creatures, and could not comprehend how such an honor could be hers. She was so modest, and loved virginal purity so much that the presence of the angel and his message troubled her. From this all maidens should see that their loveliest adornments and most necessary virtues are modesty, humility and love of purity, which Mary so valued that she would not lose them even to become the Mother of God.

What is meant by the throne of David?

The kingdom of Christ, of which David’s government was a representation. (Ps. 131)

Why is David called the father of Christ?

Because Mary descended from the house of David, and, therefore, David according to nature was the forefather of Christ.

Who was the real father of Christ?

To answer this properly, we must observe that in Christ there are two natures, the divine and the human. According to His human nature He had indeed a mother, but no father, for Joseph was only His foster-father; according to His divine nature He had no mother, but only a father, the Heavenly Father.

How, then, was Christ conceived?

By the overshadowing and power of the Holy Ghost, who by His divine omnipotence effected the conception of Him whom Mary was to bring forth.

How should we be encouraged by the words: No word shall be impossible with God?

We should be encouraged to a great confidence in God, who can readily assist us in the most difficult circumstances, even when help seems impossible, and He will aid us, if it is beneficial, and if we ask Him. These words, moreover, admonish us to a firm faith which cannot be shaken by the most incomprehensible mystery in matters of faith.

Why does Mary call herself the handmaid of the Lord?

From humility, which next to her maidenly modesty was her most remarkable virtue, which causes St. Bernard to say: “By her purity she pleased God, and by her humility she conceived Him.”

Explanation of the “Hail Mary” or the Angelic Salutation

Why is the “Hail Mary” called the Angelic Salutation?

Because it commences with the words addressed to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel, when he brought her the message that she was to be the Mother of God.

Of what does the Hail Mary consist?

Of the words of the Archangel Gabriel; of St. Elizabeth’s salutation, when she was visited by Mary; and of words added by the Catholic Church.

What words did the angel say to Mary?

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women!”

What is meant by these words?

The word “Hail”, that is, “Salutation to thee!” “Peace with thee!” or, “Joy to thee!” expresses the reverence which the angel had for the Blessed Virgin, and which we should also cherish. The words: full of grace remind us that God bestowed more graces upon the Blessed “Virgin than upon all men and angels together.” We should for this reason always pray with confidence to her to obtain for us, by her powerful intercession, those graces which are most necessary for our salvation. By the words: the Lord is with thee, the angel intended to express, that the Lord was with this maiden not only in His reality, presence, and omnipotence as with all men, not only in His grace as with the just, but with the greatest and most extraordinary grace, love and familiarity.

St. Augustine observes: “The angel wished to say: The Lord is with thee more than with me; the Lord is with thee, so that He may be in thy heart, in thy body, may fill thy spirit, may fill thy flesh.” “Could God raise her higher!” St. Bernard here exclaims:

Ah, that the Lord might be with us also, and Mary by her intercession obtain graces for us! Finally, the words: Blessed art thou amongst women, mean: thou art the happiest of women, for thou of all thy sex art chosen to be the Mother of God, at the same time Mother and Maid.” 

How much is contained in the salutation which one of the highest spirits surrounding the throne of God, addressed to Mary, and how much it behooves us to love and daily salute Mary, our most tender Mother!

What were the words used by St. Elizabeth, and what is their signification?

Elizabeth repeated the words of the angel: Blessed art thou amongst women, adding “and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” which signified that Jesus should be glorified, because through Him God would bestow all spiritual and heavenly blessings upon us.

Which are the words added by the Church?

They are: “Jesus”, who is the fruit of her womb, by which she wishes us to offer this prayer to God in the name of Christ; and then she adds the invocation to Mary: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

What do these words mean?

When we say Holy Mary, we mean to express that Mary is God’s holy and wonderful work, Daughter of the Heavenly Father, Mother of the Son, and Bride of the Holy Ghost, and has all her sanctity, beauty, and that great veneration from the fruit of her womb, Jesus Christ. The glorious title of Mother of God is given her, because Mary bore not an ordinary man, but Jesus Christ who is both God and Man. Therefore from her was born the Son of God, the incarnate God, not a man who appeared like God, but God in flesh. She is, then, really and truly the Mother of God, our Lord’s Mother.

The Fathers who had assembled in the holy Council of Chalcedon, to refute Nestorius, who sought to deprive Mary of the title of Mother of God, called her “Holy Mary, Mother of God.” Of herself Mary is not holy, and cannot of herself help us, therefore we say: pray for us, by which we ask for her powerful intercession; and conscious of our poverty and sinfulness, call ourselves poor sinners, who turn to Mary, the Mother of mercy, because we feel ourselves too unworthy to pray to Christ Himself, and, therefore, entreat this loving mother to obtain for us amendment of life, remission of sin, consolation in affliction, remedy in sickness, assistance in need, increase of grace, preservation, perseverance, and the crown; and may Mary pray for us now and at the hour of our death.

Now, that is, while the divine mercy is given us, and especially in the hour of death, when the weapons for battle against the enemy fall from our hands, and the evil one tempts us the more violently, because he knows that his time is short, (Apoc. 12:12) in that hour on which depends our eternal welfare or grief. By the word Amen we affirm that we remain true venerators of the Virgin Mother of God, and at all times expect grace from God through her intercession. “Yes,” says St. Bernard, “let us venerate Mary as sincerely, heartily, and confidently as we can, for such is His will who desired that we should have all (salvation and redemption in Christ) through Mary.” The Son will assuredly hear the Mother, and the Father the Son. Let us, then, strive to rise by her to Him who by her came down to us!

Through thee, who hast found grace with God, Mother of life! Mother of salvation! we have access to the Son, who accepts us from thee, who was given us by thee—to Jesus Christ, eternally blessed.

On the “Angelus Domini,” the Angel of the Lord

Who introduced the angelic salutation into the Catholic Church?

Pope Urban II, who at the Council of Clermont, France, in 1095, ordered that the bells be rung every day in the morning, at noon, and in the evening, and that at each time the angelic salutation be repeated. His special intention was to obtain Mary’s protection for the Crusades of the 11th century, which had for their object the rescuing of the Holy Sepulcher from the hands of the infidels.

These wars are now ended, but the life of the whole Church, of every Christian, is a crusade against sin and temptation. We always need Mary’s protection; and, therefore, the custom of repeating the salutation is still retained in the Church. Formerly at the ringing of the Angelus, all the faithful fell on their knees, and even now pious Catholics do the same. St. Charles Borromeo, an archbishop, did not hesitate to kneel in the open street and repeat the angelic salutation.

Of what does the “Angelus Domini” consist?

It consists of three Hail Marys:

before the first is said: “The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived of the Holy Ghost”;

before the second: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word”;

before the third: “and the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.”

Why and how often is the “Angelus Domini” said?

It is said in order to remind us of Christ’s Incarnation and in thanks for it; to ask the Blessed Virgin’s maternal protection against all enemies visible and invisible; to recollect at least three times in the day, morning, noon and evening, like David, to give praise to God, and take a little time expressly for prayer, for which purpose the bells are rung three times a day.

How should we say the “Angelus Domini”?

With respect, that is, slowly and kneeling (except on Saturday evenings and Sundays, and during the time of Easter, when it is said standing); contritely, since Christ became man because of our sins; devoutly, that is, heart and lips should be in accord.

Salutation to Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace! I rejoice and congratulate thee, because thou wert chosen to be the Mother of the Most High and Queen of heaven and earth. With thee is the Father who from all eternity begot Him whom thou didst bear; with thee is the Son whom thou didst carry in thy virginal womb; with thee is the Holy Ghost, overshadowed by whose power thou didst become the Mother of God. Thou art blessed amongst women, thou art the joy of heaven and the ornament of the Church of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

St. Patrick

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Simple feast day celebrations take on a whole new meaning when they fall in Lent. Below are a few reflections and ideas to celebrate the feast of St. Patrick. (We are able to celebrate as a First Class feast vs. they typical commemoration since he is the patron saint of our diocese. But this year it doesn’t matter since his feast falls on a Sunday.)

SAINT PATRICK

Toward the close of the fourth century, the pagan Irish captured during a slave-hunting raid the Christian youth who would become St. Patrick. The lad was put to work in Ireland as a pigherd for six years. Then he escaped, but with the intention of returning to the land of his captivity as an apostle. The former pigherd was ordained to the priesthood, and in 432 was made a bishop. The Pope himself commissioned Patrick to carry the Faith to Ireland. In his apostolic travels St. Patrick covered the length and breathe of the island. He overcame heartbreaking difficulties and sorrows, because he made Christ his sole changeless friend and helper.

O God, You sent Your blessed confessor bishop Patrick to preach Your glory among the nations. May we fulfill all the duties commanded of us through his merits and intercession. Through Our Lord . . .
 

SAINT PATRICK

Pictorial Lives of the Saints

If the virtue of children reflects an honor on their parents, much more justly is the name of Saint Patrick rendered illustrious by the innumerable lights of sanctity with which the Church of Ireland shone during many ages, and by the colonies of Saints with which it peopled many foreign countries; for, under God, its inhabitants derived from their glorious apostle the streams of that eminent sanctity by which they were long conspicuous to the whole world. Saint Patrick was born towards the close of the fourth century, in a village called Bonaven Taberniae, which seems to be the town of Kilpatrick, on the mouth of the river Clyde, in Scotland, between Dumbarton and Glasgow. He calls himself both a Briton and a Roman, or of a mixed extraction, and says his father was of a good family named Calphurnius, and a denizen of a neighboring city of the Romans, who not long after abandoned Britain, in 409. Some writers call his mother Conchessa, and say she was niece to Saint Martin of Tours.

In his sixteenth year he was carried into captivity by certain barbarians who took him into Ireland, where he was obliged to keep cattle on the mountains and in the forests, in hunger and nakedness, amidst snows, rain, and ice. Whilst he lived in this suffering condition, God had pity on his soul, and quickened him to a sense of his duty by the impulse of a strong interior grace. The young man had recourse to Him with his whole heart in fervent prayer and fasting; and from that time faith and the love of God acquired continually new strength in his tender soul. After six months spent in slavery under the same master, Saint Patrick was admonished by God in a dream to return to his own country, and informed that a ship was then ready to sail thither. He went at once to the sea-coast, though at a great distance, and found the vessel; but could not obtain his passage, probably for want of money. The Saint returned towards his hut, praying as he went, but the sailors, though pagans, called him back, and took him on board. After three days’ sail they made land, but wandered twenty-seven days through deserts, and were a long while distressed for want of provisions, finding nothing to eat. Patrick had often spoken to the company on the infinite power of God, they therefore asked him why he did not pray for relief. Animated by a strong faith, he assured them that if they would address themselves with their whole hearts to the true God, He would hear and succor them. They did so, and on the same day met with a herd of swine. From that time provisions never failed them, till on the twenty-seventh day they came into a country that was cultivated and inhabited.

Some years afterward he was again led captive, but recovered his liberty after two months. When he was at home with his parents, God manifested to him, by divers visions, that He destined him to the great work of the conversion of Ireland. The writers of his life say that after his second captivity he travelled into Gaul and Italy, and saw Saint Martin, Saint Germanus of Auxerre, and Pope Celestine, and that he received his mission and the apostolical benediction from this Pope, who died in 432. It is certain that he spent many years in preparing himself for his sacred calling. Great opposition was made against his episcopal consecration and mission, both by his own relations and by the clergy. These made him great offers in order to detain him among them, and endeavored to affright him by exaggerating the dangers to which he exposed himself amidst the enemies of the Romans and Britons, who did not know God. All these temptations threw the Saint into great perplexities, but the Lord, whose will he consulted by earnest prayer, supported him, and he persevered in his resolution. He forsook his family, sold his birthright and dignity, to serve strangers, and consecrated his soul to God, to carry His name to the ends of the earth. In this disposition he passed into Ireland, to preach the Gospel, where the worship of idols still generally reigned. He devoted himself entirely to the salvation of these barbarians. He travelled over the whole island, penetrating into the remotest corners, and such was the fruit of his preachings and sufferings that he baptized an infinite number of people. He ordained everywhere clergymen, induced women to live in holy widowhood and continence, consecrated virgins to Christ, and instituted monks. He took nothing from the many thousands whom he baptized, and often gave back the little presents which some laid on the altar, choosing rather to mortify the fervent than to scandalize the weak or the infidels. He gave freely of his own, however, both to Pagans and Christians, distributed large alms to the poor in the provinces where he passed, made presents to the kings, judging that necessary for the progress of the Gospel, and maintained and educated many children, whom he trained up to serve at the altar. The happy success of his labors cost him many persecutions. A certain prince named Corotick, a Christian in name only, disturbed the peace of his flock. This tyrant, having made a descent into Ireland, plundered the country where Saint Patrick had been just conferring confirmation on a great number of neophytes, who were yet in their white garments after baptism. Corotick massacred many, and carried away others, whom he sold to the infidel Picts or Scots. The next day the Saint sent the barbarian a letter entreating him to restore the Christian captives, and at least part of the booty he had taken, that the poor people might not perish for want; but was only answered by railleries. The Saint, therefore, wrote with his own hand a letter. In it he styles himself a sinner and an ignorant man; he declares, nevertheless, that he is established bishop of Ireland, and pronounces Corotick and the other parricides and accomplices separated from him and from Jesus Christ, whose place he holds, forbidding any to eat with them, or to receive their alms, till they should have satisfied God by the tears of sincere penance, and restored the servants of Jesus Christ to their liberty. This letter expresses his most tender love for his flock, and his grief for those who had been slain, yet mingled with joy, because they reign with the prophets, apostles, and martyrs. Jocelin assures us that Corotick was overtaken by the divine vengeance.

Saint Patrick held several councils to settle the discipline of the Church which he had planted. Saint Bernard and the tradition of the country testify that Saint Patrick fixed his metropolitan see at Armagh. He established some other bishops, as appears by his Council and other monuments. He not only converted the whole country by his preaching and wonderful miracles, but also cultivated this vineyard with so fruitful a benediction and increase from heaven, as to render Ireland a most flourishing garden in the Church of God, and a country of Saints.

Many particulars are related of the labors of Saint Patrick, which we pass over. In the first year of his mission he attempted to preach Christ in the general assembly of the kings and states of all Ireland, held yearly at Tara, the residence of the chief king, styled the monarch of the whole island, and the principal seat of the Druids or priests, and their paganish rites. The son of Neill, the chief monarch, declared himself against the preacher; however, Patrick converted several, and, on his road to that place, the father of Saint Benignus, his immediate successor in the see of Armagh. He afterward converted and baptized the kings of Dublin and Munster, and the seven sons of the king of Connaught, with the greatest part of their subjects, and before his death almost the whole island. He founded a monastery at Armagh; another called Domnach-Padraig, or Patrick’s Church; also a third, named Sabhal-Padraig, and filled the country with churches and schools of piety and learning, the reputation of which, for the three succeeding centuries, drew many foreigners into Ireland. He died and was buried at Down, in Ulster. His body was found there in a church of his name in 1185, and translated to another part of the same church.

Ireland is the nursery whence Saint Patrick sent forth his missionaries and teachers. Glastonbury and Lindisfarne, Ripon and Malmesbury, bear testimony to the labors of Irish priests and bishops for the conversion of England. Iona is to this day the most venerated spot in Scotland. Columban, Fiacre, Gall, and many others evangelized the “rough places” of France and Switzerland. America and Australia, in modern times, owe their Christianity to the faith and zeal of the sons and daughters of Saint Patrick.

Reflection – By the instrumentality of Saint Patrick the faith is now as fresh in Ireland, even in this cold nineteenth century, as when it was first planted. Ask him to obtain for you the special grace of his children, to prefer the loss of every earthly good to the least compromise in matters of faith.

ST. PATRICK’S TEA

  • Holy Trinity Shamrocks – Green shamrock Rice Krispie treats and cucumber tea sandwiches cut with shamrock cookie cutter
  • St. Patrick’s Staff — Green chocolate dipped pretzel wands
  • Serpents – Gummy worms
  • Green fruit/veggie platter & kabobs
  • Lime Sparkling Water
  • Diffuse Lime, Grapefruit, and Bergamot — a great uplifting oils that radiate spring
  • St. Patrick printable activities (see links below)
  • View St. Patrick movie

St Patrick’s Breastplate

I bind unto myself today 
Through a might strength,
The invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness, 
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation. 

I bind unto myself today 
The strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,
The strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
The strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
The strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
I bind unto myself today
The strength of the love of the Cherubim
The obedience of angels,
The service of archangels,
The hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
The prayers of the patriarchs,
The preaching of the apostles,
The faith of confessors,
The innocence of virgins
The deeds of righteous men.
I bind unto myself today
The strength of heaven;
The light of the sun,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of the wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of the rock.
I bind unto myself today
God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
From the snares of the devil,
From the temptations of vices,
From the lusts of nature
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.
I summon today all these powers
Between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul;
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black law of pagandom,
Against the false laws of heretics,
Against the craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the fort, Christ in the chariot,
Christ in the captain’s deck of a ship,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I bind unto myself today
Through a mighty strength,
The invocation of the Trinity,
Though a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

RESOURCES:

St. Benedict

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[Commemoration]

SAINT BENEDICT

Abbot – March 21
Benedict was born in central Italy, about the year 480, when the civilized world was being overrun by pagan and heretical tribes. As a young man, he withdrew to the mountainous region of Subiaco to live there as a hermit. Soon many disciples followed him. Later, St. Benedict left Subiaco for Monte Cassino and founded on its summit a monastery that became the most famous in Europe. After having rescued Europe from the darkness and ignorance that followed the downfall of the Roman Empire, St. Benedict’s monks went out into the whole world to combat paganism with the light of Christ. They were the great civilizers, and their influence upon subsequent history is incalculable.
Even more importantly, the spirituality of Western Christianity has been shaped by the famous Rule Benedict devised for his monks. With this Rule, he provided a “school of the Lord’s service” which embraced a program of liturgical prayer, sacred study, and work, lived socially in community under one common father, with a noticeable emphasis on peace, moderation (especially as regards austerities), and charity towards all men.


Let the blessed Abbot Benedict intercede for us, O Lord. May his prayers win us Your help, since our own actions cannot merit it. Through Our Lord . . .

~~~

Girded with a faith, and the performance of good works, let us follow in Christ’s path by the guidance of the Gospel; then we shall deserve to see him “who has called us into his kingdom.” If we wish to attain a dwelling place in his kingdom, we shall not reach it unless we hasten there by our good deeds. Just as there exists an evil fervor, a bitter spirit, which divides us from God and leads us to hell, so there is a good fervor which sets us apart from evil inclinations and leads us toward God and eternal life. No one should follow what he considers to be good for himself, but rather what seems good for another. Let them put Christ before all else; and may he lead us all to everlasting life. ~from the Rule of Saint Benedict

~~~

Pictorial Lives of the Saints – Saint Benedict, Abbot

Saint Benedict, blessed by grace and in name, was born of a noble Italian family about 480. When a boy he was sent to Rome, and there placed in the public schools. Scared by the licentiousness of the Roman youth, he fled to the desert mountains of Subiaco, and was directed by the Holy Spirit into a cave, deep, craggy, and almost inaccessible. He lived there for three years, unknown to any one save the holy monk Romanus, who clothed him with the monastic habit and brought him food. But the fame of his sanctity soon gathered disciples round him. The rigor of his rule, however, drew on him the hatred of some of the monks, and one of them mixed poison with the abbot’s drink. But when the Saint made the sign of the cross on the poisoned bowl, it broke and fell in pieces to the ground. After he had built twelve monasteries at Subiaco, he removed to Monte Cassino, where he founded an abbey in which he wrote his rule, and lived until death. By prayer he did all things: wrought miracles, saw visions, and prophesied. A peasant, whose boy had just died, ran in anguish to Saint Benedict, crying out, “Give me back my son!” The monks joined the poor man in his entreaties; but the Saint replied, ” Such miracles are not for us to work, but for the blessed Apostles. Why will you lay upon me a burden which my weakness cannot bear? ” Moved at length by compassion he knelt down, and prostrating himself upon the body of the child prayed earnestly. Then rising, he cried out, ” Behold not, O Lord, my sins, but the faith of this man,- who desireth the life of his son, and restore to the body that soul which Thou hast taken away.” Hardly had he spoken when the child’s body began to tremble, and taking it by the hand he restored it alive to its father. Six days before his death he ordered his grave to be opened, and fell ill of a fever. On the sixth day he requested to be borne into the chapel, and, having received the Body and Blood of Christ, with hands uplifted, and leaning on one of his disciples, he calmly expired in prayer on the 21st of March, 543.

Reflection – The Saints never feared to undertake any work, however arduous, for God, because distrusting self they relied for assistance and support wholly upon prayer.

~~~

 

 

St. Benedict by LL – August 2017 Peg Doll Swap

RESOURCES:

SERMONS & AUDIO:

 

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St. Joseph’s Altar

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Ad te beate Joseph, in tribulatione nostra confugimus, atque, implorato Sponsae tuae sanctissimae auxilio, patrocinium quoque tuum fidenter exposcimus. (To thee, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation, and having implored the help of thy most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. )

2017 Parish St. Joseph Altar

SAINT JOSEPH

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Confessor

Patron of the Universal Church

March 19

Joseph, a member of the royal family of David, was leading the obscure life of a village carpenter when God chose him to be the spouse of the Blessed Virgin and the foster father of the Incarnate Word. Scripture tells us that Joseph was just, pure, gentle, prudent, and a lover of holy silence. Above all, this humble guardian of the Child Jesus was unfailingly obedient to the divine will.

Joseph is not mentioned after he and Mary lost the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple and, following three days of agonized search, found their boy discoursing divinely with the learned doctors of the Law. The great task of the foster father of Christ must have been finished before the marriage feast at Cana and the beginning of the Savior’s public ministry. Untold millions have since then invoked St. Joseph as the patron of a happy death.

 

It is a salutary practice and very praiseworthy, already established in some countries, to consecrate the month of March to the honour of the holy Patriarch by daily exercises of piety. Where this custom cannot be easily established, it is as least desirable, that before the feast-day, in the principal church of each parish, a triduo of prayer be celebrated. In those lands where the 19th of March – the Feast of St. Joseph – is not a Festival of Obligation, We exhort the faithful to sanctify it as far as possible by private pious practices, in honour of their heavenly patron, as though it were a day of Obligation. ~Pope Leo XIII

2017 Home St. Joseph’s Altar

Viva la Tavola di San Giuseppe!

Long live the table of St. Joseph!

2018 Tavola di San Giuseppe

The importance of this day in Catholic tradition extends throughout the world, but one related custom, in particular, originated on the island of Sicily: St. Joseph’s Table.

The origins of St. Joseph’s Table can be traced to the Middle Ages. 

According to one tradition, during a famine brought on by a severe drought, starving villagers — many of them farmers — prayed to St. Joseph, asking for his intercession. St. Joseph helped them to survive by eating the fava bean. It was the only crop that would grow in such harsh conditions. So bountiful the crop became that the famine ended.

To offer their thanks the people prepared a special feast, inviting the poor and less fortunate among them to share in the meal. The feast of St. Joseph’s Table has been celebrated ever since.

The St. Joseph’s table itself — also known as an “altar” — is traditionally comprised of three ascending tables, or “steps,” representing both the Holy Trinity and the ascent from earth to heaven. At the center of the last and highest table is a statue of St. Joseph or a picture of the Holy Family.

Palms and lily plants typically adorn each of the tables. Vigil candles, usually green, brown and dark yellow, accompany the flowers, representing the colors of St. Joseph. Breads are formed and baked into the shapes of various Catholic symbols, such as a St. Joseph’s staff and various carpentry tools, a chalice, cross, monstrance, dove, lamb, fish or heart. Some of these elaborate breads are not eaten as part of the meal, but later given to the poor. Bottles of wine are also placed upon the altar, as well as assorted fruits such as grapes and lemons.

The various culinary treats that form the meal are each blessed by a priest; thus the food is never to be thrown away or wasted. Because the feast of St. Joseph falls during the Lenten season, meat is not a part of the meal.

The main course is a pasta dish containing sardines, tomatoes and fresh fennel, and sprinkled with breadcrumbs to represent the sawdust of a carpenter. There are several names for this dish, but it is often called pasta con sarde, pasta con mudrica orpasta Milanese. Various soups made of lentils and vegetable dishes such as stuffed artichokes, broccoli and fennel, as well as the all-important fava bean, which is often served roasted and lightly salted, accompany the pasta.

As with all things Sicilian, the meal is followed by a tasty assortment of desserts: various cookies, zeppole and the famous St. Joseph sfinge, which is a round cream puff filled with ricotta cheese or cream and adorned with candied fruits. The food that remains is given to the poor, along with any money that guests may have contributed.

St. Joseph peg dolls made especially for our St. Joseph, Dad.

 

2017 Home St. Joseph’s Altar – embellished by children by the end of the day.

 

2016 Parish St. Joseph Altar

 

 

RESOURCES:

SERMONS:

PRAYERS TO ST. JOSEPH

This is a prayer that is offered as part of our Thanksgiving after every Mass at my Parish, started by the FSSP Superior General, Fr. Berg.

Prayer to St. Joseph

by Pope St. Pius X.

Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance in expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously by placing love of duty above my inclinations; to gratefully and joyously deem it an honor to employ and to develop by labor the gifts I have received from God, to work methodically, peacefully, and in moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from it through weariness or difficulty to work; above all, with purity of intention and unselfishness, having unceasingly before my eyes death and the account I have to render of time lost, talents unused, good not done, and vain complacency in success, so baneful to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate thee, O patriarch St. Joseph! This shall be my motto for life and eternity.

 

To Thee, O Blessed Joseph

by Pope Leo XIII 

To thee, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation, and having implored the help of thy most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. Through that charity which bound thee to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which thou embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg thee to graciously regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with thy power and strength to aid us in our necessities.

O most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be propitious to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness; and, as once thou rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by thy constant protection, so that, supported by thy example and thy aid, we may be able to live piously, to die holy, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.

 

Prayer to St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church

by Pope Leo XIII 

Most powerful patriarch St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, which has always invoked thee in anxiety and trouble, from the exalted seat of thy glory cast a loving glance upon the whole Catholic world. Let thy fatherly heart be touched at the sight of the mystical spouse and the Vicar of Christ overwhelmed with sorrow and persecuted by powerful enemies.

Oh! by the bitter anguish thou didst experience upon earth, dry the tears of the venerable Pontiff, defend him, liberate him, intercede for him with the Giver of peace and charity, that, all adversity being removed, and all error dissipated, the entire Church may serve God in perfect liberty: Ut destructis adversitatibus et erroribus universis Ecclesia secura Deo serviat libertate. Amen.

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