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Wednesday of the Second Week after the Octave of Easter


Litany of the Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys
 of Saint Joseph

Antiphon: The just shall spring as the lily, and shall flourish forever before the Lord. The Lord loved him and adorned him: He clothed him with a robe of glory.

V. My truth and My mercy are with him.
 R. In My Name his horn shall be exalted.

Jesus, for love of Thy foster-father, hear us.
 Jesus, graciously hear us.

 When we are burdened with sorrows, and need the grace of supernatural strength of soul,

 St. Joseph, intercede for us.


 When we are filled with joy, that we may give the honor and glory of it to Jesus,

 St. Joseph, intercede for us.


 In memory of the anguish of thy heart, when minded to put away thy spouse; and of thy unspeakable joy when the archangel revealed to thee the Mystery of the Incarnation,

 St. Joseph, pray for us.


 In memory of thy grief in seeing Jesus born in abject poverty; and thy bliss on beholding the singing angels, and the glory of that holy night,

 St. Joseph, pray for us.


 In memory of thy sorrow at the Precious Blood of the Circuмcision; of thy consolation upon hearing Him called Jesus,

 St. Joseph, pray for us.


 In memory of thy agony when listening to Simeon's prophecy of the coming woes of Jesus and Mary; of thy joy when Simeon foretold salvation to innumerable souls in ages yet unborn,

 St. Joseph, pray for us.


 In memory of thy anxiety to nurture and serve Jesus, especially in the flight into Egypt; of thy joy in having God with thee and in seeing Egypt's idols fall,

 St. Joseph, pray for us.


 In memory of thy fear of the tyrant when returning from Egypt; and of thy joy and comfort at Nazareth in the sweet company of Jesus and Mary,

 St. Joseph, pray for us.


 In memory of thy great sorrow on losing Jesus, through no fault of thine, for three long days; of thy joy on once more finding Him, when He was in the temple preaching to the doctors,

 St. Joseph, pray for us.


V. Go to Joseph,
 R. And do all that he shall say to you.

 V. Pray for us, blessed Joseph.
 R. That we may be made worthy, of the promises of Christ.


Let us pray:

O God, Who in Thine unspeakable providence didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph for Thy most holy Mother's spouse: grant, we beseech Thee, that, recalling the joys and sorrows of his earthly life and revering him now as our protector upon earth, we may become worthy to have him as our intercessor in heaven. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

Chapter Hymn Verse {from the Proper of the season}
Gen 49:26
The blessings of thy father are strengthened with the blessings of his fathers: until the desire of the everlasting hills should come; may they be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brethren
R. Thanks be to God.

Hymn
Joseph, the praise and glory of the heavens,
Sure pledge of life, and safety of the wide world,
As in our joy we sing to thee, in kindness
List to our praises.

Thou by the world's Creator wert appointed
Spouse of the Virgin: thee he willed to honour
Naming thee father of the Word, and guardian
Of our salvation.

Thou thy Redeemer, lying in a stable,
Whom long ago foretold the choir of prophets,
Sawest rejoicing, and thy God adoredst
Humble in childhood.

God, King of kings, and Governor of the ages,
He at whose word the powers of hell do tremble,
He whom the adoring heavens ever worship
Called the protector.

Grant us, great Trinity, for Joseph's holy sake,
In highest bliss and love, above the stars to reign,
That we in joy with him may praise our loving God,
And sing our glad eternal strain. Amen

V. Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation, alleluia
R. And thy right hand hath holden me up, alleluia

Excellent pictures for meditation Magdalena, as always.

PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH BEFORE MASS    

O BLESSED Joseph, happy man, to whom it was given not only to see and to hear that God Whom many kings longed to see, and saw not, to hear, and heard not; but also to carry Him in your arms, to embrace Him, to clothe Him, and guard and defend Him.
V. Pray for us, O Blessed Joseph.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ
O GOD, Who has given us a royal priesthood, we beseech Thee, that as Blessed Joseph was found worthy to touch with his hands, and to bear in his arms, Thy only-begotten Son, born of the Virgin Mary, so may we be made fit, by cleanness of heart and blamelessness of life, to minister at Thy holy altar; may we, this day, with reverent devotion partake of the Sacred Body and Blood of Thy Only-begotten Son, and may we in the world to come be accounted worthy of receiving an ever-lasting reward. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH AFTER MASS

GUARDIAN of virgins and father, Saint Joseph, to whose faithful custody Innocence itself, Christ Jesus, and Mary, Virgin of virgins, was committed; I pray and beseech thee by each of these dear pledges, Jesus and Mary, that, being preserved from all uncleanness, I may with spotless mind, pure heart, and a chaste body, ever serve Jesus and Mary most chastely all the days of my life. Amen

Thank you for the beautiful prayers, PerEvangelicaDicta.

Hymn: Te, Joseph, celebrent

O Joseph, heavenly hosts thy worthiness proclaim,
And Christendom conspires to celebrate thy fame,
Thou who in purest bonds wert to the Virgin bound;
How glorious is thy name renowned.

Thou, when thou didst behold thy Spouse about to bear,
Wert sore oppressed with doubt, wert filled with wondering care;
At length the Angel's word thy anxious heart relieved:
She by the spirit hath conceived.

Thou with thy newborn Lord didst seek far Egypt's land,
As wandering pilgrims ye fled o'er the desert sand;
That Lord, when lost, by thee is in the Temple found,
While tears are shed, and joys abound.

Not till death's hour is past do other men obtain
The meed of holiness, and glorious rest attain;
Thou, like to Angels made, in life completely blest,
Dost clasp thy God unto thy breast.

O Holy Trinity, Thy suppliant servants spare;
Grant us to rise to heaven for Joseph's sake and prayer,
And so our grateful hearts to Thee shall ever raise
Exulting canticles of praise. Amen

From the Sermons of St Bernardine of Siena.
1st of St Joseph.)
 
When any special favours are conferred upon a reasonable being, it is the common rule that whenever the grace of God electeth such and such an one for such and such a grace, or for such and such an high post of duty, the person so elected receiveth all the gifts of grace which be needful for him in that state of life whereunto he is called, and receiveth them abundantly. Of this there is an excellent instance in the case of the holy Joseph, the socalled father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the real husband of her, who is Queen of the world, and Lady of Angels. He had been elected by the Eternal Father to be the faithful nurse and warder of His two chief treasures, that is, His Son, and Joseph's own Wife. This duty Joseph faithfully discharged, and consequently the Lord hath said to him: Well done, thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Matth. xxv. 21

This man Joseph, if we compare him with the Universal Church of Christ, is he not that elect and chosen one, through whom, and under whom, Christ is orderly and honestly brought into the world? If, then, the Holy Universal Church be under a debt to the Virgin Mother, because it is through her that she hath been made to receive Christ, next to Mary she oweth love and worship to Joseph. Joseph is the key of the (Church of the Saints) which were under the Old Testament, in whose person the noble structure of Patriarchs and Prophets reacheth her completion and realiseth her promises. He is the only one of them who actually enjoyed in full fruition what God had been pleased to promise before to them. It is, therefore, with good reason that we see a type of him in that Patriarch Joseph who stored up corn for the people. But the second Joseph hath a more excellent dignity than the first, seeing that the first only gave to the Egyptians bread for the body, but the second was the watchful guardian for all the elect of that Living Bread Which came down from heaven, of Which whosoever eateth will never die.


There can be no doubt that Christ still treateth Joseph in heaven with that familiarity, honour, and most high condescension which He paid him, like a Son to a father, while He walked among men; nay, rather, that He hath now crowned and completed those habits. We may very reasonably suspect that it was with a peculiar meaning that Christ said (to him) Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. The joy of being blessed for ever entereth into the heart of man, but when the Lord said (to Joseph), Enter thou into joy, He probably meant mystically to bid him realise a joy which should not be within him only, but outside him also, above him, and below him, and all round about him, and overflowing him as it were a great bottomless pit of joy to swallow him up altogether. Therefore, O thou blessed Joseph! remember us! In thy helpful prayers, make intercession for us with Him Who vouchsafed to be supposed thy Son! Likewise, obtain some pity for us from that most blessed Maiden who was thy wife, and the Mother of Him, Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.