Video

On March 19, we will celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, who was “called to be the Guardian of the Redeemer (…).and whom God put in charge with the care of His most precious treasures.

In preparation for this Feast, we will pray a 30-day prayer to St. Joseph, in honor of the thirty years St. Joseph lived with Jesus and Mary on Earth.

We will publish daily through this means a series of meditations on the litanies of St. Joseph so that we can grow in the love of Jesus and Mary Most Holy through the knowledge of his life.

The litanies of St. Joseph were approved by Pope Pius X in 1909. Through this litany we can learn about the virtues and wonders of St. Joseph.

May Mary Most Holy and St. Joseph intercede before Our Lord Jesus Christ so that we all may enjoy a day of eternal happiness.

Some may ask, why should we ask the saints to intercede for us before God, if Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and men? Since scripture says 'There is only one God, and only one Mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus' (1 Tim. 2, 5; Hebr. 8, 6 and 9, 11-14).

The saints do not prevent us from directing ourselves straight to Jesus Christ, God the Father or the Holy Spirit. The saints do not take us away from God; but with their examples of Christian faith encourage us to approach God with the sole mediation of Jesus Christ.

Now, when the Catholic Church says that the saints are our intercessors before Jesus Christ, that does not mean that they are the ones who work miracles. It is always God the Father, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit, who work wonders among us, although it may be that miracles are done ‘by the intercession’ of these saints.

We see the example of Mary at the wedding in Cana. It is Mary the Mother of Jesus who discreetly invites her Son to perform a miracle by saying: "They do not have wine." And Jesus makes her understand that the time to perform signs has not yet come. However, through the intercession of his Mother, Mary, Jesus brings about his first miracle (Jn. 2, 1-12). In this way we understand the biblical sense of the intercession of the saints.[1]

Saint Thomas Aquinas, in the Suma Theologica says: prayers offered for others proceed from charity, as stated above (Articles 7 and 8), the greater the charity of the saints in heaven, the more they pray for wayfarers, since the latter can be helped by prayers: and the more closely they are united to God, the more are their prayers efficacious: for the Divine order is such that lower beings receive an overflow of the excellence of the higher, even as the air receives the brightness of the sun. Wherefore it is said of Christ (Hebrews 7:25): "Going to God by His own power . . . to make intercession for us" [Vulgate: 'He is able to save for ever them that come to God by Him, always living to make intercession for us.']. Hence Jerome says (Cont. Vigilant. 6): "If the apostles and martyrs while yet in the body and having to be solicitous for themselves, can pray for others, how much more now that they have the crown of victory and triumph."

Saint Joseph, pray for us

---------------

[1] Rev. Miguel Angel Fuentes, Theological Response, Is the veneration of images and the cult of Saints licit?

Mediation: Day 2 - "God the Father Almighty"

In the Gospel of St. Matthew we find these words that define the First person of the Holy Trinity: You have but one Father in Heaven (Mt 23:9)

Our Lord Jesus Christ spent his life on earth speaking of God the Father as provident (Mt 6:32), who forgives, listens, blesses, gives generously, a Father in whom we abandon everything to...

St. Joseph was called by God to serve the person and mission of Jesus directly through the exercise of his fatherhood. It is precisely in this way that, as the Church's Liturgy teaches, he "cooperated in the fullness of time in the great mystery of salvation" and is truly a "minister of salvation."[1] His fatherhood is expressed concretely "in his having made his life a service, a sacrifice to the mystery of the Incarnation and to the redemptive mission connected with it; in having used the legal authority which was his over the Holy Family in order to make a total gift of self, of his life and work.[2]”[3]

We can ask ourselves: Do we trust God as a Father to us?

Are we sure He will give us what we need to live every day?

Let us look at Joseph as an example of fatherhood and ask him for the grace to carry out the role of parenthood in the Family.

------------------

[1] St. John Chrysostom, In Matth, Hom. V,3 PG57- 58 in Spanish Edition

[2] Paul VI, Allocution (March 19th 1966): Insegnamenti, IV (1966), p. 110 in Spanish Edition

[3] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, August 15th 1989, n. 8 in Spanish Edition

Meditation of Day 3 - “God the Son, Redeemer of the World”

The center of our life must be Jesus Christ, true God and true man, who unites both natures in His one, unique, divine person; for in truth we profess that the Word became flesh (Jn 1:14), and He is the one mediator between God and men (1 Tm 2:5), and that He is the only one who has the words of eternal life[1].[2]

esus Christ is the way to go to the Father and no one goes to the Father except through Him. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” (Acts 4, 12). [4]

“God was never so close to man and man was never as close to God as precisely at that moment: at the moment of the mystery of the Incarnation.[5]"[6]

We can see that Saint Joseph is together with Mary, the first depository of this mystery. He participates in this culminating phase of God's self-revelation in Christ with Mary and also in relation to Mary, and participates from the first moment. [7]

How do we live the Mystery of the Incarnation?

Is Jesus Christ the center of our lives?

Do we feel close to God, just as Mary and Joseph were?

May we grow in union with our Lord Jesus Christ through St. Joseph?

----------

[1] Cf. Jn 6:68

[2] Constitutions, 12

[3] Cf. Jn 15:5

[4] Constitutions, 12

[5] John Paul II, Sunday Address (September 6, 1981) 1; or (September 13, 1981) p.1 in Spanish Edition

[6] Constitutions, 40 [7] Cf.St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, August 15 1989, n.5

Meditation of Day 4 - "God the Holy Spirit"

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says in number 687: "No one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." (1 Co 2:11). Now God's Spirit, who reveals God, makes known to us Christ, his Word, his living Utterance, but the Spirit does not speak of himself. The Spirit who "has spoken through the prophets" makes us hear the Father's Word, but we do not hear the Spirit himself. We know him only in the movement by which he reveals the Word to us and disposes us to welcome him in faith. The Spirit of truth who "unveils" Christ to us "will not speak on his own." (John 16: 13). Such properly divine self-effacement explains why "the world cannot receive [him], because it neither sees him nor knows him," while those who believe in Christ know the Spirit because he dwells with them. (John 14: 17).

We can read in chapter 1 of the Gospel of St. Matthew when the Angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream and says: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to receive Mary, as your wife, because it is through the Holy Spirit that she has conceived.”(Cf. Mt, 1:20) Upon waking up, Joseph did what the Angel of the Lord had commanded him. (Mt 1:24) Without hesitation he puts into action what GOD asked him in each circumstance.

In our life also the Holy Spirit is the one who works in us His will and doing so according to his design of love (Cf. Phil 2:13), because the Spirit that God has given us is not a spirit of fear, but of strength, love and self-control. (2 Tim 1:7)

We ask on this day the grace, to act according to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.

Meditation on Day 5 - "Holy Trinity one God"

“Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment by anyone. For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ” [1]

It will not be out of place to consider the ancient tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church, which was revealed by the Lord, proclaimed by the apostles and guarded by the fathers. For upon this faith the Church is built, and if anyone were to lapse from it, he would no longer be a Christian either in fact or in name. [2]

We acknowledge the Trinity, holy and perfect, to consist of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (…)Accordingly, in the Church, one God is preached, one God who is above all things and through all things and in all things. God is above all things as Father, for he is principle and source; he is through all things through the Word; and he is in all things in the Holy Spirit. (…) [3]

For grace and the gift of the Trinity are given by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Just as grace is given from the Father through the Son, so there could be no communication of the gift to us except in the Holy Spirit, but when we share in the Spirit, we possess the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Spirit himself. [4]

We can never understand nor know everything about God, since "God would not be God if we He would be understood." [5] said St. Augustine.

We can reflect: Do I put the means to deepen my knowledge of the Catholic faith?

Do I remain indifferent and ignorant of the truths of the catechism to avoid compromising or changing my life?

Do I bear witness to my Catholic faith at work, school, university, home or do I simply remain silent to avoid being rejected?

May St. Joseph grant us the grace to have strength to be able to bear witness to God in every place where I am when circumstances arise, despite having to be rejected.

----------------------

[1] From the first letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, the great mystery of the plans of God, 1 Cor 2:14. From the First Letter of the Divine Office for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

[2] From the Letters of St. Athanasius, Bishop, Letter 1 to Seraphion 28-30 pg.26, 584- 595, 599 (in Spanish Edition), Divine Office of the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

[3] Ibidem

[4] Ibidem

[5] St. Augustine, Sermon 52, 6, 16 PLXXXVIII, 360 Citation from Fr.Buela in the book Servidoras Volume III “God is where you least expect to find Him.” pg162, edition 2010

Meditation of Day 6 - "Mary Most Holy"

God's pronouncement of the enmity between the Woman and Satan at the beginning of time is very clear: He himself creates enmity that is irreducible. It is not an enmity, by ignorance or some misunderstanding, but it is unique ... formal enmity between Satan and the Woman, between the offspring of Satan and the offspring of the Woman. It is an enmity created by God himself: I will put enmity - he said to the serpent, I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers (Gn 3,15). This proclamation of God is known as the Protogospel. It is fulfilled the moment the Angel Gabriel presents himself to the Blessed Virgin in Nazareth: there he announces from God that she was chosen to be the Mother of the Son of the Most High God, of the Word. There the Blessed Virgin accepts that mission and, by accepting that mission, she becomes the Woman who opposes Satan, and not only Satan, but those who are like him. She accepts, freely in faith, the mission that God had entrusted to her, absolutely unique, unique to give flesh and blood to the second person of the Holy Trinity, to Him who is God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Accordingly, there in Nazareth, there is a real, total, irreversible opposition: It is the Woman who crushes the serpent’s head, it is the Woman who has in herself a radical enmity with Satan and with his descendants. ” [1]

The Virgin Mary is our Mother, because before dying on the cross Jesus said to his Mother: Woman, behold your son (Jn 19:26) turning to John who represented all of us, and Jesus said: son, Behold your Mother (Jn 19:27).

Mary intercedes for us before Jesus and defends us from Satan.

We can repeat as Saint John Paul II who had great devotion to Mary Most Holy: Totus Tuus Maria! I am all yours Mary!

Saint Joseph will increase in us love and devotion to Mary Most Holy.

Let us then ask him for the grace to go to Mary in order to become all for Jesus.

--------------------

[1] Las Servidoras Volume III, EDIVI 2010 Rome, pg. 65

Meditation of Day 7 - "Saint Joseph"

Since the first centuries, the Fathers of the Church, taking inspiration from the Gospel, have stressed that St. Joseph, by his loving care for Mary and by dedicating himself with joyful commitment to the formation of Jesus Christ [1], also guards and protects the mystical body, the Church, of which the Holy Virgin is figure and model.” [2]

St. Joseph in a special way was chosen by God to be the adoptive father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and thus participates in the sacrosanct Mystery of the Incarnation, the mystery of the Word made flesh within the Blessed Virgin Mary [3]. He participated in this mystery like no other person, except for Mary, the Mother of the Incarnate Word [4].

Truly, the dignity of the Mother of God reaches so high that nothing can be more sublime. Also, between the Blessed Virgin and Joseph a conjugal bond tightened. There is no doubt that the highest dignity, of the Mother of God far exceeds all creatures. Therefore, St. Joseph came closer than any other (...) he imposes himself among all by his great dignity, since by divine disposition he was custodian and, in the belief of men, father of the Son of God. It followed that the Word of God submitted to Joseph, obeyed him and gave him that honor and reverence that children owe their parents.

It may be that many of us have heard very little about devotion to St. Joseph.

Saint Teresa of Jesus explains: "Take the glorious Saint Joseph as sovereign and master and entrust much to him ... I have received more good from him than I even knew how to ask." [5]

Let us ask for this grace to be able to grow in knowledge of our Holy Patriarch, St. Joseph.

----------------------

[1] St. Iranaeus, Adversus haereses, IV, 23, 1:S. Ch100/ 2,692- 294

[2] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, Redemptoris Custos, August 15th, 1989, n.1

[3] Directory of Spirituality, 36

[4] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, Redemptoris Custos, August 15th, 1989, n.1

[5] St. Teresa of Jesus, Autobiography, c.6, n.6

Meditation on Day 8 - "Renowned offspring of David"

In the Gospel of St. Matthew, he says "Joseph, Son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:20-21)… The Evangelist Matthew explains the significance of this moment while also describing how Joseph lived it. However, in order to fully understand both its content and context, it is important to keep in mind the parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke.[1]

“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. (LK 1:26-27).”

In reference to the offspring of Joseph, who came from David's house, a Christian tradition has maintained that Mary was also of the same race. This was thought by St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus and St. Justin. The grammatical construction, in fact, can be understood as much of Joseph, as is generally done, as of Mary herself, reading in this case: "a virgin of the house of David, married to a man named Joseph." This would agree with what St. Paul says in Rom 1:3, that Jesus is a descendant of David "according to the flesh," which fits more closely if one understands Mary. As Joseph was a true adoptive father, he legally made Jesus belong to his own house, which was David's; therefore, Mary’s lineage to that ancestry is freely discussed. ”[2] Thank you and God Bless!

----------

[1] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, August 15, 1989, n.2

[2] Rev. Miguel Angel Fuentes, IVE, Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke, 2015, pg.24

Meditation Day 9 - "Chaste Guardian of the Virgin"

Saint Joseph was chosen among all men, to be the protector and guardian of the Virgin Mother of God; the defender and adoptive father of the Child Jesus.

I will divide this meditation into two points: the virginity of Mary and the protection St. Joseph gave to Mary.

1. The Virginity of Mary In the Gospel of St. Luke, Mary is spoken of as "a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph" (Lk 1:27).

We know few details about Mary. It is said that she was a virgin, that she was full of grace and that she was betrothed. [1]

At the time of the Annunciation, Mary was betrothed. Saint Matthew adds that they still did not live together, that is, in the same house (...) The Jews made a distinction between betrothal and marriage; one took place one year before the other. In general, girls were married between 12 and 13 years old and young men between 18 and 24. A year later, there was a celebration of the marriage, in which a procession (consisting of the Grooms Friends) solemnly took the Bride to the Groom’s home.

Saint Luke says that Mary was (parthénos) a virgin. In itself, the expression simply indicates the status of the person at the time it is described, without reference to their future. The question that the girl addresses to the angel, ("How can this be since I have no relations with man?") expresses, on one hand, that She knows well how children are brought in to the world, and, on the other hand, that she does not have future intention to carry out any marital practice. In effect, the angel announces a future and not past conception; he says, "You will conceive ... you will give birth ..." and not "you have conceived." He does not tell her, therefore, that she is already pregnant. It was obvious, then, that a betrothed young woman, although a virgin, if she intended to live an ordinary conjugal life, understood that such an announcement would come true in due time and in the normal ways of the “knowledge” between a woman and her husband. Her question, then, does not reveal an exaggerated innocence but a weighted and definitive intention of not knowing men. She was, then, a virgin with the intention of remaining such for life. And although this was not very common in Israel, there is no lack, of testimonies of the practice of perpetual virginity among some groups of that time, such as, for example, the Essenes. John the Baptist himself will not marry, nor will Jesus.

This being the case, it is inadmissible that Joseph ignore his Bride’s resolution, because of justice and to give reason for the determination with which Mary responds to the angel, it is to be assumed that the young husband was aware of Mary's dispositions and that he would have accepted it, having determined, to also live virginally. ” [2]

2. Custody of Saint Joseph to the Virgin In reference to the guardianship of St. Joseph to Mary, we see her throughout the Gospel.

Let us look at the example given to us in the Gospel of St. Matthew 1:19 when "Joseph, her husband, who was just and did not want to give her away, intended to divorce her quietly."

“Mary, not having manifested to her husband the appearance of the Angel or the wonderful conception by the Holy Spirit, put St. Joseph in a tremendous test of faith.

Legally St. Joseph had two solutions:

1) Accusing Mary before the courts, which according to the law of Moses, would have condemned her to death, as Lev 20:10 says “the man who commits adultery with the wife of another, with the wife of his neighbor, both will be irretrievably dead, both the adulteress and the adulterer ”, Dt 22:22-24, Jn 8:2.

2) Give him a libel of repudiation that is to say of divorce, allowed by law for such cases. Yet, not doubting even a moment the sanctity of Mary, the patriarch decided to leave her secretly so as not to inflict her, until Heaven intervened, clarifying the mystery,[3] “an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, it is through the Holy Spirit that she has conceived” (Mt 1:20).

In this event, we can see the care and respect that St. Joseph showed to Mary.

Our Lord tells us: "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God." (Mt 5:8)

St Joseph, Chaste Guardian of the Virgin Pray for us

----------------

[1] Rev. Fr. Miguel Angel Fuentes, Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke, pg. 22

[2] ibidem

[3] Msgr. Dr. Juan Straubinger, The Holy Bible, Mt1:19 Footnote, 2007, pg. 18

Meditation on Day 10 - "Foster Father of the Son of God"

Pope Saint John Paul II in his Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, speaks of the paternity of St. Joseph [1] : Joseph's marriage to Mary is the juridical basis of his fatherhood. It was to assure fatherly protection for Jesus that God chose Joseph to be Mary's spouse. It follows that Joseph's fatherhood - a relationship that places him as close as possible to Christ, to whom every election and predestination is ordered (cf. Rm 8:28-29) - comes to pass through marriage to Mary, that is, through the family.

While clearly affirming that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that virginity remained intact in the marriage (cf. Mt 1:18-25; Lk 1:26-38), the evangelists refer to Joseph as Mary's husband and to Mary as his wife (cf. Mt 1:16, 18-20, 24; Lk 1:27; 2:5).

Moreover, while it is important for the Church to profess the virginal conception of Jesus, it is no less important to uphold Mary's marriage to Joseph, because juridically Joseph's fatherhood depends on it. Thus, one understands why the generations are listed according to the genealogy of Joseph: St. Augustine asks, "why should they not be according to Joseph? Was he not Mary's husband?... Scripture states, through the authority of an angel, that he was her husband. Do not fear, says the angel, to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Spirit. St. Joseph was told to name the child, although he was not born from his seed. She will bear a son, the angel says, and you will call him Jesus. Scripture recognizes that Jesus is not born of Joseph's seed, since in his concern about the origin of Mary's pregnancy, Joseph is told that it is of the Holy Spirit. Nonetheless, he is not deprived of his fatherly authority from the moment that he is told to name the child. Finally, even the Virgin Mary, well aware that she has not conceived Christ as a result of conjugal relations with Joseph, still calls him Christ's father." [2]

St. Joseph, we beseech your intercession on behalf of all parents, especially those who are suffering to see you as the example to fatherhood.

St. Joseph, Foster Father of the Son of God

Pray for us!

-----------------

[1] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, August 15th, 1989, n.7

[2] St. Augustin, Sermon 51, 10, 16: PL 38, 342

Meditation of Day 11 - "Diligent protector of Christ"

We read in the Gospel of St. Matthew that after the Magi left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt (cf. Mt 2:13); and to stay there until God told him, because Herod was looking for the Child Jesus to kill him.

"To Joseph; the head of the Holy Family, the Angel addresses a message in the name of God. Take the Child and his mother: this is a meaningful expression, which highlights the virgin motherhood of Mary.

Fleeing, He makes an escape. The prophecy of the elder Simeon begins to be fulfilled: Jesus is the target of contradiction and persecution. God does not perform a miracle, as he could easily do. The cross was to mark all the steps of the Redeemer in his earthly life.

The road to Egypt had to be long and laborious. God wanted Joseph to be entirely led by Divine Providence. Joseph's fatherly heart was anxious by the desire of Herod to kill his child, stimulating his diligence and hastening his preparations for the trip. [1]

With this meditation, we can see how St. Joseph protected and defended the Holy Family.

We can reflect by asking ourselves, if we have the same disposition to protect our children and to keep them from what may harm them, especially sin.

Are we aware of the importance of caring for our children's souls for salvation?

Do we help to form an upright conscience in them to know what is wrong and what is wrong?

We ask for the grace to imitate St. Joseph in the protection he had for Jesus by the way that we care for our own children.

-----------------

[1] Fr. Jose M. Bover SJ The Gospel of St. Matthew, Balmes Editorial, Barcelona 1946, pg. 59- 60

Meditation Day 12 - "Head of the Holy Family"

Analyzing the nature of marriage, both St. Augustine and Saint Thomas place marriage as the “indivisible spiritual union," as the "union of hearts," as "consent,"[1] highlighting elements in marriage that manifest themselves in an exemplary manner. At the culminating moment in the history of salvation, when God reveals his love for humanity through the gift of the Word, it is precisely the marriage of Mary and Joseph which realizes in full "freedom" the "gift of his Bride" by welcoming and expressing such love.[2] “In this great work of renewal of all things in Christ, marriage, purified and renewed, becomes a new reality, a sacrament of the new Covenant. And behold, on the threshold of the New Testament, as already at the beginning of the Old, there is a couple. While the union of Adam and Eve had been the source of the evil that has flooded the world, that of Joseph and Mary constitutes the summit, through which holiness is spread throughout the earth. The Savior has begun the work of salvation with this virginal and holy union, in which he expresses his omnipotent will, to purify and sanctify the family, as the sanctuary of love and cradle of life “. [3]

How many teachings derive from all this for the family! Because "the essence and the role of the family are ultimately defined by love" and "the family receives the mission of guarding, revealing and communicating love, as a living reflection and real participation of God's love for humanity and the love of Christ, Our Lord, for the Church, his Bride”[4] ; It is in the Holy Family, in this original "domestic church,"[5] where all Christian families should look. In fact, "by a mysterious plan of God, the Son of God lived hidden in it for many years: it is therefore the prototype and example of all Christian families." [6]

-----------------

[1] S. Augustine, Contra Faustum, XXIII, 8; PL 42, 470 ss.; De consensu evangelistarum, II, I, 3: PL 34, 1072; Sermon, 51, 13, 21: PL, 38, 344 s.; S. Thomas, Summa Theol., III, q. 29, a. 2 in conclus.

[2] Alocutions del January 9; January 16; February 20 1980: Insegnamenti, III/I (1980), pp. 88-92; 148-152; 428-431

[3] Paul VI, Alocution to the Movement “Notre Dame” (4 de mayo de 1970), n. 7: AAS 62 (1970), p. 431. Analogical Exhortation of the Family of Nazareth as model of the family, for example, Leo XIII, Apostolic Letter, Neminem fugit (June 14, 1892): Leo XIII P.M. Act, XII (1892), pp. 149 s.; Benedict XV, Motu Proprio Bonum sane (25 de julio de 1920): AAS 12 (1920), pp. 313-317.

[4] Apostolic Exhortation, Familiaris consortio (November 22, 1981), 17; AAS 74 (1982),p. 100. (Spanish Edition)

[5] Apostolic Exhortation, Familiaris consortio (November 22, 1981), 49: AAS 74 (1982), P. 140; Cf. Conc. Ecum. Vat. II, Const. dogm. Lumen gentium about the Church. 11; Decree Apostolicam actuositatem about the apostolate of the laity, 11.

[6] Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris consortio (November 22, 1981), 85: AAS 74 (1982), pp. 189 s. (Spanish Edition)

Meditation for Day 13 - "Joseph most Just"

The Gospel calls St. Joseph the "just one" (Mt 1:19), which has first and foremost the characteristics of a husband. [1]

In his commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, Bover explains, that this justice of St. Joseph is not, in a more general or indeterminate sense, just honesty or goodness, nor in a more particular sense, strict justice, but rather, in a certain sense intermediate, the habitual will to give to each his own, not to injure the rights of others, and more specifically, to fulfill in all the divine commandments, to conform his life with the divine will. This praise of Joseph's justice, if, at first glance, does not seem extraordinary, it is under another concept. The dignity of the great patriarch, as legal father of the Son of God and husband of the Mother of God, is incomparably superior to any other created dignity, other than divine motherhood. Proportional to this very high dignity and to the paternal and conjugal offices linked to it, were the graces with which God enriched him, because he was the head or head of the sacred family. And if Joseph was fair, he corresponded to these extraordinary graces, and if he corresponded to them, his holiness lived up to his excellent dignity: superior to that of all the saints of the Old and New Testaments, only inferior to the infinite holiness of Jesus and the almost infinite holiness of Mary. [2]

We ask St. Joseph for all parents to have the grace to grow in virtue, in imitation of St. Joseph.

-----------------

[1] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, August 15th, 1989

[2] Fr. Joseph Bover, SJ The Gospel of St. Matthew, Balmes Editorial, Barcelona 1946, pg. 43- 44

Meditation for Day 14 - "Joseph most Chaste"

“The chastity of Saint Joseph will shine before the world forever- the just man and most excellent Guardian of the Virgin who preserved his chastity in the most admirable way. For love of God alone, he abandoned the idea of carnal matrimony and united himself to his beloved spouse Mary with a love more profound and spiritual.’’ [1]

Saint Joseph was the Guardian of Christ Jesus, and true husband of the purest creature, Mary, Mother of God. He was adorned with such purity that the Lord entrusted him with his greatest treasures.

The world needs people whom love as St. Joseph loved the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Saint Joseph is the model of purity and we can turn to him to help us preserve it. It is a grace that must be requested. Let us ask our beloved Saint Joseph to have a pure heart like him.

Do we encourage ourselves to be pure in thoughts, words and deeds?

There are several means that we can use to help us preserve our purity:

1. Flee from leisure.
2. Flee from bad company and places that may endanger this beautiful virtue.
3. Protect the viewing of all types of videos, magazines that go against purity. (For example, pornography)
4. Have a great devotion to the Most Holy Virgin Mary.
5. Frequent the sacraments of confession and Holy Communion.

Saint Joseph is the model of a man with a pure heart that our society needs.

Let us ask St. Joseph the grace to grow in this beautiful virtue, so that we may one day contemplate the face of God.

------------------

[1] Saint Joseph and the Servants of the Lord, Second edition pg. 56

Meditation for Day 15 - "Joseph most Prudent"

The virtue of prudence is what disposes the reason of each person to discern the true good for them for each circumstance, and to choose the appropriate means to achieve it.

Prudence served as a guide for St. Joseph to happily carry out his mission from God to be a Guardian of Jesus and the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He knew how to make necessary decisions at all times, always seeking to act according to the law of God.

We must ask ourselves; do we always work prudently? In the different circumstances of our lives, do we work wisely by choosing and acting according to what God wants or asks of us?

Let us ask St. Joseph for the grace to act with Prudence and carry out what the Lord has prepared for each one of us.

Meditation Day 16 Joseph most strong

Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said[1] : fortitude may be defined as that virtue that enables us to face undismayed and fearlessly the difficulties and dangers that stand in the way of duty and goodness. It stands midway between foolhardiness, which rushes into danger heedlessly, and cowardice, which flees from it recreantly. Because fortitude is related to bravery, it must not be thought that bravery is devoid of fear; rather it is control of fear.

Fortitude is of two kinds, depending on whether it is directed to a natural good or a supernatural good. A soldier, for example, who braves the dangers of battle for love of country practices natural fortitude.

…But a saint who overcomes all difficulties and dangers for the sake of the glory of God and the salvation of his soul practices supernatural fortitude.

This type of fortitude was seen in the person of St. Joseph, who in order to fulfill God's will, had to face many difficulties to cooperate in the plan of salvation.

We ask Saint Joseph the grace to grow in the virtue of fortitude in our own lives.

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

---------------

[1] VEN. FULTON J. SHEEN, The cries of Jesus from the cross, an anthology, 2018, pg,31

Meditation for Day 17 Joseph most obedient

The Angel said to Joseph, “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife. (Mt 1, 24) Saint Joseph showed an absolute readiness to do the will of God, which was brought by a messenger.” [1]

This humble and mature disposition that St. Joseph had in the service of God, can help us so that in our lives we can be faithful to God, in the fulfillment of his commandments, as a sign of our love for the Father of heaven.

We can reflect:

How is my readiness to accept God's will, which is manifested in the fulfillment of the commandments?

If married do I have a simple and humble heart towards my husband or wife? Or do I want to impose my own judgment without being willing to change my way of acting?

As children, do I obey my parents promptly?

Let us look at this beautiful model of obedience in St. Joseph and ask him for the grace of having a docile and humble heart to serve God and neighbor.

-------------------

[1] Saint Joseph and the Servants of the Lord,Second Edition pg. 58

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 18 Joseph most Faithful

“Fidelity in general is the loyalty, the perfect adhesion, the exact observance of the faith that one owes to another.

All of this can be applied in the highest degree to the practice of fidelity to the Holy Ghost, which is nothing other than the loyalty or docility in following His inspirations in any form in which they are manifested to us.

Divine inspirations are produced in various ways. The Holy Ghost uses them to enlighten our minds so that we can see what we ought to do, and to move our will so that we shall be able and shall desire to do it, as St. Paul says: “For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will “ (Phil 2:13.) ” [1]

This was seen clearly in the person of Joseph, who did what the angel of the Lord had entrusted to him.

We can ask ourselves:

Are we attentive to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, especially when we must change the life we lead, so that it is a life according to the teachings of the Gospel?

Imitating Our Holy Patriarch, St. Joseph, we ask for the grace of fidelity to the Holy Spirit.

-------------

[1] Antonio Royo Marín, The Great Unknown, pg. 164

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 19 Mirror of Patience

The virtue of patience is a virtue that helps us to endure with joy, peace and constancy, the evils of life for love of God. It is necessary to reach heaven. Due to the existence of sin, patience is a virtue that we must learn to practice.

In the life of St. Joseph there were many sorrows, but he suffered with peace, joy and complete resignation to the will of God.

We can reflect: How many times in the face of minor setbacks do we get impatient? Do we lose peace? And even joy?

Let us imitate Saint Joseph in this great virtue and we will achieve great peace and interior joy. Let us ask him for this grace.

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 20 Lover of poverty

It is a Father full of kindness who provides for the birds and flowers of the field, and who does not abandon those who so confidently surrender to Him. We see in the person of St. Joseph one who, following God's Will, did not fear the demands imposed by welcoming the Savior.

St. Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies. He is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things-it is enough to have the common, simple and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic.[1]

We share the testimony of one of our sisters, who illustrates how we are assisted by Heaven when we look for the essentials:

“When I was Mistress of Novices in Ecuador, in 2007, we had many debts which we were paying through the proceeds from different activities. Nevertheless, we had to pay an additional 300 dollars per month in order to rent the house. The moment arrived when we could not do more activities and begging trips -- which required time outside of the convent – without neglecting our schedules, which is necessary to safe-guard, especially in the houses of formation. Without really having anyone to ask for help, I went to the chapel to ask Saint Joseph. Less than a half an hour later, the doorbell rang. Seconds later, a novice came to me saying that a man who did not want to reveal his name had given her an envelope. When I opened it, I found 300 dollars!” [2]

We can ask ourselves:

Do I turn to God when I have a need? Do I accumulate too many material goods that I don't need, causing me to forget God and the salvation of my soul?

Do I attend to the neediest in whom I should see the poor Christ?

Let us see in St. Joseph the model of poverty that Our Lord speaks of in the Gospel and ask Him to help us have a generous heart, detached from wealth in order to seek the Kingdom of Heaven.

-------------------------

[1] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, Redemptoris Custos, August 15, 1989, n. 24

[2] St. Joseph and the Servants of the Lord, Second Edition, pg. 54

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 21 Joseph model of humility

Humility is a virtue derived from the temperance that inclines us to inhibit or moderate the disorderly appetite of our own excellence, giving us true knowledge of our littleness and misery in relation to God. That is why Saint Teresa said that “humility is the truth, for it is most true that we have nothing good of ourselves but only misery and nothingness: whoever ignores this lives a life of falsehood.” [1] [2]

Among all the favors that God granted to St. Joseph, certainly the most beautiful, was the gift of his deep humility. He lived his entire life simply working alongside Jesus and Mary in the home of Nazareth, exercising the carpenter's trade.

Today we can meditate on this beautiful virtue which adorns the entire Holy Family.

Humility is, as we have already said, the truth, the truth about us and about our reality before God. To this is the invitation of St. Augustine: Noverim me, noverim te: That I may know myself and that I may know you Lord! (...) [3]

We can reflect:

Are we aware of our littleness before God?

Do I attribute my talents, beauty, virtue, intelligence to myself, or do I recognize that all that is good in me is from God?

Let us ask the grace of Saint Joseph to know who we are in the eyes of God and to grow in this virtue.

-----------------------------

[1] St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle 10. 7

[2] Antonio Royo Marin, Moral Theology for Seculares, I, BAC n, 505

[3] Rev. Fr. Miguel Angel Fuentes, IVE, Nature and Education of Humility, Virtus Collection, n. 12, pg. 33 (Spanish Edition)

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 22 Model of the workers

Saint John Paul II writes in his Encyclical Laborem Exercens that work is every kind of act done by man regardless of its characteristics or circumstances; it means all human activity that can or should be recognized as work among the multiple activities that man is capable of and to which he is predisposed by nature itself and by virtue of his humanity. Made in the image and likeness of God [1] in the visible world and placed in it to dominate the earth [2], man is therefore, from the beginning, called to work.

In his Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, on the devotion to St. Joseph he explains that “Work was the daily expression of love in the life of the Family of Nazareth. The Gospel specifies the kind of work Joseph did in order to support his family: he was a carpenter. This simple word sums up Joseph's entire life. For Jesus, these were hidden years, the years to which Luke refers after recounting the episode that occurred in the Temple: "And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them" (Lk 2:51). This "submission" or obedience of Jesus in the house of Nazareth should be understood as a sharing in the work of Joseph. Having learned the work of his presumed father, he was known as "the carpenter's son." If the Family of Nazareth is an example and model for human families, in the order of salvation and holiness, so too, by analogy, is Jesus' work at the side of Joseph the carpenter. In our own day, the Church has emphasized this by instituting the liturgical memorial of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1. Human work, and especially manual labor, receives special prominence in the Gospel. Along with the humanity of the Son of God, work too has been taken up in the mystery of the Incarnation, and has also been redeemed in a special way. At the workbench where he applied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption” [3]

In the human growth of Jesus "in wisdom, age and grace" the virtue of industriousness represented a notable part, being "that work, is a good of man" that "transforms nature" and makes man "in a sense more human." [4]

The importance of work in the life of man requires that it “help all men to approach God, Creator and Redeemer, to participate in their salvific plans in regard to man and the world and to the world already be known and assimilated, deepening in their lives friendship with Christ, assuming by faith a living participation in his triple mission of priest, prophet and king”[5].[6]

It is, in short, the sanctification of everyday life, which everyone must achieve according to their own state and that can be encouraged according to a model accessible to all: “Saint Joseph is the model of the humble, which Christianity elevates to great destinations; Saint Joseph is the proof that in order to be good and authentic followers of Christ, "great things" are not needed, but that only common, human, simple, but true and authentic virtues are required”[7].[8]

We pray for all those in need of work, that St. Joseph help them to provide the necessities of life to their families.

------------------

[1] GN1:26

[2] GN1:28

[3] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, August 15, 1989, n. 22

[4] Carta Encícl. Laborem exercens (14 de septiembre de 1981), 9: AAS 73 (1981), pp. 599 s.

[5] Encyclical Letter, Laborem exercens (September 14th, 1981), 24: AAS 73, 1980, p.638. The Supreme Pontifices in recent times have continuously presented St. Joseph as a “model” of workers; for example, Leo XIII, in His encyclical letter, Quamquam pluries (August 15, 1889(, p. 180; Benedict XV, in his Motu Proprio Bonum Sane (July 25th, 1920); Pius XII in his Instructions, (March 11, 1945), 4 AAS37 (1945), p.72; Instructions (May 1st, 1955) AAS47 (1955) 406; John XIII, Radio Message (May 1st, 1960); AAS 52 (1960), pg. 398 (Everything in Spanish Edition)

[6] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, Augsut 15th, 1989), n. 23

[7] Paul VI, Alocución (March 19 of 1969): Insegnamenti, VII (1969), p. 1268.

[8] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, August 15, 1989, n. 24

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 23 Guardian of Virgins

I want to tell you in this little testimony, how Saint Joseph is the great Protector and guardian of virgins. Already from the beginning of our Institute Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, he began to be “guardian and protector as he did with Mary and Jesus[1] " "Just as he lovingly cared for Mary and dedicated himself with joyful commitment to the education of Jesus Christ, he also guards and protects the mystical body, the Church, of which the Holy Virgin is a figure and model."[2] Many times the guardianship which St. Joseph works in us is “discreet, humble, silent, but with a constant presence and total fidelity.” [3]

In all the events of our life, “both in the serene moments of life and in the difficult ones” he is with his protective hand as he did with Mary and Jesus. And he does it especially with us for being Spouses of the Word.

One of our Sisters tells us about the times of war in Syria:

“After having missioned three years in the Gaza Strip, and knowing the need to complete the religious community of Aleppo, I offered to my superiors to go to that mission and in a short time I was assigned to the Saint Tecla community in Aleppo.

Shortly before leaving for the new mission, I received a small statue of St. Joseph as a gift, which I took with me to my new destination. The arrival trip to Aleppo was on July 1, 2014, a time when the war in Syria was in full. We traveled a journey of approximately 9 hours by bus from Damascus to Aleppo, crossing entire villages completely destroyed.

The small image of St. Joseph came with me, in a handbag. Every so often, during the long trip, I touched the image and raised a prayer entrusting to him the protection of the new mission and of each of the Christians of whose community I would now also be a part.

I confess that by the grace of God I was never afraid of war, despite my natural cowardice. But I did greatly fear one thing, for me, for the sisters in my community and for the young women we were in charge of in the Christian university residence that we were to serve in the mission: a real danger to which we were exposed as women and as Christians, was the abusive and degrading treatment that the rebels give to women when they enter and take possession. I did fear that much.

I decided then to entrust to St. Joseph the protection of my new mission, especially the protection of my community of sisters and the young women we were in charge of. The little statue of St. Joseph always accompanied us when we had to leave the house for apostolate or to care for some need. I write this testimony as a recognition and a public thanksgiving to Saint Joseph, who kept taking care of us in the various situations we experienced during the war and of which I describe only a few below.

Protection in the dangers of war,

-Visit to an injured person in the hospital:

After days of heavy fighting, in which a 23-year-old young Christian had been seriously injured and the situation was calmer, we decided to visit him at the hospital where he was hospitalized, just 10 blocks from home. The boy had been hit by the splinters of a projectile that exploded when he was leaving the church to go home. A year earlier, his youngest brother - only 10 years old - had died, when a missile exploded in the street on the road he was traveling, back from school to the house.

While we were in the hospital accompanying the boy and his heroic mother for a few moments, who did not stop thanking God for all the things that He arranges wisely, new attacks were unleashed very close to our house.

The nuns were in the hospital. A group of the young women were at home and another in the university.

We immediately contacted the girls to see how they were. The backdrop was continuous bursts, trembling of the entire hospital building, some landslides, ambulance sirens, police, and firemen on the streets, large and very dense clouds of black smoke. It was predicted that the fighting would grow in intensity and would be prolonged. As soon as the severity of the explosions seemed to slow down, we returned home. The spectacle of the road was something indescribable: vehicles transporting injured, people crying in the streets, people asking for passage with children injured in their arms, the noise of explosions, smoke, sirens, pain ……

Read more...

Meditation of Day 23 - “Guardian of Virgins”

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 24 Pillar of families

In the Holy Family of Nazareth, St. Joseph was chosen by God, to be the "pillar" of Jesus and Mary. He had the important task of "raising" Jesus, that is, feeding, clothing and educating him in the Law and in a trade, in keeping with the duties of a father. [1]

Copyright © 2020 Servidoras.org Meditation for Day 24 Pillar of families In the Holy Family of Nazareth, St. Joseph was chosen by God, to be the "pillar" of Jesus and Mary. He had the important task of "raising" Jesus, that is, feeding, clothing and educating him in the Law and in a trade, in keeping with the duties of a father. [1] With parental authority over Jesus, God has also granted Joseph the corresponding love, that love that has its source in the Father, "from whom every family takes its name in heaven and on earth" (Eph 3:15) .[2]

When the foundation of our spiritual life is sustained in Jesus Christ, who is “our rock, our refuge, our liberator, our strong asylum, our fortress, rock in whom I am safe” as Psalm 18 says; We can be a true support for our family and for society, just as St. Joseph. The trials and the difficulties will come, but our faith instead of getting lost and weaked, will be strengthened. We must become strong in Christ!

Pope Saint John Paul II said “There can be no authentic human growth in peace and justice, in truth and freedom, if Christ is not present with his saving power (Message for the Second World Youth Day of November 30, 1986). Transforming our life in Christ means letting ourselves be taken by his love. A love that asks for consistency in one's own behavior, that demands to adapt one's conduct to the doctrine and commandments of Jesus Christ and his Church; a love that fills our lives with happiness and peace that the world cannot give (cf. Jn 14,27), even though it needs it greatly.

In the heart of each and every one, there exists that disease which affects us all: personal sin, which takes root more and more in the conscience, as the sense of God is lost. As the sense of God is lost! Yes, beloved young people. Be attentive to not allowing God's sense to weaken in you. You cannot overcome evil with good if you do not have that sense of God, of his action, of his presence that invites us to always bet on grace, for life, against sin, against death. The fate of humanity is at stake: "Man can build a world without God, but this world will eventually turn against man" (Reconciliatio et Penitentia, 18).[3] "

We can reflect:

On what basis is my family life and my personal life based?

Do we seek to be the support of our families?

Do I seek to feed my spiritual life in the Holy Eucharist? Let us ask St. Joseph for the grace of having our life founded on Jesus Christ.

--------------

[1] St. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, August 15 1989 n. 16

[2] Idem, n. 7

[3] St. John Paul II, Discourse to the Youth in Chile, Thursday April 2nd 1987

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 25 Comfort of the afflicted

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted (Mt 5:5 NAB), that is to say, all those who are suffering some tribulation or affliction, can suffer with patience. In the midst of tears, they still trust in God—because they will be comforted. They live with the double consolation of hope: the balm of present sadness and perspective of eternal joys.

Saint Joseph, the foster father of the Son of God, intercedes for those who suffer any tribulation, that they may reach out to God for comfort and strength.

We share the testimony of a family member of two of our Sisters, she writes:

Back in 2013 I had recently finished college and began working full time. I had always dreamed of getting married and having children right after I finished school, but relationships had not worked out. My sisters recommended a novena to St. Joseph with the intention of finding a good man who would one day be my husband. The three of us (my two Servidora sisters and I) prayed the Thirty-day prayer together while we were on pilgrimage for World Youth Day 2013 in Brazil. Shortly after I returned home I met Nick.

Nick and I had met before, but something was different about meeting him this second time, and we soon began dating. Nick proposed to me in 2016 and on January 21st, 2017 we got married. We had talked about having children, and I always knew that I wanted many, but he always said let’s just start with one.

A little before our first wedding anniversary we decided we wanted to start trying to have a baby and after about six months or so we finally got our first positive pregnancy test. At the first ultrasound appointment the doctor could not find a heartbeat and we learned that our baby had not grown more than his size at six weeks gestation. We repeated the ultrasound a week later and found the same results, so we were told that we would miscarry. We lost two more babies after that. A little over a year went by, and three little ones that we were never able to meet, we began losing hope of having a successful pregnancy and large family. Through all three miscarriages our faith was tested like we never imagined, but we both found consolation and reassurance in the Thirty-day Novena to St. Joseph. We fervently prayed for a baby whether through adoption or natural pregnancy.

At last we found out that we were pregnant again in the summer of 2019, nonetheless, that knowledge brought great worry. We both leaned heavily on the intercession of St. Joseph to get us through this one, no matter the outcome. When we went for our doctor’s appointment and everything seemed to be normal and healthy, we learned that the baby’s due date would be March 19th. We both knew it was a blessing due to St. Joseph’s compassion, and now eight months later, we are impatiently awaiting the moment when we can share our hope and love with our baby.

We give thanks for this grace that was granted through the intercession of St. Joseph.

We ask St. Joseph’s intercession for all the families who are suffering, those who have difficulties conceiving, and in a special way for every mother awaiting the birth of her child.

St. Joseph, Comfort of the afflicted, Pray for us.

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation on Day 26 St. Joseph Hope of the Sick

“Offer to God the disease itself, remembering for whom and for what it is being suffered, and by conforming oneself to the will of God, this is already in itself a very excellent prayer.”

Saint John of Avila, writing to a sick priest, says: “Do not consider, friend, what you would do when you were healthy, but how much you would please the Lord with contentment of being sick. And if you seek, as I think you seek, purely the Will of God, then what else does it matter to you to be sick or healthy, if His Will is all our good?”

This is so true that God is less glorified by our works than by our acceptance to his holy Will. That is why Saint Francis de Sales said, that God is served more in our sufferings than in our works.

Sometimes we will lack the doctor and the medicines, or else the doctor will not give a correct diagnosis. Even in this we must also be conformed to the God’s Will, which thus arranges all things for our good and profit.” [1]

Saint Andre Bessette, the saint of Montreal, who was very devoted to Saint Joseph, always used to recommend to the sick who visited the Oratory: “Pray to Saint Joseph.” “Make a Novena to St. Joseph.”

“When you invoke St. Joseph, you don't have to talk much. Your Father in Heaven knows what you need; so, does your friend St. Joseph.”

St. Andre used to say: “Go before the statue of Saint Joseph and say: If you were in my place, Saint Joseph, what would you do? Then, pray for this in my name. [2]

We ask St. Joseph for the grace of knowing how to suffer the crosses of each day and to thank God for them, since they are signs of divine love and become pearls for the soul. We ask for the grace to ask with confidence for all our needs.

-------------

[1] Rev. P. Miguel Angel Fuentes, El dolor Salvífico, Ed. IVE Press, NY, 2007, pg. 23.

[2] Bernard Lafreniere, CSC, Brother Andre According to Witnesses, pg. 78- 79

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 27 Patron of the Dying

We pray to St. Joseph, that at the time of our death, he may give us the necessary help.

“Final perseverance is always a grace of graces, the free gift par excellence; but nothing is comparable to the Holy Abandonment, which moves our heavenly Father to grant us this decisive grace. He, who goes in search of the sinner, would He ever reject a soul that lives only in love and filial submission? ” [1]

Our Lord said to Saint Faustina speaking of his mercy with sinners:

“My child, do you fear the God of Mercy…My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness.”[2]

We share with you the testimony of one of our Sisters about the unexpected preparation for a holy death. She writes:

“As a community we would like to give thanks for a happy death, brought about through the intercession of St. Joseph.

In the Cathedral, they gave us the address of a lady to whom we had to take Holy Communion once a week. During these visits, we met her husband, a man who was far from the Church and who was a self-proclaimed Communist. As time went on, we invited him to the Cathedral to play the organ in one of the Holy Masses on Sundays. He accepted, and so every Sunday he asked more about the Church. He told himself ‘I don't know what I'm doing here.’

Meanwhile, God was working in his soul. Thus, one day he asked to go to confession, he did so. Soon after he was diagnosed with cancer. We began, then, to bring Holy Communion to him as well as to his wife. Thus, we were preparing him for death and we had the grace to assist him until the last moment.

The day before his death he received the Anointing of the Sick, the blessing of two priests, we prayed the Holy Rosary. We told him to greet the Virgin and Saint Joseph for us, to which he responded smiling with great effort. The next day he passed away.

We thank St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin, Our Mother of Heaven, for having been able to meet and attend this little soul that, which we devoutly believe, is already enjoying the Heavenly beatitude, having received so many divine favors and with such a holy disposition.”

We ask St. Joseph to intercede for all those who have died in our families. We also ask for his intercession for all those who are dying, that they may have a holy death by asking for forgiveness and receiving God’s mercy.

St. Joseph, Patron of the dying, Pray for us.

----------

[1] Dom Vital Lehodey, Holy Abandon

[2] Diary of St. Faustina, n.1485

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 28 St. Joseph Terror of demons

Saint Joseph is a powerful intercessor before the powers and attacks of Satan.

In the New Testament we read how “Jesus speaks of a victory in his farewell address: Jn 16,33: “In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer! I have overcome the world”. This is the world as it is presented by its master, that is, as a world of death and darkness, therefore also of tribulation. And the victory is what Jesus has achieved on the cross, precisely when in the eyes of the world He seemed totally defeated. For insofar as He has surrendered to the Father, He has preserved this world in His love.

There is also discourse of triumph and the victories of faith and the faith of believers: 1 Jn 5:4, "The Victory that has conquered the world is our faith," cf. also 2:13, “I am writing to you, Fathers, because you have known Him from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have defeated the evil one”; 4:4, “You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world”; Rev 2:26, “To the Victor who keeps to my ways until the end, I will give authority over the nations”

He who practices this faith (concrete faith in Jesus as the Son of God) overcomes by the victory of faith, which believes in the victory achieved by Jesus. He conquers to the extent that in faith he no longer believes in the world (and therefore neither does the interpretation of the world by the powers). Thus, once again receiving his life from God, he practices from this new life all the precepts of God (the commandments) in "love": “Whoever is born of God conquers the world” 1 Jn 5:4a.

Conquerors in an excellent way are those who “have defeated the accuser of the brothers, the devil”, offering in their existence the testimony of the One who has won, the lion, who is the lamb (Rev 5:5), and who will overcome (Rev 17:14). They defeated him thanks to the blood of the Lamb and the word of testimony they gave, because they despised life before death (Rev 12:11).

His victory, therefore, is based on the victory of Christ, which is accepted and repeated as a sign. In martyrdom, the continuation of Christ's fundamental victory over the powers of death is fully and decisively obtained. It is the on-going sign of the victory of Christ.”

"Do not be afraid of the devil, for he can do nothing against you"; Rev 4:7, The devil does nothing but inspire fear, but his fear has no strength; Rev 5:2, The devil cannot bring down the servants of God, who wholeheartedly trust Him. The devil can certainly fight with them, but cannot defeat them. Cf. 6:1 “For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night.” (Rev 12:10)

) For we believe “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2, 10-11)

We ask the intercession of St. Joseph to obtain for us the strength to fight against the forces of evil!

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 29 Protector of the Holy Church

On December 8 of this year marks 150 years of the proclamation of St. Joseph as patron of the Church, declared by Pope Pius IX, in a solemn decree Quemadmodum Deus of the Sacred Congregation of Rites.

In his Encyclical Letter Quamquam Pluries, Pope Leo XIII stated the following: “the reasons why the St. Joseph must be considered a special Patron of the Church, and for which, in turn, the Church expects a lot from his example and assistance, is born mainly from the fact that he is the husband of Mary and adoptive father of Jesus... Joseph, at the time, was the legitimate and natural custodian, head and defender of the Holy Family(...). It is, therefore, convenient and very fitting that St. Joseph who, just as he then used to protect the family of Nazareth at all times, so protects now and defends with his celestial patronage the Church of Christ” [1]

We ask St. Joseph to continue interceding for the Holy Church to be faithful in proclaiming the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can pray with some of the words of Pope Leo XIII: "Remove from us, oh loving father, this scourge of errors and vices ... Assist us promisingly from heaven in this fight against the power of darkness ...; and as you once saved the threatened life of the child Jesus from death, so now defend the holy Church of God from hostile enemies and from all adversity.”

-------------

[1] St. John Paul II Redemptoris Custos, 28; Leo XII, Encyclical Letter Quamquam pluries (August 15th, 1889): I, C pg. 283 (Spanish Edition)

http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph

Meditation for Day 30 In imitation of the Holy Family

We divide the meditation into three points:

1. The Family of Nazareth as a role model in our families.
2. 2. Attacks against the Family
3. 3. Means for the sanctification of family life through prayer

1) The Holy Family of Nazareth as a role model in our families. “The life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph must serve as the mirror for all Christian families, and image which they may seek to reflect. Each family bond should imitate the Holy Family, imitate the virtues of its members, with their own peculiarities, and relive their examples so that each home may re-establish the home of Nazareth. Like that sacred household, we are called to make Christ the center of every human family. Only in this way will our homes be fully joyful and places where we can find true happiness, for they imitate the happiest marriage in the world.” [1]

2) Attacks against the Family Servant of God Sor Lucia, the visionary of Fatima, said: “The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be against Marriage and the Family. Do not fear, she added, because whoever acts in favor of the sanctity of Marriage and Family will always be fought and confronted in every way, because this is the turning point. However, Our Lady has already crushed his head.” [2]

The devil seeks to attack the family through ideologies and individualistic lifestyles and thoughts that have seduced society, especially the spread of divorce. [3]

Copyright © 2020 Servidoras.org Meditation for Day 30 In imitation of the Holy Family We divide the meditation into three points: 1. The Family of Nazareth as a role model in our families. 2. Attacks against the Family 3. Means for the sanctification of family life through prayer 1) The Holy Family of Nazareth as a role model in our families. “The life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph must serve as the mirror for all Christian families, and image which they may seek to reflect. Each family bond should imitate the Holy Family, imitate the virtues of its members, with their own peculiarities, and relive their examples so that each home may re-establish the home of Nazareth. Like that sacred household, we are called to make Christ the center of every human family. Only in this way will our homes be fully joyful and places where we can find true happiness, for they imitate the happiest marriage in the world.” [1] 2) Attacks against the Family Servant of God Sor Lucia, the visionary of Fatima, said: “The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be against Marriage and the Family. Do not fear, she added, because whoever acts in favor of the sanctity of Marriage and Family will always be fought and confronted in every way, because this is the turning point. However, Our Lady has already crushed his head.” [2] The devil seeks to attack the family through ideologies and individualistic lifestyles and thoughts that have seduced society, especially the spread of divorce. [3] In recent times, there has been a notable and particular determination to destroy the family, the “cell of society” [4] and the domestic Church [5]. These efforts have the goal of dragging society and the Church into ruins. The attack is focused there because it is in the domestic church of the family where people learn to love God, their nation, and their neighbor. It is only in healthy families—and only exceptionally outside of them—that strong and virtuous men and women are formed, heroes and saints, who are the only ones able to build up their nation and to sow the seed of the Church, even with their own blood if necessary. [6]

“We are witnesses of an indifferent culture of death, before which the prophetic words of Chesterton are confirmed: “take away the supernatural and what remains is the unnatural”[7]. Fruits of such a denial are abortion, euthanasia, and the deterioration of the family and sexuality. In addition to this, “when Christ is excluded or denied, our vision of human purpose dwindles; and as we anticipate and aim for less, hope gives way to despair, joy to depression.” [8]

Another disturbing consequence of denying the Incarnation is that “the individual relationship with God seen as purely personal and private, so that God is removed from the processes that govern social, political and economic activity.[9]” [10]

We must not become accustomed to the culture of death, the destruction of the family, political societies disconnected from the Gospel. We must engage in battle against these realities and to do so, it is necessary to raise the standard of the Incarnation of the Word. For only Christ can elevate man, and all of the human reality, from the consequential misery brought on by the denial of His Mystery and of His reality as true God and true Man. [11]

3) Means for the Sanctification of Family Life through prayer “The sacramental life—especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation—gain for our families the holiness to which God calls us. The Mass should be attended as a family, as far as possible, with everyone present. Not only on Sundays but also on ecclesial feasts and for important family moments, a practice which strengthens family life.” [12]

Copyright © 2020 Servidoras.org Meditation for Day 30 In imitation of the Holy Family We divide the meditation into three points: 1. The Family of Nazareth as a role model in our families. 2. Attacks against the Family 3. Means for the sanctification of family life through prayer 1) The Holy Family of Nazareth as a role model in our families. “The life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph must serve as the mirror for all Christian families, and image which they may seek to reflect. Each family bond should imitate the Holy Family, imitate the virtues of its members, with their own peculiarities, and relive their examples so that each home may re-establish the home of Nazareth. Like that sacred household, we are called to make Christ the center of every human family. Only in this way will our homes be fully joyful and places where we can find true happiness, for they imitate the happiest marriage in the world.” [1] 2) Attacks against the Family Servant of God Sor Lucia, the visionary of Fatima, said: “The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be against Marriage and the Family. Do not fear, she added, because whoever acts in favor of the sanctity of Marriage and Family will always be fought and confronted in every way, because this is the turning point. However, Our Lady has already crushed his head.” [2] The devil seeks to attack the family through ideologies and individualistic lifestyles and thoughts that have seduced society, especially the spread of divorce. [3] In recent times, there has been a notable and particular determination to destroy the family, the “cell of society” [4] and the domestic Church [5]. These efforts have the goal of dragging society and the Church into ruins. The attack is focused there because it is in the domestic church of the family where people learn to love God, their nation, and their neighbor. It is only in healthy families—and only exceptionally outside of them—that strong and virtuous men and women are formed, heroes and saints, who are the only ones able to build up their nation and to sow the seed of the Church, even with their own blood if necessary. [6] “We are witnesses of an indifferent culture of death, before which the prophetic words of Chesterton are confirmed: “take away the supernatural and what remains is the unnatural”[7]. Fruits of such a denial are abortion, euthanasia, and the deterioration of the family and sexuality. In addition to this, “when Christ is excluded or denied, our vision of human purpose dwindles; and as we anticipate and aim for less, hope gives way to despair, joy to depression.” [8] Another disturbing consequence of denying the Incarnation is that “the individual relationship with God seen as purely personal and private, so that God is removed from the processes that govern social, political and economic activity.[9]” [10] We must not become accustomed to the culture of death, the destruction of the family, political societies disconnected from the Gospel. We must engage in battle against these realities and to do so, it is necessary to raise the standard of the Incarnation of the Word. For only Christ can elevate man, and all of the human reality, from the consequential misery brought on by the denial of His Mystery and of His reality as true God and true Man. [11] 3) Means for the Sanctification of Family Life through prayer “The sacramental life—especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation—gain for our families the holiness to which God calls us. The Mass should be attended as a family, as far as possible, with everyone present. Not only on Sundays but also on ecclesial feasts and for important family moments, a practice which strengthens family life.” [12] Also in the likeness of the Holy Family and the submission of Christ to His parents, we must learn to praise family authority, which must be respected, honored and obeyed as obeying God and not men (Col 3:23). Pope Leo XIII noted that “The power of parents has a certain and express image of the authority that exists in God, from whom all fatherhood in the heavens and on the earth brings its name (Eph 3.15) [13]” [14]

It is also through family prayer that we can come closer to the Holy Family and thus do good and be able to save ourselves: “Without Me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5) [15]

Read more...(http://www.servidorasdelsenor.org/en/meditations-thirty-days-prayer-st-joseph)

-------------

Message for Youth, St. John Paul II https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-7Ae... Spanish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7lFf... English/ Spanish

https://40horas.org/ Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament online