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Queen and Beauty of Mount Carmel, Virgin of the solitude In the wilderness of Carmel Lies the world's eternal good. Draw us to its deep seclusion And make God alone our goal In the mystical Mount Carmel That lies hidden in the soul. |
Today begins my favorite 9 days of the year. The annual novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Mount Grace with the Pink Sisters here in St. Louis. I took this photo after mass (we went to the noon time celebration today) and I thought it would be good to share.
Happy Feast to all, may the Sacred Heart of Jesus reign in your hearts!
“Because of the great,
infinite love which God has for all humankind,
he makes no distinction in love between the blessed soul of Christ
and the lowliest of the souls that are to be saved . . . .
We should highly rejoice that God dwells in our soul
and still more highly should we rejoice that our soul dwells in God.
Our soul is made to be God’s dwelling place,
and the dwelling place of our soul
is God who was never made.”
- Julian of Norwich
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist and yesterday it was celebrated with great joy at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. The day started with heavy rain and severe storms, but cleared in time for mass and the outdoor procession. Our Archbishop carried the monstrance throughout the neighborhood stopping at 3 outdoor altars for benediction services before ended up back inside the Cathedral for a final Benediction of the Eucharist. As the crowd processed (my estimate is there were 350 to 450 people) hymns were sung and litanies were prayed. I would LOVE to write about every moment of this most beautiful service, but as I said, we had severe storms in St. Louis yesterday and now we are busy trying to dry out our basement which was flooded with about 1/2 foot of water in the night time! (yeach!) In any case, I wanted to share some photos - which will tell the story much better than I could anyway!
Today we can begin our Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Feast day next Friday the 30th of May).
OR
We can pray along with my favorite “PINK SISTERS” (Holy Spirit Sister’s of Perpetual Adoration) up at Mount Grace Convent in St. Louis. This year (for whatever reason they have) the Sister’s will begin their annual Novena on the Friday.
BUT
We can do both novenas!
Pope Leo XIII, wrote and issued his Encyclical Letter, Annum Sacrum, on May 25, 1899. The letter consecrated humanity to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Though there had been devotion to the Sacred Heart before this time, Pope Leo XIII hoped his consecration “shall be in a manner the crowning perfection of all the honors that people have been accustomed to pay to the Sacred Heart, and which We confidently trust will be most pleasing to Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.”
Our wonderful (excuse my obvious adjective of admiration) Archbishop, Raymond Burke is a strong devote of the Sacred Heart and he has built a special altar and shrine in our Cathedral Basilica in this honor. He encourages families to “Enthrone” a photo of the Sacred Heart in their homes and there is a special ceremony for doing this (click here).
In a letter written to the faithful of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Archbishop Burke reminded us of Pope John Paul II’s feelings on the Sacred Heart when he said:
“Placing our hearts, with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, into the glorious pierced Heart of Jesus, we are filled with the divine mercy and love which is our mission in the world. Our devoted love of our Lord Jesus, expressed in our devotion to His Most Sacred Heart, is not some static state or feeling. It is, rather, a relationship with God the Son made man, in which we take up with Him the mission given to Him by the Father, so that all men may be saved and our world may be prepared to welcome our Lord at His coming on the Last Day. Placing our hearts into the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are necessarily engaged in His kingly mission, in which reigning is serving, especially, serving our brothers and sisters in most need (Pope John Paul II, encyclical letter Redemptor hominis [At the Beginning of His Papal Ministry], March 4, 1979, n. 21).”
What words!
Here is a 9 day Novena prayer to start you on your own prayer journey…
Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
OPENING PRAYER
O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, in which dwells the fullness we have all received, who are the fountain of life and holiness.
Grant me a heart that is like unto You. You are our refuge and our strength. You are the Author of Mercy, listen to my prayers and grant that what I ask in faith I may effectually obtain if it be for the good of my soul and the greater glory of God. Amen.
First Day:
Divine and Most Merciful Heart of Jesus, who through Your sincere desire and deep love to bring me into salvation, has given consolation and dispelled the fears that becloud our hearts; inflame my heart with love of You, and wash away the indifference to which my soul is often subjected because of my innumerable sins. Grant me the grace necessary to atone for all my iniquities and ingratitude. O Heart most lovable, may my offering be acceptable to You, so that it may purify me from my sins and grant that I may obtain the grace I need during this novena if it be for the good of my soul and the greater glory of God. Amen.
Second Day:
O most adorable Heart of Jesus, the heaven’s gate that paves the way to the throne of the Most High, deign to hear my supplications. Grant me the graces that will help me love You more and more, so that I may be worthy to praise Your Glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit for all eternity in Your kingdom. Grant me strength of will and perseverance in the fulfillment of Your commandments so that You may bestow upon me the infinite wealth of Your love and thus make a worthy reparation for all my sins. Heart of Jesus most lovable, I humbly ask you to give me the graces I wish to obtain during this novena, if it be for the good of my soul and for the greater glory of God. Amen.
Third Day:
O most holy Heart of Jesus, the safe way that leads to the eternal home, You are the source and fountain of life and holiness. Deign to give me fortitude so that I may not deviate from the course of holiness You have taught me to pursue in order that I may reach Your kingdom of glory. Enlighten my mind that I may learn Your good counsels so that I may also teach even my enemies as You have set the example of loving Your enemies even unto the death on the cross. Grant me the grace to stay away from sin, in order that I may be worthy to obtain the grace I ask during this novena, if it be for the good of my soul and for the greater glory of God. Amen.
Fourth Day:
O Most Holy Heart of Jesus, the perfect mirror of all purity and goodness that should adorn my soul in this life and in the next, deign to inspire my mind to see the truth in Your love for mankind. Thus, I may think of no other thing but the steps that lead to Your Heart, the abyss of all virtues, and I may follow You in purity of action, thought and desire. Grant me the grace that will help me to strive always to expiate for my acts of ingratitude against Your love and mercy. Let me realize that in so doing alone, I shall be made worthy to obtain the graces that I ask during this novena, if it be for the good of my soul and for the greater glory of God. Amen.
Fifth Day:
O most sweet Heart of Jesus, reach unto all that call upon You, who perfects all our work of holiness, I offer this humble supplication to You as a form of my devoted service for my own salvation and the spread of Your kingdom of love on earth. I desire to advance in the work that will gain for me the glory in heaven. So, dearest Heart of Jesus, grant me the grace that will help me please You all the days of my life. Produce in me divine fervor, whereby, having tasted the sweetness of Your love in Holy Communion, I may learn to despise earthly things and love those of heaven. O pure Heart of Jesus, I beg of You to grant me the favors I desire to obtain during this novena, if it be for the good of my soul and for the greater glory of God. Amen.
Sixth Day:
O most admirable Heart of Jesus, source of all graces and most sacred temple that has contained Your infinite love and mercy, I give thanks to You for all the benefits I have obtained through my good works and for the peace and consolation You have given me from that temple of all virtues. My God, I desire to follow Your laws and persevere in the path of goodness so that I may be worthy to appear before Your throne in heaven. Grant me the grace necessary to help me atone for my sins of ingratitude and sloth in the performance of good works. O Heart most merciful, I also ask of You to grant me the favors I pray for during this novena, if it be for the good of my soul and for the greater glory of God. Amen.
Seventh Day:
O most merciful Heart of Jesus, divine propitiation for the sins of man, I believe in the words of the Gospel that “Anything you ask in my name, it shall be given to you.” I beg You to offer up my humble prayers and pleas of pardon to Your Most Holy Father in heaven in order that I may worthily receive His blessings. Let me offer You all my prayers, works and suffering so that I may do my part in expiating for my sins and those of my relations. Deign, O God, to grant me the graces I ask during this novena, if it be for the good of my soul and the greater glory of God. Amen.
Eighth Day:
O most loving Heart of Jesus, Furnace of Charity and Fountain of Love for man, You have willed that I should return that love with all my heart and mind. I desire to avoid all the occasions of sin that have made the path leading to Your Heart most difficult. Deign to grant, therefore, the grace to cleanse my life with pure love of You and let my desires center on loving You more and more. Your grace of love alone can thaw my indifference and inflame my heart with devotion. I also ask of You to grant me the favors I wish to obtain during this novena, if it be for the good of my soul and the greater glory of God. Amen.
Ninth Day:
O Heart of Jesus, that has been the victim for my sins, I finally ask of You to make me sincere in my efforts to love You and to make reparation for all of my sins. Let me then be rooted in charity and always delight in serving You. Let my works reflect my desire to acclaim You the salvation of all those that hope in You and hope of all who die in You. Let me die in Your Heart. O most loving Jesus, for in You alone is my life and resurrection. Grant me the favors I desire to obtain during this novena, if it be for the good of my soul and for the greater glory of God. Amen.
AND hast thou left us, Sister, Mother, Wife,
Without a message or a brief farewell;
With work unfinish’d, with thy days untold,
With all thy redden’d fruitage hanging ripe I
Art thou so weary of the dusty road,
That though th’ allotted span is out of sight,
Thou needs must lie beside the way to sleep ?
I would not grudge thee, dear, to rest, but 0,
My heart is pierced to know that rest for aye!
I cannot lose thee, Sister; thou hast been
My refuge, staff, and comfort through rough ways,
When clouds and darkness swept across the stars,
And all my reckoning in thick gloom was lost.
We cannot lose thee, Mother. Who will lead
Thy children upward on the heavenly way;
Lead gently, firmly, with that guiding hand
Which moulds with wisdom, softens still with love I
Who shall inform thy sons with knightly mind,
Observance to all women, tenderness
With weak and fragile things—the patient strength
Of manhood? Who thy daughters hourly tend
With influence, refinement, knowledge, grace;
Till every natural gift perfected shine
With added culture, crown’d with woman’s crown
Of strength and meekness, framed with loving heart,
And pure religious earnestness of will ?
O, how to lose thee, loyal, loving Wife !
Or who shall gauge the loss of wedded love
Which thou, above all women I have known,
Distill’d from thy great heart in flowing streams !
Thy husband was thy lord, thy law, thy life;
To serve him was thy honour, thy best joy,
His will unspoken, spoken, still fulfill’d,
And all thy aim to bear the larger load.
Well may he praise thee, wifely, noble heart;
Thy children bless thee, Mother!
Yellow leaves
Are falling through the rain as thus I bid
Thy calm white face farewell. Again I tread
Life’s narrow road, and miss thee to the end.
– From: The three kings, and other poems By Emily Bowles
I came across this quote today which was attributed to St. Therese of Lisieux (though I can not find it translated directly this way). I guess it does not matter so much who wrote the words, what is beautiful ARE the words…
“Virgin full of grace,
I know that at Nazareth you lived modestly,
without requesting anything more.
Neither ecstasies, nor miracles, nor other
extraordinary deeds
enhanced your life,
O Queen of the Elect.
The number of the lowly, “the little ones,” is
very great on earth.
They can raise their eyes to you
without any fear.
You are the incomparable Mother
who walks with them along the common way
to guide them to heaven.
Beloved Mother
in this harsh exile,
I want to live always with you
and follow you every day.
I am enraptured by the contemplation of you
and I discover the depths of the love of your Heart.
All my fears vanish under your Motherly gaze,
which teaches me to weep and to rejoice!
This prayer was written by our Holy Father in honor of Our Lady of Sheshan. In a letter written to the Catholic Church in China last year, the Holy Father expressed his hope that May 24, the memorial of Our Lady Help of Christians, who is venerated at the shrine of Seshan in Shanghai, would become a day of prayer for the Church in China.
“Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title ‘Help of Christians,’ the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection. We come before you today to implore your protection. Look upon the People of God and, with a mother’s care, guide them along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.
“When you obediently said ‘yes’ in the house of Nazareth, you allowed God’s eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption. You willingly and generously co-operated in that work, allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul, until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary, standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.
“From that moment, you became, in a new way, the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith and choose to follow in His footsteps by taking up His Cross. Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter. Grant that your children may discern at all times, even those that are darkest, the signs of God’s loving presence.
“Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trails, continue to believe, to hope, to love. May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and of the world to Jesus. In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high, offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love. Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love, ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built. Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!”
I’ve been consumed in a project this week and it may continue for a little while. However, I read this little news item from Catholic News Services which I think would be of significance for those who may read this very modest blog. It harkens to our Holy Father JPII calling for the East and Western Churches to unite so that we may again “breathe together with two lungs” (I believe he hoped the Holy Spirit would initiate this unity through the Divine Breath of our Creator.) What a beautiful communion this would be and it will come, God willing, through P R A Y E R !
God Bless our Holy Father Benedict who is leading us this way too!
Here is the article..
Vatican City, May 14, 2008 / 10:18 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict dedicated his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square to the teachings of the figure Pseudo-Dionysius the Aeropagite, who is “a greater mediator in the modern dialogue between Christianity and the mystical theologies of Asia.”
“In today’s catechesis we return to the teaching of a sixth century author whose writings have been attributed to the first century disciple of St. Paul, Dionysius the Aeropagite.
Pseudo-Dionysius used Greek polytheism “to show the truth of Christ and transform the polytheistic world into a cosmos created by God” in which “all creatures together reflect the truth of God.”
“Because the creature is a glorification of God, the Pseudo-Dionysius’ theology becomes a theological liturgy. God is found, above all, by praising Him and not just through reflection.”
The Holy Father explained that Pseudo-Dionysius’ “two principal works, the Divine Name and Mystical Theology strive to present a knowledge of God which surpasses rational understanding and culminates in spiritual perfection and transforming contemplation.”
This Father of the Church created the first “great mystical theology. … With him the word ‘mystical’ took on a more personal and intimate meaning: it expresses the soul’s journey towards God. … The Pseudo-Dionysius shows that at the end of the road to God is God Himself, Who comes close to us in Jesus Christ.”
“Today Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite assumes fresh relevance”, said the Holy Father. “He appears as a greater mediator in the modern dialogue between Christianity and the mystical theologies of Asia, the well-known characteristic of which lies in their conviction that it cannot be said who God is, that He can be spoken of only in negative terms, … and that only by entering this experience of ‘no’ can He be reached.”
Pope Benedict also mentioned Pseudo-Dionysius’ influence on other prominent saints. “In the West, Dionysius’ writings influenced the early scholastics and Saint Thomas, as well as Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint John of the Cross. His vision of a great cosmic harmony reflecting the beauty of the Creator and the love freely bestowed on us in Christ, can also inspire our efforts to work for unity, reconciliation and peace in our world.”
Before bestowing his apostolic blessing on all those gathered, the Pope greeted all those English speaking pilgrims who had made it to Saints Peter’s square.
“I welcome all the English-speaking visitors present today, including the groups from England, Ireland, Japan, The Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States of America. May your visit to Rome be a time of deep spiritual renewal. Upon all of you I invoke God’s abundant blessings of joy and peace.”
Holy Spirit, powerful Consoler,
sacred Bond of the Father and the Son,
Hope of the afflicted,
descend into my heart
and establish in it your loving dominion.
Enkindle in my tepid soul the fire of your
Love so that I may be wholly subject to you.
We believe that when you dwell in us,
yolu also prepare a dwelling for the Father
and the Son.
Deign, therefore, to come to me,
Consoler of abandoned souls,
and Protector of the needy.
Help the afflicted,
strengthen the weak,
and support the wavering.
Come and purify me.
Let no evil desire take possession of me.
You love the humble and resist the proud.
Come to me, glory of the living,
and hope of the dying.
Lead me by your grace that I may always be pleasing to you.
Amen.
This is a short meditation for the day of May 7th as written by John Cardinal Henry Newman from a book of daily reflections on the Litany of Loretto for the month of May. The Cardinal dedicated this book to “To you, boys of the Oratory School, past and present, this collection of devotional papers by Cardinal Newman is dedicated. They are a memento both of the Cardinal’s constant thought of you, and of his confident assurance that, after his death, you would pray for his soul.”
The complete text can be found and read at the Newman Reader website which is an amazing gathering of information about the Cardinal and his life’s works and writings.
May 7
Mary is the “Rosa Mystica,” the Mystical Rose
“HOW did Mary become the Rosa Mystica, the choice, delicate, perfect flower of God’s spiritual creation? It was by being born, nurtured and sheltered in the mystical garden or Paradise of God. Scripture makes use of the figure of a garden, when it would speak of heaven and its blessed inhabitants. A garden is a spot of ground set apart for trees and plants, all good, all various, for things that are sweet to the taste or fragrant in scent, or beautiful to look upon, or useful for nourishment; and accordingly in its spiritual sense it means the home of blessed spirits and holy souls dwelling there together, souls with both the flowers and the fruits upon them, which by the careful husbandry of God they have come to bear, flowers and fruits of grace, flowers more beautiful and more fragrant than those of any garden, fruits more delicious and exquisite than can be matured by earthly husbandman.
All that God has made speaks of its Maker; the mountains speak of His eternity; the sun of His immensity, and the winds of His Almightiness. In like manner flowers and fruits speak of His sanctity, His love, and His providence; and such as are flowers and fruits, such must be the place where they are found. That is to say, since they are found in a garden, therefore a garden has also excellences which speak of God, because it is their home. For instance, it would be out of place if we found beautiful flowers on the mountain-crag, or rich fruit in the sandy desert. As then by flowers and fruits are meant, in a mystical sense, the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost, so by a garden is meant mystically a place of spiritual repose, stillness, peace, refreshment, and delight.
Thus our first parents were placed in “a garden of pleasure” shaded by trees, “fair to behold and pleasant to eat of,” with the Tree of Life in the midst, and a river to water the ground. Thus our Lord, speaking from the cross to the penitent robber, calls the blessed place, the heaven to which He was taking him, “paradise,” or a garden of pleasure. Therefore St. John, in the Apocalypse, speaks of heaven, the palace of God, as a garden or paradise, in which was the Tree of Life giving forth its fruits every month.
Such was the garden in which the Mystical Rose, the Immaculate Mary, was sheltered and nursed to be the Mother of the All Holy God, from her birth to her espousals to St. Joseph, a term of thirteen years. For three years of it she was in the arms of her holy mother, St. Anne, and then for ten years she lived in the temple of God. In those blessed gardens, as they may be called, she lived by herself, continually visited by the dew of God’s grace, and growing up a more and more heavenly flower, till at the end of that period she was meet for the inhabitation in her of the Most Holy. This was the outcome of the Immaculate Conception. Excepting her, the fairest rose in the paradise of God has had upon it blight, and has had the risk of canker-worm and locust. All but Mary; she from the first was perfect in her sweetness and her beautifulness, and at length when the angel Gabriel had to come to her, he found her “full of grace,” which had, from her good use of it, accumulated in her from the first moment of her being.”
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
pray for us.
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary,
pray for us, and intercede for us.
Mother of Sorrows,
pray for us.
Mother of Mercy,
pray for us.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
pray for us.
O, Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
O, Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
O, Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
Sweet Heart of Mary,
be our hope and our salvation.
To Jesus through Mary.
Bless us Mary, maiden mild;
bless us, too, Her tender Child.
My Mother, my Hope.
As we are getting ready for Pentecost, I remembered to dig out one of my favorite poems from a dear Carmelite, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. It was a poem that was never completed and one of her last writings before she was taken off to Auschwitz and killed during August of 1942. The manuscript itself remains in the Carmel in Echt and was probably written in the Summertime of 1942.
By St. Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
Who are you, sweet light, that fills me
And illumines the darkness of my heart?
You lead me like a mother’s hand,
And should you let go of me,
I would not know how to take another step.
You are the space
That embraces my being and buries it in yourself.
Away from you it sinks into the abyss
Of nothingness, from which you raised it to the light.
You, nearer to me than I to myself
And more interior than my most interior
And still impalpable and intangible
And beyond any name:
Holy Spirit eternal love!
Are you not the sweet manna
That from the Son’s heart
Overflows into my heart,
The food of angels and the blessed?
He who raised himself from death to life,
He has also awakened me to new life
From the sleep of death.
And he gives me new life from day to day,
And at some time his fullness is to stream through me,
Life of your life indeed, you yourself:
Holy Spirit eternal life!
Are you the ray
That flashes down from the eternal Judge’s throne
And breaks into the night of the soul
That had never known itself?
Mercifully relentlessly
It penetrates hidden folds.
Alarmed at seeing itself,
The self makes space for holy fear,
The beginning of that wisdom
That comes from on high
And anchors us firmly in the heights,
Your action,
That creates us anew:
Holy Spirit ray that penetrates everything!
Are you the spirit’s fullness and the power
By which the Lamb releases the seal
Of God’s eternal decree?
Driven by you
The messengers of judgment ride through the world
And separate with a sharp sword
The kingdom of light from the kingdom of night.
Then heaven becomes new and new the earth,
And all finds its proper place
Through your breath:
Holy Spirit victorious power!
Are you the master who builds the eternal cathedral,
Which towers from the earth through the heavens?
Animated by you, the columns are raised high
And stand immovably firm.
Marked with the eternal name of God,
They stretch up to the light,
Bearing the dome,
Which crowns the holy cathedral,
Your work that encircles the world:
Holy Spirit God’s molding hand!
Are you the one who created the unclouded mirror
Next to the Almighty’s throne,
Like a crystal sea,
In which Divinity lovingly looks at itself?
You bend over the fairest work of your creation,
And radiantly your own gaze
Is illumined in return.
And of all creatures the pure beauty
Is joined in one in the dear form
Of the Virgin, your immaculate bride:
Holy Spirit Creator of all!
Are you the sweet song of love
And of holy awe
That eternally resounds around the triune throne,
That weds in itself the clear chimes of each and every being?
The harmony,
That joins together the members to the Head,
In which each one
Finds the mysterious meaning of his being blessed
And joyously surges forth,
Freely dissolved in your surging:
Holy Spirit eternal jubilation!
image above: Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, Folio 79r - Pentecost the Musée Condé, Chantilly.
Mary, Mother of Grace
It becomes you to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him Who granted you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God
and our Queen.
Help us for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master Who was born of you.
For this reason you are called full of grace.
Remember us,
most holy Virgin,
and bestow on us gifts from the riches of your graces,
Virgin full of grace.
– Prayer by Saint Athanasius
photo of springtime in my yard…
Oh Mary, we crown you with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May.
Bring flowers of the rarest, bring flowers of the fairest
From garden and woodland and hillside and vale;
Our full hearts are swelling, our glad voices telling
The praise of the loveliest Rose of the vale.
Oh Mary, we crown you with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May.
Our voices ascending, in harmony blending,
Oh, thus may our hearts turn, dear Mother, to you.
Oh, thus shall we prove you how truly we love you;
How dark without Mary life’s journey would be.
Oh Mary, we crown you with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May.
We had a wonderful outdoor May Crowning and mass at the children’s school this morning. The sun was brilliant and the Holy Spirit was joyfully blowing through the tall trees. What a favorite day is May 1 when we celebrate our dear St. Joseph and honor his beautiful spouse, our Blessed Mother, throughout the whole moth!
Today, of course, I can not fail to mention how much trust dear Saint Teresa of Avila put in Saint Joseph. I have a many a friend too who places such trust in him. What a wonderful choice of a soul to call upon when you are in need.
Here is what Teresa says:
“I took for my patron and lord the glorious St. Joseph, and recommended myself earnestly to him. I saw clearly that both out of this my present trouble, and out of others of greater importance, relating to my honour and the loss of my soul, this my father and lord delivered me, and rendered me greater services than I knew how to ask for. I cannot call to mind that I have ever asked him at any time for anything which he has not granted; and I am filled with amazement when I consider the great favours which God hath given me through this blessed Saint; the dangers from which he hath delivered me, both of body and of soul. To other Saints, our Lord seems to have given grace to succour men in some special necessity; but to this glorious Saint, I know by experience, to help us in all: and our Lord would have us understand that as He was Himself subject to him upon earth—for St. Joseph having the title of father, and being His guardian, could command Him—so now in heaven He performs all his petitions. I have asked others to recommend themselves to St. Joseph, and they too know this by experience; and there are many who are now of late devout to him, having had experience of this truth.
Would that I could persuade all men to be devout to this glorious Saint; for I know by long experience what blessings he can obtain for us from God. I have never known any one who was really devout to him, and who honoured him by particular services, who did not visibly grow more and more in virtue; for he helps in a special way those souls who commend themselves to him. It is now some years since I have always on his feast asked him for something, and I always have it. If the petition be in any way amiss, he directs it aright for my greater good…
Those who give themselves to prayer should in a special manner have always a devotion to St. Joseph; for I know not how any man can think of the Queen of the angels, during the time that she suffered so much with the Infant Jesus, without giving thanks to St. Joseph for the services he rendered them then. He who cannot find any one to teach him how to pray, let him take this glorious Saint for his master, and he will not wander out of the way.” [St. Teresa of Avila, the book of her Life Chapter VI]
– photo of Our Lady in the front grotto of school (a.k.a. “the bowel”)
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