Saint Joseph Novena
Micah Parsons
Also, prayer and video: St. Joseph, Our Spiritual Father
Day 1
A clean heart create for me, O God. ~Psalms 51:12
The Holy Spirit leads the saints to venture beyond human logic. In the parable of the talents, the Lord teaches us to be audacious. Instead of burying our talents by opting for a secure life, He wants us to have the faith to risk it all. This is what the Blessed Mother did when she visited Elizabeth instead of staying home to protect her own pregnancy and reputation, and what St. Joseph did when he embraced his role as spouse of Mary. I encourage you to examine the life of your favorite saints to discover their audacious trust in the Holy Spirit. ~Simple Path to Union with God, Page No. 12
Silent and holy Joseph, faithful father of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession with God:
(Mention your request)
*No husband and wife ever loved one another so much as Joseph and Mary. ~Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, pray for us.
Day 2
Hear now, house of Israel: Is it My way [Path] that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? ~Ezekiel 18:25
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. ~Matthew 5:22
St. Joseph centered his life in prayer and silence. He meditated on the Word of God daily in humility, seeking no places of honor for himself. Hidden, he remained content. Through the humility and purity of his heart, he was able to see the purity and holiness of Mary. When he learned that Mary was with Child, through his humility, he entered the hiddenness of his heart and sought to know the Will of God. This is what makes a great man: to seek the Will of God in all things. My power and strength were manifested in his docility and tenderness of heart. When men let go of their human tendency to control and rely completely on Me, they will begin to possess the true power of God. St. Joseph embraced Mary as the Mother of God and believed in humility. He embraced the mission of God revealed and contained in Mary Most Humble. ~Diary No. 22, In St. Joseph’s Humility God Manifests His Power
Most obedient Joseph, faithful teacher of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession with God:
(Mention your request)
“Saint Joseph employed himself joyfully in the education of Jesus Christ.” ~Saint Irenaeus of Lyons
Day 3
He will set you high in praise and renown and glory above all nations He has made, and you will be a people holy to the LORD, your God, as He promised. ~Deuteronomy 26:19
St. Joseph is the perfect example of manly tenderness. He is described in Scripture as a faithful servant of God who shows his love for God in his love for others. In every respect, St. Joseph possessed the heroic love and tenderness needed of the man whom God entrusted with His two greatest treasures: Jesus and Mary. ~Simple Path to Union with God, Page 298
How has a Priest/Priests in your life fathered you like Saint Joseph? Ask Saint Joseph to pray and father the Priests in your life and make them like a wall of BRONZE.
(Mention your request)
Saint Joseph is not just the Patron of Husbands and Fathers, but he is the Patron of every working Priest. The Priest has the very mission of Saint Joseph. The Priest is the protector of Jesus in the Tabernacle. The Priest is the father to the faithful. The Priest is the guardian of Jesus in their hearts. We call our beloved Priests "Father!" The Priest is in charge of giving Jesus His name at every Mass, circumcising Him on the Altar.
“Saint Joseph is still charged with guarding the Living Bread!” ~Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
Day 4
The Father’s voice is heard: This is My beloved Son, listen to Him.
In Matthew, we read: “Her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly” (Mt 1:19). When an angel appeared to St. Joseph in a dream and warned him to take Jesus and his mother to Egypt, his response was immediate and without question: “He rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod” (Mt 2:14-15). In every Scripture passage that mentions St. Joseph, we see an exemplar of virtue: he fulfilled his manly mission, showing his love for God in his love for others. ~Simple Path to Union with God, Pages 298-99
Saint Joseph, father of contemplative life, father us to hear the voice of God in our hearts and in those closest to us. Pray for us to love those most difficult to love:
(Mention your request)
The battle is not "out there" somewhere; the battle is in you, in me and in our homes. As Missionaries and Mothers of the Cross, we must internally bleed with Christ for the salvation of souls. We MUST fight this battle within our wounds, we must empty ourselves to hear the voice of the Father's beloved Son, we must LISTEN to HIM.
“Those souls most sensitive to the impulses of divine love have rightly seen in Saint Joseph a brilliant example of interior life.” ~Saint John Paul II
Day 5
There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called: Jacob! Jacob! He answered, “Here I am.” Then He said: I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. I will go down to Egypt with you and I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes. Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph. ~Genesis 46:2-4,28
Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Joseph rose and took the Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, so that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” ~Matthew 2:13-15
My daughter/son, the time is short… the will of the Father is to possess you with His love and that through Me, with Me, and in Me you become ONE with LOVE. To do the Will of the Father must become your daily food, your daily life. Nothing else should matter: persecutions, imprisonments, misunderstandings, loneliness, solitude, hunger… for when you live in the Father’s will you possess all. Was this not My life here on earth? My daughter/son, you must live each moment IN
LOVE; then you will live in perfect peace. You must learn to wait upon the Lord, for this is love. Is that not how I lived My life here on earth? Although at the age of twelve I was ready to begin My mission that was already consuming My Heart, I returned with Mary and Joseph to wait upon My Father’s time; then My public mission lasted only three short years. But you see, My daughter, My mission had already begun and was being fulfilled throughout all My hidden life from the moment of My
Incarnation. The power of God for the redemption of the world was at work in My hidden life, and Mary Most Holy was participating as ONE with Me in My hidden life in the work of redemption. ~Simple Path to Union with God, Diary No. 45, My Hidden Life (Page 157)
Saint Joseph, Restrainer of demons, hide Love Crucified and our territory of souls in your holy Tunic! Hide us in the refuge of the Immaculate Heart of our Mother and protect for every soul in our lives; especially those in most need of God's mercy:
(Mention your request)
O hidden Joseph, you are the Patriarch of the hidden force and sought to know the will of God in all things. You led the holy Family to Bethlehem to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God; hiding the Bread of Life in the refuge of a manger. Hidden, you led the Babe and His mother to present them to Abba, Father. Hidden, you immediately left for the refuge of Egypt. The holy Ghost called you out of Egypt and into the refuge of Nazareth; hidden in the Holy House of Loretto. This is how our Savior lived His life! What a grace to be hidden by the Lord in plain sight, to be His HIDDEN force!
“Saint Joseph lived content in his poverty.” ~Saint Bonaventure
Day 6
Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; But if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken! ~Isaiah 1:18-20
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/1?10
Saint Joseph in the Diary Saint Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament:
https://archive.org/stream/St.FaustinaKowalskaDiary/divine-mercy-in-my-soul_djvu.txt
When Mass began, a strange silence and joy filled my heart. Just then, I saw Our Lady with the Infant Jesus, and the Holy Man St Joseph standing behind them. The most holy Mother said to me: “Take my dearest Treasure…” and she handed me the Infant Jesus. When I took the Infant Jesus in my arms, the Mother of God and St Joseph disappeared. I was left alone with the Infant Jesus. ~Divine Mercy in my Soul, Diary No. 608
During Midnight Mass, God’s presence pierced me through and through. A moment before the Elevation (of the Host) I saw the Mother of God, the Infant Jesus, and the good man Saint Joseph. ~Divine Mercy in my Soul, Diary No. 846
Saint Joseph urged me to have a constant devotion to him. He himself told me to recite three prayers (the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be) and the Memorare to St. Joseph once every day. He looked at me with great kindness and gave me to know how much he is supporting this work (of mercy). He has promised me his special help and protection. I recite the requested prayers every day and feel his special protection. ~Divine Mercy in my Soul, Diary No. 1203
The Blessed Virgin, all lost in the deepest of love, was wrapping Jesus in swaddling clothes, but Saint Joseph was still asleep. Only after the Mother of God put Jesus in the manger, did the light of God awaken Joseph, who was also praying. ~Divine Mercy in my Soul, Diary No. 1442
As you meditate on these passages, think of St. Joseph's tenderness, honoring and respecting Mary as the spouse of the Holy Spirit. Think of his tenderness towards her Son, treating Him as his own, though Jesus was truly the Son of the Most High; think of the tenderness of St. Joseph's hands, the rough hands of a carpenter, which made visible the love and tenderness of God for the Holy Family (Page 299). The woman who publicly washed the feet of Jesus with her tears teaches us a lot about tenderness. She looked at Jesus and was not deterred by fear of being judged by others or by fear of being imprudent. She was moved by love and gratitude. She expected nothing in return. Her heart was PURE. Tenderness has the power to melt the most hardened hearts steeped in pride (Page 293). Men must also be tender and have the courage to go against the culture. The definition of “tender” is “easily crushed, bruised, fragile,” but another definition is: “To be considerate and protective; sensitive to emotions and others' feelings.” These are the vital qualities of tenderness men must possess to fulfill their Godgiven mission, which is to use their strength to love and serve those entrusted to them. St. Joseph is the perfect example of manly tenderness. ~Simple Path to Union with God, Page 298https://www.lovecrucified.com/_files/ugd/45e8c9_b3b66a83b6074527b9e1ed769650cb03.pdf
"The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” ~Matthew 23:11-12
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/23?1
Mystically, ask God to unite your heart with the pure heart of Saint Joseph, recite the three prayers (the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be)
(Listen to the silent sound of Saint Joseph's heart... .and listen to the Immaculate Heart of your Mother who is interceding for you:
Ask Jesus where He was when you experienced trauma in your life. In your deepest wound, did the Lord cry out with you? Did He Suffer with you? Where was Jesus at that specific moment in time/space?)
The ancient Israelites believed that prayers, soaked with tears, bypass heaven and go directly into the Heart of Yahweh. Ponder the tears of Saint Joseph and Mary who had to leave the children behind in Bethlehem. Ponder the tears of the Patriarch Joseph whose sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him (Genesis 45:2). Ponder Saint Joseph's tender heart, accompanied by Jesus and Mary, as he accepts the Father's will to be with Abba in heaven during their Son's Mission, Passion, Death and Resurrection. *As soon as Israel made his appearance, Joseph threw his arms around him and wept a long time on his shoulder (Genesis 46:29). In order for us to ascend high in the spiritual life, we must hit rock bottom, in OUR hearts.
“Saint Joseph foresaw Mary’s tears and misery. He would have desired to stay by her side, and he must have asked Jesus to be allowed to remain on earth so that he might climb Calvary and sustain Mary.” ~Saint Peter Julian Eymard
Day 7
He came to His native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is He not the carpenter’s Son? Is not His mother named Mary and His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not His sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And He did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith. ~Matthew 13:54-58
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13
Our Lord was rejected at Nazareth,
St. Joseph and Mary were perfect, holy victim souls. They were united as one to the Victim of Love. St. Joseph never uttered a complaint during his many trials, struggles, and sufferings. The human existence here on earth is full of struggles, challenges, difficulties, sufferings, trials and tears because of the fall. I came to transform human suffering through My death and resurrection. The Holy Family lived the human condition through Me, with Me and in Me; thus their lives were transformed into Love, the love of the Most Holy Trinity. The world is foundering into the abyss of evil and darkness because My Spirit is not sought and loved. It is through Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, that you obtain most perfectly the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that will unite you as One Body to My crucified Love to participate in the salvation of the world. It is only My victim souls who participate in the work of redemption and who will conquer the principalities of death with Me. Therefore, My little one, bring Me victim souls! ~Simple Path to Union with God, Diary No. 131, Jesus, Mary and Joseph Were Victim Souls
Have you ever been rejected, betrayed, or abandoned?
Encounter the sorrows of Jesus when He returned to His hometown. His family and friends, angered by His teaching, rejected Him. “They rose up and put Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down headlong.” As a result, He could not perform many miracles there. Can you imagine the pain of rejection in Jesus’ Heart as His hometown kicked Him out and even tried to kill Him? “Have you ever taken the time to ponder the sorrow of our Lord’s Heart as He received the kiss of betrayal? Can you see His tears and feel His sorrow through your own pain?” ~Simple Path to Union with God, Page 92-93
https://www.lovecrucified.com/_files/ugd/45e8c9_b3b66a83b6074527b9e1ed769650cb03.pdf
Ask the Holy Spirit, Mary, and Saint Joseph to unite you to Jesus Crucified:
(Unite your pain with the pain of the crucified One, give Him your misery)
Saint Joseph and Mary represent God's hidden, insignificant victim souls. At the wedding feast of Cana, six insignificant jars were used to wash people's feet upon arrival, and they held 30 gallons of water. Saint Joseph is an example of those jars. Joseph held Jesus in his home for 30 years, washing His little Body, making Him His favorite drink, teaching Him His tricks of the trade, and all these details were unnoticed by the world and not included in the Gospels; but these years were MOST pleasing to the Father! Joseph and Mary Suffered ALL these years with their Son. Being seen as insignificant by those around them, ordinary, the most special years of the Bridegroom's life are in the hearts of Joseph and Mary. These perfect victim souls knew God's details of the hidden, insignificant life in Nazareth!
“Saint Joseph did not do extraordinary things, but rather by the constant practice of the ordinary and common virtues, he attained that sanctity which elevates him above all other saints.” ~Saint Joseph Marello
Day 8
Children, listen to me, your father; act accordingly, that you may be safe. For the Lord sets a father in honor over his children and confirms a mother’s authority over her sons. Those who honor their father atone for sins; they store up riches who respect their mother. Those who honor their father will have joy in their own children, and when they pray they are heard. Those who respect their father will live a long life; those who obey the Lord honor their mother. Those who fear the Lord honor their father, and serve their parents as masters. In word and deed honor your father, that all blessings may come to you. A father’s blessing gives a person firm roots. ~Sirach 3:1-9 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/3
The Father's blessing,
Men are protectors of their wives and families; they defend them if they are attacked physically, but sometimes they fail to realize that God has entrusted them with the protection of their hearts as well. They are called to have the tenderness of God whose love is fully attentive to all that takes place in the interior of each heart. He listens to our cries, knows our desires, fears, sufferings, emotions and temptations. To accomplish this mission, men must be attentive to their hearts to hear the voice of God, like St. Joseph; and then they must be attentive to the hearts of those entrusted to them, to know how to guide them and protect them. Men tend to overlook this essential aspect of their mission as protectors because they lack tenderness and sensitivity. One of the deepest sufferings of most wives is that their husbands do not know their hearts. Men think that going deep into the heart is only for women. The result is that few husbands are truly able to love and protect their wives. St. John is the apostle who placed his head on the heart of Jesus. He entered intimacy with Jesus with complete tenderness. This testimony is in the Gospel because God wanted him to be an example to all men. St. John is the beloved disciple, attentive to the heart of Jesus. He is, therefore, the one able to follow Him with Mary to the foot of the Cross. Jesus can then entrust him with the heart of Mary to continue protecting her with the greatest love and tenderness. Mary is the mother of all, yet it is St. John who takes her home and lives with her. Jesus could count on St. John because he was able to enter into the depth of love through intimacy and tenderness. Mary, St. Joseph and St. John are exemplars of the new men and women transformed by the Holy Spirit. If we persevere in allowing God’s tenderness to heal our wounds and forgive our sins, our hearts will gradually be transformed into the tenderness of God. We will be free to allow God to use our faculties to bring His love into the world and pierce the most hardened hearts. We will become His Body; and the mercy of God, acting through us, will save those who are dead in sin. ~Simple Path to Union with God, Pages 300-302
Have you entered the wound with your birth father? Did your birth father know your heart? Was he involved in your heart growing up? Now? Have you suffered this wound with Jesus?
Name the Father wound.
We all have the father wound (big or small); none of us were raised by a perfect birth father. We were not raised, physically, by Saint Joseph (who is as close to perfect as a father can get). The wound lies with the birth father, this is important; because some of us were raised by a good foster father, stepfather, grandfather, uncle, maybe mom's boyfriend, etc... Those have their own fathering wound, and sometimes that wound is associated with our mother wound if the relationship was not healthy for Mom and us. To say, "I have no wound with my father, or me and my father are close and have/had a great relationship, there is no wound there!" Maybe the Lord has not yet revealed these unmet needs of your heart in your father/son relationship. That is okay, you are not there yet, Saint Joseph will take care of it (in God's time). KEEP pondering the father's blessing, though... you are LOVED, and we may have received the father's blessing (in part) or went through much of the healing process with our father and received the blessing in a deeper way. Our souls are a world of itself, but it is important to name the specific wound with our father and suffer this unmet need of our heart with Jesus. Some wounds may have been in our formative years, infancy, the womb, or too early to remember (not being held by our Papa, Daddy not being involved in the day-to-day, always working, never changed our diapers, etc...); Jesus can help with this.
Also, it is important to understand that to receive self-knowledge and admit a wound exists with your father DOES NOT mean that your father did a bad job; he did the best job that he could and may have been a great father, or maybe not at all; but to go through the agony of healing (big or small) will honor him and cover a multitude of sins (James 5:20).
My son, be steadfast in honoring your father; do not grieve him as long as he lives. Even if his mind fails, be considerate of him; do not revile him because you are in your prime. Kindness to a father will not be forgotten; it will serve as a sin offering, it will take lasting root. In times of trouble, it will be recalled to your advantage, like warmth upon frost, it will melt away your sins. —Sirach 3:12-15 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/3
Furthermore, keep asking Jesus about the wounds of your heart, for everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:8). It is a process. Maybe you were used, abused, unprotected, unloved, unwanted, rejected, abandoned, betrayed, alone, stripped, forgotten, unappreciated, taken for granted, taken advantage of, not known for who you are, to name a few... Was your father good to your Mom? This is the most common pain I find in my children's heart when I listen to them and ask questions. They mention that I should be better to their mother, and not argue with Mom.
The wound is not exactly what was done unto you, but what may have been done to you is important. The wound is the unmet need of your heart, the CRY of your heart. Keep asking the Holy Spirit to help you with this, it may take some time and come in layers of self-knowledge, but the heavenly Father keeps His promises. He will bring this good work to completion, if you let Him.
There are 5 conditions of the father's blessing:
(1) Healthy touch, we are not Angels and we do have a body that needs to be touched in a healthy way by our parents. (Then He embraced them and blessed them, placing His hands on them. ~Mark 10:16)
(2) Life giving words, words spoken in anger/resentment, can be inspired by hell itself (A mild answer turns back wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse one breaks the spirit. ~Proverbs 15:1,4)
(3) TIME- Kids spell love T.I.M.E. Did Daddy show an interest in your life? Was he there? (Even if my father and mother leave me, the LORD will take me in. ~Psalms 27:10)
(4) Healthy discipline, our reactions can be quite strong, if we are not in the process of healing ourselves (The fool spurns a father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent [Proverbs 15:5] “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by Him; for whom the Lord loves, He disciplines; He scourges every son He acknowledges.” ~Hebrews 12:5-6)
(5) Spiritual formation, the first four aspects of the blessing are required for a son/daughter to receive (fully) spiritual formation from their parents. We must have witnessed the first four (4) parts of this blessing from our father, for the spiritual side to stick. Although, many spiritual seeds will be planted if we did not receive the blessing but were raised in the faith (Sacraments). (Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it. ~Proverbs 22:6)
(Ask the Child Jesus for the grace to be 'infected' by the fatherhood of Saint Joseph, and ask Joseph to be your spiritual father on this day and at the hour of your death. Ask Saint Joseph to pray for your father and your family tree, and ask him to guide you into the Egypt (depth) of your heart; so that anything that is hidden in the dark will be brought out into the light)
“Go, then to Joseph, and do all that he shall say to you; Go to Joseph, and obey him as Jesus and Mary obeyed him; Go to Joseph, and speak to him as they spoke to him; Go to Joseph, and consult him as they consulted him; Go to Joseph, and honour him as they honoured him; Go to Joseph, and be grateful to him as they were grateful to him; Go to Joseph, and love him, as they love him still.” ~St. Alphonsus Liguori
*Please listen today or tonight because this video will take you deeper into this meditation (it is a little long, but needed):
Day 9
Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons and he had made him a long tunic. —Genesis 37:3
It is through perseverance in living the ordinary of your state in life, in love for Me, that you are perfected in many virtues. The ordinary duties of motherhood have been greatly attacked by Satan because they are so pleasing to the Father, and when lived in My crucified love, as Mary did, possess the power of God to aid in the sanctification and salvation of many souls. This is why your formation began in the most ordinary of your state in life as a mother (the gentle touch, kiss, blessing, making chocolate milk). It is here, living the details of the most ordinary that you began to grow in greater love. Living the details of the ordinary became your prayer of blessing and honor to your God. It is in the most ordinary and hidden life that a soul encounters the face of God. I disguise Myself in what the world sees as tedious. That is why all the Mothers of the Cross have begun to encounter Me in the laundry, cleaning, cooking, nursing… The tasks of ordinary motherhood are precious to the Father because they are the heartbeat of the domestic church. Now you know why Satan has done so much to attack motherhood. Through the restoration of motherhood, I will strengthen the domestic church, aid in the healing of fatherhood, and bring restoration to My Universal Church. ~Simple Path to Union with God, Diary No. 44, Persevere in the Ordinary
Saint Joseph encountered the holy face of God every day. The Child Jesus and Mary restored fatherhood in Joseph; God turned the heart of fathers to their sons, and the heart of sons to their fathers (Malachi 3:24).
Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. ~Matthew 1:20
Joseph is called the Son of David by the Angel of the Lord. Jesus and Joseph came from the line of the greatest warrior Israel had ever seen, one of the greatest saints in the Bible. Saint King David was a man after God's own Heart (Acts 13:22). David is the son of Jesse, and it is evident in the Bible that David never felt as a son to his father. David's father did not even consider David worthy to be king when he brought his other sons before Samuel; the Bible does not mention Jesse calling David 'his son' and Jesse did not retrieve David himself when Samuel called for him to be anointed King of Israel. Jesse had the young man brought to them (1 Samuel 16:12). David was JUST a young man, a shepherd in his father's eyes who tended the details of his home; the most ordinary duties. INSIGNIFICANT, but the hidden force in Jesse's home.
In order to become a father, you must become a Son first,
Jesus, Mary and Joseph transformed Israel's view of the day in and day. The ordinary duties of the home, which was viewed as insignificant. Israel viewed warriors like the world views those with status/fame today. The world teaches that we "made it" when someone reaches a point of worldly greatness, attains many degrees, wins championships, etc... The world has returned to that disordered view, putting family life on the back burner. Dirty old red legs was relentless in his attack of ordinary motherhood/fatherhood in this final battle we find ourselves in; this great Apostasy. Divorce, Abortion, and the absence of the father in the home. Ponder the father/mother wound that David had, and how it affected his life. The disorder of the family was evident in David's household throughout his life. Meditate upon the disorder of David's household. King David had 8 wives; Michai, Ahinoam, Abigail, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah, and Bathsheba; and many girlfriends. David broke almost all the Commandments in his Aldultery with Uriah's wife, murdering one of his best friends to try and conceal it. David's son Amnon raped his daughter Tamar. Amnon was killed by David's other son, Absalom. His son of Adultery died in infancy. Absalom tries to usurp his father's throne, in his thirst for POWER. Absalom is killed, cursed, and hanging on a tree when you see the pain of David's family life reach the nethermost.
The father of Joseph, David, hits ROCK BOTTOM,
Meanwhile, the king covered his face and cried out in a loud voice, “My son Absalom! Absalom! My son, my son!” So Joab went to the king’s residence and said: “Though they saved your life and your sons’ and daughters’ lives, and the lives of your wives and your concubines, you have put all your servants to shame today by loving those who hate you and hating those who love you. For you have announced today that officers and servants are nothing to you. Indeed, I am now certain that if Absalom were alive today and all of us dead, that would be fine with you. Now then, get up! Go out and speak kindly to your servants. I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a single man will remain with you overnight, and this will be a far greater disaster for you than any that has come upon you from your youth until now.” (2 Samuel 19:5-8)
In contrast, the household of Joseph is full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Saint Joseph taught Jesus how the Father viewed a warrior of Israel, what perfect like the Father looks like; so be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). One of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed" (Revelation 5:5). Is that elder in the book of Revelation Saint Joseph? A proud Papa of a conquering Son?
Anything good the Father sees in us is His Son, Jesus. Without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). So really, all we have to offer God is our misery; our sins, our wounds, and our brokenness. My daughter, you have not offered Me that which is really yours. Give Me your misery, because it is your exclusive property (Jesus to Saint Faustina, Diary No. 1318). God already knows about the good deeds because they are from HIM, they are His exclusive property. This is why Saint King David was viewed as a man after God's own Heart; he hit rock bottom, in his heart.
(Ask Saint Joseph to intercede for you, that Abba will allow you to hit rock bottom, in your heart; and for you to receive the grace and knowledge of God the Father's love for YOU)
The crucifixion of Jesus would NOT have been possible without Joseph in heaven. Not because Joseph would have tried to stop it all to protect his Son, but because Joseph was needed in heaven to intercede for his Son and His Mother so that the two could actually get through the Agony, Scourging, Crowning, Carrying/stations of the Cross; and culminating in the Crucifixion, Pieta, and Burial of their Son. Joseph was the hidden force in heaven, and the greatest saint in heaven, at that time. It would not have been possible without the protective intercession of St. Joseph IN HEAVEN UNITED with THE FATHER! The humanity of Jesus needed the intercession of his human father and the wholly human Mary needed the intercession of her wholly human husband in union with her Spouse the Holy Spirit and God, the Father of ALL.
“Whereas Adam and Eve were the source of evil which was unleashed on the world, Joseph and Mary are the summit from which holiness spreads all over the earth.” ~Saint Pope John Paul II
Act of Total Protection on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph:
Holy Joseph, first adorer of Jesus Christ in the monstrance of Mary, guard the community of Love Crucified in your holy tunic. Shelter us, our families, our territory of souls, and the Universal Church. Keep the garden of our community in your care. Till our hearts to be like the Heart of your Son, Jesus, and personally place us in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary Immaculate. Through your powerful intercession with Abba, Father, and through the intercession of our guardian angels, patron saints (mention your patrons), command the heavenly host of angels to surround the Love Crucified Community and the Universal Church until He has put all Papa's enemies under His feet; lead us to our refuge and may the Lord God station a cherubim to rule and guard the Refuge and the Path to Union with God.
Cut the umbilical cord of our disobedience and cover us with the circumcised Blood of your Son, Jesus. Name our community –Love Crucified– in the presence of the Almighty, and place it under your special protection. Saint Joseph, Restrainer of evil, through the POWER of the Holy Spirit take authority over each and every spirit that has come against Mary's Immaculate Heart and render all demons deaf, dumb, blind, and useless; may no demon enter into, interfere, or listen in on our conversations (cenacles) in any way. In the Name of Jesus, bind and command all the power and forces of evil to depart right NOW! Away from us... our homes and our lands; and we thank you, O Guardian of our Redeemer, who is faithful and powerful with the Lord our God. Amen
Prayer to St. Joseph by Pope Leo XIII
To thee, O blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our affliction, and having implored the help of thy thrice holy Spouse, we now, with hearts filled with confidence, earnestly beg thee also to take us under thy protection. By that charity wherewith thou wert united to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly love with which thou didst cherish the Child Jesus, we beseech thee and we humbly pray that thou wilt look down with gracious eye upon that inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by His blood, and wilt succor us in our need by thy power and strength.
Defend, O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen offspring of Jesus Christ. Keep from us, O most loving Father, all blight of error and corruption. Aid us from on high, most valiant defender, in this conflict with the powers of darkness. And even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the peril of His life, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Shield us ever under thy patronage, that, following thine example and strengthened by thy help, we may live a holy life, die a happy death, and attain to everlasting bliss in Heaven. Amen.