9 Day Novena of St. Joseph
Please join us as we pray the 9 Day Novena of St. Joseph beginning on Thursday, March 11 and ending on Friday, March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph.
NOVENA PRAYER OF SAINT JOSEPH
(Novena of St. Joseph for the Year of St. Joseph for the safety and protection of our families from all harm and illness.)
All: In the Name of the Father ….
Leader: Lord Jesus Christ, by your ineffable providence you chose Saint Joseph to be the spouse of your most holy Mother: grant, we beseech you, that we may have him for an intercessor in heaven and on earth as we venerate him as our protector since God our Father entrusted His Son and Mary from all harm of evil. Guard and protect us from every harm that may come our way especially our fear of sin and death. You, who live and reign forever and ever. R/ Amen.
L: Lord, have mercy on us. R/ (R means repeat or response)
L: Christ, have mercy on us. R/
L: Lord, have mercy on us. R/
L: Christ, hear us. R/
L: Christ, graciously hear us. R/
L: God, the Father of Heaven; R/ have mercy on us.
L: God, the Son, Redeemer of the world; R/ have mercy on us.
L: God, the Holy Spirit; R/ have mercy on us.
L: Holy Trinity, One God, R/ have mercy on us. L: Holy Mary; R/ pray for us.
L: Saint Joseph, R/ pray for us
(for the following, the response is, “PRAY FOR US”).
L: Illustrious Scion of David, R/
Light of Patriarchs,
Spouse of the Mother of God,
Chaste guardian of the Virgin,
Foster-father of the Son of God,
Watchful defender of Christ,
Head of the Holy Family,
St. Joseph most just,
St. Joseph most chaste,
St. Joseph most prudent,
St. Joseph most valiant,
St. Joseph most obedient,
St. Joseph most faithful,
Mirror of patience,
Lover of poverty,
Model of workmen,
Example to parents,
Guardian of virgins,
Pillar of families,
Solace of the afflicted,
Hope of the sick,
Patron of the dying,
Terror of demons,
Protector of the Church,
Guardian of families,
L: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R/spare us, O Lord.
L: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R/graciously hear us, O Lord.
L: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, R/have mercy on us.
L. God made him lord over his house,
R. And the ruler of all his possessions.
L: Let us pray:
PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH AFTER THE LITANY
ALL: To you, O Blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our afflictions, and while imploring the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also. By the affection which united you to the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and by the fatherly love with which you embraced the Infant Jesus, we humbly beseech you with gracious eyes on the precious inheritance, which Jesus Christ purchased by His Blood and help us in our necessities by your powerful intercession. Protect, O most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen children of Jesus Christ; ward off from us, O most loving Father, all taint of error and corruption; graciously assist us from Heaven, O most powerful protector, in our struggle with the powers of darkness; and as you did once rescue the Child Jesus from imminent peril to His life, so now defend the Holy Church of God from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity. Finally, shield every one of us with your patronage, that imitating your example and strengthened by your help, we may live a holy life, die a happy death, and attain everlasting happiness in Heaven. Amen.
FOR THE FAMILY AND THE HOME
ALL: Saint Joseph, protect our home. Pour forth from heaven blessings on our family. Remain in our midst. Help us to live in love and harmony, in peace and joy. May the wholesome fear of God strengthen us that virtue may adorn what we do, and our way may lead to heaven. To you this day I give the key to our dwelling place. Lock out all things that could do us harm. Lock my home and my loved ones with me in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. This I beg of you, that our days may be like your days in the holy home at Nazareth. Amen.
YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH PRAYER: “Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man. Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen.” (Pope Francis)
Our Father …………. Hail Mary ……….. In the name of …………. Amen.
Third Sunday of Lent 2021
MY BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF GOD
Lent week 3, 2021
This Lent the Scriptural Readings present various covenants between God and his people. We reflect on them during Lent to help us have a greater understanding of the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus which we celebrate in a few weeks when we enter Holy week, the utmost celebrations of our Faith. The first week of Lent, we had the covenant of the rainbow that God made with his people when he promised he would never give up on us. Last Sunday, we had the covenant with Abraham when he trusted that God would provide after being told to sacrifice his son. The message was that God knows the inner turmoil we may have in our faith lives and gives us the strength to grow in faith even in the most difficult times of our lives.
This Sunday, the third week, we are presented with the covenant made through Moses, the Ten Commandments. We also are called to practice the Ten Commandments as our response to God's presence, his choice of us. We tend to forget the foundation law of God's covenant with us, the Ten Commandments.
The gospel of John 2:13-25 with the theme of, “Jesus cleansing the temple” matches very well with the commandments God gives through the Covenant. The Jewish Temple priests of today’s Gospel were more concerned with the money they were making in the Temple than worshiping God in the Temple. Jesus accused them of making money their god, violating the first commandment.
Jesus objected not to the trade, as such, which was quite legitimate but to its being done in the Temple precincts in an exploiting and unjust way.
Jesus reacts with anger for the abuses in the Temple, which he perceives as the violation of the covenant and shows himself as the Lord of the Temple. He drove the traders out of the Temple and predicted that he himself would be the Temple of the new people of God.
The statements of Jesus, “Take these things out here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” Now listen to what St. Paul says in 1Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”
When speaking of weight loss of Body and Soul, don’t we feel sometimes our body and soul are like a marketplace or even worse filled and filthy of everything -things needed and not needed - weigh us down? Still, we are proud of our heaviness because we don’t want to lose anything. We hear about hoarders; are we not hoarders in our souls? Don’t we need a cleansing? Many of my friends told me that the Pandemic brought many good things to us and one of them is, “Enough Time for Cleaning the House, Shelves, Cupboards, and Etc.” In that case, this Lent is the time to cleanse our Body and Soul, joining Jesus to be Transformed and refashioned into the Amazing Temple of God so beautiful.
“I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14)
Second Sunday of Lent
TRANSFIGURATION Lent Week 2,2021 A great Grace filling week to ponder and utilize the opportunity of transfiguration to refashion or remold to clear our image God created with us as we enter the second week of Lent. The reflection this week focuses on Transfiguration which relates very well with the sacrifice of Abraham with Isaac. The Lenten journey brings to attention the proclamation from God the Father, “This is My Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!” The life and story of Abraham is the same, no questions were asked, but just followed what God said to do, “Sacrifice Your son”. The result of which is transfiguration of Abraham answering all the long-standing questions he asked to God and all the concerns he had conveyed to God day and night.
The statement of God today to us is, “This is My Son, the Beloved; listen to Him”, is for the transfiguration of each of us. This statement can facilitate our plan for transfiguration, the remolding of our beautiful image which happened to be lost or destroyed by the calamities of the devil in us. The resplendence of the Transfiguration reveals the fullness of life destined to be ours. To reach the level of transfiguration, a must NEEDED plan and process required. The beautiful image and likeness is maintained by Transformation, Transition and Transfiguration. Transformation > brings changes to Character. Think and Pray about what sort of passing things I need to give up, rusted, aged, staying in the same sins and addictions, for rebuilding my Image. Transition > brings better growth in person, family, and community. What type of resources and materials I must buy in and utilize for the transitioning? A good example could be the make ups we buy to change our face for transitioning! Transfiguration > makes the Image and likeness perfect. Caring and protecting by building shield of Virtues. It is a kind of weather protectant on paintings that the glaze shining will stay for ever.
All these come with a package during this season, we say the three pillars, Prayer, Fasting, and Charity. In the transfiguration story there is yet another statement made by one of our representatives, his name is Peter, always quick to respond but seems not mature enough to be practical! He said, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here!” It can be taken into two sense: one, be stagnant, stubborn, and obstinate, nope, no change, no transformation. The other is, willing to go down (in obedience to the statement of the Father) with Jesus for transformation and transition to be transfigured.
It is indeed good to be here, as you have said, Peter. It is good to be with Jesus and to remain here forever. What greater happiness or higher honor could we have than to be with God, to be made like him and to live in his light? Let us be caught up like Peter to behold the divine vision and to be transfigured by that glorious transfiguration. These are the divine wonders we celebrate; this is the saving revelation given us upon the mountain; this is the festival of Christ that has drawn us to this sacred time. Let us listen, then, to the sacred voice of God so compellingly calling us from on high, from the summit of the mountain, so that we may penetrate the deep meaning of these holy mysteries, so far beyond our capacity to express. It is good for us now to listen to him with all heart, mind and soul yearning for the heavenly vision that will give us a share in his radiance, renew our spiritual nature and transform us into his own likeness, making us forever sharers in his Godhead and raising us to heights as yet undreamed of.
Therefore, this season of Lent, “It is good for us to be here”, where all things shine with divine radiance, where there is joy and gladness and exultation; where there is nothing in our hearts but peace, serenity and stillness; where God is visible refashioning our image into Him.
May the Resplendent Radiance of Transfiguration Shine on Us!
