Out of the frying pan, into the Fire!

The Fire of Divine Love, that is! 

We are finishing our Miraculous Novena of Grace to St. Francis Xavier, and not only did I manage to procure a Mass for you, but our good Padre JR said that Mass (for your intentions) with his bishop! Woohoo!

We have our last prayer (of the novena, but feel free to call on him any time) to finish, but then we are straight into our St. Joseph novena, hence the image of St. Andre Bessette above. If any of you think we are doing one too many novenas, I've got him nearby to box your ears! Can't you hear him (before your ears are boxed):

"How can we miss the novena to St. Joseph? He will answer everything!"

Yes, we already counted on St. Francis Xavier to do that, and I even enjoyed that St. Therese went to St. Joseph to support her petition to St. Francis Xavier (my idea is that she asked Jesus' papa not to go to Jesus Himself, but to go urge St. FX to make sure to take to little Jesus His little Therese's petition to do good after she died). 

But . . . around this time of year I stumble over St Andre, and then I just can't help myself. I have to follow his advice and turn to St. Joseph for everything! 

First, though, let's conclude our prayers to St. Francis Xavier. A friend texted me this morning with the reminder that St. Francis had asked us to go to confession and Holy Communion during our novena to him. If you haven't had a chance, please get to these great sacraments soon in his honor! He wants to know he is bringing you closer to Jesus, and there's no better way than these awesome sacraments, the first of which (confession) will prepare you to receive Our Lord and best friend, Almighty God Who took on our nature and then went further and found a way to let Himself be hidden in bread so we could eat His Body! Only God can come up with these things and actually make them happen! Hooray!

Dear St. Francis, we rejoice in your glorious missionary activity. With St. Therese, your co-patron of the missions, obtain for us the many favors we so badly need, and most of all the Divine Gift of peace and Jesus Himself. We have so many requests - too many to list - that we can only ask our angels to bring them to you and your angel so that you may present them before our infinitely merciful Triune God. May we live and die in the Catholic Faith your father and hero St. Ignatius set you on fire with. Bless all those who belong to your Society of Jesus; bless all the missionaries of the world; and please obtain many more missionaries from and for Jesus. We ask all this through Christ, our Lord, whom you loved so ardently and now see so joyfully. Amen.

*  *  *

And now, a moment of full disclosure . . . St Joseph's novena began yesterday! If, however, you were too busy finishing the St. Francis Xavier novena (or even finishing a Margarita - we don't judge here!), we have you covered. At the 11th hour quite literally, after my husband and I returned from a glorious basketball victory in which he played well for the second night in a row (yes, he is an athlete as well as a philosopher, and I am never sure which we should dedicate our lives to), I made sure to say my favorite St. Joseph prayer to kick off our novena. We are on our way to March 19th, feast of this dear Spouse of the Blessed Virgin and Foster Father of the Incarnate Word, and I have two prayers to present as options for your novena-ing.

First though, a word from today's special guest star, St. Andre Bessette. He is the humble Canadian Holy Cross brother who became the doorkeeper who built a shrine - we might almost say THE shrine to St. Joseph. He was a wonderworker (which "he"? St. Joseph, of course, but in this case through the prayers and advice of St. Andre, his devoted servant and friend) who filled this shrine (once it was eventually built) with ex votos - crutches and such given in thanks they were no longer needed!

So what can I tell you? How about a few quotes from today's fearless leader, St. Andre, to boost your intimacy with God and your love and gratitude and trust in St. Joseph, God's earthly dad. I'm going to quote from an ebook I have called "Go to Joseph: Do whatever he tells you" by Brian Kiczek, but I also want to highly recommend another book that includes a chapter on St. Andre, namely: They Walked with God: St. Bernadette Soubirous, St. John Vianney, St. Damien of Molokai, St. Andre Bessette, Bl. Solanus Casey by Diane Allen.

​Meanwhile, though, here is how Brian starts his chapter on "St. Joseph's Best Friend" -

"Saint Joseph is right next to you listening to your prayers and always ready to present them before the throne of His Son and to His Beloved Wife" - St. Andre

And then, one of my favorite quotes in the world because of its power to help us pray:

"When praying, one speaks to God as one speaks to a friend . . . When you say to God 'Our Father,' He has his ear right next to your lips. There is so little distance between Heaven and earth that God always hears us. Nothing but a thin veil separates us from God."

For those who want stories of miracles, there are SO many that St. Joseph has worked, especially with St. Andre's assistance. St. Andre would recommend rubbing a physical ailment with a blessed medal of St. Joseph, and then using St. Joseph's oil (which was vegetable oil he would burn, that is, have a burning wick in, before a statue of St. Joseph) to rub the ailment.

Well guess what? Yesterday I ordered some of St. Joseph's oil from the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal (the shrine built by the prayers and petitions and funds gathered over decades by St. Andre), and last night, even before it arrived (it doesn't bilocate, as far as I know, but depends on human agents and postal carriers, etc, to bring it across the miles), I found myself healing from a very frustrating side effect of a post-cancer (and keep cancer away) med that I'm taking per the good doctors' orders! I have been having a lot of wrist pain, and now it is nearly gone! Praise God and His good foster father St. Joseph!

So, without further ado, here are two prayers to St. Joseph. Choose one, choose both, say another, or just settle for conversation these next days leading us to his feast ("Hey, St. Joseph, help!" is another good prayer and has the simplicity Brother Andre would highly recommend!). As a bonus, one of my very, very favoritest prayers somehow snuck in (to St. Raphael), so I'll leave that too, for your use and enjoyment!

Prayer to St Joseph in Every Difficulty
With childlike confidence I present myself before you, O holy Joseph, faithful foster father of Jesus! I beg your compassionate intercession and support in this, my present necessity. . .

I firmly believe that you are most powerful near the throne of God, who chose you for the foster father of His well-beloved son, Jesus Christ. O blessed Saint, who saved that treasure of heaven, with His virginal mother, from the fury of His enemies, who with untiring industry supplied His earthly wants and with paternal care accompanied and protected Him in all the journeys of His childhood, take me also, for the love of Jesus, as your child. Assist me in my present difficulty with your prayers before God. The infinite goodness of Our Savior, who loved and honored you as His father upon earth, cannot refuse you any request now in heaven.

How many pious souls have sought help from you in their needs and have experienced, to their joy, how good, how ready you are to assist. How quickly you turn to those who call upon you with confidence! How powerful you are in bringing help and restoring joy to anxious and dejected hearts! Therefore, do I fly to you, O most worthy father of Jesus, most chaste spouse of Mary! Good St. Joseph, I pray you by the burning love you had for Jesus and Mary upon earth, console me in my distress and present my petition, through Jesus and Mary, before the throne of God! One word from you will move Him to assist my afflicted soul. Then most joyfully shall I praise Him and you, and most earnest shall be my thanksgiving!
Amen.

Prayer to St. Raphael
​O Raphael, lead us toward those we are waiting for, those who are waiting for us: Raphael, Angel of happy meeting, lead us by the hand toward those we are looking for. May all our movements be guided by your Light and transfigured with your joy.

Angel, guide of Tobias, lay the request we now address to you at the feet of Him on whose unveiled Face you are privileged to gaze. Lonely and tired, crushed by the separations and sorrows of life, we feel the need of calling you and of pleading for the protection of your wings, so that we may not be as strangers in the province of joy, all ignorant of the concerns of our country. Remember the weak, you who are strong, you whose home lies beyond the region of thunder, in a land that is always peaceful, always serene and bright with the resplendent glory of God.

Prayer from Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity to St. Joseph
O Glorious St. Joseph, 
I most humbly beg of you, 
by the love and care you had for Jesus and Mary,
to take my affairs, spriritual and temporal,
into your hands, 
direct them to the greater glory of God and obtain for me 
the grace to do His Holy and adorable will. Amen.

May St. Joseph assist us through his own fatherly care, through his petitions to sweet Jesus in his arms, and through the intercession of St. Andre Bessette, who is so happy to share his love of Joseph and Jesus and Mary with us now!

​Draw me; we will run!