LASALLIAN PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH

With a Father’s Heart

Br. Rafa Matas

Saint Joseph, you are a model educator, together with Mary,
we Lasallians call upon your fatherly heart
acknowledging you as Patron and Guardian of the entire Lasallian Family.

Beloved Father,
help us to live our humanity in faith
and be bearers of the seeds
that make our commitment bear fruit
in the Lasallian Educational Mission.

Father of tenderness,
teach us to act
with the firmness of a father and the tenderness of a mother,
always holding in high esteem
those at the heart of our mission,
just as you and Mary knew how to do it with Jesus.

Obedient Father,
help us to discover God’s will
and to live our “I adore in all things”,
our “Fiat” in fidelity,
like your spouse Mary at the Annunciation and your Son Jesus in Gethsemane.

Father full of mercy,
teach us how to welcome others in a fatherly embrace,
and to touch their hearts
to provide them all the good that we can,
especially the most vulnerable:
the destitute, the needy, the exiled, the afflicted,
the poor, the dying, the last and the least,
who are the favourite ones of your Son.

Father of creative boldness,
help us to overcome difficulties
with passionate fidelity and creativity
and embrace the adversities
that we encounter on our journey towards Jesus.

Father in the silence at the workshop,
teach us how to be thankful to God
for our work
and to feel sympathetic with those who are without work.

Father of silent presence,
help us not to feel that we are the centre of everything
and to collaborate generously
with the parents of our students
in their human and Christian education.

Saint Joseph, we place our home and our community into your hands.
Help us to be at the service of Jesus’ plan: The Kingdom of God.
Teach us to love and be grateful for the gifts we have received. Like you, Saint Joseph, may we always look with the eyes of faith.
And let us act with a father’s heart.

Amen

8 WAYS TO LIVE & PRAY THE YEAR OF SAINT JOSEPH

LIVING THE YEAR OF SAINT JOSEPH ON A PERSONAL LEVEL In the midst of the Year of Saint Joseph, we know that all Lasallians wish to live this event personally and in the best possible way. We will be in communion with the whole People of God and with the entire Lasallian Family.

We are sharing with you some suggestions in order to enhance our devotion to St. Joseph. There is no doubt that, like our Founder, feeling protected by our Patron will help us to live in this difficult time of pandemic. In addition, the following suggestions may help us in the coming months to “act in such a way that (y)our life may begin today to be holy and edifying and continue to be such in the future “ (Meditation 93.3.2).

Some of the following proposals are in line with what the Apostolic Penitentiary proposes as a way to attain indulgences this year.

1. Participate in a spiritual retreat for at least one day including a meditation on St. Joseph.

Context: The experience of lockdown during this pandemic has certainly made us discover the importance of silence, of “sound” solitude, of meditation and of a well spent time for retreat. Let us not lose the personal experience of seeking and finding an explicit time of retreat during the coming months. Because of his maturity and his faith, St. Joseph must have spent many hours of silence in his workshop. This nourished his dedication to God because “in him, we never see frustration but only trust. His patient silence was the prelude to concrete expressions of trust.” (Patris corde 7).

Biblical Reference: “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will do this: he will make your righteousness shine like the sun, and your justice like the noonday light”. (Ps 37:3-6)

From St John Baptist de La Salle: “ In whatever circumstance I find myself, I will always follow a plan and a daily schedule, 7 relying only on the grace of God, in which I place full trust, to carry them out because I have never been able to accomplish this on my own. As my situation changes, I will adjust my plan and daily schedule. To make sure this happens, I will spend a day in retreat. (Rules I Have Imposed on Myself 3,0,10)

Personal action: We invite you personally to have one day of spiritual retreat in which you can deepen and meditate on the figure of St. Joseph. Some of the documents that are being published may be helpful to you, but this material suits you; make use of your own creativity. Don’t forget: our recommendation is for a personal recollection day.

2. Ask in prayer for the intercession of St. Joseph so that the unemployed may get a decent job.

Context: We are facing hard times. During this Covid-19 crisis, which is more than a health crisis, many people have lost their jobs. Many families are living a very critical situation. This action that we propose to you will help you to be in communion with those who have lost or cannot find a job and to feel in union with all of them. Remember that “Saint Joseph was a carpenter who earned an honest living to provide for his family. From him, Jesus learned the value, the dignity and the joy of what it means to eat bread that is the fruit of one’s own labour.”. (Patris corde 6) 2

Biblical Reference: “ In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food. But you, brothers, do not be remiss in doing good. (2 Thess. 3:10-

From St John Baptist de La Salle: “St. Joseph is also to be invoked as the patron and protector of the Society, being persuaded that he has great influence with God. (EMO 10,240)

Personal action: Intercessory prayer (if that is the case, can be applied on a personal level) Glorious St. Joseph, your mission as guardian of Jesus and protector of the Virgin Mary made you the responsible one for the Holy Family and the steward of its economic life. For three times, your obedience to the will of God obliged you to change your place of residence quickly and thus, lose contact with the population which provided you with work and security. You were forced to look for new works for your carpenter’s craft. Saint Joseph, you always kept your trust in Providence and asked for God’s assistance. Today I pray to you, Saint Joseph, For those who do not have and cannot find a job. For those who suffer the consequences of such a hard social crisis. Help them to be active in their search. To be open to all opportunities, Measured in their demands. To show solidarity with those who are also looking for a job. May they not lose hope and faith.

3. Recite the Litany of St. Joseph for persecuted Christians.

Context: Today, more than 340 million Christians live in countries where persecution is high, very high or extreme. Asia and Africa stand out for the number of countries that are included in the “World Persecution List”. A glance at this harsh reality that many of our brothers and sisters live will open our hearts to implore the intercession of St. Joseph, who also had to flee from Herod’s persecution.

Biblical reference: “What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? (Rom 8:35)

From St John Baptist de La Salle: “ Do the pains, sufferings, and persecutions that you have to endure in your ministry, instead of wearing down your courage, serve to increase your zeal and inspire you all the more to make Jesus Christ known and loved? (Meditation 78.3.2)

Personal action: We invite you to pray from the Litany of St. Joseph:
Lord, have mercy on us. -Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. -Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, our Father in Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world. Have mercy on us 4
God the Holy Spirit. Have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, One God. Have mercy on us.

Pray for us -Holy Mary -Saint Joseph -Noble son of the House of David -Light of Patriarchs -Husband of the Mother of God -Chaste Guardian of the Virgin -Foster father of the Son of God -Faithful guardian of Christ -Head of the Holy Family -Joseph most just -Joseph most chaste -Joseph most prudent -Joseph most valiant -Joseph most obedient -Joseph most faithful -Pattern of patience -Lover of poverty -Model of workers -Glory of home life -Guardian of virgins -Pillar of families -Comfort of the troubled -Hope of the sick -Patron of the dying -Refuge of the persecuted -Protector of the Holy Church.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
Pray for us. Forgive us, Lord.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
Hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
Have mercy on us.

O God, who in your inexpressible providence were pleased to choose Saint Joseph as spouse of the most holy Mother of your Son, grant, we pray, that we, who revere him as our protector on earth, may be worthy of his heavenly intercession. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

4. Entrust your work and daily activities to the protection of Saint Joseph the Worker.

Context: Through our work we become responsible people and contribute to the common good of all humanity. It is not only a means for our livelihood and that of our family and/or community, but it also dignifies and fulfils us personally. That is why Pope Francis also invites us to the following: “Let us celebrate St. Joseph the Worker by always remembering that work is a fundamental element for the dignity of the person” (Pope Francis. May 1st, 2018).

Biblical Reference: “And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3: 14-15. 17.23-24) 6

From St John Baptist de La Salle: “Such ought to be the whole consolation of a Christian in this life: to act for the God who made him, from whom he receives everything, and to whom he owes all the good that he can do in this life. Have you often reflected during this year that because God gives you life and helps you perform all your actions, all of them ought to be consecrated to him and that you do him injury when you do them for any other purpose except for him?” (MF 90,3,1,2)

Personal action: This or another prayer may be helpful: Artisan and worker, humble Joseph, we the working classes look up to you as our special patron and model. Like us, you too earned bread by the sweat of your brow, and hardened your hands handling the rough tool. Pray to your Son Jesus, Holy Worker, For the rights of all workers to be respected. May their work always be carried out in the spirit of justice. May they show solidarity with all their colleagues. May the Church watch over them And may our Lasallian Family Keep the doors open in welcoming every worker. Pray for us to Jesus, who shared with you the work in the workshop. Amen.

5. Follow the example of St. Joseph and preform Corporal and Spiritual works of mercy.

Context: Corporal works of mercy are concrete actions that express love for our neighbour, especially those around us who are most in need. In everyday life we can let days, weeks, months and even years go by without realising that there are people around us who are in need, consciously or unconsciously, of each one of us. They need our support, our affection, our compassion, our listening, our hands and even our financial help. This Year of St. Joseph is a good time to practice some or all of them! Both corporal and spiritual.

Biblical Reference: “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Lk. 6,38).

From St John Baptist de La Salle: “The mercy and compassion we feel for our neighbour are what move us to relieve them in their spiritual or bodily miseries”. (Duties of the Christian 1 216,2,5)

Personal Action: From your own context, take time to reflect and contemplate. What do you see? But look with the eyes of faith and mercy. Reflect on the following text from Pope Francis when, in 2015, he called for the “Jubilee of Mercy”: “ Practicing mercy is not a Jubilee thing, it is a lifelong thing”. Pope Francis invited us to think and practice: “whether we have fed the hungry and given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger and clothed the naked, or spent time with the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-45). Moreover, we will be asked if we have helped others to escape the doubt that causes them to fall into despair and which is often a source of loneliness; if we have helped to overcome the ignorance in which millions of people live, especially children deprived of the necessary means to free them from the bonds of poverty; if we have been close to the lonely and afflicted; if we have forgiven those who have offended us and have rejected all forms of anger and hate that lead to violence; if we have had the kind of patience God shows, who is so patient with us; and if we have commended our brothers and sisters to the Lord in prayer”. (Misericordiae Vultus, 15) And get started! There is no need for anyone to know, God already does... and the person who receives your merciful blessing in word and deed.

6. Pray the rosary with your family so that “all Christian families may be encouraged to recreate the same atmosphere of intimate communion, love and prayer that was in the Holy Family”.

Context: In many of our Lasallian contexts, the very sense of family is being lost and, what is more, the tradition of praying the Rosary together. Yes, it is true, there are still families who keep alive this way of feeling united through prayer, but what about yours? Wouldn’t it be interesting to recover this practice? And the same practice in the family could be applied in praying the Rosary in Lasallian Community.

Biblical reference: It is true that there are established prayers in the rosary, but these prayers have a foundation in Sacred Scripture in any of its mysteries. It serves as a reminder:

Sorrowful Mysteries: 1. The agony of Our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Mk 14, 32- 38) 2. The scourging at the pillar. (Mk 15, 15) 3. The crowning with thorns. (Mk 15:16-19) 4. The carrying of the Cross. (Mk 15:21-22) 5. The crucifixion and death of Our Lord. (Jn 19, 18-30)

Luminous Mysteries: 1. The baptism in the Jordan. (Mk 1:9-10) 2. The wedding at Cana. (Jn 2, 1-11) 3. The proclamation of the Kingdom of God inviting to conversion. (Mk 1, 15) 4. The Transfiguration. (Mk 9, 2-8) 5. The institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper (Lk 22, 19).

Glorious Mysteries: 1. The Resurrection of the Lord. (Mt 28, 1-6) 2. The Ascension of the Lord. (Mk 16, 19-20) 3. The descent of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2, 1-4) 4. The Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven. (Song 6, 10; Ps 132, 8; Rev 12, 1) 5. The crowning of our Lady Queen of Heaven. (Rev 12:1; Lk 1:32; Jer 13:18).

From St John Baptist de La Salle: “Say the rosary with great devotion. It is the way to guard your eyes, to focus your mind, and especially to attract God’s graces for conducting your school well.” (Letter 71,5).

Personal action: Pray the rosary at least once this year as a family and/or in community.

7. Meditate on the Lord’s Prayer.

Context: St. Joseph invites us to remember our filiation to the Father, to intensify our relationship with Him, to renew our fidelity to prayer, to listen and discern God’s will.

Biblical Reference: “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test.” (Mt 6:9-13)

From St John Baptist de La Salle: “Let us trust to obtain what we ask of God, reciting the prayer which Our Lord taught us, and which contains seven petitions. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen” (Personal Writings 9,7)

Personal action: Set aside one day a month to find time for silence and meditation. Read slowly the Lord’s Prayer. Mentally review what Joseph did in his life as the father of Jesus. Discern your sense of belonging to God the Father, meditate on each of the seven petitions one after the other, without rushing to finish. End with the prayer not to fall into evil and ask God for your own conversion.

8. Some other ideas and actions which can complement those above and, as St. John Baptist de La Salle writes in his Testament, help us to have a “special devotion to the Virgin Mary and to St. Joseph, patron and protector of your Society” (T 4,0,1):

a) A prayer that is known to have never failed, that offers the request for spiritual benefit to the one who is praying or to the person being prayed for: O St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong and so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my intentions and desires. Help me, O St. Joseph, do a) Prayer for each day: assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings through your adopted Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord; so that, having engaged here below your heavenly power I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating You and Jesus asleep in Your arms. I dare not approach when He reposes near your heart. Embrace Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return that kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us! Amen.

b). Place an icon of St. Joseph in your home, community, classroom...

c). Make Wednesday a special day dedicated to St. Joseph by doing some of the above suggestions in a more special way or pray for the needs of our Lasallian Family with the following Lasallian prayer “WITH A FATHER’S HEART“: Joseph Saint Joseph, you are a model educator, together with Mary, we Lasallians call upon your fatherly heart acknowledging you as Patron and Guardian of the entire Lasallian Family. Beloved Father, help us to live our humanity in faith and be bearers of the seeds that make our commitment bear fruit in the Lasallian Educational Mission. Father of tenderness, teach us to act with the firmness of a father and the tenderness of a mother, always holding in high esteem those at the heart of our mission, just as you and Mary knew how to do it with Jesus. Obedient Father, help us to discover God’s will and to live our “I adore in all things”, our “Fiat” in fidelity, like Mary at the Annunciation and your Son Jesus in Gethsemane. Father full of mercy, teach us how to welcome others in a fatherly embrace, and to touch their hearts to provide them all the good that we can, especially the most vulnerable: the destitute, the needy, the exiled, the afflicted, the poor, the dying, the last and the least, who are the favourite ones of your Son. Father of creative boldness, help us to overcome difficulties with passionate fidelity and creativity and embrace the adversities that we encounter on our journey towards Jesus. Father in the silence at the workshop, teach us how to be thankful to God for our work and to feel sympathetic with those who are without work. Father of silent presence, help us not to feel that we are the centre of everything and to collaborate generously with the parents of our students in their human and Christian education. Saint Joseph, we place our home and our community into your hands. Help us to be at the service of Jesus’ plan: The Kingdom of God. Teach us to love and be grateful for the gifts we have received. Like you, Saint Joseph, may we always look with the eyes of faith. And let us act with a father’s heart. Amen

d). Read some books about St. Joseph.

e). Pray for the needs of our Lasallian Family.

f ). At the end of the day, tell Saint Joseph your worries, your desires... and go to sleep following the recommendation of our Founder who invites us to “say a prayer in his honour every day” (I 2,8,10). (I 2,8,10) The following prayer could be useful, “Bedtime Prayer to St Joseph.”: Now that the glimmer of light is fading, we implore you, St. Joseph: In your mercy intercede before God the Father, to keep us in the light of his love. May our hearts dream of you, may they feel you in their sleep. Let us sing again his glory to the brightness of the morning that is to come. God grant us health in this life, renew our energies, enlighten with your clarity the terrible loneliness of the night and let us sleep well. O Father, hear our prayers, hear us through Jesus, Our Lord, who reigns forever in your glory, with you and the Spirit of Love. Amen.