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Day -3
Man Chosen by the Blessed Trinity
Saint Joseph, you were the man
chosen by God the Father.
He selected you to be
His representative on earth,
hence He granted you all the graces
and blessings you needed
to be His worthy representative.
You were the man chosen by God the Son.
Desirous of a worthy foster-father,
He added His own riches and gifts,
and above all, His love.
The true measure of your sanctity
is to be judged by your imitation of Jesus.
You were entirely consecrated to Jesus,
working always near Him,
offering Him your virtues,
your work, your sufferings, your very life.
Jesus lived in you perfectly
so that you were transformed into Him.
In this lies your special glory,
and the keynote of your sanctity.
Hence, after Mary,
you are the holiest of the saints.
You were chosen by the Holy Spirit.
He is the mutual Love of the Father and the Son
the heart of the Holy Trinity.
In His wisdom He draws forth
all creatures from nothing,
guides them to their end
in showing them their destiny
and giving them the means to reach it.
Every vocation and every fulfillment of a vocation
proceeds from the Holy Spirit.
As a foster-father of Jesus
and head of the Holy Family,
you had an exalted and most responsible vocation
to open the way for
the redemption of the world
and to prepare for it by the education
and guidance of the youth of the God-Man.
In this work you cooperated as the
instrument of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was the guide;
you obeyed and carried out the works.
How perfectly you obeyed
the guidance of the God of Love!
The words of the Old Testament
which Pharaoh spoke concerning Joseph of Egypt
can well be applied to you:
"Can we find such another man,
that is full of the spirit of God,
or a wise man like to him?" (Gen. 41:38).
No less is your share
in the divine work of God
than was that of Egypt.
You now reign with your foster-Son
and see reflected in the mirror of God's Wisdom
the Divine Will and what is of benefit to our souls.
Saint Joseph, I thank God
for having made you the man specially chosen by Him.
As a token of your own gratitude to God,
obtain for me the grace to imitate your virtues
so that I too may be pleasing to the Heart of God.
Help me to give myself entirely
to His service and to the accomplishment of His Holy Will,
that one day I may reach heaven
and be eternally united to God as you are.
Novena Prayer
*(prayer to be said at the end of each day's devotion)
Saint Joseph, I, your unworthy child, greet you.
You are the faithful protector
and intercessor of all who love and venerate you.
You know that I have
special confidence in you and that,
after Jesus and Mary,
I place all my hope of salvation in you,
for you are especially powerful with God
and will never abandon your faithful servants.
Therefore I humbly invoke you
and commend myself,
with all who are dear to me
and all that belong to me, to your intercession.
I beg of you,
by your love for Jesus and Mary,
not to abandon me during life
and to assist me at the hour of my death.
Glorious Saint Joseph,
spouse of the Immaculate Virgin,
obtain for me a pure, humble,
charitable mind, and perfect resignation
to the divine Will.
Be my guide, my father,
and my model through life that I may
merit to die as you did
in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Loving Saint Joseph,
faithful follower of Jesus Christ,
I raise my heart to you to implore
your powerful intercession in obtaining
from the Divine Heart of Jesus
all the graces necessary for my spiritual
and temporal welfare,
particularly the grace of a happy death,
and the special grace I now implore:
(Mention your request)
Guardian of the Word Incarnate,
I feel confident that your prayers in my behalf
will be graciously heard before the throne of God.
Amen.
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