A short novena to consecrate or reconsecrate oneself to good St. Joseph
DAY 1: FIRST MEDITATION ON ST. JOSEPH
Your thick, wavy brown hair happily
Blows in the breeze of God’s will;
Your warm brown eyes twinkle with
Contentment, crinkling as you smile.
You protect the holy Babe from Herod’s
Hellish hands, which are dripping with blood;
In obedience, you help the Holy Family
Evade him and elusively escape to Egypt.
As a worker, you handle the wood of
God’s creation with gentle strength;
With industrious ingenuity, you use
God’s good gifts to serve others.
You shatter lustful temptation with your
Carpenter’s mallet of holy purity;
Then, as God’s valiant soldier, you slay
Selfishness with the sword of surrender.
In your loving example, you show little Jesus
how to be a good son to His mother;
With your humble heart, you teach Love
How to love, and the angels are amazed.
St. Joseph, Knight of the Holy Family, pray for us!
DAY 2: SECOND MEDITATION ON ST. JOSEPH
You protected the Babe of Light,
In Bethlehem’s most Holy Night.
The magi in their wise hands hold
Both sweet frankincense and gold,
But your strong courageous arms
Save Baby Jesus from all harms.
You are the knight of the Dove,
And on that Holy Night met Love.
Hellishly bloody Herod the Hater
Fears that he’s not the greater,
But you, oh most humble father,
With vainglory don’t even bother.
You protected the Babe of Light,
In Bethlehem’s most Holy Night.
St. Joseph, Knight of the Holy Family, pray for us!
DAY 3: THIRD MEDITATION ON ST. JOSEPH
Christmas,
The night of Christ,
The breathtaking eve when the
Babe of the Incarnation
Heroically came to save us.
St. Joseph,
The Knight of Christ,
The brave, holy man that the
Babe of the Incarnation
Trusted wholeheartedly.
St. Joseph, Knight of the Holy Family, pray for us!
DAY 4: FOURTH MEDITATION ON ST. JOSEPH
St. Joseph the Silent Knight,
Holy man of common sense,
You preached the gospel,
Though often without words,
If you had the knowledge,
You answered your neighbor,
If not, then through divine wisdom
You put your hand over your mouth;
Teach me how to hold my tongue,
To follow the Spirit’s lead,
Instead of getting in trouble
By rashly running ahead of Him;
It’s pleasant to converse,
But it’s far better to be prudent.
St. Joseph, Knight of the Holy Family, pray for us!
DAY 5: FIFTH MEDITATION ON ST. JOSEPH
As you gently
And skillfully
Craft the wood,
You are in no hurry,
For you know
That everything comes
in God’s time;
Therefore,
When the angel
Commands you
To take Mary
As your wife,
Without rushing,
You patiently accept
And trust in God;
And when the angel
Commands you
To go to Egypt,
You move swiftly,
But you do so wisely
And with great faith,
Not at breakneck speed;
We, too, must learn from you,
Good St. Joseph,
Because when worry whirls,
And when anxiety agitates,
We must follow your example,
With calm and great patience,
Trusting wholeheartedly
In the Babe of Divine Mercy.
St. Joseph, Knight of the Holy Family, pray for us!
DAY 6: SIXTH MEDITATION ON ST. JOSEPH
O St. Joseph, the humble one,
Unite your prayers to Our Lord Jesus
With those of the Mystical Rose,
And implore Him to give each of us
What you gave to the Holy Family:
Strength to lead,
Love to inspire,
Wisdom to guide.
St. Joseph, Knight of the Holy Family, pray for us!
DAY 7: MEDITATION ON THE NATIVITY
Here we find the epicenter of the holy earthquake
that destroys the sin of the centuries.
In jubilation, I swiftly and silently cruise through
the cool, crisp air on this holiest of holy nights,
Up above, high in the heavens, is the star of all stars,
powerfully pulsating with bursts of joy;
Below, in the countryside, the shepherds’ fires
crackle with contentment near Bethlehem,
For the Christ child, the Prince of Peace, has been
born in a lowly little stable in the city of David.
I am flanked by a merry multitude of fellow angels,
as we prepare for our descent into little Bethlehem,
From the cloud tops we cascade downward towards
the manger, like a waterfall of invisible light;
The shuffling shepherds who were so startled to
behold us now adore their newborn king on bent knees,
And the majestic magi marvel at the humility of the
Blessed Babe, the long-awaited holy Messiah.
St. Joseph thoughtfully covers the mild mother Mary,
to help heat her on this very chilly night,
The joyful Virgin warmly welcomes little Jesus,
covering Him with her tender kisses and caresses;
Blissful baby Jesus beams a bright smile, covering all
present with His most peaceful benevolence,
And we angels swirl and dance, and exultantly sing
and rejoice and praise the glory of the good God.
The holy family will live in the dark night of the unseen,
centered in the Light of Limitless Love.
DAY 8: PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH (BY ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT)
Hail, Joseph the Just,
Wisdom is with you;
Blessed are you among all men,
And blessed is Jesus,
The fruit of Maria,
Your faithful spouse.
Holy Joseph,
Worthy foster father of Jesus Christ,
Pray for us sinners,
And obtain divine wisdom for us,
From God,
Now and at the hour of our death.
St. Joseph, Knight of the Holy Family, pray for us!
DAY 9: CONSECRATION PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH (BY ST. ALFONSO DEI LIGUORI)