"Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who are devoted to toil, obtain for me the grace to toil in the spirit of penance in order thereby to atone for my many sins; to toil conscientiously, putting devotion to duty above my own inclinations; to labor with thankfulness and joy, deeming it an honor to employ and develop by my labor the gifts I have received from Almighty God; to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience without ever shrinking from weariness or difficulties; to work above all with a pure intention and with detachment from ourselves, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill-spent, or talents unemployed, of good undone, and of empty pride in success which is so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all through Mary, all in imitation of you, O Patriarch Joseph. This shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen."
I had never heard this prayer until I started working for the radio station and it was prayed during the daily prayer and meditation time of the staff. The first time I prayed it I could feel God tugging on my heart and challenging me to grow deeper; not only in my relationship with Him but also to devote myself more faithfully to His will in my life. It is a very powerful prayer if you take the time to really reflect on the deeper meaning of each part of the prayer. In fact, the prayer has quite a robust challenge. One that, when taken seriously, could change a person's heart forever.
Read that prayer again, but this time picture in your heart St. Joseph - yes, a saintly man, but overall a regular guy like the lot of us, taking care of Jesus, the God-Man, and Mary, the Immaculate Conception - and see the deep beauty of his role in the Holy Family. To Jesus through Mary! A beautiful prayer and way of life. A solid relationship with Mary brings you to a place in your life where you seek Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, rely in her intercession, imitate her virtue, trust in her motherly affections, and so much more. But what about St. Joseph?
For me, if I have a devotion to a particular saint I develop a relationship with them, I read their writings, I read about them , I pray their prayers, I ask them to pray for me and I greatly appreciate and trust in their companionship to me in the communion of saints as if they were physically present with me in the midst of my everyday life. It's like they become my friends. Until recently St. Joseph was for me a man's saint. He was just another saint in a long list of back up saints I ask to intercede for various items when they come up. St. Joseph was simply who I prayed to intercede for my dad on Father's Day and around Christmas time - kind of like praying to St. Anthony when you lose your keys. I always neglected to develop a relationship with him, which is rather ironic, considering how much time I had devoted to other saints.
Why did I never take more time to develop a relationship and a love for St. Joseph? After all, he is the final member of the Holy Family. He was the one who held Jesus in his arms as an infant alongside the Blessed Mother, he is the one who was with Jesus in his childhood, he was the one who taught Jesus how to be a carpenter; to be a man. St. Joseph was the one chosen by God to protect the two most Immaculate beings who ever lived on this earth. He is an example of holiness, virtue, humility, charity, filial love, gentleness, kindness and genuine sincerity.
Now that I pray this prayer at the beginning of every day, it has become for me like a rhythm of waves crashing onto a rocky shore. Each mini stanza is like a wave of God's grace, love, and call to conversion crashing on the rocky shore of my heart. Each day I find the phrases from this prayer running through my mind and affecting what I am, should be, or what I have shouldn't have - thought, said or did. The more I reflect on it the more I can see and feel God softening that stony shore of my heart through the new relationship I have developed with St. Joseph, the beautiful spouse of our Blessed Mother!
Written by Nicolette
