FEAST OF ST.JOSEPH — 19th March PRAYER SERVICE.
INTRODUCTION:
The feast of St. Joseph is the reason for our gathering. We are delighted to join with the intention of celebrating today’s feast of the unique icon of our mother church. Every celebration wraps with the bundle of excitement and enthusiasm. Today we are blessed to part take in the promise of our Lord. God has been so kind and genuine to each one of us by consecrating this day as a day of celebration. God, our loving father and mother, we truly praise you and bless you for your benevolent graces of making this day so divine and honored. It is the unconditional love of you dear Lord brought us to your divine sanctuary to adore you with our humble efforts.
Celebration is the expression of God’s gift and invitation is the manifestation of His mercy. Let us begin this prayer service by performing arathi to St. Joseph and garlanding him.
HYMN:
Little definite information has come down to us about the chosen soul who was to be, in God’s providence, the earthly guardian of Our Lady and the Foster-father of the Incarnate Word. All that is reliably known of this “just man” named Joseph is contained in the first two chapters of the Gospels of Sts Matthew and Luke. Among such unproved claims must be classed the ancient tradition that Joseph was already a very old man when he married Mary. With St Thomas Aquinas we may believe that at the time of the Annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel, young Mary and Joseph were merely affianced.
From the fact that there is no further reference to Joseph in the Bible after the finding of the boy Jesus in the temple, it has been reasonably inferred that he did not live to see the beginning of Our Lord’s public ministry. The date and place of his death and burial are unknown, but devotion has been shown to him since the earliest times; and his cult has been steadily increasing in a marvelous manner.
St Teresa of Avila (Spain) chose St Joseph as the Patron of her reform of the Carmelite Order and her nuns were given the privilege in 1689 of keeping a feast honoring his patronage.
Joseph is, no doubt, the greatest and most beloved of all the saints of the Catholic Church next only to Mary. His greatness and that of Mary is measured by their closeness to Jesus Christ when he came to earth two millennia ago as the Word-Made- Flesh, the God-With-Us, to impart eternal life to all who believed in him. Little wonder then that Pope Pius IX, on 8 December 1870, proclaimed Joseph the Patron Saint of the Universal Church.
The kingdom of Christ’s reign of grace on earth commenced the moment he was born a child of the Holy Family where Joseph was the least in personal worth, yet at the level of grace far greater than any human person except Mary. Rightly then, the Catholic Church, to use the words of Pope Pius IX, teaches that St Joseph has been designated by God as the master of his goods and of his household. In 1955 Pope Pius XII added the title, “Patron of workmen” . Great in the spirit, great in faith, St Joseph comes through as a man who heard the words of the living God – he listened to those words in silence, and became, as it were, the first witness of the Divine Mystery.
Let us praise God for this wonderful saint to our mother church by praying this psalm
PSALM 66 or 111
Let our praises be added through this hymn.
HYMN: —-
Let us pay heed to this reading
Rom 4:13,16-18,22 or any relevant reading
St. Joseph was not only a just man but also a man of serenity. He lived an exemplary life. His efforts for the accomplishment of the redemptive work of the Trinitarian God, bears a true message even today. With his enormous support to the plan of God, he proved himself as a man of God’s message. His unwavering faith in God, made him to become a man of faith and hope in the providential care of God’s compassion. To follow his virtues let us all plead our Lord through this contemplation and also gather all our intercessory prayers.
[ An artificial tree will be placed , virtues with different designs will be fixed on the tree ] while offering, the chorus is sung [ Tune: Mother of God….. ]Seeker of God, plead with your son
Pray for your children, Father most pure
PURITY:
” Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ”
Dear St. Joseph, you made yourself poor in spirit so that you could inherit the heaven. Every moment of your life, God and His concerns were predominantly expressed. Your thoughts carried the image of God, your words carried the purposes of God and your deeds carried the mission of God. You are the true example of poor in spirit and therefore you invite us too embrace the kingdom of heaven. We bring before you all those who are working with humble hearts to transform this world into a place of heavenly kingdom. Please intercede for all those who are working in mission stations. May their endeavor bear fruits in abundance. Let their strive towards God’s kingdom through the preaching and practicing of word of God make them to be contented. Remembering all the saints and praying for all the missionaries let us offer this symbol.
Chorus
Seeker of God, plead with your son
Pray for your children, Father most pure
LOYALTY:
” Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted ”
Dear St. Joseph, you mourned when you could not understand the plan of God. After the annunciation, you obeyed to the voice of God in accepting mother Mary, you collaborated with her, thereby you found comfort and solace in the Lord. It was your initiative in silence to prepare yourself as a foster father of Jesus. Through your intercession we pray all those who mourn with various crisis and tensions. May they all understand that they will be comforted with the accompaniment of our Lord. May their cry be heard and answered. Remembering all of them and offering our prayers to all those who sincerely work for their relief. May they all too get a chance to lead their life with a divine light. We offer this symbol.
Chorus
SERENITY:
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth”
Dear St. Joseph, your nature of accepting the word of God as it is made everyone to walk in the path of righteousness. Your meekness to own the image of God through your humble deeds is the venerable gesture on earth. Your attitude towards God’s kingdom made you worthy enough to praise you as an authentic follower of divine promises. Through your intercessory prayers we pray for all those who work with the people who suffer with various physical, mental and psychological ailments. May they all get involved in the healing ministry and try to strive for their blissful life. Praying for this intercession let us offer this symbol.
Chorus
HONESTY:
” Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled ”
Dear St. Joseph, your thirst for righteousness made you a man of holiness. You were hungry for the Lord and His salvific plan. You walked in the path of loyalty and justice. Your promptness to fulfill the divine plan was authentic and admirable. Your noble behavior to indulge in God’s active and vibrant mission showed your dynamic contribution. Through your intercessory prayers we pray for all those who are suffering with the sicknesses of poverty and unemployment. Let all the people who can render their service for their upliftment work meticulously in order to bring harmony and fulfillment. Praying for this intercession let us offer this symbol.
Chorus
AGILITY
” Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”
Dear St. Joseph, your nature of being silent and working vibrantly is the message for all of us. You created an ambience for the comfortable people around you. Your way of life is our strength and your sacrifice is our confident. Please intercede for all the people who work for peace in the society. We fondly remember all those who involved in prison ministry. May they all be strengthened by your prayers and all the prisoners be free of their suffering. Praying for this intercession let us offer this symbol.
CHARITY
” Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy”
Dear St. Joseph your ambition and attraction for the fulfillment of divine intervention on this planet make us also to become ambitious in establishing God’s kingdom. Kindly intercede for all the Congregations, churches and all institutions who celebrate their feast days today, and also for all the sisters and brothers who celebrate their birth days and feast days. May your intercessory prayers help us to walk in the path of divine light more closely and witness God’s unconditional mercy. Praying for this intercession let us offer this symbol.
Chorus
Remaining in deep silence for a while let us commit our prayers and petitions.
Jesus our divine master speaks to us through his divine promises. He walks with us through the assistance of holy angels and saints. Trusting in his wholistic support let us pray the universal prayer which is taught by our Lord himself.
Our father——
Kindly rise for the final prayer. We shall recite together.
Prayer to Saint Joseph
To you, O blessed Joseph,
do we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.
Through that charity which bound you
to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and through the paternal love
with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance
which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family,
defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;
O most loving father, ward off from us
every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
O our most mighty protector, be kind to us
and from heaven assist us in our struggle
with the power of darkness.
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril,
so now protect God’s Holy Church
from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity;
shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection,
so that, supported by your example and your aid,
we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness,
and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven.
Amen.
Final Hymn: