Devotion to the Most Chaste Heart of Saint Joseph

Devotion to the Three United Sacred Hearts through the Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph given to Edson Glauber in Itapiranga AM, Brazil

Seven Sorrows and Joys of St. Joseph Chaplet

Our Lady: Today I pour from heaven upon all of you a shower of graces. I come to reveal to you the grace that My Lord has destined for the Amazon. Jesus and I come today, accompanied by Saint Joseph, because we desire that each one of you have a deep love and devotion to His Most Chaste Heart. Those who ask for God's blessings through the intercession of the Most Chaste Heart of Saint Joseph will receive all the graces from Me and from My son Jesus. We are grateful to St. Joseph, for all that He has done for Me and for My Son Jesus, for both of Us.

Jesus and I desire that next to the devotion of Our Sacred Hearts united, is also the devotion to the Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph. All My children throughout the world who honor, with special prayers and devotions, the first Wednesday of the month, by praying the seven sorrows and joys of My Most Chaste Spouse Saint Joseph, will receive the graces necessary for salvation, at the hour of their death.

You have all received this mission from the Lord, to spread the devotion of the Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph to the whole world. Now is complete the Triune devotion that God Our Lord so desired. Now is fulfilled all that I and My son Jesus began since the most remote apparitions. Now the graces will be in abundance and the Holy Spirit will be poured out powerfully over the face of the earth. The Holy Spirit, through this triune devotion, will set the Amazon on fire with the fire of His love. Get ready to fulfill what I and Jesus ask of you, dear children. (Our Lady on May 2, 1997)

Edson tells us what happened: I understood that these prayers of the seven sorrows and joys of Saint Joseph should be prayed in the form of a rosary and during the nine first Wednesdays of the month. People who make this novena should approach Holy Confession and Holy Communion, offering them in honor of the Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph.

"Whatever grace you ask of St. Joseph, He will certainly grant it to you!"

(St. Tereza D'Avila)

Recitation of the Chaplet

At the Beginning

Apostles Creed...

Our Father...

We honor You St. Joseph and Your Most Chaste Heart, chosen by God the Father, to be the foster father of Jesus and the Protector of the Holy Church.

Hail Joseph, Son of David, ...

Hail Joseph, son of David, just and virginal man, Wisdom is with thee, blessed art thou amongst all men and blessed is Jesus, the fruit of Mary, thy faithful spouse. Saint Joseph, worthy Father and Protector of Jesus Christ and the Holy Church, pray for us sinners and obtain for us from God the Divine Wisdom, now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

We honor You St. Joseph and Your Most Chaste Heart, chosen and loved by God the Son to be His Virgin Father, whom He obeyed and respected in His earthly life.

Hail Joseph, Son of David, ...

We honor You Saint Joseph and Your Most Chaste Heart, chosen by God the Holy Spirit to be the Righteous, Chaste and Holy Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Hail Joseph, Son of David, ...

Glory be to the Father...

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love You, save souls!

Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph, be the guardian of our family!

1st Sorrow and Joy of Saint Joseph

THE DIVINE MATERNITY OF THE VIRGIN MARY

Now, the origin of Jesus Christ was like this: Mary, His mother, was promised in marriage to Joseph and, before they came together, She found herself pregnant by the action of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, Her spouse, being just and unwilling to denounce Her publicly, thought of dismissing Her secretly. But while this thought came to Him, an angel of the Lord appeared to Him in a dream and said: "Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary, Your spouse. She will bear a son, and You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. All this happened to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son. He will be called by the name Immanuel, which means: God-with-us." When He awoke, Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had commanded and welcomed His spouse. (Mt 1:18-24)

St. Joseph's pain until the angel appeared was immense: it was in the measure of His love for Our Lady. This scene has been commented on very differently by the Fathers of the Church. The interpretation of St. Joseph's doubt, perhaps most in accord with reality, is the one expounded by St. Thomas Aquinas when he explains: Joseph wanted to abandon Mary not because He had any suspicion against Her, but because, due to His humility, He was afraid to live united to so much holiness; this is why the Angel said to Him afterwards: do not be afraid!

Joseph felt small, or even nothing, compared to the greatness of the incomprehensible mystery realized in Mary; and with great pain He decides to withdraw discreetly. The Angel not only assures Him that what has happened to His Spouse is a divine work, but also tells Him that He too has a mission in the mystery: to give Jesus a name; this expression means - in the biblical manner of speaking - that He would be the father of Jesus before the Law. The joy of the accepted paternal vocation flooded St. Joseph's heart.

O Most Pure Spouse of the Blessed Mary, glorious St. Joseph, as great was the bitterness of Your Heart in the perplexity of forsaking Your Most Chaste Spouse, so great was Your joy inexplicable, when by the Angel was revealed to You the sovereign mystery of the Incarnation.

By this sorrow of Yours and by this joy of Yours, we ask You the grace to console our soul now, and in the extreme pains, with the joy of a good death, similar to yours between JESUS and MARY. Amen.

Our Father...

10x Hail Joseph...

Glory be to the Father...

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls!

Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph, be the guardian of our family!

2nd Sorrow and Joy of Saint Joseph

THE BIRTH OF JESUS

In those times a decree appeared from Caesar Augustus, ordering a census of the whole land. This census took place before the government of Quirino in Syria. Everyone went to register, each one in His own town. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the City of David, called Bethlehem, because He was of the house and family of David, to register with His wife Mary, who was with child. And while they were there, Her days were fulfilled. And She gave birth to Her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Lk 2:1-7)

The mystery of God incarnate remains hidden in this humble scene. Joseph contemplates the God Child; He, who loves Jesus so much, suffers to see Him in this place - lying in a manger - knowing that the Word is King of the world. The desire to give himself, in contrast to His almost empty hands, makes St. Joseph's soul and heart feel as if they are oppressed: His desire to give is a burning fire, and His whole being groans at the difference between His eagerness to give and the tangible reality.

But there is a moment - perhaps when He holds the Child Jesus in His arms - when St. Joseph's pain is quieted and becomes a profound light: once again He renews His surrender to God and fulfills in a perfect way the divine mandate to love Him with all His heart, with all His soul, with all His being. He gives himself entirely to God, who sleeps in His arms. And perhaps the only external sign of this surrender is that, slightly, so as not to awaken Him, He presses the Child a little closer to His chest.

O most happy Patriarch, glorious St. Joseph, who was chosen to be the Adoptive Father of the Humanized Word, the pain You felt when You saw the Child GOD born in such poverty, was transformed into heavenly joy when You heard the angelic melody and saw the glory of that most brilliant night.

By this sorrow of Yours and by this joy of Yours, we beg for the grace to obtain for us that after the journey of this life, we may hear the angelic praises, and enjoy the brightness of the heavenly glory. Amen.

Our Father...

10x Hail Joseph...

Glory be to the Father...

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls!

Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph, be the guardian of our family!

3rd Sorrow and Joy of Saint Joseph

THE CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS

When the eight days for circumcising the baby were over, He was given the name Jesus, as the angel had called Him before He was conceived in His mother's womb. (Lk 2:21)

How ineffable the joy of intimacy with Christ, of calling Him by His name: Jesus! Saint Joseph is the master who teaches us how to live confidently with the Word. We should always recommend ourselves to this glorious Patriarch and have devotion to Him: especially people of prayer should always be devoted to Him, for how can one think of the Queen of Angels and the time spent with the Child Jesus and not give thanks to Saint Joseph for having helped them so much? Whoever cannot find a master to teach him prayer, take this glorious Saint and he will not go astray on the path.

O most obedient executor of the divine laws, glorious St. Joseph, the most precious blood, which at the circumcision the Infant Redeemer shed, pierced Your Heart, but the name of JESUS revived it, filling it with contentment.

By this sorrow of Yours and by this joy of Yours, obtain for us that, having been plucked from our vices in this life, with the name of JESUS in our hearts and on our lips, we may exhale full of joy. Amen.

Our Father...

10x Hail Joseph...

Glory be to the Father...

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls!

Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph, be the guardian of our family!

4th Sorrow and Joy of Saint Joseph

THE PROPHECY OF SIMEON

When the days of His purification according to the Law of Moses were over, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, according to what is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord (Ex 13:2); and to offer the sacrifice prescribed by the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. This man, righteous and pious, was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was in him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die without first seeing the Lord's Christ. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, he went to the temple. And when the parents had presented the child Jesus, to fulfill the precepts of the law concerning him, he took Him in his arms and praised God in these words: Now, Lord, let Your servant go in peace, according to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before all people, as a light to lighten the nations, and for the glory of Your people Israel. His father and mother were amazed at the things that were said about Him. Simeon blessed Them and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this child is destined to be a cause of downfall and of uplift to many men in Israel, and to be a sign that will cause contradictions, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And a sword will pierce Your soul" (Lk 22:22-35)

Simeon explains to us how Jesus will be a sign of contradiction, a sign and banner before which men will speak for or against, and he adds that the Son's suffering will be closely linked to the Mother's.

Here the suffering of Jesus and Mary is explicit. Saint Joseph glimpses more clearly, with this revelation, the mystery of the Son's Cross; it is impossible to discover the depth of His pain: He who always wanted to protect the Child, whom He loved with full paternal love, for being - as Saint Pius X liked to say - Jesus' virginal father, understands now, with a new light, all the Old Testament prophecies about Christ's Passion.

The Cross is already engraved in St. Joseph's mind, soul and heart: no creature, after the Virgin Mary, suffered as much as He did. Just as Mary offered Her Son on the Cross, so too St. Joseph offers Him: and this surrender manifests the Holy Patriarch's greatest act of generosity, because all the generosity of His love was necessary to offer to God, in supreme sacrifice, Jesus and Mary, whom He loved incomparably more than His own life.

O most faithful Saint, who also had part in the mysteries of our redemption, glorious St. Joseph, if Simeon's prophecy, concerning what Jesus and Mary had to suffer, caused You mortal anguish, it also filled You with great joy for the salvation and glorious resurrection, which he also foretold would result for countless souls.

By this sorrow of Yours and by this joy of Yours, obtain that we may be among those who, through the merits of JESUS and the intercession of His Virgin Mother, will gloriously rise again. Amen.

Our Father...

10x Hail Joseph...

Glory be to the Father...

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls!

Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph, be the guardian of our family!

5th Sorrow and Joy of Saint Joseph

THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT

After the departure of the Magi, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, "Arise, take the child and His mother and flee to Egypt; stay there until I inform You, for Herod will seek the child to kill Him." Joseph got up in the night, took the child and His mother and fled to Egypt. There He stayed until Herod's death, so that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled: I have called My son out of Egypt (Hos 11:1). When Herod saw that He had been deceived by the Wise Men, He was very angry and had all the children from two years old and under slaughtered in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas, according to the exact time He had asked the Wise Men. Then the prophet Jeremiah said: "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and wailing: Rachel is weeping for Her children; She does not want consolation, for they are no more" (Jer 31:15)! (Mt 2:13-18)

Joseph and Mary, for sure, had anticipated a quiet happiness in Nazareth. The Lord came to visit their family filling them beyond all their hopes with the joy of Christmas, with the singing of the Angels, with the arrival of the shepherds and the Magi. But then, suddenly, everything changes, and they are persecuted.

These are the most violent, unexpected, unpredictable and disconcerting trials. The Angels have announced peace, saying that the Son of God has come to bring love on earth, and behold, suddenly hatred is unleashed. An implacable, unjustified hatred that wishes the death of love. Mary and Joseph are now not just simple exiles, emigrants so called eradicated, but persecuted people, fugitives, considered dangerous. Only those who have lived or still live in the crosshairs of hatred can understand what the Blessed Virgin and the Glorious St. Joseph suffered when they left Bethlehem.

Before that newborn Child who is not like the others, no one can remain indifferent. The deep thoughts of the hearts reveal themselves and translate into love or hatred. Both attitudes are represented by the Magi and by Herod. The Magi searched and found the Child; their hearts were conquered, as the deep joy they felt at the sight of the star that guided them to the exact place in Bethlehem where Jesus was. Joy is nothing but the flame of love that burns in the hearts of those who have found and adhere to God's plan.

Herod, on the other hand, king usurper of a meticulous kingdom, was afraid, because of that Child born in a manger, who was clothed with a royalty that was not of this world. Not seeing the Magi return, He let himself be seized by a satanic and senseless hatred: feeling deceived by those foreigners who had not deigned to inform Him of their departure. He thought He was omnipotent, and now the hope of discovering, with certainty, where His rival is. So He makes the decision to make that king of the Jews disappear as soon as possible, before someone publicly prefers Him to him.

Joseph and Mary certainly learned, sooner or later, of that shedding of innocent blood. It is not hard to imagine their reaction. It was one piece of evidence that added to all the others. Mary saw how rightly Simeon saw things, and how Her Son was indeed exposed to contradiction. The hatred that pursued Her Son was the tip of the sword, which penetrated deeply into Her heart. For Joseph and Mary, the thought of being, albeit indirectly, the cause of the death of those innocents must have weighed heavily on Their hearts that were sensitive to the pains of their neighbor. It was the painful consequence of Mary's yes on the day of the Annunciation, and for Joseph, the continuation of His free and conscious acceptance of His spouse's mission.

If the Lord Jesus, during the forty days of His desert retreat, suffered the assaults of temptations, we may think that He did not spare Mary and Joseph. Temptations are not a sin. God permits them to the saints only to unite them more closely to His will. After the long days of weariness, the privations of all kinds, the uncertainties and apprehensions that shake the soul, Joseph and Mary could hear the temptations whispering in their ears: Why say yes? Why suffer all these paths? Why leave Nazareth, Your home? Your belongings? Your tranquility to go through all this?...How many questions assailed their minds, already tired surely, by the mirages of the desert.

The only answer on their lips was that they should give their all, even their lives, for God's plan to be fulfilled, even when events became more and more disconcerting and without immediate explanations: God is wiser than we are. He is faithful and loves us! From this we can conclude that even the storms, the thorns that appear along the way, the unforeseen setbacks do not in fact show that the road we are walking on is not really the right one. We can trust that God will not let anyone down and will not deceive anyone. Sooner or later, He will know how to extract the good from the evil, and He will know how to restore a hundredfold what we now lose when we leave everything to follow His call.

O most vigilant guardian, intimate relative of the incarnate SON OF GOD, GLORIOUS SAINT Joseph, how much You suffered to feed and serve the SON OF THE ALMIGHTY, particularly during the flight You made with Him to Egypt! But, what was Your joy for always having the same GOD with You, and for seeing the gods of Egypt fall to the ground!

By this sorrow of Yours and by this joy of Yours, obtain that the infernal sin be cast out of us, especially by fleeing from dangerous occasions, that all the idols of earthly affections be cast down from our hearts, and that we may be entirely employed in the service of JESUS and MARY, and only live and die happy for them. Amen.

Our Father...

10x Hail Joseph...

Glory be to the Father...

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls!

Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph, be the guardian of our family!

6th Sorrow and Joy of Saint Joseph

THE RETURN FROM EGYPT

When Herod was dead, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Arise, take the child and His mother, and return to the land of Israel, for those who lay an attempt on the child's life are dead." Joseph arose, took the child and His mother, and went into the land of Israel. But when He heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea in place of His father Herod, He dared not go there. Divinely warned in a dream, He withdrew to the province of Galilee and came to live in the city of Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: He will be called Nazarene. (Mt 2, 19-23)

After the pain of not being able to go to Judea, St. Joseph feels the joy of returning to Nazareth: this joy grows with time, as the days of Christ's hidden life go by. The home formed by Jesus, Mary and Joseph is similar in everything to those of their neighbors; time passes in a family atmosphere; sometimes Joseph contemplates the Child in the most pure arms of Mary, the blessed Mother. From Her was born the God made flesh, and with Her lips She gave sweet kisses on the flesh of the One who is true God and true man. Certainly, St. Joseph himself would take care of the Child: St. Joseph showed great fervor and joy in continually providing for the needs of the Savior, the little child, His cleanliness, and treating with great reverence the little members of His precious body, and changing His clothes, and other things that children need.

St. Joseph faithfully carries out God's will. From the Gospel accounts," explains St. Josemaría Escrivá, "we can see the great human personality of St. Joseph: at no time does He appear to us as a man diminished or frightened in the face of life; on the contrary, He knows how to face up to problems, overcome difficult situations, and take on the tasks entrusted to Him with responsibility and initiative. I do not agree with the classical way of representing St. Joseph as an old man, despite the good intention of highlighting Mary's perpetual virginity. I picture Him young, strong, perhaps a few years older than Our Lady; but in the vigor of life and human strength.

To live the virtue of chastity one does not have to be old or lack vigor. Chastity is born of love; the strength and joy of youth are no obstacle to a clean love. Young were the heart and body of St. Joseph when He contracted marriage with Mary, when He knew the mystery of Her divine maternity, when He lived with Her respecting the integrity that God wanted to offer to the world.

O Angel of the earth, glorious St. Joseph, who, full of wonder, saw the King of Heaven submissive to Your orders; if Your consolation in bringing Him back from Egypt was disturbed by Archelaus' fear, nevertheless, reassured by the Angel, You remained joyful in Nazareth with JESUS and MARY.

By this sorrow of Yours and by this joy of Yours, grant that our hearts may be freed from vain fears, that we may enjoy peace of conscience, live securely with JESUS and MARY, and die among Them. Amen.

Our Father...

10x Hail Joseph...

Glory be to the Father...

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls!

Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph, be the guardian of our family!

7th Sorrow and Joy of Saint Joseph

THE LOSS OF THE CHILD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE

His parents went to Jerusalem every year for the feast of the Passover. When He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they returned home after the feast, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem unnoticed by His parents. Thinking that He was with His entourage, They went a day's journey and looked for Him among Their relatives and acquaintances. But not finding Him, They returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him. Three days later, They found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard Him were amazed at the wisdom of His answers. When They saw Him, They were astonished. And His mother said to Him: My son, what have You done to us! Behold, Your father and I have been looking for You, filled with affliction. And He said to Them: "Why were You looking for Me? Did You not know that I must be about My Father's business?" But they did not understand what He said to Them. Then He went down with Them to Nazareth, and was subject to Them. His mother treasured all these things in Her heart. And Jesus grew in stature, and in wisdom, and in favor with God and man. (Lk 2:41-52)

Let us share in this moment the sorrow of Mary and Joseph at the loss of their Son. It was an absence full of searching and fear, of restless comings and goings: three painful days that are like a portent of those that go from Calvary to the resurrection. And suddenly, They hear His voice: He is there! The soul becomes quiet and joy arises and the emotion accumulated during the previous long hours overflows.

In narrating the scene, St. Luke uses several times in this text - as in previous ones - the term "fathers" to designate Our Lady and St. Joseph; but this word takes on its full meaning on the lips of Mary, when She says to Her Son: "Look, Your father and I have been looking for You anxiously!

Father: this word would have been the word most loved by St. Joseph; how many times, when He was called by Jesus, He would have answered Him by looking at Him with a smiling and lingering look. In fact, Joseph loved Jesus as a father loves His son," St. Josemaría Escrivá explains, "He treated Him by giving Him all the best that He had. Joseph, taking care of that Child as He had been ordered, made Jesus a craftsman: He passed on His craft to Him. What would Joseph be like, how would grace have worked in Him, to be able to carry out the task of developing the Son of God in a human aspect?

That is why Jesus had to resemble Joseph: in the way He worked, in His character traits, in the way He spoke. In the realism of Jesus, in His way of sitting at table and breaking bread, in His taste for speaking in a concrete way, taking as an example the things of everyday life, is reflected what His childhood and youth were, and therefore His dealings with Joseph.

O exemplar of all holiness, glorious St. Joseph, who lost the Child Jesus, through no fault of Yours, and in sorrow sought Him for three days, until with great joy You rejoiced in the One Who was Your Life, finding Him in the Temple of Jerusalem among teachers.

By this sorrow of Yours and by this joy of Yours, we beseech You, with our hearts on our lips, to interpose Your strength so that we may never happen to lose Jesus through serious fault, but if by misfortune we lose Him, with such continued sorrow let us seek Him, that we may find Him favorable, especially in our death, to enjoy Him in heaven, and there sing with You His divine mercies forever. Amen.

Our Father...

10x Hail Joseph...

Glory be to the Father...

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you, save souls!

Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph, be the guardian of our family!

FINAL PRAYER

To You we have recourse, oh blessed Saint Joseph, in our tribulations, and after having implored the help of Your most holy Spouse, full of confidence, we also ask for Your protection. By that sacred bond of charity which has united You to the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and by the paternal love You had for the Child Jesus, we earnestly beseech You to cast a benign glance upon the inheritance which Jesus Christ won with His blood, and to assist us in our needs with Your help and power.

Protect, O most provident guard of the Holy Family, the chosen race of Jesus Christ. Remove from us, O most loving Father, the plague of error and vice. Assist us from heaven, O our strongest Support, in the struggle against the power of darkness, and as You once saved the threatened life of the Child Jesus from death, so now defend God's Holy Church from the snares of Her enemies and from all adversity. Support each one of us with Your constant patronage, so that, following Your example and sustained by Your help, we may live virtuously, die piously, and obtain eternal bliss in heaven. Amen!

Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, My dear protector Saint Joseph, that never was it heard that anyone, having invoked Your protection and asked for Your help, was not consoled by You. With this confidence I come to You and earnestly commend myself. O Saint Joseph, hear My prayer, receive it devoutly, and answer it. Amen!