Glorious Saint Joseph, model of all who pass their life in labor, obtain for me the grace to work in a spirit of penance to atone for my many sins; to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my own inclinations; to work with gratitude and joy, considering it an honor to use and develop by my labor the gifts I have received from God; to work with order, peace, moderation and patience, without ever recoiling before weariness or difficulties.Technically, this prayer should be receive special attention on May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, or May Day for the labor movement, but hey the job market still sucks so, here it stays. You can find more info on Catholic devotion to St. Joe here. Warning: the icons of St. Joe on this site are pretty revolting.
Help me to work, above all, with purity of intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must render of time lost, talents wasted, good omitted, and vain complacency in success, which is so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all after your example, O Patriarch Joseph! This shall be my watchword in life and in death. Amen.
Friday, March 19, 2004
St. Joseph, pray for us
Today the Church celebrates St. Joseph, father of Jesus. I've drawn closer to St. Joseph over the last couple of months, with issues of employment and vocation up in the air for me and lots of Americans these days. I've been praying this prayer a lot:
