30 Day Novena to Saint Joseph for the protection of the baby in the womb and in the delivery room

The Feast Day of Saint Joseph is March 19th. Today we begin Thirty Days of Prayer. This powerful Novena will conclude on Saint Joseph's Feast Day. Saint Joseph is Patron of Families, Fathers and the Universal Church.

Let us pray for the next thirty days and ask Saint Joseph to intercede for the protection of the baby in the womb and the baby in the delivery room.

Thirty Days Novena Prayer to Saint Joseph
In honor of the 30 years he spent with Jesus and Mary

Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow! You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenseless, the patron of those in need and sorrow. Look kindly on my request. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection.

Listen, then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my earnest prayers, and obtain for me the favors I ask.

I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to take our nature and to be born into this world of sorrow.

I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the holy Virgin, nor a house where the Son of God could be born. Then, being everywhere refused, you had to allow the Queen of Heaven to give birth to the world's Redeemer in a cave.

I ask it by the loveliness and power of that sacred Name, Jesus, which you conferred on the adorable Infant.

I ask it by that painful torture you felt at the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother future victims of our sins and of their great love for us.

I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies. From their evil plan you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother to Egypt. I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey.

I ask it by all your care to protect the Sacred Child and His Immaculate Mother during your second journey, when you were ordered to return to your own country. I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met with so many joys and sorrows.

I ask it by your great distress when the adorable Child was lost to you and His Mother for three days. I ask it by your joy at finding Him in the Temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of the Child Jesus. I ask it by the wonderful submission He showed in His obedience to you.

I ask it by the perfect love and conformity you showed in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary. I ask it by the joy which filled your soul, when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led you into it with special honors.

I ask it through Mary's glorious Assumption, and through that endless happiness you have with her in the presence of God. O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask:

For the protection of the baby in the womb and the baby in the delivery room.

Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Finally, my dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of: JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH. 

O Holy Family, pray for us and for the intentions of this novena.

A copy of the novena can be printed:
30 Day Novena to Saint Joseph

In praying for the protection of life, we pray for those wounded by abortion:
Kiss of Mercy Prayer Apostolate For Healing From Abortion

Reflection: Saint Valentine and Love

Saint Valentine’s Day is a day we celebrate romantic love. A great love, a romantic love, is good and it brings an abundance of blessings!

My lover speaks; he says to me,"Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!" For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. "Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,and come!" Song of Songs 2:10-13  

Let us pray for all marriages and for the return to the sanctity of Life and Marriage. This Scripture from Corinthians is often prayed at marriage ceremonies. May we always remember that "Love never fails."

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.  1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Romantic love, eros, has a purpose in God’s plan to draw man and woman toward marriage, family and ultimately toward God. The deep desire that man and woman have for each other is a sign of the desire of the human heart for deep union with God.

There is an even greater love, agape love. Agape love is loving God above ourselves, above all things and above all people. There is no greater example of agape love than that of the martyrs. They were willing to give up everything for Christ, paying the supreme price of love, the gift of their very own life.

Christian tradition recognizes the Roman priest Valentine who became a bishop. Bishop Valentine was a renowned healer. He was imprisoned for converting people to Christianity. An attempt was made to force him to sacrifice to pagan gods. When he refused, an attempt was made to club him to death. When that failed, he was beheaded in 273 AD for the crime of trying to convert a member of Emperor Claudius.

In today's Reading from Genesis, God made woman out of man. Out of Adam, God made Eve.

So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, He took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that He had taken from the man. Genesis 2:21-22

Saint Valentine, Protector of Marriages, pray for marriages and for all those we pray for.

Reflection: "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."

We all carry burdens, some are light and some are heavy. Some burdens can be seen by others and some burdens can only be seen by God because they are hidden in the depths of the heart.

Jesus calls you to come away and give your burdens to Him and rest.

Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile. Mark 6:31

Come away and be still with Jesus and give Him your burdens. Open up your heart to Him. As you do, imagine He is holding you in His arms, comforting you. Let Jesus love you.

Come away and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Jesus is there waiting for you. He told Saint Faustina to bring her miseries to the Throne of Grace. This is where you lay down your burdens, your sins, your sufferings and the things hidden deep inside your heart. When you bring them to confession, you receive forgiveness, mercy and so much more. Jesus showers you with sanctifying grace which gives you strength to be holy and to sin no more.

Come away and pray, be still and listen to the Lord. He wants to whisper words of love to you.

Ponder the words of Psalm 103:1-5 as you rest in the arms of Jesus:

Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless His Holy Name.
Bless the Lord, my soul; and do not forget all His gifts.
Who pardons all your sins and heals all your ills;
Who redeems your life from the pit and
crowns you with mercy and compassion.
Who fills your days with good things,
so your youth is renewed like eagle's.

Come away and rest in the arms of Jesus.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden light.  Matthew 11:29-30

Reflection: Be not afraid...

We are living in a culture that can cause fear, worry and distress.

Do not be afraid. Mark 5:36

As we consider the things that are distressing and make us afraid, let us turn to Jesus and Mary, our Blessed Mother, and give them our fears and worries.

Jesus speaks to the disciples and to us: 

Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying, add a single moment of your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wildflowers grow. They do not work or spin.  Matthew 6:25-28

Find a quiet place and ponder these words about Jesus by Saint Therese, the Little Flower:

"He set the book of nature before me and I saw all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realized that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay. It is just the same in the world of souls which is the garden of Jesus. He has created great saints who are like lilies and roses, but He has also created much lesser saints and they must be content to be the daisies or the violets which rejoice His eyes whenever He glances down. Perfection consists in doing His Will, in being that which He wants us to be."

Ponder the book of nature as you sit with Jesus in a field of wildflowers. Place your worries, fears and anxieties in His hands and gaze at the beauty of each little flower...knowing that God created YOU, just as He created each little seed and flower petal. God wants to shower you with His grace so you can go and bear fruit. Be not afraid...

"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father, in My Name, He may give to you." John 15:16

Pray, hope and don't worry.  Saint Padre Pio

Reflection: Deliver us from evil...

For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.  Ephesians 6:12  

Every time we pray the Our Father, we are imploring God to keep us safe and free from harm. This week, there has been an expansion of evil against life. Be not afraid. Our Heavenly Father is with us and He will deliver us from evil. 

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations, I appointed you. But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command of you. Be not crushed on their account, as though I would leave you crushed before them; for it is I this day who have made you a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land: against Judah's kings and princes, against its priests and people. They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord." Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19

O Mary, Undoer of Knots, you are our most powerful intercessor. Come and undo the knot of abortion and the knots of evil in our midst. Take the ribbon of our lives, undo the knots and make the ribbon smooth. O Mary, we trust in your tender mercy and maternal care and we ask you to protect our families, bring our prayers to the Father that He will deliver us from evil.

I will put enmities between you (satan) and the woman, and your seed and her seed; she shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for her heel.  Genesis 3:15

A few years ago, a little child was sharing with me something that a classmate did which upset her. I gave her a prayer card with a picture of Mary Undoer of Knots. I told her to look at Mary and how she takes the knots of the ribbon and she makes the ribbon smooth. This little one loves ribbons!  I told her that she could give Mary this problem with her classmate and Mary will help her. Mary will undo the knots and make the ribbon smooth for her. She loved it, smiled and held onto the prayer card. Mary Undoer of Knots, will do the same for you.

In reparation for sin, especially the sins against life, spend time in Eucharistic adoration and offer Holy Hours. Pray the Rosary daily and let the heel of our Mother Mary crush the enemy. Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily "in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world." Fast, sacrifice, make little offerings and witness peacefully for life. Pray the Our Father daily for the undoing of evil in our country and our world. As we place our prayers and offerings into the hands of Mary, Undoer of Knots, she will entrust them to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.  Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, pray for us!