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DAY 28:  Life is filled with many sorrows and many afflictions. No matter what life brings, St. Joseph will always be our consolation, comfort, and solace.

DAY 28:  Comfort of the Afflicted, Pray for Us

Nothing will be refused him [St. Joseph], neither by Our Lady nor by his glorious Son. — St. Francis de Sales

Comforting the afflicted is a work of mercy. The Church has seven Spiritual Works of Mercy and seven Corporal Works of Mercy.
The works of mercy help us to be devout followers of Jesus Christ by serving others; they help us to be like St. Joseph.

SEVEN CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY:

• Feed the Hungry
• Give Drink to the Thirsty
• Clothe the Naked
• Shelter the Homeless
• Visit the Prisoners
• Comfort the Sick
• Bury the Dead

SEVEN SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY:

• Teach the Ignorant
• Pray for the Living and the Dead
• Correct Sinners
• Counsel Those in Doubt
• Console the Sorrowful
• Bear Wrongs Patiently
• Forgive Wrongs Willingly

The Latin title Solatium Miserorum is generally translated as “Comfort of the Afflicted,” but it can also be rendered “Solace of the Miserable” or “Solace of Those in Misery.” Experiencing misery or feeling miserable is not pleasant. Yet the reality is that we are all going to have miserable moments in life. This world is a valley of tears, and everyone is going to suffer. There is no way around it. Whether it’s financial problems, marital hardships, psychological struggles, difficulties in relationships, the death of loved ones, or a thousand other woes, we will all experience misery in life. It’s good to have someone we can turn to for comfort and solace in such times.

Saint Joseph will comfort you in difficult times. Life is filled with many sorrows. Loved ones will die, children sometimes rebel, and gravity will eventually take away your youthfulness, making you old and immobile. No matter what life brings, however, St. Joseph will always be your consolation, comfort, and solace. He knows well the hardships of life. He is a kind and loving father. He comforts everyone who comes to him in times of affliction. His fatherhood is unlike any other.

Let us commend ourselves to our good father, St. Joseph, who is the Patriarch of troubled people, since he himself went through so much trouble. — St. Joseph Marello

A loving father provides comfort to his children, especially when they are going through difficulties. A father’s wisdom and presence are reassuring and life-giving. Knowing you can always go to your father in difficult times reassures you that everything will be okay, even when your world seems to be falling apart. Regrettably, many people have never experienced this kind of love from a father. Many people today have grown up with emotionally abusive, distant, and less-than-virtuous fathers. This has led many people to experience great anxieties and fears in life, as well as a tremendous sense of insecurity.

God wants you to rest in St. Joseph’s fatherhood. Saint Joseph will never abandon you. No matter what your experience of father-hood has been, St. Joseph will always be there for you. He is your spiritual dad, and he loves you. He will never hurt you. He would give his life for you a million times over.

When life has you down, run to your spiritual father. Pour out your heart to him. Tell him your troubles. He is the most loving of fathers. He is always available for you, always attentive, always understanding.

If discouragement overwhelms you, think of the faith of Joseph; if anxiety has its grip on you, think of the hope of Joseph; if exas-peration or hatred seizes you, think of the love of Joseph, who was the first man to set eyes on the human face of God in the person of the Infant conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Let us praise and thank Christ for having drawn so close to us, and for giving us Joseph as an example and model of love. — Pope Benedict XVI

Pious Union of St. Joseph

Will he, the great saint whom Jesus and Mary obeyed, who provided Jesus and Mary with their daily bread, be invoked in vain? No! — St. Luigi Guanella

Saint Joseph is never invoked in vain. Jesus had total confidence in the comforting love of his virginal father. Jesus wants us to experience the wonders of living in union with St. Joseph as well.

Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. — Mt 7:9-11

In the Scripture passage above, Jesus is teaching us about the love of his Heavenly Father. Yet this teaching of Jesus also applies to our spiritual father, St. Joseph. He is an icon of the Heavenly Father. In St. Joseph’s steadfast love, we can have total confidence.

The life and work of St. Luigi Guanella offer us an example of having total confidence in St. Joseph. Born and raised in Italy, St. Luigi spent his entire priesthood doing corporal and spiritual works of mercy for others. He looked after orphans, cared for those with mental and physical disabilities, helped abandoned elderly people, clothed the homeless, and fed the poor. Zealous to help everyone in need, he founded two religious congregations to continue perform-ing the works of mercy, the Servants of Charity and the Daughters of Mary.

Devotion to St. Joseph was at the heart of St. Luigi’s life and mission. He made certain that both of the religious communities he founded strove to be in constant union with St. Joseph, seeing in him a model and a patron for all their charitable works. In the many homes St. Luigi established to meet the needs of others, he emphasized that devotion to St. Joseph needed to flourish, especially devotion to St. Joseph as the Patron of the Dying, because he believed that the works of mercy were fruitless if they did not help people acquire a relationship with the Lord and experience a holy and happy death like that of St. Joseph.

Saint Luigi’s devotion to St. Joseph was so well known that St. Pope Pius X invited him to build a church near the Vatican in honor of St. Joseph. Saint Luigi was delighted by the invitation of the pope and began construction immediately. Not surprisingly, St. Luigi dedicated the new church to honoring St. Joseph’s holy and happy death. The church took four years to complete and was consecrated on March 19, 1912.

The church St. Luigi built in honor of St. Joseph is located in the Trionfale region of Rome. It is known as San Giuseppe al Trionfale. Saint Pope Pius X had also encouraged St. Luigi to initiate an apostolate that would offer daily prayers for the suffering and the dying. In 1913, St. Luigi launched an international association of intercessors for the suffering and the dying. He named the association the Pious Union of St. Joseph, and St. Pope Pius X became the first official member. The headquarters of the Pious Union of St. Joseph is located right next to the church of San Giuseppe al Trionfale. International branches of the Pious Union of St. Joseph are located throughout the world. In the United States, the Pious Union of St. Joseph is headquartered in Grass Lake, Michigan.

My dear St. Joseph, be with me living, be with me dying, and obtain for me a favorable judgment from Jesus, my merciful Savior. — Pope Leo XIII

Saint Joseph, my dear father, gaze upon me from heaven. Detach me from the things of earth, obtain for me purity of heart, love of God, and final perseverance. — St. Bartolo Longo

Pray the Litany of St. Joseph:

Lord, have mercy.  Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.  Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven,  have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Noble Offspring of David,  pray for us.
Light of Patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Guardian of the Redeemer, pray for us.
Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster-Father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Zealous Defender of Christ, pray for us.
Servant of Christ, pray for us.
Minister of Salvation, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.

Joseph Most Just, pray for us.
Joseph Most Chaste,  pray for us.
Joseph Most Prudent,  pray for us.
Joseph Most Courageous,  pray for us.
Joseph Most Obedient, pray for us.
Joseph Most Faithful, pray for us.

Mirror of Patience, pray for us.
Lover of Poverty, pray for us.
Model of Workmen, pray for us.
Glory of Domestic Life, pray for us.
Guardian of Virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of Families, pray for us.
Support in Difficulties, pray for us.
Comfort of the Afflicted, pray for us.
Hope of the Sick, pray for us.
Patron of Exiles,  pray for us.
Patron of the Afflicted, pray for us.
Patron of the Poor, pray for us.
Patron of the Dying, pray for us.
Terror of Demons,  pray for us.
Protector of the Holy Church, pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

V. He has made him lord of his household,
R. And prince over all his possessions.

Let us pray. O God, who, in your loving providence, chose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most Holy Mother, grant us the favor of having him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our protector. You, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

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