St. Joseph

Dearest Ones,

I pray your Lenten pilgrimage is going well. Jesus asks us, his friends, to take our pains and sufferings, difficulties and hardships - each day and offer them up for one troubled soul, or for some special need. The pain of a headache can be offered for all the sins of the mind, such as the planned actions of a criminal, someone driven to suicide, the ambitions of a cruel dictator, etc. Offering our suffering to God is what is going to turn this world around, nothing else.Learn from our Savior of the suffering that saves others. Jesus showed his greatest power as he was dying on the cross. He wasn't preaching or working miracles - only offering his suffering for others. He knows the pain you are going through and wants to help you to offer it in union with his suffering. Let Him help you. St. Joseph, whose special feast is today, March 19, is a great friend in heaven. It's easy to forget about him because he was so quiet and humble. One may think it was easy to be the head of the Holy Family because his son, Jesus, is God and can do anything. The truth is that Joseph had a very rough time being head of this holy family. He couldn't even find a place to sleep when he traveled to Bethlehem with Mary. He is called the "patron saint of travelers" because after the angel told him to go to Egypt, he had to leave in the middle of the night and sneak out of town, so that King Herod would not kill his Son, Jesus. When he got to Egypt, he was a refugee. He knows what it is like to be homeless and without work.St. Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun, who lived in the year 1500, had great devotion to the glorious St. Joseph and after many prayers, she obtained a cure for her cancer at the age of 26. She dedicated all of her convents to the protection of St. Joseph. She once said, "I don't recall ever having petioned him for anything that he failed to grant. It is amazing the great many favors God has granted me through the intercession of this blessed saint." When the early French and Spanish settlers came to America, they brought with them devotion to Joseph. Every home had either a picture or statue of St. Joseph. Families who don't ask St. Joseph to be their protector are missing out on a powerful friend. In 1900, the Pope proclaimed St. Joseph as guardian of the Catholic Church throughout the entire world. We need to turn back to this great and powerful saint. If we open our heart to the great power of his intercession we will experience the blessing of his protection. Joseph knew the joys and sorrows of parenthood - he will bless all parents with the courage and patience to care for their children with love and compassion. I urge parents to dedicate their families to this powerful protector. I believe our Father in heaven will not fail to hear the prayers of St. Joseph, the faithful guardian of Jesus and Mary. Brother Andre, from Montreal, Canada, built the largest church in the world dedicated to St. Joseph. Thousands and thousands of people from all over the world have been healed after visiting this shrine in honor of St. Joseph. Brother Andre gave all the credit to St. Joseph and Jesus - he said he did nothing. The people who were healed left so many crutches, wheel chairs and prosthesis at the shrine, that those in charge had to tell them they no longer had room for them and not to leave them any more. What a witness to the power of St. Joseph with God! Because he died in the arms of Jesus and Mary, Joseph is also known as the patron saint of the dying. If you know someone who is dying, it's good to pray to St. Joseph for them. When I am dying, I'd like someone to be praying to St. Joseph for me.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you! Save souls!
Sister Francelle