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The Seven Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph
St. JOSEPH, Chaste Spouse of Mary, Mother of God, by the SORROW with which your heart was pierced at the thought of a cruel separation from Mary, and by the deep JOY that you felt when the angel revealed to you the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation, obtain for us from Jesus and Mary the grace which dispels all anxiety. Gain for us from the Sacred Heart of Jesus the unspeakable peace that defies understanding.
St. JOSEPH, Foster-Father of Jesus, by the bitter SORROW that your heart experienced in seeing the child Jesus lying in a manger, and by the JOY you felt in seeing the wise men recognize and adore him as their God, obtain by your prayers that our hearts, purified by your protection, become a living crib, where Jesus, the Savior of the world, may receive our homage.
St. JOSEPH, by the SORROW with which your heart was weighed down at the sight of the blood which flowed from the infant Jesus at his circumcision, and by the JOY that enveloped your soul at the privilege of giving to him the sacred name of Jesus, through your prayer may his precious blood soothe our souls, and the name of Jesus be engraved forever in our hearts.
St. JOSEPH, by the SORROW you endured when the prophet Simeon declared that the soul of Mary would be pierced with a sword of sorrow, and by the JOY you experienced when Simeon prophesied that Jesus would be the salvation of many, obtain for us the grace to have compassion for the sorrows of Mary, and share in the salvation that Jesus brought to earth.
St. JOSEPH, by the SORROW you felt when told to flee into Egypt, and by the JOY you experienced in seeing the idols overthrown at the arrival of the Living God, grant that no idol of earthly affection occupy our hearts, and that we may be entirely devoted to the service of Jesus and Mary.
St. JOSEPH, by the SORROW which overcame your heart caused by fear of the tyrant Herod Archelaus, and the JOY which came to you in sharing the company of Jesus and Mary at Nazareth, obtain for us the peace of a good conscience and a life free of fear, all in union with Jesus and Mary now, and at the hour of our death.
St. JOSEPH, by the bitter SORROW with which the loss of the child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem crushed your heart, and the by the immense, holy JOY which inundated your soul upon finding Jesus in that same temple, we ask that we not lose Jesus by our sinning. Yet should misfortune befall us, may we eagerly seek and find him again. May we rediscover his great mercy, especially at the hour of our death, so that we sing his divine mercies with you forever.
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