In the Litany of Saint Joseph, one of his titles is “terror of demons.” In these days when evil seems to have the upper hand, Saint Joseph is a powerful intercessor in our own struggle against evil. As God chose Mary to be the perfect mother of Jesus, God chose Saint Joseph to teach Jesus how to sacrifice his life for our salvation.
Satan constantly tortured Elizabeth Kindelmann to reject messages of the Flame of Love. By calling upon God’s Powerful Spirit, Jesus and Mary blessed her with the confidence and courage to spread the message of God’s love and mercy.
At our ManUp Philly conference, Cardinal Dolan shared that at his Dad’s funeral a man told him that his Dad inspired him to overcome alcoholism. With his prayer book and rosary, his Dad helped many to be faithful husbands, good fathers and responsible employees. Saint Joseph served as his model to provide and protect his family and show them how to become Missionary Disciples of Jesus.
Our Flame of Love Cenacles are growing and encouraging members to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion. We can play defense and blame social media and pursuit of instant gratification for the decrease of faith and trust in God, the Church, religious and lay leaders or go on the offense by developing a personal relationship with Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Heart-to-heart, we can nourish those lost souls with our prayers for unity and embracing the five wounds of Jesus. As disciples of Jesus and Mary, we must sacrifice our time, talents and treasure under the guidance and protection of Saint Joseph, the patron of family life and fathers. Surveys show that the best way to pass on faith is that both parents practice the faith. If a father alone practices, almost 85 percent of children will follow, but a mother alone only 35 percent.
If you want to grow in holiness, fidelity, mercy, kindness and compassion, pray to Saint Joseph to provide and protect you, your family and friends by imitating his life of virtue. God chose Saint Joseph to provide and protect Jesus and Mary because he was a compassionate and caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant, he knew the child was not his and was yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God, he planned to divorce Mary quietly and not expose her to shame or cruelty. Joseph was a man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his wife. When the angel came again to tell him that the family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back.
Pray to Saint Joseph to intensify the Flame of Love in your heart and Jesus and Mary will send you the souls hungering to be saints radiating true love and mercy.
Monsignor Chieffo