Sign of the Cross
Heavenly Father, We come before You with humble hearts as we prepare for our TEC weekend. We thank You for the gift of this time to seek Your presence and to deepen our relationship with You and bring others closer to you. Pour forth Your Holy Spirit upon us, O Lord, that we may open our minds and hearts to Your divine will. Grant us the grace to listen attentively to Your word, to reflect deeply on Your love, and to respond with faithful hearts to Your call.
Bless our retreat with the light of Your guidance and the warmth of Your love. May it be a time of spiritual renewal, healing, and transformation. As we journey together, may we grow in unity and love, supporting one another in faith and in truth.
We entrust this Novena and our retreat into the hands of our Blessed Mother, Mary. Through her intercession, may we be drawn closer to Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Saint of the Day. St Joseph, Foster Father of the Son of God
As you will see in the Litany of St. Joseph, he carries many titles, some seem fitting or simple, and others like “terror of demons” may seem a little unorthodox for this man of few words. However one title bestowed on Joseph seems to fit him perfectly on the surface but holds so much more meaning as we look deeper into it. That title is Foster Father of the Son of God. Yes, Joseph was not the father of Jesus but played the earthly male role model of Jesus’ early understanding of what it was to be human. This role may seem contractual to us today but in Latin this title is called Filii Dei Nutricie, translated meaning “Nurturer of the Son of God.”
As St. Peter Julain Eymard said, “Saint Joseph’s dignity springs from his privilege of being the legal father of the Incarnate son of God here then is a man who the son of God calls father one who he Jesus serves and obeys and before whom he kneels for a parental blessing.” Joseph was Chosen to be the loving protector of not only Mary but also Jesus, but not only them, his loving protection is also extended to all of us, the Church, the Community, Joseph is too our foster father who we should learn from, talk to, and emulate.
Reflection
One of my favorite pictures of St. Joseph is him in a wood shop with a child Jesus. I love to sit and look at it and imagine the conversations these two had. Much like our own lives. When we are working in the garage, kitchen, garden or anywhere with loved ones. Some of the talk is about the chores we are doing, but then they can turn serious, comical, or just a peaceful silence in each others presence. We may never know how good of a wood worker Jesus was but I think we can all imagine the conversations that could have come forth in that shop. Faith, Family, Morals, work ethic.
Joseph could have been the one to show Jesus who those in most need of his later ministry was. He could have taught him how to debate, or how to have those real connections with those he ministered to. Jesus could even have remembered these lessons and time with his foster father and brought those same moments to the children he ministered to, knowing the example he was given was needed in their lives. Take a moment and picture Joseph in his shop with the child Jesus talking, what are they talking about? And what lessons are you learning from being there with them?
Litany of St. Joseph
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. 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 Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Illustrious son of David, pray for us.
Light of patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Chaste guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Watchful defender of Christ, 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 valiant, 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 home life, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of families, pray for us.
Solace of the afflicted, pray for us.
Hope of the sick, pray for us.
Patron of the dying, pray for us.
Terror of demons, pray for us.
Protector of 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 made him the lord of His household,
R. And prince over all His possessions.
Let Us Pray
O God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence didst vouchsafe to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, grant, we beseech Thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth may be our intercessor in Heaven. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Intentions
Through the intercessions of the Saints we pray for TEC 284
- The team, that they stay open to the Holy Spirit in their lives before and during the weekend- we pray
- The Tecites- That those attending or thinking about attending. That the spirit move their hearts to be open to the TEC weekend. – We Pray
- (Feel free to add any special intentions you would like prayed for) – We Pray
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, in Preparation for this retreat we lift our hearts in gratitude for Your boundless love and mercy. We thank You for the graces and blessings bestowed upon us during these days of prayer and reflection.
With humble hearts, we invoke the intercession of the saints who have accompanied us on this journey. Saints who have gone before us, lighting the path with their faith and devotion:
- Mary, Mother of God- Pray for us
- St. Joseph – Pray for us
Through their intercession, may we be strengthened in our faith and inspired to live lives of holiness and service.
Lord, bless our TEC retreat with Your divine presence. May it be a time of profound encounter with You, of healing, renewal, and transformation. Fill our hearts with Your love, that we may return to our daily lives as witnesses of Your grace, carrying the light of Christ to all we meet.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen
