St. Joseph's 7 Sorrows & 7 Joys Devotion

1 of the great devotions to St. Joseph is the 1 called the 7 Sorrows & 7 Joys of St. Joseph AKA The Devotion of the 7 Sundays. It is usually done to ask St. Joseph's intercession for a specific need. This devotion as it is known today was composed by Ven. Januarius Sarnelli, C.SS.R in the early part of the 18th Century. However the devotion to the Sorrows of St. Joseph goes much further back. St. John Chrysostom wrote of St. Joseph's life in terms of "sorrows & joys".

Then in 1536, Fr. John da Fano wrote about St. Joseph appearing to two shipwrecked monks that the Saint had saved off the coast of Flanders. "Two Fathers of the Franciscan order were sailing along the coast of Flanders, when a terrible tempest arose, which sank the vessel, with its three hundred passengers. The two Fathers had sufficient presence of mind to seize hold of a plank, upon which they were tossed to and fro upon the waves, for three days and nights. In their danger and affliction, their whole recourse was to St. Joseph, begging his assistance in their sad condition. The Saint, thus invoked, appeared in the habit of a young man of beautiful features, encouraged them to confide in his assistance, and, as their pilot, conducted them into a safe harbor. They, desirous to know who their benefactor was asked his name, that they might gratefully acknowledge so great a blessing and favor. He told them he was St. Joseph, and advised them daily to recite the Our Father and Hail Mary seven times, in memory of his seven dolors or griefs, and of his seven joys, and then disappeared."

So, what are the 7 Sorrows & 7 Joys?

1. The doubt of St. Joseph. (Matt. 1:19)

The message of the Angel. (Matt. 1:20).
2. The poverty of Jesus' birth. (Luke 2:7)

The birth of the Saviour. (Luke 2:10-11).
3. The Circumcision. (Luke 2:21)
The Holy Name of Jesus. (Matt. 1:25).
4. The prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34)
The effects of the Redemption. (Luke 2:38).
5. The flight into Egypt. (Matt. 2:14)
The overthrow of the idols of Egypt. (Is. 19:1).
6. The return from Egypt. (Matt. 2:22)
Life with Jesus and Mary at Nazareth. (Luke 2:39).
7. The loss of the Child Jesus. (Luke 2:45)
The finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:46).

As you notice each of the 7 Joys corresponds to 1 of the 7 Sorrows. & each has a Scriptural basis.

The devotion can be prayed at any time. But, traditionally it is prayed for the 7 Sundays before the Feast of St. Joseph in March. That is normally on 19 March, but due to when Holy Week falls this year it has been transfered to 15 March. That means that this year (2008) today is the day to begin it.

Part of the devotion is to receive Communion in honor of St. Joseph on each Sunday. Then sometime during the day take the time to meditate on the sorrows & joys. Then ask the request followed by praying an Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory Be. There are 2 main ways to practice this devotion. 1 is to meditae on all 7 Sorrows/Joys each Sunday. Or 1 set every week for the 7 weeks.

You can find the devotion here with the original prayers by Ven. Januarius. (It also has additional suggestions for ways to practice this devotion.) Or you can find them here with an additional commentary here. This 1 is set up to do 1 set each week, but, as I said, you can do all 7 each week.

St. Theresa of Avila, 1 of the Doctors of the Church, had a great devotion to St. Joseph. She was often known to say hos St. Joseph responded to her prayer requests by requently obtained for her much greater favours than those for which she had petitioned.

Many other saints & blesseds like Andre Bessette, also had a deep devotion to Jesus' foster father. He was used powerfully by God to bring about miracles of healing. He was humble & knew who it really was performing those miracles. "I am nothing ... only a tool in the hands of Providence, a lowly instrument at the service of St. Joseph. People are silly to think that I can perform miracles. It is God and St. Joseph who can heal you, not I," he was known to say.

As I have gotten older I have come to a great appreciation of the important role that God had for St. Joseph, not only during his lifetime, but even now as he is in Heaven with his beloved spouse, Mary & his son Jesus. I once read a comment that Mary's love for us is like that of a mother for her children. If so, then St. Joseph's has to be like that of a father. Neither is equal to that of God, but it is reflective of God's love & in total alignment with it & with God's plans for each & every one of us.

I've pointed out before why it is Scriptural to ask the saints to intecede for us, so I won't repeat that here. (The Intercession of the Saints In Heaven*) So, it only makes sense to ask St. Joseph to intercede for us. St. Joseph still has his fatherly perogative (Luke 2:52) in Heaven. So, if St. Joseph knows what is in alignment with God's perfect will, who better to pray for our needs to be best met.

(Note: This devotion is not some magical vending machine where you put in the coin & get back a candy bar. The purpose of any devotion is for you to grow closer to God & more in alignment with His will for you. It develops a greater openess to letting God work in your life. That is the reason these devotions bear fruit.)