Sr. Josefa's Two Prayers Given Her

First, the hermit admits to a huge lie. I lied to my spiritual da. I thanked him for the immense and beautifully framed portrait of Pope Benedict XVI; he asked me if it was too large for my place. I lied. I said, "Oh no, it is just fine." He asked if I had a place for it, and I said that I would hang it maybe in my bedroom and was finding a good place.

Of course, it is still leaning up against my coffin in the great (small) room, while I increasingly bond with the Holy Father and see him kindly looking at me, much as my German ancestors surely are, and telling me to be good.

I had not really considered the bedroom, but my son who has wandered from his Holy Mother Church, on the phone when I mentioned the gift from the da, said he would not want to wake up in the morning and have Pope Benedict staring down at him. So I've decided that this is exactly who should be staring down at me, for even though I don't believe for a minute that he is stern as some want to make out, it will be good for me as penance for my lying about its size and having a place for it, as well as a prayer reminder for my son's rather flippant remark. The more I watch the Holy Father watching back at me, hands clasped,and a slight smile on a head that is absolutely brilliant beyond words--I may just need him out here in the great room, all the time. I guess there is no rule that he cannot remain leaning against my coffin. (The coffin is one made from old doors, stained, and a beautiful piece of furniture which has good storage space but also provides an underwindow chest upon which many orchids sit, looking out to the light and Lake Immaculata.)

Now for Sr. Josefa's prayers. It does me much good to re-type them. Even her photo reminds me uncannily of a loving young woman named Dolores who helped me years ago, after the back surgery, with cleaning. She was from Mexico. I don't know what happened to her, as I moved away but prior had moved the children and me into an interim small apartment and in tightness no one could do much cleaning, anyway. But later on, when a priest lent me the book The Way of Divine Love, and I saw Sr. Josefa's photo--I exclaimed: It's Dolores! Maybe it was Sr. Josefa come to help me even then, with the incessant suffering.

Josefa told Mary that she wanted to know how best to pray to Our Lord so as to give Him pleasure. This is Our Lady's reply.

What pleases My Son most is love and humility--so write:

"O sweet and dearly loved Jesus, wert Thou not my Saviour, I should not dare to come to Thee, but Thou art both my Saviour and my Bridegroom, and Thy Heart loves me with the most tender and burning love, as no other Heart can love. Would that I could correspond with this love of Thine for me. Would htat I had for Thee, who art my only love, all the ardour of the seraphim, the purity of the angels and virgins, the holiness of the Blessed who possess Thee and glorify Thee in Heaven.

"Were I able to offer thee all this, it would still be too little to honour Thy goodness and mercy. That is why I offer Thee my poor heart such as it is, with all its miseries, its weakness and good desires. Deign to purify it in the Blood of Thy Heart, to transform and inflame it Thyself with an ardent and pure love. Thus the poor creature that I am, who can do no good but is capable of every evil, will love and glorify Thee as do the seraphim who in heaven are consumed with adoring love.

"Lastly, I ask of Thee, O gentle Jesus, to give my heart the very sanctity ot Thy Heart, or rather to plunge it in Thy Divine Heart, that in it I may love and serve and glorify Thee, and lose myself in Thee for all eternity. I beg this same grace for all those whom I love. May they render Thee for me the glory and honour of which my sins have deprived Thee."

This is Josefa's prayer told her to say over and over againwhile at work:

"Oh my Beloved, who are also my God, make my heart a flame of pure love for Thee."

Holy Mother told her to say these words every evening before she fell asleep, saying the prayer with much respect and confidence:

"O Thou who knewest all my misery before Thine eyes were fixed on me--Thou didst not turn away from my wretchedness, but because of it Thou didst love me with a love mroe sweet and tender. I beg pardon for having corresponded so little to Thy love...I beg of Thee to forgive me, and to purify my actions in Thy Divine Blood. I am deeply grieved at having offended Thee, because Thou art infintiely holy. I repent with heartfelt sorry and I promise to do all in my power to avoid these faults in the future."

These are the words that Jesus told Josefa that she could say to His Mother that would please her:

"O Tender and loving Mother, most prudent Virgin, Mother of my Redeemer, I come to salute you today with all the love that a child can feel for its mother.

"Yes, I am indeed your child, and beause I am so helpless I will take the fervour of the Heart of your Divine Son; with Him I will salute you as the purest of creatures, for you were framed according to the wishes and desires of the thrice-holy God.

"Conceived without sin, exempt from all corruption, you were ever faithful to the impulses of grace, and so your soul accumlated such merit that it was raised above all other creatures.

"Chosen to be the Mother of Jesus Christ, you kept Him as in a most pure sanctuary, and he who came to give life to souls, Himself took life from you, and received nourishment from you.

"O incomparable Virgin! Immaculate Virgin! Delight of the Blessed Trinity, admiration of all angels and saints, you are the joy of heaven. Morning Star, Rose blossoming in springtime, Immaculate Lily, tall and graceful Iris, sweet-smelling Violet, Garden enclosed kept for the delight of the King of heaven...you are my Mother, Virgin most prudent, Ark most precious containing every virtue! You are my Mother, most powerful Virgin, Virgin clement and faithful! You are my Mother, O Refuge of sinners! I salute you and rejoice at the sight of the gifts bestowed on you by the Almight, and of the prerogatives with which He has crowned you!

"Be blessed and praised, Mother of my Redeemer, Mother of poor sinners! Have pity on us and cover us with your motherly protection.

"I salute you in the name of all men, of all saints and all angels.

"Would that I could love you with the love and fire of the seraphim, and as this is too little to satisfy my desires, I salute and love you by your Divine Son who is my Father, my Redeemer, my Saviour, and my Beloved.

"I salute you with the purity of the Holy Spirit and the sanctity of the adorable Trinity. Through these Divine Persons I bless you and desire to render you filial homage constant and pure for all eternity.

"O incomparable Virgin, bless me, since I am your child. Bless all men! Protect themand pray for them to Him who is almight and can refuse you nothing.

"Adieu, tender and sweet Mother; day and night I salute you, in time and for eternity."

Jesus then told Josefa, "Now, Josefa, praise the Mohter with the words of the Son, and the Son with those of His Mother."

"Never," said Josefa, "had I seen His Heart so resplendent, nor heard in His voice such burning enthusiasm."

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The hermit for awhile, prayed these prayers, took them to Mass, and prayed them before going to bed. This was several years ago. Then the hermit realized that perhaps Jesus and His Mother would like the hermit to develop a relationship so close and loving, that the hermit would learn to consider Jesus and His Mother in terms within the hermit's time period--that into our hearts are given ways to honor and love Jesus and Mary and the Holy Trinity, in just the intimate words that He gives us within. And sometimes these words and prayers come spontaneously or from others. There is no need to reinvent or improve upon what these mystics and saints have been taught to say.

So one may pray the prayers they were given, or one can pray spontaneously, or even very simply, "I love You."

One may be vigilant as to prayers Jesus and Mary give us through others. A humble monk (Brother Rene) gave me a prayer to pray that he said would bring joy. It has taken three years, but there is joy now, a quiet, unassuming, unnoticeable-to-others-joy. This prayer is from the Raccolta: Heart of Jesus, Victim of Love, vouchsafe that I become a living, holy, pleasing holocaust in Thy Sight."

The hermit repeats this often. Also there are some prayers the hermit prays during Mass, but not many, and not always. Some came from St. Louis de Montfort; another came from the spiritual da, but he couldn't recall from where he got it.

One prayer Jesus gave the hermit before Confirmation, a few weeks prior: "O Jesus, let me die to myself in Thy Arms and be reborn of Your Sacred Heart, in love." Someone told me that it wasn't right to just have the love part, so I added on: "in love and service." Later I changed it back to that which was given me to pray, for to love begets service, even if it is the hidden service of suffering and prayer.

Perhaps if we were stilled enough, and asked, Jesus and Mary would indeed give us the very prayers that They desire us to intimately pray, for God deals with us lovingly, individually, with all the time He possesses, as if we were the only delights of His Creation! Of course, we are not; we are but small nothings created to glorify Him exclusively; but He grants us the ways in which He desires us to glorify Him and to honor His Mother.

But He also gives us various prayers and acclamations, for those of us who might not ask or who are pleased to pray what He--and often His Mother--have told others to pray. Nothing wrong with praying beautiful prayers given to holy souls such as Sister Josefa Menendez....or the three little children of Fatima...or the little prayers that grow and blossom in our simple souls.