I wrote this blog to share with you my learnings about the Consecration to St. Joseph. Currently, I’m undergoing this consecration for the third time! I am so in awe of all my experiences on this consecration. Ever since I did this consecration, I felt that I became closer with St. Joseph. I felt his protection and fatherly love for me. Today, I will be sharing with you my experience with litanies and how valuable they are.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting in bed watching Fr. Ian, a priest, in a recorded video explain more about Day 7 of the Consecration to St. Joseph. After each explanation and reflection, we would always end by reciting and praying the Litany to St. Joseph. As he recited the litany our response would be, “Pray for us.” So, while we were following through the litany, a thought suddenly hit my mind as I meditated: I was too focused on the response, “Pray for us.” I realized that yes, I was taking the prayer seriously but I fail to ponder upon who St. Joseph was and the essence of the litany. Each line of the litany has a specific purpose and petition as to why it is prayed. Like for example St. Joseph, Terror of demons, St. Joseph, Guardian of Virgins. A part of me was also feeling lazy wanting for the litany to be over so that I can finally sleep. As we ended Day 7, I asked myself, what did I get from the litany? I don’t even remember what are the litanies that Fr. Ian said. I should have listened and dwelled on each one to make the experience more meaningful. Why was I in such a hurry? I shouldn’t be saying the response just to say it and get to the next one but it should come from my heart.
I believe that this goes the same with our lives. Sometimes we are too focused on the answer. Sometimes we always want a quick answer for our prayers. Especially with all the convenience that we have right now in technology, we can have anything we want in a jiffy. But God doesn’t work that way. If we don’t listen well to what God is telling us in the beginning then we won’t be able to hear a clear answer.
Aside from the Litany of St. Joseph, this experience also made me reflect on how do I respond whenever I pray the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are times that I dwell on each litany wholeheartedly but there are times that I just want to rush and get it over with because I have a ton of things to do afterward. Just like in the Litany of St. Joseph, I focus on not forgetting to say the response, “Pray for us.” God invites us to prayer in many forms. The litany is just one. We recite these petitions not just for us but for others.
I believe that I am also able to write this now because I recall that in Day 2 in the Consecration to St. Joseph, Fr. Ian emphasized the importance of the litany.
His words were:
We enumerate our attributes just to show our sincerity when praying our petitions.
Another purpose of the litany is for us to have a deeper appreciation of holy quality and virtues.
We are also invited that these are also the virtues that we need to develop in our life.
These are also the qualities that we need to have as children of God.
The praying of the litany leads us to a deeper appreciation and understanding of these virtues.
Hindi lang po natin sila basta binabanggit nagiging bahagi sila ng ating subconscious they become an influence to our quality of life. (We don’t just mention them, they become a part of our subconscious, they become an influence to our quality of life.)
Next time you pray a litany pray it with all sincerity. Na hindi lang po basta masabi. (Not just by saying it to get over it.)
As we pray it, we hope that we imitate them.
As I continue to reflect on my litany experience on Day 7, I was able to recall one more memorable explanation and example from another priest, his name is Fr. Adam. It was when I did my 2nd round of Consecration to St. Joseph. I could not exactly remember what day of the consecration it was but I like the connection that is made to the litany.
Here is what he said:
How often are we actually listening to others or how often are we actually just thinking about how we are going to respond?
As soon as I hear something that connects with me, I start thinking about what I’m going to say as soon as they take a breath, take a pause.
It’s actually this position of silence that says, I’m not just listening to respond, I’m listening to listen. I’m listening because I want to know who the person is and this is where silence is. This path of love that I want to be present to you, not just the absence but the presence to you so that I could receive you. Receive your word and even receive your heart.
It was very well said by Fr. Adam that sometimes we just focus too much on ourselves and not really listening to the concern of others. I could relate so well when Fr. Adam said that sometimes we are so eager to say what we want to say that we didn’t even listen to what the other person said! So true! There are many examples of how we can apply this in our daily lives. Do we listen to our parents or do we automatically choose to let their words evaporate from our heads? Do you have a mentor or group of mentors? Do you listen to them or are you just meeting up with them just to say what you want to say but you are not really open to their mentorship? Do we listen when a friend wants to cry her heart out or are we focused on giving advice? Do we listen carefully to God during our prayer time or do we just tell him what we want? Friends, it doesn’t hurt much of your time to listen. Listen more. Respond later.
There is more to the Consecration to St. Joseph! The litany is just one. I urge you to take the 33-Day journey and discover more about the love of our Spiritual Father.
I hope this short blog will help you reflect on how you respond to prayer and in other areas of your everyday life. Tell me about your experiences in praying litanies. Do we have the same experience? Would love to hear your thoughts. God bless you!
Mama Mary, pray for us
St. Joseph, pray for us