Day 9 of the Novena to Saint Joseph

Welcome God… Become like Him!

On this last day of the Novena, on the eve of the great Feast of Saint Joseph, Jesus reveals to us the extent to which we must welcome God into our lives: until we become like Him! This was God’s plan from the moment of creation: “God said, Let us make mankind − man and woman − in our image, in our likeness” (Gen 1:26). People who know the Hebrew language say we should translate it as “toward our likeness,” a likeness with God that must be developed throughout our lives… The dearest desire of our God’s heart is for us to become like Him!

Jesus tells us how to achieve this: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). He clarifies: do not judge, do not condemn, forgive, and give generously. This was Jesus’ own method, and to make it ours, we have to keep our eyes fixed on Him, Jesus, and on His merciful face. “Everything in Him speaks of mercy. Nothing in Him is devoid of compassion,” Pope Francis reminded us during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (Bull no. 8). May we come to resemble Him!

Saint Joseph, your fatherly gaze
accompanied Jesus in His growth as the Son of the Father of Mercy.
May our mutual gaze also help us, grow in the beauty
of our common humanity and our kindred spirits, to become a perfect image of God our Father!

Make a Novena to Saint Joseph, from March 10 to 18, 2019.