St Joseph: Patron Saint of Those Selling Their Houses

I always knew that Saint Joseph is the Patron saint of carpentry. But whoah! I happen to know just now that he is also the patron for those who want to sell their houses and property. I think it was meant to be because I was just chanced upon (it's really an accidental thing) this Saint Joseph website stating him as a great intercessor to God in behalf of those with real estate concerns.

And really I thought this was a sign, that I get to encounter St Joseph as I have been wanting for the longest time to sell our house in a province outside of Manila. What I did was immediately I scrolled down on the site in search of the prayer on St Joseph, and upon getting it I really prayed hard for some divine grace. Oh, St Joseph, please help me and be my intercessor to the Lord, may God hear my prayer. I pray that a worthy buyer comes my way and buys my house.

Unfortunately, together with the prayer to Saint Joseph, I also need to have his statue and bury it upside down on the ground of the property. This I think I would not be able to do because I am currently here in Israel. Hopefully, a fervent and sincere prayer to him would be enough to merit a positive response. Please, I hope everyone else would pray for me and wish me the best of luck. I am really praying for a quick positive result regarding the sale of my house.

All Saints Day

Two days to go and it's All Saints Day. November 1 is a special day for Catholic countries as it is the time for time to visit their departed loved ones in the memorial parks and cemeteries. Actually, I am wondering why it is so-called because it is associated with our departed loved ones and not our saints. There is the All Souls Day, which is commemorated on November 2, and should appropriately be the day in which we should remember the dead. But many Catholic countries, especially the Philippines, we have grown accustomed to remembering our deceased relatives and loved ones on the first day of November. Halloween, while a big celebration in some countries, is not widely celebrated in others. All Saints day in some places like in Manila is more of a chance for reunions - for families to get together. It becomes a yearly get together for relatives and friends, being able to see everyone when visiting a departed relative. Remember that All Saints Day is primarily a day of prayers offered to our loved ones who passed away. Let us pray for the eternal repose of their souls.

Saint Paul the Beloved Apostle

Saint Paul was originally named Saul, who was a Jewish Talmud follower. The early days of Saul saw him hating the Christians so much that when Saint Stephen was stoned, he was one of those who cast at him.

He was going to Damascus to arrest some Christians when he fell to the ground and got blinded by a great light from the heavens. At this time, he received a message that his persecution of the Christians is like doing the same to Jesus.

Because of this, he was converted as a Christian and his name was changed to Paul (and later on upon his canonization - Saint Paul). He later was a staunch supporter and propagator of the Christian religion, traveling far and wide to preach Christ’s Words. He later became a martyr and Catholic saint.

St Paul is the Patron Saint of Authors, Publishers, and Writers. He is dearly remembered on January 25th, celebrating his conversion to Christianity.

Saint John of the Desert Church

Sign pointing to the direction of the Church, which is

under the custody of the Fransiscan Order

Entrance to the Church. We almost missed getting inside,

as they close at lunchtime

Uniquely designed and built Saint John's Church

Church altar

Miraculous, healing water is said to flow here

We were able to visit just recently the Saint John of the Desert Church; a serene yet amazing shrine in the desert dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. I say amazing because of its high and strategic location, as well as its miraculous water continuously flowing and brought forth from a small cave structure underneath the church. The location of the church is said to be where the people followed Saint John to hear him preach and be baptized.

My All-time Favorite Patron Saints

Saint Rita of Cascia – On top of my list of Patron Saints. Also known as the Patroness of Lost and impossible cases. Many of my requests and prayers were heard and granted by our Lord thru St. Rita’s intercession. Whenever I have a prayer intended for my mother, I always implore help and intercession from St. Rita. Did you know that she is also the Patron Saint of the sport baseball?

Another favorite of mine is St. Jude, not Iscariot, but Thaddaeus. A true and loyal friend and servant of Jesus Christ, he is known as the Patron of hopeless causes, just like St Rita. I pray the novena of St. Jude every Tuesday. His feast day is on two dates, June 19 and October 28. St Jude is also known as the Patron of Hospitals.

Infant Jesus of Prague – I am not sure if he falls under the category of saints; still, I pray the novena of Infant Jesus. One of the most famous statues of the Infant Jesus, he can be found at the Our Lady Victorious’ Church in Mala Strana of Prague. I say the novena of Infant Jesus because I believe that he is a powerful intercessor to the Lord. I have also read about the many miracles and favors such as healings of people who are serious devotees of the Infant.

St Peregrine – I chanced upon an old novena of Saint Peregrine, which tells about how he can help the sick get well. There were times when I had bouts with headache, and when I ask for help from St Peregrine to get rid of such pain, surely the headache does disappear. It is not surprising as Saint Peregrine is a miracle worker and also the Patron of Cancer victims and patients. I also pray to St Peregrine whenever I want someone dear to me who’s sick to get healed.

Honoring Images of Catholic Saints

The First Commandment of God states “I am the Lord your God, You shall not have strange Gods before me.” Well, of course, as devout Catholic, we abide by this commandment. We recognize the one and only God, our Heavenly Father.

And indeed, it is really considered a mortal sin if we as Catholics worship other gods apart for Him. The first commandment likewise dictates that statues and images, whether it be of patron saints and even the Blessed Virgin Mary should not be worshipped, in the same manner as pagans worshipping their stone idols. This is a form of idolatry and is considered a grievous sin.

So, what does it make of the multiple of Catholics who have images of Catholic saints, the Virgin Many and other religious relics displayed at the altar of their homes? Are they sinners outright? Are they offending the Lord God because of these practices?

In my opinion, if the purpose of the presence of the images of patron saints is to honor them as mediators or messengers to the Lord, then it is not a sin. If it is a form of respect and admiration to a particular saint and the holy life that it lived, then I do believe that it is okay for such images to have a place in our altars.

Respect and honoring of the Saints is one thing; worship of God is another – it is a great and truly holy act that is above all else.

Catholic Saints for Children

In my opinion, saints are like angels. They look after us, protect us and guide us to safety during our day to day personal activities. Saints, I believe, act as guardian angels.

Still, saints are so much more. They are effective intercessors to the Lord God. They are like our messengers, helping us by delivering our requests and prayers to the Lord.

And parents and Catholic, we can try educating our kids into the lives of the Patron Saints. We can tell about the stories of how they came to be.

We all know how all of them suffered because of the Catholic Faith, and remained brave and strong during times of trials and dangers brought about by their standing by their faith.

To our kids, we can present them as Christian heroes; they are personalities that serve best as model Catholic to our children.

There are many that serve as Patron Saints of Children. Some are Saint Nicholas and the Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague. Saint Thomas More is for the adopted children.

For boy scouts, we have St. George and for families, the Patron Saint is St. Joseph.

Let us tell our children about the life stories of saints, and hopefully our young ones may value their journey to sainthood and even learn from it.