Was rereading parts of the books by Bl.Emmerich , on the Life of Christ { happily to realise how much is left behind , in the earlier causal reading of same - not that it is in any sense inerrant writings ) and came across the connection of Aseneth, wife of Joseph of Old Testament and the connection to Sychar , of the Samaritan woman , whom The Lord seems almost as though going in search of - may be showing us the way and will of honoring family connections , since it is often such connections that can also bring us trouble ;
there is the Old Testament painful episode of Jacob’s daughter Dinah and the killings of the Shechemites , through vengeance and deciet , by Levi and Simeon , sons of Jacob ;
with the Feast of St.Joseph , 9 days from now, one way to honor him could be, through invocation of family connections , from a devotion that Bl. Emmerich recommends , of saying 9 ’ Hail Mary ’ s in honor of the 9 months of the holy pregnancy of Sst.Ann and Joachim, parents of Bl.Mother, from a closely gaurded and holy family line and possibly the holiest couple who ever lived - Bl.Mother , future wife of St.Joseph , along with latter also honored as patrons of purity .
Sts Ann and Joachim had lived in continence and abstaining , for almost 20 years , before bringing forth the Bl.Mother , in the PreFall plan of God , of Immaculate Conception.
Purity in married lives too is said to have powerful beneficial effects for the children and invoking the blessings and protection through family connections , in the bl.Mother and her family connections , on behalf of all the children, young and old, even deceased , might be a good way , to counter many negavtive family influneces that might have come in one way or other !
holyfacedevotion.com/full_litany.htm
Focusing on The Adorable Holy Face, meditating on the life of The Lord , in all the stages, and esp. on The Passion, the 10th station where in , He is portrayed as suffering the pain of having His blood soaked clothing being pulled off, offering up the love and mercy of The Holy Face ,(name removed by moderator)lace of our sinful inclinations - all such means of battling on behalf of all in our lives, would also be the means of trying to love our God with all our mind and heart and strenght !
Bessings !
