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Sunday 2 January 2011

St Cajetan and Divine Providence



"And so our good Lord answered to all the questions and doubts
which I could raise, saying most comfortingly: “I may make all
things well, and I can make all things well, and I will make all
things well; and you will see yourself that every kind of thing
will be well… and in these words God wishes us to be enclosed
in rest and peace"
Julian of Norwich, "Revelations of Divine Love"

Although the words are Mother Julian's, this passage could also express the spirit in which St Cajetan and his newly founded Theatine order existed. The Theatines were unique in their day due to the spirit of poverty and complete trust in Divine Providence which they embraced. They were to look with disdain upon all earthly belongings, to receive no income, to accept no salaries from the faithful; only from that which was freely offered were they allowed to retain the means of livelihood. Thus they were to rely unreservedly upon Divine Providence. Indeed the Church authorities at the time viewed this dependance on God's Providence as "against prudence" and the Theatines were only grudgingly allowed to continue in this manner after a good deal of wrangling.
By his reliance on Providence, St Cajetan was living out Jesus's words (Matthew 6:26):

“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,  yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!  “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’  “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
      “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

But what is Divine Providence? As a concept it is easy enough to grasp, since it means an unshakeable trust in God's Providence and a faith that "all will be well", but as a way of life it is considerably more difficult. How can we apply this to our own lives? How can we live with certainty in the midst of uncertainty only nourished by faith and hope? Well it is a difficult process that has to be taken day by day but the spiritual fruits of such a trust are great. We are asked to jump out into the void in the sure knowledge that we will be caught in the loving arms of God, a scary leap, but liberating.
However dependance on Divine Providence does not mean that we "pass the buck" to God and can just wait for things to fall into our lap, on the contrary St Cajetan and his Theatines were only able to live in this manner due to their hard work and example which so inspired and impressed people that they gave to this new order freely. We must go to work on each new day with joy and application and trust, since if we allow fear and anxiety to become our masters then they can paralyse the spirit and block progress.

This reliance on Divine Providence led to St Cajetan's title of "Father of Divine Providence" and is part of the reason that he is the Patron saint of Job-Seekers and the Unemployed. Unemployment can be a very stressful and anxious time in life, the future seems dark and uncertain and often hopeless. This is a time when it is important to trust in Divine Providence and to work doubly hard to "work for work", treating each new day as an opportunity for new experiences wherein Divine Providence can operate. It is easy to become paralysed by worry and uncertainty whilst unemployed, but St Cajetan invites us by his example to embrace this time instead of just "getting through it", he presents us with a choice, either live in fear or stride forward with trust each new day. It is a simple choice that needs to be worked on, some days are better than others, but in the end it bears fruit as we find ourselves in a better position and mind-set to reach out for what we want and to push on through the rejections until we reach our goal.
You will not be overcome, were said very insistently and strongly,
for certainty and strength against every tribulation which may come.
He did not say: you will not be troubled, you will not be belaboured,
you will not be disquieted; but he said: You will not be overcome.
God wants us to pay attention to these words, and always to be strong
in faithful trust, in well-being and in woe, for he loves us and delights
in us, and so he wishes us to love him and delight in him and trust
greatly in him and all will be well.
Julian of Norwich "Revelations of Divine Love"

Holy St Cajetan, pray for all who are unemployed and seeking work, help us to free ourselves from the chains of fear and anxiety and to trust that God in his goodness will bring a happy conclusion to our trials.

9 comments:

  1. August 7: Founder of the Bank of Naples to help the poor and offer an alternative.His concern for the unemployed, giving them the necessary financial help in their time of need, made him their patron.
    DAILY PRAYER
    O glorious St. Cajetan, you studied to be a lawyer, but when you felt that the Lord was calling you to his service, you abandoned everything and became a priest. You excelled in virtues, shunning all material rewards for your labor, helping the many unemployed people of your time. You provided loans without interest and you attracted a lot of benefactors who donated to your resources so that you could go on with your activities. Look on us with mercy. We wish to find employment that could help us and our families live with dignity. Listen to our petitions, dear saint; you, who could easily give up the food on your table for the needy, bring our petitions to Jesus (here make your request). Amen.
    1
    You were a model of virtue among the priests of your time, O St. Cajetan. You sought not to receive payments from your ministry, and you taught people how to pray the rosary and develop devotions to saints. You were truly a spiritual shepherd, and your concern was always focused on the salvation of souls. But despite this, you were also aware that with hungry stomachs, the faithful would have difficulty in understanding God’s Word. You embarked to help them, not just by giving them bread but helping them gain their living by work. Look on us with pity, O glorious saint. We have many unemployed people in our midst and their families go hungry. We ask you to guide the fathers and mothers who are looking for work. Amen.
    Daily Prayer and 3@:Our Father, Hail Mary,Glory Be, St. Cajetan pray for us.
    2
    Despite your busy schedule, dear saint, you spent eight hours a day in prayer. Your happiness consists in being united with Jesus, to savor his presence in the Eucharist. Guide us to be like you by giving priority to prayer in our life. Enable us to savor Jesus’ presence and help us become contemplatives like you. Inspire us to understand that prayer is not just asking Jesus for our needs, but being with him, delighting in his presence. We ask you, dear saint, to lead us in this direction that we may learn to delight in Jesus’ presence. Amen.
    Daily Prayer and 3@:Our Father, Hail Mary,Glory Be, St. Cajetan pray for us.
    3
    Since your death, dear St. Cajetan, the unemployed people of the world had sought your intercession. Work is the key to a happy life. Look with pity on the millions of people in our country who wake up each morning without certainty of finding food because they don’t have work. These people become victims of desperation and some even resort to crimes to survive. Help our government leaders formulate policies that will bring about employment. You who established a bank for the needy inspire our leaders to extend loans for the poor so that they may provide for the needs of their families. Amen.
    Daily Prayer and 3@:Our Father, Hail Mary,Glory Be, St. Cajetan pray for us..
    4
    O glorious St. Cajetan, like the society where you lived, we are also beset by the same economic set up where the poor are becoming poorer and the rich, richer. You fasted so that the money you saved could be used to buy food for the poor, you did not accept any payment for your ministries because you wanted people to help the needy. You lived very frugally because you wanted to teach the rich about the need to share. Look with pity on our society where resources are wasted in buying useless goods, while the poor and the needy among us have not received the basic necessities. Inspire us to share that nobody among us would go hungry, and that everybody may live with dignity. Amen.
    Daily Prayer and 3@:Our Father, Hail Mary,Glory Be, St. Cajetan pray for us.

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  2. 5
    O glorious St. Cajetan, you spent long hours helping the sick and worked yourself to exhaustion in helping victims of plagues which were frequent in your time. You cared for the sick not just to heal them, but to guide them to a happy death. You wanted their souls, not their bodies. Help us to understand that we have to prepare ourselves to a happy death. May we likewise see that the most terrible sickness is our sinfulness, and we always have to examine ourselves for the sins we commit daily. Inspire us to have repentant hearts that we may always be prepared to meet the Lord. Amen. Daily Prayer and 3@:Our Father, Hail Mary,Glory Be, St. Cajetan pray for us.
    6
    O humble St. Cajetan, you spoke with rulers and kings, but you never gave them much importance. You know that prestige, honor, and positions in society could only be good if they are use to help the needy and the poor. For this reason, you also confronted tyrants and stood against armies that looted, killed, and raped. Your humility did not prevent you from becoming a prophet. You only feared Jesus. Help us to remain humble and self-effacing, knowing that before God, we remain nothing. We can only be someone if we stand close to Jesus. Inspire us to follow your footsteps so that we, too, may fight for justice and help stop corruption in our government. Amen.
    Daily Prayer and 3@:Our Father, Hail Mary,Glory Be, St. Cajetan pray for us.
    7
    O glorious St. Cajetan, your unceasing fasting and penance help people understand that God must be loved above all things and above all persons. You sacrificed anything or anyone that could block you from loving God with your whole soul, mind, heart and body. By eating little, you showed to others that man does not live on bread alone. You renewed the faith of many people, touched their hearts, and helped much in the reformation of the Church. Inspire us to fast and do penance for our sins. Instill on us the spirit of sacrifice that we, too, may love God intensely as you did. Amen.
    Daily Prayer and 3@:Our Father, Hail Mary,Glory Be, St. Cajetan pray for us.
    8
    O glorious St. Cajetan, it pained you to see the Catholic Church divided into hostile groups. You always prayed for unity in the Church, asking laypersons, priests, and bishops to support the Pope through preaching, prayer, and sacrifices. You see the Church as the bride of Christ, the sacrament by which men and women can become holy. You worked hard for the return of the Protestants to the Catholic Church, and you preached against Protestant reformers who were attacking the heart of Catholic teachings. Teach us then to work for unity in our Church and at the same time, to defend her from sects and religious movements that attack her. Inspire us to follow your path. Amen.
    Daily Prayer and 3@:Our Father, Hail Mary,Glory Be, St. Cajetan pray for us.
    9
    O glorious St. Cajetan, you received many special blessings from Jesus, visions and mystical experiences because of your union with him. While contemplating the mystery of incarnation, Mary appeared to you and put on your lap the baby Jesus. You held on to the baby and made your heart his dwelling place. Jesus truly loved you and his Mother trusted you. Listen then to our petitions on this last day of our novena and bring them to Jesus. Prove to us that now in heaven you are closer to Jesus and he listens to you. Amen.
    Daily Prayer and 3@:Our Father, Hail Mary,Glory Be, St. Cajetan pray for us.

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  3. REMEMBER to light a candle and Publish

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  4. St. Cajetan,
    I am looking for a job, can someone please help me find one. My resume is on monster, indeed and career builder to view my qualifications and experience. Name is Manuela Mendes.
    Thank you God bless us all through St. Cajetan.
    Amen.

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  5. Oh gracious and humble saint cajetan, I need your help in getting a job.

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  6. St. C - You helped me and my family in 2014 - and I will be needing you blessing again in 2018. Love, LM

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  7. I need help with a job in the IT industry.

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  8. I need a better job with better pay n medical coverage in Jesus name ASAP

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  9. I am 50 and want to determine how to best serve God with my life and ask for prayers in how to envision my work life to best serve Him. I no longer want to work in drudgery but to have joy and passion in my life so I can provide for myself, my family, and my church community of St. Rita who helps the poor.

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