St Cajetan Ex-Voto, acrylic on panel 2011

Glorious St Cajetan, Saint of Miracles,

pray for us and for all who invoke your aid! 

St Cajetan, after the painting by Francesco Solimena, published in 1700 by Paolo Petrini.

Below can be seen a view of Naples, where St Cajetan died and is buried

and of which he is one of the Patron Saints

St Cajetan Interceding for plague-stricken Naples

A 17th century print of St Cajetan interceding for plague victims in Naples,

with Mt Etna smouldering in the background.

When plague struck Naples, St Cajetan was one of the intercessors that the Neapolitans called upon to free them from this terrible scourge. When the plague was lifted they showed their gratitude by erecting a column with a statue of the Saint, which stands to this day in Piazza S. Gaetano.

A late 19th century Italian print of St Cajetan

"Then you shall call and the Lord will answer;

you shall cry for help, and he will say, "here I am."

Isaiah 58:9

For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving,

abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.

Psalm 86:5

Today and every day we are reminded of God's presence, love, mercy and forgiveness.

We are encouraged to ask God for assistance, yet to acknowlege that God knows the deepest needs of our hearts. In days of doubt, discouragement or pain, we are assured that God is present, listening and aware of our needs, ever ready to heal us.

Perhaps our greatest challenge is to nurture a willingness to be open to what God's response might be.

Can we let go of the outcomes that we ask for in prayer and believe that God gives us exactly what we need when we need it?

Can we rely on a trust in the abiding presence, merciful love and tender care of our extravagant God,

just as St Cajetan did?

Thy will be done, O Lord!

The 7th day of every month, a day devoted to St Cajetan

Statue of St Cajetan in Sta Maria della Pieta, Ferrara

The feast day of St Cajetan occurs every 7th August in memory of the day he died in 1547.

Devotees of St Cajetan take this further and often dedicate every 7th day of each month to him,

and sometimes every day with a seven in it, so 17th, 27th, for special acts of devotion in honour of the saint.

Perhaps incorporate this in your prayer life and use every 7 day as a marker

to take stock and reconnect with God & St Cajetan.

If you are job hunting perhaps aim to get a certain amount of things

done by the 7th, 17th or 27th

(ie. I shall send out X CVs, write Y number of covering letters etc)

so you can incorporate devotion as a complement to your job search.

Perhaps then take this "7" day off to reward yourself and recharge both physically and spiritually.

Rest tranquil and confident after you have done your best and

do not distress yourself with what you can't do,

since God will come to your aid and give you his help.

"A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord,

with the Lord for his hope.

He is like the tree by the waterside,

that thrusts its roots to the stream:

when the heat comes it feels no alarm,

its foliage stays green;

it has no worries in the year of drought,

and never ceases to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7-8)