On March 4, 2004 in my sixth year of law enforcement, I was involved in a car chase that spanned four counties and ended in a shoot-out with a man carrying drugs worth half a million dollars.
Traveling at 100 mph in my police vehicle a tire blew out. The night before, I had a dream that I was in a car crash while traveling very fast on FM 649 where there was a giant 500 foot dip in the road. During the real car chase, I remembered the dream and slowed down as I approached the dip. I thought “all is good the danger is over.” To my shock, a few miles after driving past this area in the dream, I sped up again thinking I was past the danger and then a tire blew out.
My mind immediately switched gears and everything began to happen in milliseconds. I did remember to never correct the vehicle or you will rollover. The video tape shows that the blowout lasted 8 seconds but it seemed like an eternity. By the way, 8 seconds is the amount of time a bull rider is on a bull! It seemed like a lifetime and my mind raced while calling out to Jesus and then to Mary but I still felt hopeless so I cried out to St. Joseph.
My mind raced remembering accidents I witnessed as a cop of people traveling much slower who died after tire blowouts, so I knew my time and number had come up. At 70 mph you have a very good chance of dying if you have a tire blow out. At 80 or 90 mph it is certain death. At 100 mph you have a straight ticket to heaven or hell! One county newspaper wrote, “..Deputy Rodriguez experienced a blowout and lost control of his vehicle. It was a MIRACLE he did not flip or crash into a metal gate entrance he was headed to but rather bounced off a high embankment, went airborne and collided with a light pole then landed on his four tires blowing all of them out.”
When I went airborne I cried out to St. Joseph one last time with all my heart as I knew that once I hit the ground I would begin the treacherous vehicle rollovers that usually break your neck at such high speed, but instead no such thing happened, as when I landed, the tires rammed into the caliche (limestone) bedrock imbedding all four tires all the way to the axel of the SUV police vehicle. The landing was so hard that it blew out the remaining three tires, and it was this final act of God that saved my life from the deadly rollovers.
Source of newspaper: Hebbronville View
Thanks to St. Joseph, I miraculously walked out from the vehicle…though in my heart I knew and know that I should have died that day. I also knew I would never be the same in mind, body, soul, and spirit. I exited the vehicle on my own crying and laughing not believing that I was alive. I even touched myself to make sure I was not hallucinating or dreaming. I felt cold and some chills. I knew I was experiencing shock and I knew and felt that this event would change me forever.
The video recorder was on and you can hear me not just calling but screaming out to St. Joseph. Looking at the video, miraculously it seems that an invisible hand or force was guiding the vehicle escaping one obstacle after another during the 8-second ordeal. While I did receive a severe whiplash that tore the back of my neck muscles that put me out for a year and a half, the miracle is that I lived at all. For this reason, I wish to tell the world about the powerful saint who saved my life.
Saint Joseph became my spiritual father for everything. In thanksgiving for the whole event and the many blessings to my family, I set up a roadside shrine with a 6 foot statue of Saint Joseph on a 3 foot cement pedestal at a friend’s ranch 3 hours south of San Antonio on Hi-way 16. It is exactly 140 miles south of San Antonio in the heart of the Wild Horse Desert.
I have often thought of what St. Teresa of Avila wrote in the 16th century, “I took for my patron and lord the glorious Saint Joseph, and recommended myself earnestly to him. I saw clearly that both out of this my present trouble, and out of others of greater importance, relating to…the loss of my soul, this my father and lord delivered me, and rendered me greater services than I knew how to ask for…I am filled with amazement when I consider…the dangers from which he has delivered me, both of body and soul.”
After this event, I no longer felt invincible in fact quite the opposite. Interiorly and physically there was a limp. If you look at my head it sits a little tilted as it connects to the neck while before it was normal. The best way to explain it is when Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord. After this, he would limp for the rest of his life, but a new Jacob arises who is now called Israel. One that the Lord can use since it is when we are weak that we are really strong because we depend on Him.
So “go to Joseph” as the whole world did in the time of famine and death in Egypt, (Gen. 41:55) and he will intercede for you. Take him as your father as Jesus did, and he will make you strong! For me, one career ended and another started via St. Joseph. Maybe without the limp, I would be even more proud, vain, and self-absorbed. I have learned that weakness is actually a blessing because it is a constant reminder I need to rely on God and that any day now my number can come up.
ST. JOSEPH PRAY FOR US. AMEN.
The shrine I built
(A plenary indulgence for praying it daily for a month)
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience with Saint Joseph!
St. Teresa says: “I do not remember to have asked any favor from St. Joseph which he did not grant. An account of the many graces which God has bestowed upon me, and of the dangers, corporal and spiritual, from which He has delivered me through this Saint would excite wonder. The Lord appears to have given power to the other Saints to assist us in a single necessity; but experience shows that St. Joseph gives aid in all. The Lord gives us to understand that, as He was to be subject to St. Joseph on earth, so in Heaven He does whatever the Saint asks.”
St. Teresa also writes: “I would wish to persuade all the world to be devoted to St. Joseph, because I have long experience of the great favors which he obtains from God. I have never known any soul especially devoted to him that did not always advance in virtue. I ask, for God’s sake, that they who do not believe me will at least make a trial of this devotion. I cannot believe that favors are not grant ed to St. Joseph in return for the help which he gave on earth to Jesus and Mary.”
Thank you Deacon.
I’m so glad you survived to tell the story and witness to this miraculous intervention of the power of St. Joseph. And thanks for the statue that will help others find in St. Joseph, a powerful friend.
You have chosen my favorite image of St. Joseph with the child Jesus. Very similar to the one that is in the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal, Canada….a miraculous statue that came alive for St. Brother Andre Bessette.
St. Andre Bessette is one of my favorite saints. He too was very weak. He was so, so weak that he could only eat a mixture of water and wheat flour called gruel. His stomach couldn’t tolerate much. Yet, he is responsible for the most physical cures in modern church history…all through the intercession of St. Joseph. He slept very little and prayed a lot! In his weakness God was mightily strong.
ODE TO SAINT JOSEPH
Joseph, humble, silent vase
of splendor and abundant grace
protector, defender of our Lord
as a strong and flaming sword
Joseph, most just, most pure
what no man could ever ensure
guardian of the holy house
stronghold of your Holy Spouse
Joseph, treasurer of the Heavenly King
for Whom the angels in adoration sing
so underestimated in the world’s eyes
with whom you never did compromise
Joseph, without titles behind your name
you never sought perishable fame
you were an honest simple worker
envied and attacked by the evil lurker
Joseph, example of husband and father
you never thought of yourself, but rather
in obedience to God, with love and humility
you shouldered the caring responsibility
Joseph, assist us in our daily tasks
never forsake us nor the one who asks
to be non-judgmental and steadfast
to obtain those virtues of yours at last.
Rita Biesemans March 19, 2011
Wonderful Ode To St. Joseph! Here is prayer to St. Joseph.
Hail “Joseph, Son of David,” (Matt.1:20) “Husband of Mary,” (Matt. 1:16) the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst men and blessed is the Son that you raised, Jesus. Holy Joseph, Virgin father of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Thank you Deacon Guadalupe. I’m posting here for you a poem I wrote for Our Lady of Guadalupe o:)
HIMNO A LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE
O MARIA, PORTADORA DE LA LUZ
AYUDA NOS PORTAR NUESTRA CRUZ
A TRAVES DEL FLUJO TURBULENTE DE LOS RIOS
TU,NUESTRO FARO EN EL CAMINO HACIA DIOS
MADRE DE DIOS Y NUESTRA MADRE
IMMACULADA, CREADA POR EL PADRE
PARA DARNOS JESUS, NUESTRO SALVADOR
EL CUAL NO HABIA LUGAR EN EL PARADOR
TU HIJO TIENE UN LUGAR
NUESTRO CORAZON ES EL ALTAR
DONDE LE ADORAMOS Y LE OFRECEMOS
NUESTRO AMOR Y LABOR DIARIOS
TE QUEREMOS MUCHO O DULCE MARIA
POR FAVOR BENDIGA NOS CADA DIA
FIN DE QUE PODEMOS OBTENER
LA VIDA ETERNA PARA AGRADECER
RITA BIESEMANS, EL 12 DE DICIEMBRE 2014
thank you deacon Guadalupe, I copied and pasted it and started as of today to also pray it daily. May God bless you and protect you in abundance !!!
Rita Biesemans
God Bless you.
St. Joseph, terror of demons and protector of our Holy Church defend us from an election of Hillary Clinton for president.
Oh my goodness! That is an incredible story. It is truly a miracle that you survived. I hope your story inspires others to cling to the intercession of the saints, who reach out to us on behalf of the God who loves us just as we reach out to them.
Dear Lindsay,
Yes, one hundred and twenty two of us are doing a month long consecration to St. Joseph during the month of October. The consecration ends October 31st. March and October are also dedicated to St. Joseph. Pope Leo XIII even wrote a prayer for the month of October. https://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/stjoe2.htm
I also wanted to say that I love the zeal and passion of your writings. Keep up the great work!
Thank you, Deacon!
Deacon,
Just now reading this. What an amazing story! I am so am inspired and motivated by your witness. All I can say is thank you for sharing!
Dear Scott,
St. Joseph is an incredible miracle worker! I found this amazing miraculous story by a person named Etta on St. Joseph’s intercession: “On February 14, 1997, I was cleaning the top of my stove, when my right sleeve caught on fire. My father and brother had taken the day off from work and were sitting by the kitchen table when I caught fire. I yelled, ‘My sleeve is on fire and it is hot!’ My brother jumped up and tried to help me put the fire out. As we put the fire out on the sleeve of my bathrobe, the fire shot to the inside of my sleeve and quickly spread around my waist, to the top of my left shoulder, and on to the inside of the front of my robe. I then had fire surrounding my body at that point. When I managed to get the robe off, I threw it on the floor and my brother tried to stomp the fire out. It was still smoldering when he picked the robe up and threw it in the shower and turned on the water. Even after having the fire all around my body under my robe, the hair on my arms was not even singed and I was not burned at all. I believe that I was spared from being burned because of the prayer to St. Joseph (below) which is over 1900 years old and promises that anyone who hears it or carries it will never die a sudden death, nor be drowned, nor will poison take effect on them. They will not fall into the hands of the enemy, nor Be Burned in any Fire, and they will not be defeated in any battle. St. Joseph saved me from being severely burned and I will always love him and thank him as I remember his mercy to me that day.”
PRAYER:
Saint Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires . Oh Saint Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son, all spiritual
blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers. Oh Saint Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my
name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. Saint Joseph, Patron of the departing souls, pray for us. AMEN. 1900+ year old prayer !! Promises are that anyone whoever hears this prayer or carries it will never die a sudden death, nor be drowned, nor will poison take effect on them. They will not fall into the hands of the enemy, nor be burned in any fire, and they will not be defeated in any battle.
Thanks for sharing this Deacon! What an amazing story and wonderful prayer!