In Matthew 6:24, Jesus cautions His disciples about money. In the verse, Jesus tells them “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Not heeding His warning leads to greed. And individual and corporate greed has been known to destroy careers, relationships, families, marriages, communities, the environment and life itself. When we give into the temptation of greed, we also find it much more difficult to do God’s Will. How can we even hope to follow Jesus’s command to love one another and God above all else if we become focused on getting more money, acquiring more things and living lives of luxury?
But with that said, there are times when we find ourselves in difficult financial situations. It could be from an unexpected job loss. It could be from lack of education, opportunity or reliable transportation. Or it could be because of an illness, health condition or overwhelming debt or responsibilities. It could even be from honest mistakes we’ve made. No matter what the causes are, we sometimes find ourselves in need of some kind of financial aid.
Since we know that God wants us to call upon Him in times of crisis and because we know we should pray about any important decisions, it’s vital that we first ask God, in prayer, to help us find positive solutions to our financial problems. Additionally, we can also ask saints for their intercession. Because they are holy saints already living in Heaven, their generous prayers strengthen ours. Here are seven saints whom we can turn to for help with our financial difficulties.
π Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph, who is officially the patron saint of the Universal Church and the patron of fathers, is also the patron of workers. His constant faithfulness to God’s will and the unconditional love and protection he gave to Blessed Mother and Jesus, Our Savior, has always provided men with an excellent example of what it means to be a good husband and father. But his dedicated, hard-working, humble attitude also provides a shining example for all workers, including those who find themselves temporarily unemployed or underemployed. Those whose financial difficulties are a result of unemployment or underemployment might consider joining the many Christians who seek his help in finding a good job.
One popular prayer is:
Dear Saint Joseph, You were yourself once faced with the responsibility of providing the necessities of life for Jesus and Mary. Look down with fatherly compassion upon me in my anxiety over my present inability to support my family. Please help me to find gainful employment very soon, so that this heavy burden of concern will be lifted from my heart and that I am soon able to provide for those whom God has entrusted to my care. Help us to guard against bitterness and discouragement, so that we may emerge from this trial spiritually enriched and with even greater blessings from God. Amen.
πSaint Cajetan
Another saint whose intercession can be sought by people whose financial problems have been caused by unemployment, underemployment, unjust working situations or gambling is Saint Cajetan. In addition to being the patron saint of several countries, he is the patron saint of the unemployed, gamblers, workers and job seekers.
In the early 1500s, the saint – who was a Catholic priest – was as disgusted with the immorality within the Catholic Church as Martin Luther, so he tried to change it from within the Church. He helped revive a brotherhood called the Oratory of the Divine Love, and he founded an order for members of the clergy, known as Theatines Clerks Regular, that sought to live holy lives for Jesus by studying Scripture, leading moral lives, caring for people’s spiritual needs and caring for the poor and the sick.
One prayer to St. Cajetan is as follows:
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.
π Saint Anthony of Padua
Originally from Portugal, the humble Franciscan friar preached and taught the Gospel with such integrity, zeal and simplicity, many heretics were converted. Devoted to Jesus, his intercession has resulted in so many miracles that he is known as the “Wonder Worker.” But while Saint Anthony is frequently called upon to find lost objects, people could also call upon him to find lost income, lost savings, lost resources, or they could also call upon him to find suitable employment.
One prayer to St. Anthony for employment is as follows: Blessed St. Anthony, who in life was ever mindful of the needs of the afflicted, consuming yourself in the service of God and for the good of souls, who was the enemy of idleness and a tireless worker in the vineyard of the Lord, beseech God to grant me a suitable job, which may procure for me and my loved ones a decent livelihood, and be at the same time a means of personal sanctification and of real service to others. Amen. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…St. Anthony, helper in all necessities, pray for us.
π Saint Matthew
Many people might be surprised to learn that there is a patron saint of finances. But there is. And that designation belongs to the Apostle Matthew. One of the twelve Apostles of Jesus, Saint Matthew was a tax collector for the Romans. The saint, who was the author of the first Gospel, was sitting at a tax booth when Jesus called him to become one of His Apostles. Without hesitation, St. Matthew followed Him, spread Christianity and was eventually martyred.
One prayer to St. Matthew that could be combined with a personal request for the saint’s intercession concerning financial hardships is as follows:
O Glorious St. Matthew, in your Gospel you portray Jesus as the longed-for Messiah who fulfilled the Prophets of the Old Covenant and as the new Lawgiver who founded a Church of the New Covenant. Obtain for us the grace to see Jesus living in his Church and to follow his teachings in our lives on earth so that we may live forever with him in Heaven.
π Saint Jude Thaddeus
Another Apostle who can be called upon to help in times of financial crises that seem hopeless is Saint Jude. The patron saint of hope, desperate causes and the impossible – who was so devoted to Jesus that, like St. Matthew, he was martyred – has sometimes been confused with the Apostle Judas, who betrayed Jesus. His intercession for Danny Thomas, when he was in need of financial help and employment, inspired the actor to build St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in his honor.
One popular prayer to the saint is as follows:
Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hope: Please intercede on my behalf. Make use of that particular privilege given to you to bring hope, comfort, and help where they are needed most. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven as I work with my challenges, particularly (here make your request). I praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.
π Saint Bernadette
Among other things, Saint Bernadette is the patron saint of illness and poverty. She could be an ideal saint to turn to for people who are living in poverty and those who are struggling financially due to illness. Although she was born into a poor family and was ill for most of her 35 years of life, she became a devout nun after having many holy encounters – as a teenager – with an apparition of Blessed Mother at a grotto in Lourdes, France. Because she followed Blessed Mother’s instructions, the grotto’s muddy waters were miraculously cleansed, and more than 60 people were determined to have been miraculously healed there.
One prayer to the saint is as follows: St. Bernadette, pure and simple child, you who were privileged to behold the beauty of Mary Immaculate and to be the recipient of her confidence eighteen times at Lourdes; you who did desire from then on to hide yourself in the cloister of Nevers and there live and die as a victim of sinners, obtain for us that spirit of purity, which will lead us also to the glorious vision of God and of Mary in Heaven. Amen
People in difficult financial situations may also want to seek the intercession of Santa Claus. In addition to being considered a protector of children and sailors and a patron saint of many people, places and things, Saint Nicholas is considered a protector of the poor. It is believed that he once saved a man and his three daughters from lives of sin. Because the man couldn’t provide dowries for his daughters, the daughters were going to be sold into slavery. To save them from that fate, the saint went to their home on three nights and threw a bag of gold into the home for each of the girls, providing them all with dowries. A legend states that the gold landed in some stockings (or shoes) that were hanging by the fireplace.
One prayer for people to consider praying is:
Glorious St. Nicholas, my special patron, from thy throne in glory, where thou dost enjoy the presence of God, turn thine eyes in pity upon me and obtain for me from our Lord the graces and helps that I need in my spiritual and temporal necessities (and especially this favor [mention your request], provided that it be profitable to my salvation). Be mindful, likewise, O glorious and saintly Bishop, of our Sovereign Pontiff, of Holy Church, and of all Christian people. Bring back to the right way of salvation all those who are living steeped in sin and blinded by the darkness of ignorance, error, and heresy. Comfort the afflicted, provide for the needy, strengthen the fearful, defend the oppressed, give health to the infirm; cause all men to experience the effects of thy powerful intercession with the supreme Giver of every good and perfect gift. Amen.
π Saint Nicholas
One prayer for people to consider praying is:
Glorious St. Nicholas, my special patron, from thy throne in glory, where thou dost enjoy the presence of God, turn thine eyes in pity upon me and obtain for me from our Lord the graces and helps that I need in my spiritual and temporal necessities (and especially this favor [mention your request], provided that it be profitable to my salvation). Be mindful, likewise, O glorious and saintly Bishop, of our Sovereign Pontiff, of Holy Church, and of all Christian people. Bring back to the right way of salvation all those who are living steeped in sin and blinded by the darkness of ignorance, error, and heresy. Comfort the afflicted, provide for the needy, strengthen the fearful, defend the oppressed, give health to the infirm; cause all men to experience the effects of thy powerful intercession with the supreme Giver of every good and perfect gift. Amen.
