Thought for the Day – 26 August – The Feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland
PRAYER OF JOHN PAUL II (Excerpt)
Czestochowa — 4 June 1997
“O Mother of God, O Blessed Virgin, by God have you been glorified!”
Mother of Jasna Góra and Queen, I come to you today on a pilgrimage of faith to thank you for your ceaseless protection of all the Church and of myself, especially during the fifty years of my priesthood and those of my service in the See of Peter. With great trust I come to this holy place — on the hill of Jasna Góra, so dear to my heart, to cry out once more: Mother of God and our Mother, I thank you for being the guiding Star of the building of a better future for the world, for being the Patroness of the attainment of the civilisation of love among the members of the human race. Mother, I humbly beseech you, surround with your maternal protection the days and years which still separate us from the Year 2000. I entrust to your intercession the preparation for the Great Jubilee of Christianity. Help all the nations of the world to begin the new millennium in union with Christ, the King of the ages.
Mother of the Church, Blessed Virgin Help of Christians, in the humility of Peter’s faith I bring to your feet the whole Church, all the continents, countries and nations which have believed in Jesus Christ and have recognised in Him the signpost marking their path through history. I bring here, O Mother, all humanity, including those still searching for the way to Christ. Be their guide and help them to be open to the God who is coming. I bring to you in prayer the peoples of East and West, of North and South and I entrust to your motherly care all the families of nations. Mother of the Church’s faith, just as you persevered in prayer with Jesus’ disciples in the Upper Room, so be with us today in the Upper Room of the Church as she travels towards the third millennium of faith and obtain for us the grace to be open to the gift of God’s Spirit.
Faithful Daughter of the Eternal Father , Temple of the Love that embraces heaven and earth, I entrust to you the service of the Church in the world, a world which so needs love. Mother of God, Mother of the only-begotten Son who gave us as the principle of life the new commandment of love, help us to become builders of a united world, in which peace triumphs over war, and the civilization of death is replaced by love for life.
Mother of Unity and Peace, strengthen the bond of communion within the Church of your Son, enliven ecumenical efforts so that all Christians, by the power of the Holy Spirit, may become one family of sisters and brothers of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world yesterday, today and for ever (cf. Heb. 13:8).
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, accept our trust, strengthen it in our hearts and present it before the face of the one God in the Holy Trinity. Amen.
Our Lady of Czestochowa, Pray for us!
Consecration to Our Lady of Czestochowa
Our Lady of Czestochowa,
Queen of Poland, pray for us.
Holy Mother of Czestochowa,
you are full of grace, goodness and mercy.
I consecrated to you all my thoughts,
words and actions – my soul and body.
I beseech your blessings
and especially prayers for my salvation.
Today I consecrate myself to you, good Mother, totally –
with body and soul amid joy and sufferings,
to obtain for myself and others,
your blessings on this earth
and eternal life in heaven.
Amen
AnaStpaul 