Category: NOVENAS

Posted in ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The CHRIST CHILD

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Eight – 23 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child

Day Eight
The Life Of The Child Jesus In Egypt And In Nazareth.

Reflection:
Our Blessed Redeemer spent the first part of His childhood in Egypt,
leading there for several years, a life of poverty and humiliation.
In that land Joseph and Mary were foreigners and strangers,
having there neither relatives nor friends.
Only with difficulty could they earn their daily bread by the labour of their hands.
Their home was poor, their bed was poor, their food was poor.
Here Mary weaned Jesus; dipping a piece of bread in water, she would put it in the sacred mouth of her Son.
Here she made His first little garments and clothed Him with them.
Here the Child Jesus took His first steps, stumbling and falling as other children first do.
Here too He spoke His first words, but stammeringly. O wonder of wonders!
To what has not God lowered Himself for love of us!
A God stumbling and falling as He walks! A God stammering in His speech!

Not unlike this was the poor and humble life that Jesus led in Nazareth after His return from Egypt.
There, until He was thirty years old, He lived as a simple servant or workman in a carpenter shop, taking orders form Joseph and Mary. “And He was subject to them.”
Jesus went to fetch the water;
He opened and closed the shop;
He swept the house, gathered the fragments of wood for the fire
and toiled all day long, helping Joseph in his work.
Yet who is this? God Himself, serving as a apprentice!
The omnipotent God, who with less than a flick of His finger created the whole universe,
here sweating at the task of planing a piece of work!
Should not the mere thought of this move us to love Him?

Prayer:
O Jesus, my Saviour!
When I consider how, for love of me, You didst spend thirty years of Your life hidden
and unknown in a poor workshop, how can I desire the pleasures and honours and riches of the world?
Gladly do I renounce all these things, since I wish to be Your companion on this earth,
poor as you were, mortified and humble as You were,
so that I may hope to be able one day to enjoy Your companionship in heaven.
What are all the treasures and kingdoms of this world?
You, O Jesus, are my only treasure, my only Good!
I keenly regret the many times in the past when I spurned
Your friendship in order to satisfy my foolish whims.
I am sorry for them with all my heart.
For the future I would rather lose my life a thousand times
than lose Your grace by sin.
I wish never to offend You again but always to love You.
Help me to remain faithful to You until death.
O Mary, you are the refuge of sinners, you are my hope. AmenDAY EIGHT NOVENA TO THE CHRIST CHILD - 23 DEC 2017 - NO 2

Posted in ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Seven – 22 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Seven – 22 December

Day Seven

Flight Of The Child Jesus Into Egypt.

Reflection:
Although the Son of God came from heaven to save men,
scarcely was He born when men began to persecute Him to death.
Herod, fearing that this Child would deprive Him of his kingdom,
seeks to destroy His life.
But St Joseph is warned by an angel in a dream to take the Infant
and His Mother and flee into Egypt.
Joseph obeys at once and tells Mary about it.
He takes the few tools of his trade,
that he may use them to gain a livelihood in Egypt for himself and his poor family.
Mary wraps up a small bundle of clothes for the use of her little Son
and then, going to the crib, she says with tears in her eyes
to her sleeping Child, “O my Son and my God!
You have come from heaven to save men;
but hardly are You born when they seek to take Your life.”
Lifting Him meanwhile in her arms and continuing to weep,
she sets out that same night with Joseph on the road to Egypt.

Let us consider how much these holy wanderers
must have suffered in making so long a journey,
deprived of every comfort.
The divine Child was not yet able to walk
and so Mary and Joseph had to take turns in carrying Him in their arms.
During their journey through the desert towards Egypt
they had to spend several nights in the open air,
with the bare ground for their bed.
The cold makes the Infant cry and Mary and Joseph weep in pity for Him.
And who would not weep at thus seeing the Son of God poor
and persecuted, a fugitive on earth, that He might not be killed by His enemies!

Prayer:
Dear Infant Jesus, crying so bitterly!
Well have You reason to weep in seeing Yourself persecuted by men
whom You loved so much.
I, too, O God, have once persecuted You by my sins.
But You know that now I love You more than myself
and that nothing pains me more than the thought
that I have so often spurned You, my sovereign Good.
Forgive me, O Jesus and let me bear You with me in my heart
in all the rest of the journey that I have still to make through life,
so that together with You, I may enter into eternity.
So often have I driven You from my soul by my sins.
But now I love You above all things
and I regret above other misfortunes,
that I have offended You.
I wish to leave You no more, my beloved Lord.
But do You give me the strength to resist temptations.
Never permit me to be separated from You again.
Let me rather die than ever again lose Your good grace.
O Mary, my hope, make me always live in God’s love
and then die in loving Him. AmenDAY SEVEN NOVENA TO THE CHRIST CHILD - 22 DEC 2017

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The CHRIST CHILD

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Six – 21 December

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Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Six – 21 December

Day Six
God’s Mercy Revealed In His Coming Down From Heaven To Save Us.

Reflection:
Saint Paul says, “The goodness and kindness of God, our Saviour, has appeared.”
When the Son of God made Man appearedon earth, then was it seen how great is God’s goodness towards us.
Saint Bernard says that first of God’s power was manifested in the creation of the world
and His wisdom in its conservation
but His merciful goodness was especially manifested later in His taking human nature on Himself,
in order to save fallen mankind by His sufferings and death.
For what greater proof of His kindness towards us could the Son of God show us,
than in taking on Himself the punishment we had deserved?

See Him as a weak, newborn infant, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
Unable to move or feed Himself, He has need of Mary to give Him a little milk to sustain His life.
Or see Him again in Pilate’s courtyard, tied with fast bonds to a column and there scourged from head to foot.
Behold Him on the way to Calvary, falling down from weakness under weight of the cross that He must carry.
Finally behold Him nailed to this tree of shame, on which He breathes His last amid pain and anguish.
Because Jesus Christ wished that His love for us should win all the love of our hearts for Himself,
He would not send an angel to redeem us but chose to come Himself, to save us by His Passion and death.
Had an angel been our redeemer, men would have had to divide their hearts
in loving God as their Creator and an angel as their redeemer;
but God, who desires men’s whole hearts, as He was already their Creator, wished also to be their Redeemer.

Prayer:
O my Dear Redeemer! ]
Where should I be now, if You had not borne with me so patiently
but had called me from life while I was in the state of sin?
Since You have waited for me till now, forgive me quickly, O my Jesus,
before death finds me still guilty of so many offenses
that I have committed against You.
I am so sorry for having vilely despised You, my sovereign Good,
that I could die of grief.
But You can not abandon a soul that seeks You.
If hitherto, I have forsaken You,
I now seek You and love You.
Yes, my God, I love You above all else;
I love You more than myself.
Help me, Lord, to love You always during the rest of my life.
Nothing else do I seek of You.
But this I beg of You, this I hope to receive from You.
Mary, my hope, do you pray for me.
If you pray for me, I am sure of grace. AmenDAY SIX NOVENA TO THE CHRIST CHILD - 21 DEC 2017

Posted in ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Five – 20 December

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Five – 20 December

Day Five
The Life Of Sorrow Which Jesus Led From His Birth.

Reflection:
Jesus Christ could have saved mankind without suffering and dying.
Yet, in order to prove to us how much He loved us, He chose for Himself a life full of tribulations.
Therefore the prophet Isaias called Him “a man of sorrows,” His whole life was filled with suffering.
His Passion began, not merely a few hours before His death but from the the first moment of His birth.
He was born in a stable where everything served to torment Him.
His sense of sight was hurt by seeing nothing but the rough, black walls of the cave;
His sense of smell was hurt by the stench of the dung from the beasts in the stable;
His sense of touch was hurt by the prickling straw on which He lay.
Shortly after His birth He was forced to flee into Egypt, where He spent several years of His childhood in poverty and misery. His boyhood and early manhood in Nazareth were passed in hard work and obscurity.
And finally, in Jerusalem, He died on a cross, exhausted with pain and anguish.

Thus, then, was the life of Jesus but one unbroken series of sufferings, which were doubly painful because He had ever before His eyes all the sufferings He would have to endure till His death.
Yet, since our Lord had voluntarily chosen to bear these tribulations for our sake, they did not afflict Him as much as did the sight of our sins, by which we have so ungratefully repaid Him for His love towards us.
When the confessor of Saint Margaret of Cortona saw that she never seemed satisfied with all the tears she had already shed for her past sins, he said to her, “Margaret, stop crying and cease your lamenting, for God has surely forgiven you your offenses against Him.”
But she replied, “Father, how can I cease to weep, since I know that my sins kept my Lord Jesus in pain and suffering during all His life?”

Prayer:
O Jesus, my sweet Love!
I too have kept You suffering through all Your life.
Tell me, then, what I must do in order to win Your forgiveness.
I am ready to do all You ask of me.
I am sorry, O sovereign Good, for all the offenses I have committed against You.
I love You more than myself, or a least I feel a great desire to love You.
Since it is You who have given me this desire, grant me too the strength to love You exceedingly.
It is only right that I, who have offended You so much, should love You very much.
Always remind me of the love You have borne me, in order that my soul may ever burn with love of You
and long to please You alone.
O God of love, I, who was once a slave of hell, now give myself all to You.
Graciously accept me and bind me to Yourself with the bonds of Your love.
My Jesus, from this day and forever in loving You will I live and in loving You will I die.
O Mary, my Mother and my hope, help me to love your dear God and mine.
This is the only favour I ask of you and through you I hope to receive it. AmenDAY FIVE NOVENA TO THE CHRIST CHILD - 20 DEC 2017 - NO 2

Posted in ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The CHRIST CHILD

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Four – 19 December

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Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Four – 19 December

Day Four
The Life Of Humiliation Which Jesus Led From His Birth.

Reflection:
The Sign which the angel gave the shepherds to help them find the newborn Saviour, points to His lowliness:  “This shall be a sign to you:  you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”  No other newborn baby who was wrapped in poor swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, a feeding trough for animals, could be found anywhere else but in a stable.   Thus in lowliness the King of heaven, the Son of God, chose to be born, because He came to destroy the pride that had been the cause of man’s ruin.
The prophets had already foretold that our Redeemer was to be treated as the vilest of men on earth and that He was to be overwhelmed with insults.   How much contempt had not Jesus indeed to suffer from men!   He was called a drunkard, a trickster, a blasphemer and a heretic.   What ignominies He endured in His Passion!   His own disciples abandoned Him;  one of them sold Him for thirty pieces of silver and another denied having ever known Him.   He was led in bonds through the streets like a criminal; He was scourged like a slave, ridiculed as a fool, crowned with thorns as a mock king, buffeted and spit upon and finally left to die, hanging on a cross between two thieves, as the worst criminal in the world.   “The noblest of all,” says Saint Bernard, “is treated as the vilest of all.”   But the Saint adds, “The viler Thou are treated, the dearer Thou art to me.   The more I see Thee, my Jesus, despised and put to shame, the more dear and worthy of my love dost Thou become to me.”DAY FOUR NOVENA TO THE CHRIST CHILD - 19 DEC 2017 - NO 2

Prayer:
O Dearest Saviour,
You have embraced so many outrages
for love of me,
yet I have not been able to bear one word of insult
without at once being filled with resentful thought,
I who have so often deserved to be trodden
under foot by the demons in hell!
I am ashamed to appear before You,
sinful and proud as I am.
Yet do not drive me from Your presence, O Lord,
even though that is what I deserve.
You have said, that You will not spurn,
a contrite and humbled heart.
I am sorry for the offenses
I have committed against You.
Forgive me, O Jesus. I will not offend You again.
For love of me You have borne so many injuries;
for love of You, I will bear all the injuries that are done to me.
I love You, Jesus, who was despised for love of me.
I love You above every other good.
Give me the grace to love You always
and to bear every insult for love of You.
O Mary, recommend me to your Son;
pray to Jesus for me.
Amen.

Posted in ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The CHRIST CHILD

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Three – 18 December

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Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Three – 18 December

Day Three
The Life Of Poverty Which Jesus Led From His Birth.

Reflection:
God so ordained that, at the time when His Son was to be born on this earth, the Roman emperor should issue a decree ordering everyone to go to the place of his origin and there be registered in the census.   Thus it came about that, in obedience to this decree, Joseph went to Bethlehem together with his virgin wife when she was soon to have her Child.
Finding no lodging either in the poor inn or in the other houses of the town, they were forced to spend the night in a cave that was used as a stable for animals and it was here that Mary gave birth to the King of heaven.   If Jesus had been born in Nazareth,   He would also, it is true, have been born in poverty but there He would at least have had a dry room, a little fire, warm clothes and a more comfortable cradle.   Yet He chose to be born in this cold, damp cave and to have a manger for a cradle, with prickly straw for a mattress, in order that He might suffer for us.

Let us enter in spirit into this cave of Bethlehem but let us enter in a spirit of lively faith.
If we go there without faith, we shall see nothing but a poor infant
and the sight of this lovely child shivering
and crying on his rough bed of straw may indeed move us to pity.
But if we enter with faith and consider that this Babe is the very Son, God,
who for love of us has come down on earth
and suffers so much to pay the penalty for our sins,
how can we help thanking and loving Him in return?DAY THREE NOVENA TO THE CHRIST CHILD - 18 DEC 2017

Prayer:
O Dear Infant Jesus,
how could I be so ungrateful and offend You so often,
if I realised how much You have suffered for me?
But these tears which You shed,
this poverty which you embraced for love of me,
make me hope for the pardon of all the offences
I have committed against You.
My Jesus,
I am sorry for having so often turned my back on You.
But now I love You above all else.
“My God and my all!”
From now on You, O my God,
shall be my only treasure and my only good.
With Saint Ignatius of Loyola I will say to You,
“Give me the grace to love You; that is enough for me.”
I long for nothing else;
I want nothing else.
You alone are enough for me,
my Jesus, my life, my love.
O Mary, my Mother,
obtain for me the grace
that I may always love Jesus
and always be loved by Him. Amen

Posted in ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The CHRIST CHILD

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Two – 17 December

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Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day Two – 17 December

Day Two
God’s Love Revealed In His Being Born An Infant.

Reflection:

When the Son of God became man for our sake, He could have come to earth as an adult man from the first moment of of His human existence, as Adam did when he was created.  But since the sight of little children draws us with a special attraction to love them, Jesus chose to make His first appearance on earth as a little infant and indeed as the poorest and most pitiful infant that was ever born.
“God wished to be born as a little babe,” wrote Saint Peter Chrysologus, “in order that He might teach us to love and not to fear Him.”
The prophet Isaiah had long before foretold that the Son of God was to be born as an infant and thus give Himself to us on account of the love He bore us:  “A child is born to us, a son is given to us.”

My Jesus, supreme and true God!
What has drawn You from heaven to be born in a cold stable, if not the love which You bear for us men?
What has allured You from the bosom of Your Father, to place You in a hard manger?
What has brought You from Your throne above the stars, to lay You down on a little straw?
What has led You from the midst of the nine choirs of angels, to set You between two animals?
You, who inflames the seraphim with holy fire, are now shivering with cold in this stable!
You, who sets the stars in the sky in motion, cannot now move unless others carry You in their arms!
You, who give men and beasts their food, has need now a little milk to sustain Your life!
You, who are the joy of heaven, do now whimper and cry in suffering!
Tell me, who has reduced You to such misery?
“Love has done it,” says Saint Bernard.
The love which You bear us men has brought all this on You!DAY TWO NOVENA TO THE CHRIST CHILD - 17 DEC 2017

Prayer:

O Dearest Infant!
Tell me, what have You come on earth to do?
Tell me, whom do You seek?
Yes, I already know.
You have come to die for me, in order to save me from hell.
You have come to seek me, the lost sheep, so that,
instead of fleeing from You, I may rest in Your loving arms.
Ah my Jesus, my treasure, my life, my love and my all!
Whom will I love, if not You?
Where can I find a brother, a friend,
a spouse more loving and lovable than You are?

I love You, my dear God; I love You, my only good.
I regret the many years when I have not loved You
but rather spurned and offended You.
Forgive me, O my beloved Redeemer;
for I am sorry that I have treated You thus and I regret it with all my heart.
Pardon me and give me the grace never more to withdraw from You
but constantly to love You in all the years that still lie before me in this life.
My love, I give myself entirely to You;
accept me and do not reject me as I deserve.
O Mary, you are my advocate.
By your prayers you obtain whatever you wish from your Son.
Pray to Him then to forgive me
and to grant me holy perseverance until death. Amen

Posted in ADVENT, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The CHRIST CHILD

Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day One – 16 December

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Christmas Novena to the Christ Child – Day One – 16 December

DAY ONE
God’s Love Revealed In His Becoming Man

Reflection:
Because our first parent Adam, had rebelled against God, he was driven out of paradise and brought on himself and all his descendants the punishment of eternal death. ,,But the son of God, seeing man thus lost and wishing to save him from death, offered to take upon Himself our human nature and to suffer death Himself, condemned as a criminal on a cross.

“But, My Son,” we may imagine the eternal Father saying to Him, “think of what a life of humiliations and sufferings You wilt have to lead on earth. You wilL have to be born in a cold stable and laid in a manger, the feeding trough of beasts.
While still an infant, You wilL have to flee into Egypt, to escape the hands of Herod.
After Your return from Egypt, You will have to live and work in a shop as a lowly servant, poor and despised.
And finally, worn out with sufferings, You will have to give up Your life on a cross, put to shame and abandoned by everyone.“
“Father,” replies the Son, “all this matters not. I will gladly bear it all, if only I can save man.“

What should we say if a prince, out of compassion for a dead worm, were to choose to become a worm himself and give his own life blood in order to restore the worm to life? But the eternal Word has done infinitely more than this for us. Although He is the Sovereign Lord of the world, He chose to become like us, who are immeasurably more beneath Him than a worm is beneath a prince and He was willing to die for us, in order to win back the life of divine grace that we had lost by sin.

When He saw, that all the other gifts which He had bestowed on us, were not sufficient, to induce us to repay His love with love, He became man Himself and gave all of Himself to us.

“The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us;”
“He loved us and delivered Himself up for us.“

O Great Son of God,
You became man in order to make Yourself loved by men.
But where is the love that men give You in return?
You gave Your life blood to save our souls.
Why then are we so unappreciative that,
instead of repaying You with love,
we spurn You with ingratitude?
And I, Lord, I myself more than others have ill treated You.
But Your Passion is my hope.
For the sake of that love which led You to take upon Yourself
human nature and to die for me on the cross,
forgive me all the offenses I have committed against You.
I love You, O Word Incarnate;
I love You, O infinite goodness.
Out of love for You, that I could die of grief for these offenses.
Give me, O Jesus, Your love.
Let me no longer live in ungrateful
forgetfulness of the love You bear me.
I wish to love You always.
Grant that I may always preserve in this holy desire.
O Mary, Mother of God and my Mother,
pray for me that Your Son, may give me,
the grace to love Him always, unto death.
Amen.

Posted in ADVENT, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The CHRIST CHILD, The WORD

ANNOUNCING a Novena to the Christ Child in preparation for Christmas

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ANNOUNCING a Novena to the Christ Child in preparation for Christmas

In the birth of Jesus, God comes to us and asks us to receive Him, so that He can be born in our lives and transform them and our world, by the power of His love.    The Christmas liturgy also invites us to contemplate Christ’s birth against the backdrop of His paschal mystery.   Christmas points beyond itself, to the redemption won for us on the Cross and the glory of the Resurrection.   May this Christmas fill you with joy in the knowledge that God has drawn near to us and is with us, at every moment of our lives”. …Pope Benedict XVI

Join us for the Christmas Novena to the Christ Child beginning 9 days before Christmas on 16 December.   Each day will feature a Scripture Reflection and prayer.   Let us dispose ourselves to receive the coming Lord.   With great desire, with joy full of hope, with a heart that is free and capable of great love, for after all, we are made in His image and likeness and He is love!ANNOUNCING - CHRISTMAS NOVENA TO THE CHRIST CHILD begins 16 DEC - 2017

Posted in ADVENT, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CHRISTMASTIDE!, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

St Andrew’s Christmas Novena – Getting Ready for the arrival of our King!

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St Andrew’s Christmas Novena – Getting Ready for the arrival of our King!BE READY AND WAITING - ST ANDREW'S CHRISTMAS NOVENA begins 30 nov - 2017 pic

While a Novena is normally a nine-day prayer, the term is sometimes used for any prayer that is repeated over a series of days.   The Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is often called simply the “Christmas Novena” or the “Christmas Anticipation Prayer,” because it is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (30 November) until Christmas.   It is an ideal Advent devotion;   the First Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew.

The novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in honour of the birth of His Son at Christmas.   You can say the prayer all 15 times, all at once; or divide up the recitation as necessary (perhaps five times at each meal).

Prayed as a family, the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is a very good way to help focus the attention of your family and children on the Advent season.

This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves for the Lord’s coming.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
in which the Son of God was born
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
………………… [here mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ
and of His blessed Mother. Amenst andrew's prayer - christmas novena no 1

Posted in CHRIST the KING, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

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NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Day Nine
Lord, Thy Kingdom Come

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

1 Corinthians 15:24
Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power.

«Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!».   I am sent by Him, by Christ Himself, to do this. I am an apostle, I am a witness.   The more distant the goal, the more difficult my mission the more pressing is the love that urges me to it.   I must bear witness to His name:  Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. . . . I could never finish speaking about him: he is the light and the truth; indeed, He is  “the way, the truth and the life”.   He is the bread and the spring of living water to satisfy our hunger and our thirst.
Jesus Christ:  You have heard Him spoken of;  indeed the greater part of you are already His:   you are Christians.   So, to you Christians I repeat His name, to everyone I proclaim Him:  Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega;   He is the king of the new world;  He is the secret of history;   He is the key to our destiny…St Pope Paul VI, Homily delivered in Manila, 29 November 1970

Prayer:  God, Father of Mercy!   You, who ceaselessly reaches out to Man, who has lost the path leading him back to You, the Only Lord and Father of all children, may You give him the light to find the path to You. Jesus Christ, Our Lord and King, hath revealed that His Divine Heart is Man’s only secure shelter.   Our Lord and King, we yearn for You and the Virgin Mary to reign in our hearts, in our nation and state. Jesus, through the intercession of Your Mother we implore You, may we come to believe that proclaiming You the Lord and King, will bring only good things.
King full of mercy accept us gathered here as Your subjects.
May You also receive our homage, worship, fidelity and the act of consecration to the King of the Universe.
Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, may you lead us to the complete acceptance and
proclamation of your Son as Lord and King, so that we may realise that the Kingdom of God is true happiness and fulfilment in the earthly life. Amen.

Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)

O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel.   May You reign in our hearts through grace.   May You reign in our families through family virtues.   May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord.   May You reign everywhere, always and forever.   May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth!  Amen

Let us pray:   Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace.   We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. AmenDAY NINE - NOVENA CHRIST THE KING - 25 NOV

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NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Day Eight
With the Followers of Christ

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

Hebrew 7:26
It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens.

The priest always and in an unchangeable way, finds the source of his identity in Christ the Priest.   It is not the world which determines his status, as though it depended on changing needs or ideas about social roles.   The priest is marked with the seal of the Priesthood of Christ, in order to share in His function as the one Mediator and Redeemer.
So, because of this fundamental bond, there opens before the priest the immense field of the service of souls, for their salvation in Christ and in the Church.   This service must be completely inspired by love of souls in imitation of Christ, who gives His life for them.   It is God’s wish that all people should be saved and that none of the little ones should be lost.  “The priest must always be ready to respond to the needs of souls,” said the Curé of Ars. “He is not for Himself, He is for you.”
The priest is for the laity:  he animates them and supports them in the exercise of the common-priesthood of the baptised — so well illustrated by the Second Vatican Council — which consists in their making their fives a spiritual offering, in witnessing to the Christian spirit in the family, in taking charge of the temporal sphere and sharing in the evangelisation of their brethren.   But the service of the priest belongs to another order.
He is ordained to act in the name of Christ the Head, to bring people into the new life made accessible by Christ, to dispense to them the mysteries . . . St Pope John Paul II, Letter to priests for Holy Thursday in 1986, 10

Prayer:   God, King of heaven and earth! Jesus Christ hath established the sacred priesthood to enable spiritual sacrifice, for the greater honour and glory of Your Name and for the Redemption of all believers.   We come to You with great reverence and humility and, learning to love like Jesus, Our Lord and King, we commend to You, O Lord, all those whom He loved until the end.   O Christ, we implore You to behold Your chosen ones today in Your mercy.   It is them who guide souls to Salvation;  may You show Your love to them and grant them the light of the Holy Spirit.   Fortify them by Your power,
support them through the fidelity of their congregations and protect them from all evil. You who lives and reigns world without end. Amen

Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)

O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You.   We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel.   May You reign in our hearts through grace.   May You reign in our families through family virtues.   May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord.   May You reign everywhere, always and forever.   May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen

Let us pray:   Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace.   We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. AmenDAY EIGHT - NOVENA CHRIST THE KING - 24 NOV

Posted in CHRIST the KING, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Day Seven
Following the Saints

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

1 Peter 1:15-16
. . . but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, “Be holy because I (am) holy.”

By their eloquent and attractive example of a life completely transfigured by the splendour of moral truth, the martyrs and, in general, all the Church’s Saints, light up every period of history by reawakening its moral sense.   By witnessing fully to the good, they are a living reproof to those who transgress the law (cf. Wis 2:12) and they make the words of the Prophet echo ever afresh: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Is 5:20)… St Pope John Paul II, The Encyclical Veritatis Splendor, 93

Prayer:  God, Father of all grace! In Your Saints You ceaselessly show us Your immeasurable kindness and Your care over the whole Church.   Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and King, You teach the saints the path to perfection and lettest them taste in this life the sweet fruit of Redemption.   May You give us strength so that we have courage to follow the way to sainthood, fortified by the example of all Your saints.
Jesus Christ, who takes joy in every soul that yearns to love You more than the world and one’s own life.   Lord and King, You wish to reign in the hearts of the
righteous and the honest, the poor and the humble, the suffering and the scorned, through the intercession of Your Servants, the Saints, be mindful of their souls and make them the kingdom of Your love, peace and truth.   May all the hearts cold and indifferent to the reverence and adoration of the Celestial Father be enkindled with love for Him. You who lives and reigns world without end.  Amen.

Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)

O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel.   May You reign in our hearts through grace.   May You reign in our families through family virtues.   May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord.   May You reign everywhere, always and forever.   May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen

Let us pray:   Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace.   We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amenday seven - novena christ the king - 23 nov 2017

Posted in CHRIST the KING, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Day Six
Contemplating the Holy Family

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

Luke 2:51
He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

“Loving the family means being able to appreciate its values and capabilities, fostering them always.   Loving the family means identifying the dangers and the evils that menace it, in order to overcome them.   Loving the family means endeavouring to create for it an environment favourable for its development.   The modern Christian family is often tempted to be discouraged and is distressed at the growth of its difficulties;  it is an eminent form of love to give it back its reasons for confidence in itself, in the riches that it possesses by nature and grace, and in the mission that God has entrusted to it. “Yes indeed, the families of today must be called back to their original position.   They must follow Christ.”... St Pope John Paul II, The Adhortation Familiaris Consortio, 86

Prayer:  God, Father of mankind! You who came into this world through a family and showed it to us as a visible sign of love, mutual respect and kindness, let us learn to love anew, over and over again and find a way to happiness through contemplating the ideal of the Holy Family of Nazareth.   Jesus, who hast sanctified family life through Your Incarnation, to You we entrust every family, both such that lives separated from genuine happiness and such that enjoys the Divine gift of grace.
True happiness consists in a faithful fulfilment of the Divine will and the Nazarethan atmosphere of warmth and modesty.   Watch over all Catholic families on, give them Your blessing and let them find the true values that constitute and unite the family and are a way to find Your peace. Amen

Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)

O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You. We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel.   May You reign in our hearts through grace.   May You reign in our families through family virtues. May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord. May You reign everywhere, always and forever.   May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen

Let us pray:  Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace.   We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amenday-six-novena-christ-the-king-22-nov-2017

Posted in CHRIST the KING, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Day Five
Under the Patronage of Saint Joseph

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

Matthew 1:20
. . . the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.

The total sacrifice, whereby Joseph surrendered his whole existence to the demands of the Messiah’s coming into his home, becomes understandable only in the light of his profound interior life.   It was from this interior life that “very singular commands and consolations came, bringing him also the logic and strength that belong to simple and clear souls and giving him the power of making great decisions-such as the decision to put his liberty immediately at the disposition of the divine designs, to make over to them also his legitimate human calling, his conjugal happiness, to accept the conditions, the responsibility and the burden of a family but, through an incomparable virginal love, to renounce that natural conjugal love that is the foundation and nourishment of the
family.   This submission to God, this readiness of will to dedicate oneself to all that serves Him, is really nothing less than that exercise of devotion which constitutes one expression of the virtue of religion… St Pope John Paul II, The Adhortation Redemptoris custos, 26

Prayer: God of unfathomable kindness, who continuously summonS every person to a life of sainthood.   You have summoned Saint Joseph to accept the role and duties of the Guardian of Jesus Christ, Your Son.   Lend us Your help so that we may see in Saint Joseph a paragon of Christian virtues following His example of fidelity, justice, assuming a humble role and abandoning one’s own aspirations.
Saint Joseph, be mindful of all souls longing to bear unconditional love to Lord Jesus
and His Mother.   May we receive streams of graces through your intercession, so that we may guard the purity of our souls like a treasure to make them a worthy dwelling place for God.   Saint Joseph, protect our children and youth from all impurity that destroys Divine life in their souls.   We implore you to intercede before God on our behalf so that we may, within our powers and cooperating with Christ’s grace, extend the Divine Kingdom on earth.

Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)

O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You.   We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy.   We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel.   May You reign in our hearts through grace.   May You reign in our families through family virtues.   May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord.   May You reign everywhere, always and forever.   May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen

Let us pray. Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace.    We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. AmenDAY FIVE NOVENA CHRIST THE KING - 21 NOVEMBER

Posted in CHRIST the KING, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PAPAL ENCYLICALS

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Day Four
Behold, your mother

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

John 19:26-27
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother,
“Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

For the Mother of Christ is glorified as “Queen of the Universe.”   She who at the Annunciation called herself the “handmaid of the Lord” remained throughout her earthly life faithful to what this name expresses.   In this she confirmed that she was a true “disciple” of Christ, who strongly emphasised that his mission was one of service:  the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28).   In this way Mary became the first of those who, “serving Christ also in others, with humility and patience lead their brothers and sisters to that King whom to serve is to reign” and she fully obtained that “state of royal freedom” proper to Christ’s disciples:  to serve means to reign!…(St Pope John Paul II, The Encyclical Redemptoris Mater, 41)

Prayer:  O God, whose sainthood is beyond understanding! Through Your Son Jesus Christ You have given us the paragon of sainthood and the path thereto.   You have involved the Blessed Virgin Mary in the mission of Salvation by making her Christ’s Mother and ours.   May You help us to see and believe that Virgin Mary is, for us, the model of ideal love. May our existence be permeated with the longing to bear love to Jesus and Mary. Mother of Divine Love, be mindful of the faithful gathered in this
temple and all other places where You are glorified and addressed in the world full of misery.    Be mindful of our souls longing to bear indivisible love to your Son and thee. Be mindful of all souls, especially the souls loving your Son, teach them to fulfil His will as faithfully as possible, protect them from all sin and help them to attain perfect love in humility, simplicity and complete devotion to God.   Through Christ, Our Lord, with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)

O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You.   We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy. We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel.   May You reign in our hearts through grace.   May You reign in our families through family virtues. May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord.   May You reign everywhere, always and forever.   May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen

Let us pray. Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace.   We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. AmenDAY FOUR NOVENA christ the king - 20 Nov 2017

Posted in CHRIST the KING, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Day Three
Fortified by the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness;  for we do not know how to pray as we ought but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.

The breath of the divine life, the Holy Spirit, in its simplest and most common manner, expresses itself and makes itself felt in prayer.   It is a beautiful and salutary thought that, wherever people are praying in the world, there the Holy Spirit is, the living breath of prayer.   It is a beautiful and salutary thought to recognise that, if prayer is offered throughout the world, in the past, in the present and in the future, equally widespread is the presence and action of the Holy Spirit, who “breathes” prayer in the heart of man in all the endless range of the most varied situations and conditions, sometimes favourable and sometimes unfavourable to the spiritual and religious life.   Many times, through the influence of the Spirit, prayer rises from the human heart in spite of prohibitions
and persecutions and even official proclamations regarding the non-religious or even atheistic character of public life…(John Paul II, The Encyclical Dominum et vivificantem, 65)

Prayer
O God, the source of life and the giver of all graces!   You who renews and sanctifies
everything through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord, be mindful of Your Church, wishing to renew ceaselessly through His Power.   Make our hearts open to His mysterious working.   Jesus Christ, who has opened for us the path to Heaven through the mystery of Redemption, be mindful of all who wish to renew the face of the earth through contribution and sacrifice.   Lord, send forth Your Spirit, to turn all our intentions, longings and decisions towards the service of God and the glory of Your Kingdom.   Amen

Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)

O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You.   We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy.   We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel.   May You reign in our hearts through grace.   May You reign in our families through family virtues.   May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord.   May You reign everywhere, always and forever.   May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen

Let us pray. Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace.   We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. AmenDAY THREE - NOVENA TO CHRIST THE KING - 19 NOV 2017

Posted in CHRIST the KING, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The WORD

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow

Day Two
Through Jesus Christ and in Him

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

Hebrew 1:1-2a
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets;  in these last days, he spoke to us through a son . . .

Jesus is frequently ignored and ridiculed, is announced to have been a king of the past and not to be the king of the present, let alone of tomorrow, is pushed into the junk room of issues and personages that should not be mentioned aloud and publicly…(Benedict XVI, address during the encounter with young people at Błonia Field in Cracow, 27 May 2006)

PRAYER – God, the Father of all mercy and solace, the kindest Lord and King!   You haVE sent Your only Son to make the world believe that You arE its only love, happiness and meaning of existence.   Our Lord is not only the Redeemer but that He also loves
every soul and hath shed His Blood for everyone.    May Your Kingdom arrive sooner in the souls of those who are paying this homage to You today;  in our families, parishes and the entire Nation.   You who livest and reigns world without end. Amen.

Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)

O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You.   We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy.   We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel.   May You reign in our hearts through grace.   May You reign in our families through family virtues.   May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord.  May You reign everywhere, always and forever.   May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth! Amen

Let us pray:  Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace.   We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.DAY TWO - novena to christ the king - 18 november 2017

Posted in CHRIST the KING, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING in preparation for the Liturgical Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA TO CHRIST KING
in preparation for the Liturgical Feast
of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Written by Prince Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, Archbishop of Krakow (Mentor and hero of St John Paul).

prince cardinal adam sapieha.jpgDay One
With God the Father

Antiphon to the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

Luke 11:2

He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come”.
“Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Man, born of the Holy Virgin, came to reveal the fatherhood of God to mankind.   He came to reveal the fatherhood that only he himself knows as the Son who is of one substance with the Father.   So he came to lead mankind into the eternal and Divine dimension of all fatherhood and parenthood in the world created by God.   Also, of all order and harmony, for which the family dimension is essential.
Does to reveal mean only to remind?   More than that, to reveal means to restore. Christ came torestore the Divine fatherhood to mankind, this great human family. Only He could accomplish the restoration in a complete way.   In order to restore the Divine fatherhood to people, Christ had to bring back the people to God as Father.   This was his vital mission…”….(John Paul II, Homily delivered during the Mass at Masłów Aero Club in Kielce, 3 June 1991)

God, Father of mankind, we thank You for making us Your adopted children in Christ and letting us know about this great honour.   You have revealed that being a child of God means essentially acting with truth and simplicity, without a touch of duplicity and egoism.   Jesus Christ, our King and Lord, let all people know the kindness of God, Father of all creation and His care of those who fear Him.   Let us worship and praise the name of our King so that we may be brought to the glory of eternal life, where You live and reign, world without end. Amen

Prayer to Jesus Christ King of the Universe
by Adam Stefan Cardinal Sapieha (1927)

O Jesus, Lord of our hearts and immortal King of centuries, we hereby solemnly swear to You to stand faithfully by Your throne and by You.    We swear never to blemish Your standard with unbelief, sectarianism or any other apostasy.   We vow to You to persevere in the holy Catholic faith until we die.
May our posterity engrave it on our tombstones that we were never embarrassed because of our faith in You, Jesus the King and Your Gospel.   May You reign in our hearts through grace.   May You reign in our families through family virtues.   May You reign in our schools through genuine Catholic upbringing.
May You reign in our society through justice and concord.   May You reign everywhere, always and forever. May Your standard be a guide for us all, may Your Kingdom extend to every corner of the earth!   Amen

Let us pray. Almighty God, the powerful King of all creation, we humbly beseech You to send the hosts of angels for our protection so that we may serve You with devotion, with no hindrance and in peace.   We beseech You through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amenday-one-novena-christ-the-king-17-nov-2017

 

Posted in CHRIST the KING, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Announcing a Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of Christ the King – 26 November 2017

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Announcing a Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of Christ the King – 26 November 2017

Let us enter into Nine days of prayer which will focus on Jesus as the Universal King.  The Roman Catholic Church sets aside the last Sunday of the liturgical year as the Feast of Christ the King, this year 2017, the Feast is on 26 November.

The Feast of Christ the King is, as Catholic feasts go, a relatively recent one.  It was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925, to remind Catholics (and the world generally) that Jesus Christ is Lord of the Universe, both as God and as Man.   Pius XI announced the feast in his encyclical Quas Primas, which was delivered on 11 December 1925.   At the end of the encyclical, he declared that he expected three “blessings” to flow from the celebration of the feast:   first, that “men will doubtless be reminded that the Church, founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state”;   second, that “Nations will be reminded by the annual celebration of this feast that not only private individuals but also rulers and princes are bound to give public honour and obedience to Christ”;   and third, that “The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal.”

ANNOUNCING A NOVENA TO CHRIST THE KING - BEGINS FRIDAY 17 NOV

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY NINE – 21 OCTOBER

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY NINE – 21 OCTOBER

Little Known Fact #9:   While visiting the United States in 1976, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla spent a few days in Pomfret, Vermont with philosopher Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka and her family.   His main purpose was to work on the English translation of Osobo I Czyn (The Acting Person) but he also used it as a time to relax and enjoy nature.  For example, he was often late for lunch because he had been swimming in the neighbour’s pond. Additionally, he didn’t want to be treated like a guest but instead insisted that he cut the grass and help bale hay.   He was truly in his element in Vermont and remarked that it reminded him of the Tatras in Poland.   Wojtyla spent most of his time outdoors, working on the English translation while sitting on the trunk of a tree that had fallen.

REFLECTION:   “This was his message:  man is the way of the Church and Christ is the way of man.  With this message, which is the great legacy of the Second Vatican Council and of its “helmsman”, the Servant of God Pope Paul VI, John Paul II led the People of God across the threshold of the Third Millennium, which thanks to Christ he was able to call “the threshold of hope”.   Throughout the long journey of preparation for the great Jubilee he directed Christianity once again to the future, the future of God, which transcends history while nonetheless directly affecting it.   He rightly reclaimed for Christianity that impulse of hope which had in some sense faltered before Marxism and the ideology of progress.  He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope, to be lived in history in an “Advent” spirit, in a personal and communitarian existence directed to Christ, the fullness of humanity and the fulfillment of all our longings for justice and peace.”   Pope Benedict XVI at the Beatification Ceremonyday nine novena st john paul - 21 oct

Let us Pray:

O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.

He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,

………………….. [state your intention here].

Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.

Totus Tuus, Amen.

Quote Day 9:   “Two thousand years have gone by but sinners in need of mercy — and who is not? — still experience the consolation of that “today” of salvation which on the Cross opened the gates of the Kingdom of God to the repentant thief: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk 23:43).” St John Paultwo thousand years - st john paul - 21 oct 2017.NO 1

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY SEVEN – 19 OCTOBER

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NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY SEVEN – 19 OCTOBER

Little Known Fact #7:  While he was Bishop of Kraków, Karol Wojtyla visited many of sick people in his archdiocese during the Lenten season.   Additionally, whenever he visited parishes he always visited the parishioners who were most gravely ill in their homes.   This also extended to every convent he visited, whereby he would always visit the sisters in the infirmary.   He did all of this not only to minister to their needs but also to ask for their prayers. He told one group of sisters:
“Although I am young and strong, although I fly in airplanes, climb mountains, ski, I still turn to the weakest, so that by the riches of their suffering they may bring down the strength and power of the Holy Spirit and the blessing of God upon my work in the Archdiocese.”

REFLECTION:   “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (Jn 20:29). In today’s Gospel Jesus proclaims this beatitude: the beatitude of faith.   For us, it is particularly striking because we are gathered to celebrate a beatification but even more so because today the one proclaimed blessed is a Pope, a Successor of Peter, one who was called to confirm his brethren in the faith.   John Paul II is blessed because of his faith, a strong, generous and apostolic faith.   We think at once of another beatitude: “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah!   For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven” (Mt 16:17).   What did our heavenly Father reveal to Simon?   That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.   Because of this faith, Simon becomes Peter, the rock on which Jesus can build his Church.   The eternal beatitude of John Paul II, which today the Church rejoices to proclaim, is wholly contained in these sayings of Jesus:  “Blessed are you, Simon” and “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe!”   It is the beatitude of faith, which John Paul II also received as a gift from God the Father for the building up of Christ’s Church.” ….. Pope Benedict XVI on the Beatification of St John Paul.day seven - novena st john paul 19 oct 2017

Let us Pray:

O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.

He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,

………………….. [state your intention here].

Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.

Totus Tuus, Amen.

Quote Day Seven:   “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth- in a word, to know Himself- so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.”  ― John Paul II, Fides et Ratio: On the Relationship Between Faith and Reasonfaith and reason - st john paul - 19 oct 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, Uncategorized

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY SIX – 18 OCTOBER

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NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY SIX – 18 OCTOBER

Little Known Fact #6:   In 1954, Father Karol Wojtyla was awarded a “Bronze Badge for Hiking Tourism.” Wojtyla won this badge for hiking on foot on multiple occasions during that year, totaling 166 km (103 miles).   More than half of these excursions were completed during the winter (November 1 – March 31).   Needless to say, Father Wojtyla enjoyed hiking.

REFLECTION:   “Divine Mercy: the Holy Father found the purest reflection of God’s mercy in the Mother of God.   He, who at an early age had lost his own mother, loved his divine mother all the more.   He heard the words of the crucified Lord as addressed personally to him:  “Behold your Mother.”   And so he did as the beloved disciple did:   he took her into his own home” (eis ta idia: Jn 19:27) – Totus tuus.   And from the mother he learned to conform himself to Christ.” – Pope BenedictDAY SIX - NOVENA ST JOHN PAUL - 18 OCT 2017

Let us Pray:

O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.

He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,

………………….. [state your intention here].

Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.

Totus Tuus, Amen.

Quote Day Six:   “Mary, who was present on the day of Pentecost, at the beginning of the life of the Church, with the Apostles, disciples and pious women, always remains present in the Church, she, the first woman missionary, is Mother and support, of all those who proclaim the Gospel!” (Rome, 12 Oct 1979)mary - st john paul - 18 oct 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY FIVE – 17 OCTOBER

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NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY FIVE – 17 OCTOBER

Little Known Fact #5:  Father Karol Wojtyla was only 38 when he was made a Bishop. It did not change his lifestyle at all. True, instead of walking everywhere he had a bicylce and even a rather ancient car and chauffeur to get around the diocese and in order not to waste time, he had a table and a light fixed into the car, to allow him to read and work on necessary journeys.

REFLECTION:  ” ………reflecting on the assassination attempt, he said: “In sacrificing himself for us all, Christ gave a new meaning to suffering, opening up a new dimension, a new order:  the order of love … It is this suffering which burns and consumes evil with the flame of love and draws forth even from sin a great flowering of good” (pp. 189-190). Impelled by this vision, the Pope suffered and loved in communion with Christ and that is why the message of his suffering and his silence proved so eloquent and so fruitful.” – Pope Benedict at St John Paul’s Funeral

DAY FIVE - NOVENA ST JOHN PAUL - 17 OCT 2917

Let us Pray:

O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.

He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,

………………….. [state your intention here].

Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.

Totus Tuus, Amen.

Quote Day Five:  “I find great peace in thinking of the time when the Lord will call me: from life to life!   And so I often find myself saying, with no trace of melancholy, a prayer recited by priests after the celebration of the Eucharist:   In hora mortis meae voca me, et iube me venire ad te – at the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to you. This is the prayer of Christian hope, which in no way detracts from the joy of the present, while entrusting the future to God’s gracious and loving care.”

i find great peace - st john paul - 17 OCT 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY FOUR – 16 OCTOBER

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NOVENA to St John Paul the Great: DAY FOUR – 16 OCTOBER

Little Known Fact #4:  In his second assignment as a newly ordained priest, Father Karol Wojtyla took a new approach to training altar boys. He would hold frequent evenings of instruction, whereby one priest would give catechesis to the boys while another priest taught the parents educational psychology as well as catechesis in the liturgy.   In addition to these meetings, Father Wojtyla and the other parish priests would take the boys on outings.   This model proved to be a great success as the number of altar boys went from 10 in 1946 to 100 in 1952.

REFLECTION:   ” In the first years of his pontificate, still young and full of energy, the Holy Father went to the very ends of the earth, guided by Christ.   But afterwards, he increasingly entered into the communion of Christ’s sufferings;  increasingly he understood the truth of the words:  “Someone else will fasten a belt around you.”   And in this very communion with the suffering Lord, tirelessly and with renewed intensity, he proclaimed the Gospel, the mystery of that love which goes to the end (cf Jn 13:1).” – Pope Benedictday four - novena to st john paul - 16 oct 2017

Let us Pray:

O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.

He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,

………………….. [state your intention here].

Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.

Totus Tuus, Amen

Quote Day Four:  “A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members;  and among the most vulnerable are surely the unborn and the dying.”a society will be judged - st john paul 16 oct 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, Uncategorized

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great:  DAY THREE – 15 OCTOBER

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NOVENA to St John Paul the Great:  DAY THREE – 15 OCTOBER

Little Known Fact #3:  During his fourth year of Theological studies, Karol Wojtyla felt an increasing call to enter a Carmelite monastery.   In the same year, one of his good friends, Br Leonard Kowalowka, was appointed Novice Master at a Carmelite monastery.   This appointment of his friend prompted Wojtyla to pursue his desire to be a Carmelite. Wojtyla applied to enter the monastery at Czerna but transferring from the Diocesesan seminary to a religious monastery needed the approval of the bishop.   Cardinal Sapieha did not give his approval and instead told Wojtyla to “finish what he started.”   Wojtyla did exactly that and stayed the path of a Diocesesan priest.

REFLECTION DAY THREE:  “In October 1978 Cardinal Wojtyla once again heard the voice of the Lord.   Once more there took place that dialogue with Peter reported in the Gospel of this Mass: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?   Feed my sheep!”  To the Lord’s question, “Karol, do you love me?,” the Archbishop of Krakow answered from the depths of his heart:  “Lord you know everything; you know that I love you.”   The love of Christ was the dominant force in the life of our beloved Holy Father.   Anyone who ever saw him pray, who ever heard him preach, knows that.   Thanks to his being profoundly rooted in Christ, he was able to bear a burden which transcends merely human abilities: that of being the shepherd of Christ’s flock, his universal Church.”……..Pope Benedictday three - novena st john paul - 15 oct 2017

Let us Pray:

O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.

He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,

………………….. [state your intention here].

Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.   Totus Tuus, Amen.

Quote Day Three:   “A person’s rightful due is to be treated as an object of love, not as an object for use.”a person's rightful due - st john paul - 14 oct 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great DAY TWO – 14 OCTOBER

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NOVENA to St John Paul the Great DAY TWO – 14 OCTOBER

Little Known Fact #2:   While working in a factory during the Nazi Occupation of Poland, Karol Wojtyla heard that one of his co-workers was expecting a child.   The man worked the night shift and found out that his wife gave birth to their child.   After a full day of work during the day, Karol told his co-worker to go home to be with his family. Karol then worked the entire night shift in place of the new father.   He continued to work the night shift after his own shift until his co-worker’s wife regained her strength and he could return to work.

REFLECTION:  ”Follow me! In July 1958 the young priest Karol Wojtyla began a new stage in his journey with the Lord and in the footsteps of the Lord.   Follow me – Karol Wojtyla accepted the appointment, for he heard in the Church’s call the voice of Christ. And then he realised how true are the Lord’s words:  “Those who try to make their life secure will lose it but those who lose their life will keep it” (Lk 17:33).   Our Pope – and we all know this – never wanted to make his own life secure, to keep it for himself;   he wanted to give of himself unreservedly, to the very last moment, for Christ and thus also for us.   And thus he came to experience how everything which he had given over into the Lord’s hands came back to him in a new way.   His love of words, of poetry, of literature, became an essential part of his pastoral mission and gave new vitality, new urgency, new attractiveness to the preaching of the Gospel, even when it is a sign of contradiction.”…Pope Benedictday two - novena st john paul - 14 oct 2017

Let us Pray:

O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.

He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,

………………….. [state your intention here].

Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people.   We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.

Totus Tuus, Amen.

Quote Day Two:   “Mary is ‘the Mother of the Son of God.
As a result she is also the favourite daughter of the Father
and the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Because of this gift of sublime grace,
she far surpasses all other creatures,
both in heaven and on earth.”
(REDEMPTORIS MATER – 1987)mary is the mother of the son of god - st john paul - 14 oct 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

NOVENA to St John Paul the Great DAY ONE – 13 OCTOBER

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NOVENA to St John Paul the Great DAY ONE – 13 OCTOBER

As mentioned on the Announcement – I will be posting the Novena prayer as well as a lesser known fact about St John Paul, a quote – perhaps of equal obscurity, together with a short Reflection on his life from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/novena-to-st-john-paul-day-one-6-october/DAY ONE - NOVENA ST JOHN PAUL - 13 OCT 2017 2,

 

Little Known Fact #1:  During his Theological Studies in Seminary, Karol Wojtyla greatly desired to read the works of St John of the Cross in the original Spanish language. He mastered the language very quickly and was even asked by the Spanish instructor to assist him in translating a Spanish text that was to be read over the Polish new radio a few hours before it would be broadcast.

REFLECTION:   “Follow me.” The Risen Lord says these words to Peter.   They are His last words to this disciple, chosen to shepherd His flock. “Follow me” – this lapidary saying of Christ can be taken as the key to understanding the message which comes to us from the life of our late beloved Pope John Paul II. …” Pope Benedict

Let us Pray:

O Holy Trinity, we thank You for having given to the Church Pope John Paul II and for having made him shine with Your fatherly tenderness, the glory of the Cross of Christand the splendour of the Spirit of love.

He, trusting completely in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, has shown himself in the likeness of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has pointed out to us the way of holiness as the path to reach eternal communion with You Grant us, through his intercession, according to Your will, the grace that we implore,

………………….. [state your intention here].

Continue, beloved St John Paul, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people.   We praise and thank You Father that St John Paul has been numbered among Your saints and make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, one God forever.

Totus Tuus, Amen.

Quote Day One:  “Only the chaste man and the chaste woman are capable of real love.”

only the chaste man - st john paul - 6 oct 2017

 

 

 

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Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES of the SAINTS

ANNOUNCING a Novena to St John Paul – Day One – 13 October

Posted on by AnaStpaul

ANNOUNCING a Novena to St John Paul – Day One – 13 October

Leading up to the feast day of Saint John Paul the Great on 22 October, I invite you to join me in prayer to ask for his powerful intercession as well as learn something new about him each day.

Over nine days from 13 October, I will post a prayer to St John Paul, as well as a fact about him, a short Reflection by a great heart and mind about a great heart and mind and a quote that is perhaps less well known.   Thus, we will join our prayers together to pray for all of our intentions and ask John Paul II to intercede for us.

St John Paul, Pray for us!announcing a novena st john paul - 6 oct 2017

Posted in franciscan OFM, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY NINE – 22 September

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NOVENA to St Padre Pio/St Pius of Pietrelcina – DAY NINE – 22 September

St Padre Pio you have said:

How fortunate we are to be slaves of this great God who submitted Himself to death for us.

Let us Pray:

Gracious God,
You generously blessed Your servant, Padre Pio, with the gifts of the Spirit.
You marked his body with the five wounds of Christ Crucified,
as a powerful witness to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son
and as a stirring inspiration to many people,
of Your infinite mercy, forgiveness and love.
In the confessional, Padre Pio laboured endlessly for the salvation of souls.
Through his powerful intercession,
many who suffered were healed of sickness and disease.
Endowed with the gift of discernment, he could read people’s hearts.
With dignity and intense devotion, he celebrated daily Mass,
inviting countless men and women to a greater union with Jesus Christ,
in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
His life was a celebration of love for You
and an oblation of himself in gratitude to You.
We pray that You will bless us too
with total love and thanksgiving.
Through the intercession of Saint Pio,
we confidently beseech You to to grant us the grace of
………………… (state your petition here).
Help us to imitate his example of prayerful holiness and compassion,
so that we, too, may faithfully follow the Risen Lord
and one day rejoice in the Kingdom,
where You live and reign forever and ever. Amenday nine - novena padre pio - 22 sept