Category: NOVENAS

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney – Day Seven– 1 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney

DAY SEVEN – We Pray for strength against SATAN

Let us Pray:

O Holy Priest of Ars,
the infamous attacks of the devil
which you had to suffer
and the trials which disheartened you by fatigue,
would not make you give up the sublime task of converting souls.
The devil came to you for many years to disturb your short rest
but you won because of mortification and prayers.
Powerful protector,
you know the temptor’s desire to harm my baptised and believing soul.
He would have me sin, by rejecting the Holy Sacraments
and the life of virtue.
But good Saint of Ars dispel from me the traces of the enemy.
Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for …
(mention silently your special intentions).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

DAY SEVEN - NOVENA ST JOHN VIANNEY

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Dominic – DAY TWO – 31 July

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Novena to St Dominic

Second Day: Humility
Your attitude must be that of Christ:  though he was in the form of God, he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at.   Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men.   He was known to be of human estate and it was thus that he humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8)

DOCTOR VERITATIS                                   DOCTOR OF TRUTH

Humility is the foundation of perfection and in St. Dominic it was deep and strong.   So clear was his knowledge of the great majesty of God and his own nothingness that he lived always in holy fear and self-distrust.   Though most innocent, he considered himself to be a sinner, unworthy of the least grace.   Constantly he prostrated himself before God, praying for long periods of time.
Before entering a town to preach, he used to kneel down on the road, begging God not to punish the people for his sins but to make his labour fruitful.   When passing an altar or crucifix he would bow profoundly, in token of his nothingness.   Personal praise and honour he detested and three times refused the bishopric.   At the General Chapter he said to his brethren, “I deserve to be deposed from my office, for I am negligent and relaxed.” When asked where he would be buried, “Under the feet of my brethren,” the saint responded.
The saints, though great in virtue, look upon themselves as worthless, because they see themselves in the light of God and knowing Him they know themselves. “Our righteousness,” St. Dominic would say, “when compared to the righteousness of God, is mere uncleanness.”

Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls. …Matthew 11:29

Pray for us, blessed father, St. Dominic, that we may be made worthy of the prom­ises of Christ.

Let us pray:

O Holy Father St. Dominic,
true lover of humility,
the greater you appeared in the sight of men,
the more you humbled yourself before God.
Be to us a loving guide, that, following in your footsteps,
we may be enabled to withstand all the snares of the enemy
and spending our lives in earnest prayer,
self-denial and humility,
we may, at the hour of death,
be received with you into heaven.
Pray too Holy St Dominic,
that as the virtue of our humility grows,
we may draw back those
who have lapsed from the one, true faith
and for this our special intention …
(make your request)
Through Christ our Lord. Amen

 

 

DAY TWO - NOVENA TO ST DOMINIC - HUMILITY 31 JULY

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, Uncategorized

NOVENA in Honour of and preparation for, the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord – Day Four – 31 July

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA Transfiguration of our Lord – Day Four – 31 July

Explanation of this Novena here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/announcing-a-novena-in-honour-of-the-transfiguration-of-our-lord/

The Revelation of Christ’s Divine Glory

Fourth Day: Responsibility in our mission

In the transfiguration episode, we can see just how much Peter lived his calling with enthusiasm and with a sense of responsibility. “Master, it is wonderful for us to be here, so let us make three tents, one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  Here we see Peter in all his generosity.  At this moment he feels at the height of his power and ability.   He is growing in awareness of his responsibility, the weight he carries on his shoulders.

Let us Pray:

Loving Father,
You have so loved us
that we have been called to be Your sons,
Sons and daughters of God.
Help us to fulfil the mission given us by Your Son
with fidelity, responsibility and generosity.
Amen.

DAY FOUR TRANSFIGURATION NOVENA 31 JULY

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, Uncategorized

Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney – Day Six– 31 July

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Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney

DAY SIX – We Pray for REAL PRESENCE

O Holy Priest of Ars,
whose only comfort in this world was the real presence of Jesus in the tabernacle,
was it not your great joy to distribute the Eucharist to the pilgrims who visited you?
You refused Communion to the souls who refused to reform
but to souls of goodwill you opened wide the doors of the Eucharistic Feast.
You, who each day at Holy Mass received Holy Communion with great loves,
give me some of your fervour.
With freedom from mortal sin,
obtain for me a sincere desire to profit from receiving Holy Communion.
Holy Priest of Ars, I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for…
(mention silently your special intentions)
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

DAY SIX - NOVENA ST JOHN VIANNEY - 31 JULY HOLY EUCHARIST

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Novena to St Dominic – DAY ONE – 30 July

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Novena to St Dominic

First Day: The Force of Good Example
He shone in his days as the morning star, in the midst of a cloud and as the moon at the full; and as the sun, when it shines, so did he shine in the temple of God. (Sirach 50:6,7)

LUMEN ECCLESIAE:   LIGHT OF THE CHURCH

St Dominic was born in Spain in 1170.   With the dawn of reason his whole soul turned to God.   His childhood was most pious and his youth angelic in purity.   In the University of Palencia he was the model student.   At twenty five he became a canon regular at Osma and with the religious habit he put on the Lord Jesus and strove in all things to imitate Him.   His time was divided into prayer, study of Scripture and community duties. Silence and retirement were his delight; works of penance and tears of contrition his meat and drink. Going in 1205 to France, he spent many years in every kind of labour for the conversion of the Albigensian heretics.  Like Jesus Christ he passed the day in apostolic work, the night in prayer.   His penance was extreme but to others he was gentle, sweet and kind.   Many were converted by his miracles, many by the example of his holy life.   Six times he journeyed to Rome, once to Spain, once to Paris, walking barefoot, praying or singing on the road; preaching in the towns and villages, spending the nights in contemplation.   He founded in 1215 the Order of Friars Preachers for the conversion of souls.   He was a man of truly apostolic heart, a column of the Faith, a trumpet of the Gospel, the light of Christ to men.   He died at Bologna in 1221.

Let us pray:

O most enlightened teacher of divine truth,
Holy father St Dominic,
who taught what was profitable for salvation
and made yourself all things to all men,
that you might win all to Christ;
help us to close our ears and hearts to all false doctrine
and whatever may be harmful to our souls
and to open them joyfully to the truths of Holy Church.
Pray for us, blessed St Dominic,
that we may be examples to others,
especially to those who have fallen away
from the one, true faith
and for this our special intention …
(make your request)
Through Christ our Lord. Amen

DAY ONE - NOVENA ST DOMINIC 30 JULY

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA in Honour of and preparation for, the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord – Day Three – 30 July

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NOVENA Transfiguration of our Lord – Day Three – 30 July

Explanation of this Novena here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/announcing-a-novena-in-honour-of-the-transfiguration-of-our-lord/

The Revelation of Christ’s Divine Glory

Third Day: Way of Witnessing to the Resurrection
The Transfiguration was necessary to help the apostles increase their faith and recognise the divinity of Jesus and His union with the Father, the Spirit and the prophets of the Old Testament.
Maybe there is another kind of transfiguration that is needed for us so that, like the apostles, when the vision was over, we may be able to “look up and see no one, but only Jesus.”
The transfiguration to which we refer is the indwelling of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the word, in our neighbour, and in ourselves.
This kind of transfiguration will enable us to see the common things of earth, sky and sea with a new wonder and fresh joy.
It will also enable us to see the presence of Jesus within ourselves and in the people who cross our path, even if they drive us crazy. We may think that such an attitude is too difficult to acquire but it is something that we can continuously ask for and desire.

Let us Pray:

O God, according to Your plan, You have called us to holiness
by Your grace which You have revealed in Jesus Christ.
Through Your Gospel You show us the way
so that we may share in Your mission of the glorious splendour of unending life. Amen

DAY THREE - TRANSFIGURATION NOVENA 30 JULY

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney – Day Five– 30 July

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Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney

DAY FIVE – We pray for the habit of FREQUENT CONFESSIONS

O Holy Priest of Ars,
you knew how important was a good confession for the Christian life.
It was to procure the happy fruits of millions of souls
that you agreed to be in an uncomfortable confessional,
which was like a prison, up to 15 to 16 hours on certain days.
I will try to develop the habit of frequent confession,
to prepare properly each time
and to have always regret for my sins,
so that the grace of final perseverance
but also the sanctification of my soul will be assured.
Ask this grace for me. Holy Priest of Ars,
I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for …
(mention silently your special intentions).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

 

DAY FIVE NOVENA TO ST JOHN VIANNEY - 30 JULY - HABIT OF FREQUENT CONFESSION

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA in Honour of and preparation for, the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord – Day Two – 29 July

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NOVENA Transfiguration of our Lord – Day Two – 29 July

Explanation of this Novena here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/announcing-a-novena-in-honour-of-the-transfiguration-of-our-lord/

The Revelation of Christ’s Divine Glory

Second Day: My Own Transfiguration
Sometimes during the intense moments of our lives, we ask ourselves, in a very special way, what we ought to do, what our vocation and responsibility is.   These are moments when we are touched by the pain of injustice around us and with our strength, we share something in the hope that things may change.   This is the time when we experience the presence of God, who leads us toward the future full of hope.   This is the moment when God speaks to us and we become so enlightened as to understand Him.   This is how Jesus felt when He was transfigured in the Mountain of Tabor.

Let us Pray:

God you have scattered the darkness with Your light
and have poured Your light into our hearts
so that we might look upon the radiant face of Jesus Christ.
Nourish in us the desire to contemplate Your beloved Son
and in that contemplation to long to be like Him. Amen

DAY TWO - TRANSFIGURATION NOVENA

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney – Day Four – 29 July

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Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney

DAY FOUR – We pray for A HORROR OF SIN

Saint John Mary Baptist Vianney,
you were so adamant against sin,
yet so sympathetic and so ready to welcome the sinner.
I come to you today as if you were still alive,
as if I were kneeling at your feet
and you could hear me.
Bend towards me, listen to the repentant confidence
for the weaknesses and miserable deeds of mine.
Priest of the Lord, inexhaustible Confessor,
obtain for me the horror for sin.
You wanted us First to avoid the occasion of sin.
I want to take your advice and make the resolution to break bad habits
and to avoid the dangerous occasions of sin.
Help me today to examine my conscience.
Holy Priest of Ars, I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for…
(mention silently your special intentions).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

DAY FOUR - NOVENA TO ST JOHN VIANNEY

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA in Honour of and preparation for, the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord – Day One – 28 July

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NOVENA  Transfiguration of our Lord – Day One – 28 July

Explanation of this Novena here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/announcing-a-novena-in-honour-of-the-transfiguration-of-our-lord/

The Revelation of Christ’s Divine Glory

First Day: Today is a Joyful Day
One day Jesus left Nazareth, His hometown and lived in Capernaum.   During that time it was a big city, not distant form Nazareth.   The decision entailed a gesture of farewell to His mother and His town mates.   Everyone making a decision says goodbye and gives up something.   A vocation of service always signifies some form of sacrifice.   It is the price of the Kingdom of God.

Mary, our mother, like her son, was growing in her faith, her understanding of Jesus’s vocation and her acceptance of the mission God destined for her son.   For her, this process meant uncertainties, sufferings, fears and anxieties, just as for many mothers who share with their son’s commitment to fight for justice and risk their lives.

Let us Pray:

God of life and glory, Your son was revealed in splendour before He suffered death upon the cross;  grant that we, beholding His majesty, may be strengthened to follow Him and be changed into His likeness from glory to glory;   for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen

DAY ONE - TRANSFIGURATION NOVENA 28 JULY

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney – Day Three – 28 July

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Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney

DAY THREE – We pray for TRUE LOVE OF NEIGHBOUR

day three - novena to st john vianney - true love of neighbour 28 july

Saint John Marie Baptiste Vianney
because of your love of God you showed great charity towards your neighbour.
You could not preach on the Love of God without burning tears of love.
During your last years, it seemed as though you could not talk about any thing else
or live for anything else.
Thus you sacrificed yourself to your neighbour by consoling, absolving and sanctifying them
to the limits of your strength.
Your charity inspires me to greater love of God,
a love which is shown more by acts then by words.
Help me to love my neighbour generously as Christ loves them.
Holy Priest of Ars, I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for …
(mention silently your special intentions).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, Uncategorized

ANNOUNCING A NOVENA to ST DOMINIC for the Virtues of Faith, Purity, Charity and especially for all our Lapsed Catholic family and friends- Beginning 30 July

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ANNOUNCING A NOVENA to ST DOMINIC
for the Virtues of Faith, Purity, Charity
and especially for all our Lapsed Catholic family and friends.

The Novena to St Dominic begins on Sunday 30 July.

We pray to Saint Dominic, to ask the great preacher against heresy
and the founder of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans)
to pray for us, that we may be granted the virtues that he embodied:
a desire to practice penance, through fasting and mortification;
purity of body and soul, in a world that values neither;
the theological virtue of faith, that we may live our lives,
in love of the Lord and in prayer;  and charity toward all men,
especially those who have fallen away from the True Faith
and those who have fallen into lives of sin.

St Dominic, please pray for us!

ANNOUNCING A NOVENA TO ST DOMINIC FOR FALLEN CATHOLICS

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney – Day Two – 27 July

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Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney

DAY TWO – We pray for COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD

DAY TWO - NOVENA TO ST JOHN VIANNEY - COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD - 27 JULY

Saint John Marie Baptiste Vianney,
what confidence the people had in your prayers!
You could not leave your old rectory or your humble church
without being surrounded by imploring souls,
who appealed to you as they would have appealed to Jesus Himself
during His earthly life.
And you, O good Saint, gave them hope by your words,
which were full of love for God.
You, who had always counted entirely on the heart of God,
obtain for me a deep filial trust in His Providence.
As the hope of divine goods fills my heart,
give me courage and help me to always obey the Commandments of God.
Holy Priest of Ars, I have confidence in your intercession.
Pray for me during this novena especially for …
(mention silently your special intentions).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney – Day One – 26 July

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Novena In Honour of Saint John Marie Vianney 

Day One – 26 July – We pray for an ARDENT FAITH

DAY ONE - NOVENA ST JOHN VIANNEY FOR AN ARDENT FAITH

Saint John Marie Baptiste Vianney you were born of a deeply religious mother;  from her you received the Holy Faith;  you learned to love God and to pray.   At a young age, you were seen kneeling in the front of the statue of Mary.   Your soul was supernaturally carried towards the things on High.

Despite the high cost, you answered your vocation!
Against many obstacles and contradictions, you had to fight and suffer to become the perfect priest which you became.   But your deep spirit of faith supported you in all these battles.

0 Great Saint you know the desire of my soul;  I would like to serve God better;  from Him I have received so many good things.

For this, obtain for me more courage and especially the depth of an ardent faith.

Many of my thoughts, words and actions are useless for my sanctification and for my salvation because this supernatural spirit does not stir up my life.

Help me to be better in the future.
Holy Priest of Ars, I have confidence in your intercession.

Pray for me during this novena especially for …

(mention silently your special intentions).
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

ANNOUNCING A NOVENA in Honour of the Transfiguration of our Lord

Posted on by AnaStpaul

ANNOUNCING A NOVENA
in Honour of
the Transfiguration of our Lord

BEGINNING – 28 JULY

The Revelation of Christ’s Divine Glory

The feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ celebrates the revelation of Christ’s divine glory on Mount Tabor in Galilee (Matthew 17:1-6; Mark 9:1-8; Luke 9:28-36).   After revealing to His disciples that He would be put to death in Jerusalem (Matthew 16:21), Christ, along with Saints Peter, James, and John, went up the mountain. There, Saint Matthew writes, “he was transfigured before them.

And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow.”

QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
Date: 6 August

THE HISTORY OF THE FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
The brightness with which He shone on Mount Tabor was not something added to Christ but the manifestation of His true divine nature and a forecast of His Resurrection.   For Peter, James and John, it was also a glimpse of the glories of Heaven and of the resurrected body promised to all Christians.

When Christ was transfigured, two others appeared with Him:  Moses, representing the Old Testament Law, and Elijah, representing the prophets. Thus Christ, Who stood between the two and spoke with them, appeared to the disciples as the fulfillment of both the Law and the prophets.

At Christ’s baptism in the Jordan, the voice of God the Father was heard to proclaim that “This is my beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17). During the Transfiguration, God the Father pronounced the same words (Matthew 17:5).

Despite the importance of this event, the Feast of the Transfiguration was not among the earliest of feasts celebrated by Christians.   It was first celebrated in Asia starting in the fourth or fifth century and spread throughout the Christian East in the centuries following.   The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that it wasn’t commonly celebrated in the West until the tenth century. Pope Callixtus III elevated the Transfiguration to a feast of the universal Church and established August 6 as the date of its celebration.

The Novena is often prayed as a Community after Benediction for 9 days, however, if our parish is not offering this Novena, we too can pray it on our own, to assist in preparing for this great revelation of our Lord and to help us obtain the great realisation and joy which Peter, James and John experienced.

Let us Pray!

ANNOUNCING A NOVENA in honour of the Transifiguration of our lord

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA to St BENEDICT – DAY NINE – 10 JULY

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NOVENA to St BENEDICT – DAY NINE – 10 JULY

In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said:

As there is a harsh and evil zeal which separates from God and leads to hell, so there is a virtuous zeal which separates from vice and leads to God and life everlasting.

Let the monks, therefore, practice this zeal with most ardent love;  namely, that in honour they forerun one another (cf Rom 12:10).   Let them bear their infirmities, whether of body or mind, with the utmost patience;  let them vie with one another in obedience.   Let no one follow what he thinks useful to himself but rather to another.   Let them practice fraternal charity with a chaste love.

Let them fear God and love their Abbot with sincere and humble affection; let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ and my He lead us all together to life everlasting. (Holy Rule 72)

day nine - novena st benedict

LET US PRAY – DAY NINE:

Glorious Saint Benedict,
sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God’s grace!
Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.
I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.

To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.
Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way.
You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA to ST BENEDICT – DAY EIGHT – 9 JULY

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NOVENA to ST BENEDICT – DAY EIGHT – 9 JULY

In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said:

If we do not venture to approach men who are in power, except with humility and reverence, when we wish to ask a favour, how much must we beseech the Lord God of all things with all humility and purity of devotion?   And let us be assured that it is not in many words, but in the purity of heart and tears of compunction that we are heard.   For this reason prayer ought to be short and pure, unless, perhaps it is lengthened by the inspiration of divine grace.   At the community exercises, however, let the prayer always be short, and the sign having been given by the Superior, let all rise together. (Holy Rule 20)

day eight - novena st benedict

LET US PRAY – DAY EIGHT:

Glorious Saint Benedict,
sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God’s grace!
Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.
I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.

To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.
Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbour.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favours and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way.
You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favour I earnestly implore.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Benedict – Day Seven – 8 July

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Novena to St Benedict – Day Seven – 8 July

In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said:

We believe that God is present everywhere and that the eyes of the Lord behold the good and the bad in every place (cf Prov 15:3).   Let us firmly believe this, especially when we take part in the Work of God.   Let us, therefore, always be mindful of what the Prophet says, “Serve the Lord with fear” (Ps 2:11).   And again, “Sing wisely” (Ps 46[47]:8).   And, “I will sing praise to Thee in the sight of the angels” (Ps 137[138]:1).   Therefore, let us consider how it becomes us to behave in the sight of God and His angels and let us so stand to sing, that our mind may be in harmony with our voice. (Holy Rule 19)

day seven novena st benedict

LET US PRAY: Day Seven

Glorious Saint Benedict,
sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God’s grace!
Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.
I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.

To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.
Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbour.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favours and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way.
You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favour I earnestly implore.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St. Benedict Day Six – 7 July 

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Novena to St. Benedict Day Six – 7 July

In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said:

The twelfth degree of humility is, when a monk is not only humble of heart but always let it appear also in his whole exterior to all that see him; … and always saying to himself in his heart what the publican in the Gospel said, with his eyes fixed on the ground: “Lord, I am a sinner and not worthy to lift up mine eyes to heaven” (Lk 18:13)…

Having, therefore, ascended all these degrees of humility, the monk will presently arrive at that love of God, which being perfect, cast out fear (1 Jn 4:18).   In virtue of this love all things which at first he observed not without fear, he will now begin to keep without any effort and as it were, naturally by force of habit, no longer from the fear of hell, but from the love of Christ, from the very habit of good and the pleasure in virtue.   May the Lord be pleased to manifest all this by His Holy Spirit in His labourer now cleansed from vice and sin. (Holy Rule 7)

day six novena st benedict

LET US PRAY:  DAY SIX

Glorious Saint Benedict,
sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God’s grace!
Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.
I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.

To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.
Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbour.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favours and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way.
You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favour I earnestly implore.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Benedict – Day Five – 6 July

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Benedict – Day Five – 6 July

In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said:

The second degree of humility is, when a man loves not his own will, nor is pleased to fulfill his own desires but by his deeds carries out that word of the Lord which says:  “I came not to do My own will but the will of Him that sent Me” (Jn 6:38).   It is likewise said:  “Self-will has its punishment but necessity wins the crown.”

The third degree of humility is, that for the love of God a man subject himself to a Superior in all obedience, imitating the Lord, of whom the Apostle says:  “He became obedient unto death” (Phil 2:8).

The fourth degree of humility is, that, if hard and distasteful things are commanded, even though injuries are inflicted, he accept them with patience and even temper and not grow weary or give up but hold out, as the Scripture says: “He that shall persevere to the end shall be saved” (Mt 10:22). (Holy Rule 7)

day five novena st benedict

LET US PRAY – DAY FIVE:

Glorious Saint Benedict,
sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God’s grace!
Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.
I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.

To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.
Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbour.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favours and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way.
You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favour I earnestly implore.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

Novena to St Benedict – Day Four – 5 July

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to St Benedict – Day Four – 5 July

In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said:

The first degree of humility, then, is that a man always have the fear of God before his eyes (cf Ps 35[36]:2), shunning all forgetfulness and that he be ever mindful of all that God has commanded, that he always consider in his mind how those who despise God will burn in hell for their sins and that life everlasting is prepared for those who fear God.   And while he guards himself evermore against sin and vices of thought, word, deed and self-will, let him also hasten to cut off the desires of the flesh.

Let a man consider that God always sees him from Heaven, that the eye of God beholds his works everywhere and that the angels report them to Him every hour.   The Prophet tells us this when he shows God thus ever present in our thoughts, saying:  “The searcher of hearts and reins is God” (Ps 7:10)…Therefore, in order that he may always be on his guard against evil thoughts, let the humble brother always say in his heart:  “Then I shall be spotless before Him, if I shall keep myself from iniquity” (Ps 17[18]:24) . (Holy Rule 7)

day four novena st benedict

LET US PRAY – DAY FOUR:

Glorious Saint Benedict,
sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God’s grace!
Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.
I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.

To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.
Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbour.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favours and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way.
You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favour I earnestly implore.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

 

 

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA to ST BENEDICT – DAY THREE – 4 JULY

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NOVENA to ST BENEDICT – DAY THREE – 4 JULY

In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said:

Brothers, the Holy Scripture crys to us saying:  “Every one that exalts himself shall be humbled;  and he that humbles himself shall be exalted” (Lk 14:11; 18:14).   Since, therefore, it says this, it shows us that every exaltation is a kind of pride…

Hence, brethren, if we wish to reach the greatest height of humility and speedily to arrive at that heavenly exaltation to which ascent is made in the present life by humility, then, mounting by our actions, we must erect the ladder which appeared to Jacob in his dream, by means of which angels were shown to him ascending and descending (cf Gen 28:12). Without a doubt, we understand this ascending and descending to be nothing else but that we descend by pride and ascend by humility.   The erected ladder, however, is our life in the present world, which, if the heart is humble, is by the Lord lifted up to heaven.   For we say that our body and our soul are the two sides of this ladder;  and into these sides the divine calling has inserted various degrees of humility or discipline which we must mount.  (Holy Rule 7)

LET US PRAY – DAY THREE

day three - novena st benedict.jpg

Glorious Saint Benedict,
sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God’s grace!
Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.
I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.

To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.
Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbour.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favours and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way.
You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favour I earnestly implore.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

NOVENA to ST BENEDICT DAY TWO – 3 JULY

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NOVENA to ST BENEDICT
DAY TWO – 3 JULY

In the Holy Rule, St. Benedict you have said:

What, dearest brothers, can be sweeter to us than this voice of the Lord inviting us?   See, in His loving kindness, the Lord shows us the way of life.   Therefore, having our loins girt with faith and the performance of good works, let us walk His ways under the guidance of the Gospel, that we may be found worthy of seeing Him who has called us to His kingdom (cf 1 Thes 2:12).

If we desire to dwell in the tabernacle of His kingdom, we cannot reach it in any way, unless we run to it by good works.   But let us ask the Lord with the Prophet, saying to Him:  “Lord, who shall dwell in Your tabernacle, or who shall rest in Your holy hill” (Ps 14[15]:1)? . (Holy Rule 1)

DAY TWO NOVENA ST BENEDICT

LET US PRAY:  DAY TWO

Glorious Saint Benedict,
sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God’s grace!
Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.
I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.

To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.
Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way.
You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

Posted in NOVENAS

Novena to St Benedict – DAY ONE – 2 JULY

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Novena to St Benedict – DAY ONE – 2 JULY

St Benedict’s Patronages:
-Agricultural workers
-Cavers
-Civil engineers
-Coppersmiths
-Dying people
-Erysipelas
-Europe
-Farmers
-Fever
-Gall stones
-Heerdt (Germany)
-Heraldry and Officers of arms
-the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
-Inflammatory diseases
-Italian architects
-Kidney disease
-Monks
-Nettle rash
-Norcia, (Italy)
-People in religious orders
-Schoolchildren and students
-Servants who have broken their master’s belongings
-Speleologists
-Spelunkers
-Temptations
– Against poison
-Against witchcraft – To Read more about St Benedict go here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/category/novenas/

In the Holy Rule, St Benedict you have said:

Listen, O my son, to the precepts of the master and incline the ear of your heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of your loving Father, that by the toil of obedience you may return to Him from whom by the sloth of disobedience you have gone away.

To You, therefore, my speech is now directed, who, giving up your own will, take up the strong and most excellent arms of obedience, to do battle for Christ the Lord, the true King. (Holy Rule – Prologue)

day one novena to st benedict

LET US PRAY: DAY ONE

Glorious Saint Benedict,
sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God’s grace!
Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.
I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.

To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.
Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbour.
Inspire me to imitate you in all things.
May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His kingdom.

Graciously obtain for me from God those favours and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life.
Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way.
You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you.
I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favour I earnestly implore.

{mention your petition}

Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven.

Amen.

O Holy Father, St. Benedict, pray for us.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS

ANNOUNCING A NOVENA TO ST BENEDICT of NURSIA – BEGINNING SUNDAY – 2 JULY

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ANNOUNCING A NOVENA TO ST BENEDICT of NURSIA –
BEGINNING SUNDAY – 2 JULY

Who Is St. Benedict?

St Benedict was born to a noble family around 480 A.D. in Nursia, in central Italy.   He lived a sequestered life for many years, leaving family and friends behind to live in a cave near the town of Subiaco.   St. Benedict chose to live a quiet life of prayer and devotion to God after disapproving of the immoral lifestyle he encountered while he attended school in Rome.   Even though he lived a life devoted to God, St. Benedict (like all of us) was constantly tempted by the devil.   St. Benedict was able to defeat the devil numerous times throughout his life, earning him the title of protector against evil spirits, temptation and witchcraft.    St Benedict also offers protection against being poisoned, infectious diseases, childbirth complications and destruction during storms and tempests.   He also obtains for sinners the grace of conversion.

St. Benedict’s Protection — A Lifetime of Defeating the Devil

Pope Gregory I, also known as St. Gregory the Great, detailed St. Benedict’s encounters with the devil as part of his four-part book series, The Dialogues.   St Gregory called him “a shining light to the world.”

The Rule of St. Benedict has been used by monasteries all throughout the West for centuries.   It champions listening to God’s word and doing His work through a life of prayer, temperance, charity, obedience, patience and humility.   The Rule was considered rigorous, yet not unbendingly so, when Benedict first introduced it in his writings.

Cardinal Ratzinger was thinking of him in part when he was elected Pope in 2005 and chose the name Benedict XVI!   As the Pope has said, may St. Benedict encourage us all (as he sought to do with his Rule and his life) to put Christ first in our thoughts and in our actions!

St Benedict we run to you for aid and intercession, please pray for us all!

announcing a novena to st benedict beginning 2 july

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY NINE –22 JUNE

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NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY NINE –22 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguori
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 from THE HOLY EUCHARIST

MEDITATION IX.
The Faithful Heart of Jesus.

Oh, how faithful is the beautiful heart of Jesus towards those whom He calls to His love: He is faithful Who hath called you, Who also will perform.’ [1 Thess. v. 24].

The faithfulness of God gives us confidence to hope all things, although we deserve nothing.   If we have driven God from our heart, let us open the door to Him and He will immediately enter, according to the promise He has made:  If anyone open to Me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him. [Apoc. iii. 20].   If we wish for graces, let us ask for them of God, in the name of Jesus Christ and He has promised us that we shall obtain them: If you shall ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it you. [John xvi. 23].   If we are tempted, let us trust in His merits and He will not permit our enemies to strive with us beyond our strength:  God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able. [1 Cor. x. 13].

Oh, how much better it is to have to do with God than with men!   How often do men promise and then fail, either because they tell lies in making their promises, or because, after having made the promise, they change their minds:  God is not as man, says the Holy Spirit, that He should lie; or as the Son of Man, that He should be changed. [Num. xxiii. 19].   God cannot be unfaithful to His promises, because, being Truth itself, He cannot lie; nor can He change His mind, because all that He wills is just and right.    He has promised to receive all that come to Him, to give help to him that asks it, to love him that loves Him;  and shall He then not do it? Hath He said, then, and will He not do it? [Ibid.].

Oh, that we were as faithful with God as He is with us!   Oh, how often have we, in times past, promised Him to be His, to serve Him and love Him and then have betrayed Him, and, renouncing His service, have sold ourselves as slaves to the devil!   Oh, let us beseech Him to give us strength to be faithful to Him for the future!  Oh, how blessed shall we be if we are faithful to Jesus Christ in the few things that He commands us to do; He will, indeed, be faithful in remunerating us with infinitely great rewards and He will declare to us what He has promised to His faithful servants:  Well done, good and faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. [Matt. xxv. 21].

DAY NINE - NOVENA SACRED HEART

LET US PRAY – DAY NINE

Oh, that I had been as faithful towards You, my dearest Redeemer,
as You have been faithful to me.
Whenever I have opened my heart to You,
You have entered in, to forgive me and to receive me into Your favour.
Whenever I have called You, You have hastened to my assistance.
You have been faithfu1 with me
but I have been exceedingly unfaithful towards You.
I have promised You my love and then have many times refused it to You,
as if You, my God, Who has created and redeemed me,
were less worthy of being loved than Your creatures
and those miserable pleasures for which I have forsaken You.
Forgive me, O my Jesus. I know my ingratitude and abhor it.
I know that You are infinite goodness;
Who deserves an infinite love, especially from me,
whom You have so much loved,
even after all the offences I have committed against You.
Ah, no, my Love, have pity on me;
suffer me not to forsake You again
and then to damn myself, as I should deserve, to Hell.
O loving and faithful heart of Jesus, inflame, I beseech You, my miserable heart,
so that it may burn with love for You, My Jesus.
It seems to me that now I love You but I love You but little.
Make me love You exceedingly
and remain faithful to You until death.
I ask of You this grace, together with that of always praying to You for it.
Grant that I may die, rather than ever betray You again.

O Mary, my Mother, help me to be faithful to your Son. Amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY EIGHT –21 JUNE

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NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY EIGHT –21 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguori
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 from THE HOLY EUCHARIST

MEDITATION VIII.
The Despised Heart of Jesus.

There is not a greater sorrow for a heart that loves, than to see its love despised: and so much the more when the proofs given of this love have been great, and, on the other hand, the ingratitude great.

If every human being were to renounce all his goods and to go and live in the desert, to feed on herbs, to sleep on the bare earth, to macerate himself with penances and at last give himself up to be murdered for Christ’s sake, what recompense could he render for the sufferings, the Blood, the life that this great Son of God has given for his sake?   If we were to sacrifice ourselves every moment unto death, we should certainly not recompense in the smallest degree the love that Jesus Christ has shown us, by giving Himself to us in the most Holy Sacrament.   Only conceive that God should conceal Himself under the species of bread to become the food of one of His creatures!

But, O my God, what recompense and gratitude do men render to Jesus Christ?   What but ill-treatment, contempt of His laws and His maxims, —– injuries such as they would not commit towards their enemy, or their slave, or the greatest villain upon earth.   And can we think of all these injuries which Jesus Christ has received and still receives every day and not feel sorrow for them?   And not endeavour, by our love, to recompense the infinite love of His Divine heart, which remains in the most Holy Sacrament, inflamed with the same love towards us and anxious to communicate every good gift to us and to give Himself entirely to us, ever ready to receive us into His heart whenever we go to Him?   Him that cometh to Me, I will not cast out. [John vi. 37].

We have been accustomed to hear of the Creation, Incarnation, Redemption, of Jesus born in a stable, of Jesus dead on the Cross. O my God, if we knew that another man had conferred on us any of these benefits, we could not help loving him.   It seems that God alone has, to to say, this bad luck with men, that, though He has done His utmost to make them love Him, yet He cannot attain this end, and, instead of being loved, He sees Himself despised and neglected. All this arises from the forgetfulness of men of the love of God.

DAY EIGHT - NOVENA SACRED HEART

LET US PRAY – DAY EIGHT

O Heart of Jesus, abyss of mercy and love,
how is it that, at the sight of the goodness You hast shown me and of my ingratitude, I do not die of sorrow? You, O mv Saviour, after having given me my being,
have given me all Your Blood and Your life, giving Yourself up for my sake, to ignominy and death;
and, not content with this,
You have invented the mode of sacrificing Yourself every day for me in the Holy Eucharist,
not refusing to expose Yourself to the injuries which You receive, and which You foresaw,
in this Sacrament of love.
O my God, how can I see myself so ungrateful to You without dying with contrition!
O Lord, put an end, I pray You, to my ingratitude,
by wounding my heart with Your love and making me entirely Yours.
Remember the Blood and the tears that You shed for me, and forgive me.
Oh, let not all Your sufferings be lost upon me.
But though You have seen how ungrateful and unworthy of Your love I have been,
yet You didst not cease to love me even when I did not love You.
Grant that this day may be the day of my thorough conversion;
so that I may begin to love You and may never cease to love You, my sovereign good.
Make me die in everything to myself,
in order that I may live only for You and that I may always burn with Your love.

O Mary, your heart was the blessed altar
that was always on fire with Divine love:
my dearest Mother, make me like you;
obtain this from your Son,
Who delights in honouring and pleasing you,
by denying you nothing that you ask of Him. Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY SEVEN –20 JUNE

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NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY SEVEN –20 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguori
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 from THE HOLY EUCHARIST

MEDITATION VII.
The Grateful Heart of Jesus.

The heart of Jesus is so grateful, that it cannot behold the most trifling works done for the love of Him —–our smallest word spoken for His glory, a single good thought directed towards pleasing Him—–without giving to each its own reward. He is besides so grateful, that He always returns a hundredfold for one: You shall receive a hundredfold.
[Matt. xix. 29] Men, when they are grateful, and recompense any benefit done to them, recompense it only once; they, as it were, divest themselves of all the obligation, and then they think no more of it. Jesus Christ does not do thus. with us; He not only recompenses a hundredfold in this life every good action that we perform to please Him, but in the next life He recompenses it an infinite number of times throughout eternity. And who will be so negligent as not to do as much as he can to please this most grateful heart?

But, O my God, how do men try to please Jesus Christ? Or rather, I will say, how can we be so ungrateful towards this our Saviour? If He had only shed a single drop of Blood, or one tear alone for our salvation, yet we should be under infinite obligation to Him; because this drop and this tear would have been of infinite value in the sight of God towards obtaining for us every grace. But Jesus would employ for us every moment of His life. He has given us all His merits, all His sufferings, all His ignominies, all His Blood, and His life; so that we are under, not one, but infinite, obligations to love Him.

But alas! we are grateful even towards animals: if a little dog shows us any sign of affection, it seems to constrain us to love it. How, then, can we be so ungrateful towards God? It seems as if the benefits of God towards men change their nature, and become ill-usage; for, instead of gratitude and love, they obtain nothing but offences and injuries. Do Thou, O Lord, enlighten these ungrateful ones, to know the love that Thou bearest them.

DAY SEVEN - NOVENA SACRED HEART

LET US PRAY – DAY SEVEN

O my beloved Jesus,
behold at Your feet an ungrateful sinner.
I have been grateful indeed towards creatures
but to You, alone I have been ungrateful, Who died fur me
and have done the utmost to oblige me to love You.
My dearest Jesus, I have in times past offended You
but now I love You more than everything —–more than myself.
Tell me what You would have me to do;
for I am ready to do everything with Your help.
I believe that for my sake You dost remain in the Blessed Sacrament;
I thank You for it, O my love.
Oh, permit me not to be ungrateful in future for so many benefits and proofs of Your love.
Oh, bind me, unite me to Your heart
and permit me not, during the years that remain to me,
to offend You or grieve You any more.
O my Jesus, it is time that I should love You now.
Oh, that those years that I have lost would return!
But they will return no more
and the life that remains for me may be short;
but whether it be short or long, my God, I desire to spend it all in loving You,
my sovereign good, Who deserves an eternal and infinite love.

O Mary, my Mother, let me never again be ungrateful to your Son. Pray to Jesus for me. Amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY SIX – 19 JUNE

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY SIX – 19 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguori
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 from THE HOLY EUCHARIST

MEDITATION VI.
The Generous Heart of Jesus.

It is the characteristic of good-hearted people to desire to make everybody happy and especially those most distressed and afflicted.   But who can ever find one who has a better heart than Jesus Christ?   He is infinite goodness and has therefore a sovereign desire to communicate to us His riches:   With Me are riches, that I may enrich them that love Me. [Prov. viii. 18, 21]

He for this purpose made Himself poor, as the Apostle says, that He might make us rich: He became poor for your sakes, that through His poverty you might be rich. [2 Cor. viii. 9].   For this purpose also He chose to remain with us in the most Holy Sacrament, where He remains constantly with His hands full of graces, to dispense them to those who come to visit Him.   For this reason also He gives Himself wholly to us in Holy Communion, giving us to understand from this that He cannot refuse us any good gifts, since He even gives Himself entirely to us:  How hath He not also, with Him, given us all things? [Rom. viii. 32]

For in the heart of Jesus we receive every good, every grace that we desire: In all things you are made rich in Christ. . . so that nothing is wanting to you in any grace. [1 Cor. 1. 5, 7].   And we must understand that we are debtors to the heart of Jesus for all the graces we have received —–graces of redemption, of vocation, of light, of pardon, the grace to resist temptations and to bear patiently with contradictions;  for without His assistance we could not do anything good:  Without Me you can do nothing. [John xv. 5].   And if hitherto, says our Saviour, you have not received more graces, do not complain of Me, but blame yourself, who has neglected to seek them of Me:   Hitherto you have not asked anything; . . . ask, and you shall receive. [John xvi. 24].   Oh, how rich and liberal is the heart of Jesus towards everyone that has recourse to Him!   Rich unto all that call upon Him. [Rom. x. 12].   Oh, what great mercies do those souls receive who are earnest in asking help of Jesus Christ. David said, For Thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild, and plenteous to all who call upon Thee. [Ps. lxxxv. 5].   Let us therefore always go to this heart, and ask with confidence, and we shall obtain all we want.

DAY SIX NOVENA SACRED HEART

LET US PRAY – DAY SIX

Ah, my Jesus,
You have not refused to give me Your Blood and Your life
and shall I refuse to give You my miserable heart?
No, my dearest Redeemer, I offer it entirely to You.
I give You all my will – will You accept it and dispose of it at Your pleasure?
I can do nothing and have nothing
but I have this heart which You have given me
and of which no one can deprive me.
I may be deprived of my goods, my blood, my life but not of my heart.
With this heart I can love You;
with this heart I will love You.
I beseech You, O my God, teach me a perfect forgetfulness of myself.
I feel in myself a determination to please You
but in order to put my resolve iinto execution,
I expect and implore help from You.
It depends on You, O loving heart of Jesus,
to make my poor heart entirely Yours.
Oh, grant that my heart may be all on fire with the love of You,
even as Yours is on fire with the love of me.
Grant that my will may be entirely united to Yours
and from this day forth Your holy will may be the rule of all my actions,
of all my thoughts and of all my desires.
I trust, O my Saviour, that You will not refuse me Your grace,
to fulfill this resolution which I now make prostrate at Your feet,
to receive with submission whatever You may ordain for me, as well in life, as in death.

Blessed art you, O Immaculate Mary,
who had your heart always and entirely united to the heart of Jesus;
obtain for me, O my Mother,
that in future I may wish and desire that which Jesus wills and you will. Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY FIVE – 18 JUNE

Posted on by AnaStpaul

NOVENA in honour of the SACRED HEART of JESUS – DAY FIVE – 18 JUNE

By St Alphonsus Liguo
(1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Published in 1758 in “THE HOLY EUCHARIST”

MEDITATION V.
The Compassionate Heart of Jesus.

Where shall we ever find a heart more compassionate or tender than the heart of Jesus, or one that had a greater feeling for our miseries?

This pity induced Him to descend from Heaven to this earth;  it made Him say that He was that good shepherd Who came to give His life to save His sheep.   In order to obtain the pardon of our sins, He would not spare Himself but would sacrifice Himself on the Cross, that by His sufferings He might satisfy for the chastisement that we have deserved. This pity and compassion makes Him say even now:   Why will ye die, O house of Israel? return ye, and live. [Ezek. xviii. 31].  O men, He says, my poor children, why will you damn yourselves by flying from Me?   Do you not see that by separating yourselves from Me you are hastening to eternal death?   I desire not to see you lost;  do not despair; as often as you wish to return, return and you shall recover your life:  Return, and live.

This compassion even makes Him say that He is that loving Father Who, though He sees Himself despised by His son, yet, if that son returns a penitent, He cannot reject him  but embraces him tenderly and forgets all the injuries He has received: I will not remember all his iniquities. [Ibid. 22].  It is not thus that men behave;  for though they may forgive, yet they nevertheless retain the remembrance of the offence received and feel inclined to revenge themselves and even if they do not revenge themselves, because they fear God, at least they always feel a great repugnance against conversing and entertaining themselves with those persons who have vilified them.

O my Jesus, You pardon the penitent sinners and never refuse in this world to give them everything in Holy Communion during their life and everything in the other world, even in Heaven, with eternal glory, without retaining the slightest repugnance towards being united to the soul that has offended You, for all eternity.   Where, then, is there to be found a heart so amiable and compassionate as Yours, O my dearest Saviour?

DAY FIVE NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART

LET US PRAY – DAY FIVE

O compassionate heart of my Jesus, have pity on me:
“Most sweet Jesus, have mercy on me.”
I say so now and beseech You to give me the grace always to say to You,
“Most sweet Jesus, have mercy on me.”
Even before I offended You, O my Redeemer,
I certainly did not deserve any of the favours You bestowed upon me.
You created me,
You have given me so much light and knowledge
and all without any merit of mine.
But after I had offended You. I not only did not deserve Your favour
but I deserved to be forsaken by You and cast into Hell.
Your compassion has made You wait for me
and preserve my life even when I had offended You.
Your compassion has enlightened me and offered me pardon;
it has given me sorrow for my sins and the desire of loving You
and now I hope from Your mercy to remain always in Your grace.
O my Jesus Your mercy which I implore of You
is that You would grant me light
and strength to be no longer ungrateful towards You.
No, my Jesus; I love You and I will always love You
and this is the mercy which I hope for and seek from You
“Permit me not to be separated from You, permit me not to be separated from You.”

And I beseech you also, O Mary my Mother,
help me not to be ever again separated from my God.
Amen