Tag: Novena

Day 1 – Divine Mercy Novena

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in Chaplet, Christian Blogger, Christianity, Divine Mercy, Novena

I almost forgot, Good Friday is also the first day of the Divine Mercy Novena!

To subscribe to the PrayMoreNovena: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/divine-mercy-novena

Day 1 – Divine Mercy Novena

(Audio/Video Version)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Today bring to Me ALL MANKIND, ESPECIALLY ALL SINNERS, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.” 

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. 

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. 

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Divine Mercy Chaplet

Step 1 – Using a regular set of Rosary beads, you begin at the cross by doing the sign of the cross.

(Optional Opening Prayer) You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

(Repeat three times) O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

Step 2 – On the three beads of the rosary pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Apostles Creed.

Step 3 – You begin each decade with the Our Father beads by praying this prayer:

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

Step 4 – Complete the decade on the 10 Hail Mary beads by praying this prayer:

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for each decade on the rosary beads

Step 5 – Once you have prayed all 5 decades, you finish the Chaplet by praying the following prayer 3 times:

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

(Optional Closing Prayer) Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us, and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments, we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

Amen.

From: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/how-to-pray-the-divine-mercy-chaplet

The First Day of St. Joseph Novena

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in Christian Blogger, Christianity, Novena, Saint Joseph Novena, St. Joseph

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Saint Joseph, you are the faithful protector and intercessor of all who love and venerate you. You know that I have confidence in you and that, after Jesus and Mary, I come to you as an example for holiness, for you are especially close with God. Therefore, I humbly commend myself, with all who are dear to me and all that belong to me, to your intercession. I beg of you, by your love for Jesus and Mary, not to abandon me during life and to assist me at the hour of my death.

Glorious Saint Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, pray for me to have a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the divine Will. Be my guide, my father, and my model through life that I may die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

Loving Saint Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Divine Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special grace I now implore:

(Mention your request)

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.

St. Joseph Most Just, Pray for us!

Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Saint Valentine

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in Catholic Faith, Catholicism, Christian Blogger, Christianity, Novena, prayer, Saints, St. Valentine, St. Valentine Novena

Ok, call me “stupid”, but I never associated St. Valentine’s Day to a saint. The first clue should have been the Saint in front of Valentine. Alas, I live in a secular world, and hence influenced by all the hoopla of the day – the excitement surround this day – roses, flowers, chocolate and all the things associated with “love”.

I can now embarrassingly attest to all the silly things I expected on St. Valentine’s Day from my husband, and the disappoint if he forgot – “Where are the flowers?” I think of all the material things I expected on February 14th! When our own children were growing up, my husband and I would always prepare gift bags of chocolates and little cute stuff animals holding hearts as a symbol of our love for them. I got the love part partially right, but was not mindful of what St. Valentine’s Day really means.

From https://novenaprayer.com/2022/02/05/st-valentine-novena-2/

It is a special and historic day named after a very real and holy saint. San Valentino (St. Valentine) was a Third Century Roman priest and martyr during the reign of Claudius II, known as Claudius the Goth. He was arrested for helping Christians who were being persecuted by Claudius in Rome and for performing marriage ceremonies between young Christian couples in love. While imprisoned and under threat, Saint Valentine would not sway from answering questions of the Emperor regarding his beliefs.
The emperor tried to no avail to convert Saint Valentine. Regardless of what was asked however, Valentine would not renounce his faith so Claudius had him sent away to prison. The guard where Valentine was imprisoned listened as he preached day in and day out. As the legend goes, the guard, Asterius, had a daughter who was blind. He asked Valentine to hear her confession in which he did. Afterwards, Valentine put his hands over the girl’s eyes and chanted: “Lord Jesus Christ, enlighten your handmaid, because You are God, the True Light.” Immediately the little girl regained her eyesight. Because of this miracle, the guard and many of his family members converted to Christianity and were baptized. Upon hearing of the conversions, Emperor Claudius condemned all of The night before his execution, Valentine wrote the young girl a note and signed it, “From your Valentine.” Valentine was then beaten with clubs and stoned and finally beheaded on February 14th, around the year 269. He was buried on the Flaminian Way and a chapel was later built over his remains. On the same day, another Valentine, bishop of Terni, was imprisoned and beheaded by Placidus, prefect of Terni, about sixty miles outside of Rome. Many believe mysteriously that the two are one in the same priest — the same Valentine who was earlier brought to Rome for execution and buried on the Flaminian Way.

Novena to Saint Valentine

Patron saint of courtship, engagement, marriage, Beekeepers, Fainting, Epilepsy, Happy Marriages, Love, Lovers, Young people.

Facts about St Valentine Novena

Novena Starts:February 5th
Feastday:February 14th
Birth:3rd century AD
Death:270 AD
from https://catholicnovenaapp.com/novenas/st-valentine-novena/

The Novena to Saint Valentine

O glorious advocate and protector, Saint Valentine, look with pity upon our wants, hear our requests, attend to our prayers, relieve by your intercession the miseries under which we labor, and obtain for us the Divine blessing, that we may be found worthy to join thee in praising the Almighty for all eternity; through the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray, then, O holy Martyr, for the faithful, who are so persevering in celebrating thy memory. The day of Judgment will reveal to us all thy glorious merits. Oh! intercede for us, that we may then be made thy companions at the right hand of the Great Judge, and be united with thee eternally in heaven.

Let us pray: Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that we who solemnize the festival of blessed Valentine, Thy Martyr, may, by his intercession, be delivered from all the evils that threaten us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Mention your intentions here)

Saint Valentine, advocate and protector, pray for us.

Concluding Prayer

Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be

A shorter version of the same novena can be found: https://novenaprayer.com/2022/02/05/st-valentine-novena-2/

St. Valentine Novena

Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

O glorious advocate and protector, St. Valentine, Look with pity upon our wants, hear our prayers, relieve by your intercession the miseries under which we labor, and obtain for us the divine blessing, that we may be found worthy to join you in praising the Almighty for all eternity: through the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen

 (Mention your request here…)  

St. Valentine, pray for us   

Say 1: Our Father…  Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be

A shorter version of the Prayer to St. Valentine from http://thedivinemercy.org

There are so many beautiful prayers and novena in the Catholic faith. The St. Valentine Novena is particularly special to me, especially now that I know that Valentine’s Day is not some festival secular day, but deeply rooted in faith and commitment to God. It’s meaning is deeper than all the flowers, chocolate and fancy dinners that I once knew.

God Bless as we all reflect on the meaning of St. Valentine’s Day 💖

The Battle of Wills

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in Catholic Journey, Catholicism, Christian Blogger, Christianity, Christmas, Faith, Family, inspiration, Lifestyle, My journey with Jesus, Novena, Personal Reflection, Praise, prayer, Relationship, Testimony

I pray that You will reign in my will.

Christ the King Novena 2020

This is a seemingly simple statement. In fact, it can be very difficult to do.

What is will? How do I define it?

I needed a day in reflection and pray to understand more deeply what God wanted me to understand in this prayer. I had a challenging time praying this prayer yesterday, and had to make a conscious effort to buckle down and pray it 15 times. I actually felt a glimmer of rebelliousness in me, and I procrastinated until I summited to God’s will and made the time to pray the Christ the King Novena – Day 6 – My will verse God’s will. This is a very real phenomenon in my prayer life. It is when I feel my rebellious nature surface that I inwardly recognize I must submit to God, because there are worldly factors coming into play to create a division between me and Him.

What does the concept of “will’ means to me? I had to reflect upon its meaning in my life. My will – my human ability to make decisions of outward expressions or actions, from what is amplified from within. At the most basic level it is my personal selfishness.

I See, I Want, I Act

At the most basic level – let’s follow the basis understanding that – my will is one based on one characteristic of my humanity. Let’s look at my selfishness. When I think about it, I can define will as the inner action or desire which moves me to act outwardly. Sometimes, my inward desire can lead me to an impulsive bad action, like it did the other night when I saw a plate of Ferrero-Rocher on the counter. I liberally helped myself to 3, and ate it one after the other. What motivated me? Well, I love the taste of milk chocolate. Seeing the half empty plate of Ferrero-Rocher, I didn’t even try to control my impulse. Why eat three in a row? I was greedy to eat it and one was just not enough. Let’s not forget I was being gluttonous, “I better eat them now before they all disappear!”

Wow this also made me think of impulse shopping, but will not mention it here, but my point is we are flawed human beings that act on instinct and sometimes we don’t have the control mechanism to stop.

How often has my own desires lead to actions contrary to the will of God. What is God’s will? What does it mean God’s will mean to me?

Yes, I am ashamed to admit that instead of reining in my inward desires, I let my outward behavior act out.

God’s Will

When I think about God’s will, I think of the Lord’s Prayer which we pray daily.

Pray, then, in this way:

“Our Father who is in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven . . .”

Matthew 6:9-10 (NASB)

Your will for me is for me to abide by Your will, and live it as if your Kingdom is already here. It means for me to take action first by inviting you into my life. First, I confess to my Lord Jesus that I am a sinner. I cannot control my own impulses, and I am flawed through and through. It is only by Your redeeming grace I am saved.

Invitation

As I have freedom of will, and it is my choice to acknowledge my sins, and confess it. It is also based on my freedom to chose that I invite the Holy Spirit to come into my heart (being) and guide me.

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven,” is my clear invitation for Your guidance, and to open my eyes so that I can see clearly the difference between right and wrong. I invite Your grace to give me the strength to abide in the will of God – His will and His alone.

Yes, I will falter, and I am ashamed to admit it. However the next time I am tempted, I will have a better understanding and awareness of my flaws. The next day my husband included in his grocery bag, 4 cans of Pringles. After nagging him to not buy junk food anymore, I refrained from eating any (actually said a silent prayer asking for self control), for if I start, I will eat the whole can in one sitting. I realize this is a very silly example, but it is something that came to mind as I spend the day reflecting upon my will verse God’s will. These two examples are also my way to include a dose of honest humor. After all, in our walk with Jesus there are often funny anecdotes, just as there are deeply moving ones.

I know if we think about it, there are many examples in our lives that can highlight examples when our will and God’s will clashes, just as there are many examples of how when we sincerely ask for God’s Holy Spirit to work in us, there are also many example of His grace at work in our lives. I pray that we continue to pray for “His kingdom come, and His will be done” in our lives.

Sasha Freemind (@sashafreemind) | Unsplash

This Advent is a time for me to really reflect and draw closer to Jesus, and to prepare my life from a proactive standpoint to receive and truly live my life with Him with sincerity and love.

God Bless!

Day 6 and Day 7 Christ the King Novena 2020 Links:

I will edit my Chinglish a bit later in the day:)

Let’s Get Personal

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in Catholic Journey, Catholicism, Christian Blogger, Christianity, Christmas, creative expression, creativity, Faith, Family, inspiration, Lifestyle, Mother and daughter, My journey with Jesus, Novena, Personal Reflection, Praise, prayer, Relationship, Testimony
K. Mitch Hodge (@kmitchhodge) | Unsplash

(Personalizing Christ the King Novena)

(In the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit)

Jesus, my Savior, and King

I humbly pray before you

May you grace my heart to love and adore you more,

to give me the grace of deepening faith

to give me the grace to place my trust upon you above all others,

and to give me the grace to be confident you are ever present in my life.

I proclaim you Prince of Peace and lift you high above all in this mortal realm.

As I wait for your second coming, let me not waste a moment

I ask that you grace me – this unworthy sinner –

with the inspiration and confidence to use the gifts you have given me

to share your story and love with others.

So that they may also rejoice in having a living God in their lives.

(In the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen)
Grant Whitty (@grantwhitty) | Unsplash

I started praying the Christ the King Novena yesterday, and following the lead of my sponsor, I have reflected upon it, and personalized it. As I think in the abstract, one of my challenges is to bring it down a notch – or to bring it out of my headspace into the everyday.

Through prayer, especially the Rosary, I feel the depth and width of my love for Jesus growing with each passing day. There has been a few instances when during prayer I have been overwhelm with emotions and tears as visons of sin unrealized and unconfessed come to mind. Jesus has also shown me through prayer that He has always been with me, and He has also shielded me on numerous occasion from falling into the clutches of darkness. Just as he has opens my eyes, He also comforts.

Once a part of the darkness, the road back to the light is soul wrenching. There is no other way to describe it. I know that meeting my husband was God send – His unconditional love for me never faltered through our 30 year plus relationship. Just as my children were gifts from God – to me – a woman who fervently claimed I would never bring children into this world. God blessed me with two adopted children.

The goal is making Jesus Christ real in every facets of our lives.

Since the start of the Advent, my sponsor and I have each chosen a Novena to focus and pray on. Through the process of sharing our thoughts each day via phone or text, I have come to realize how each of us have personalized and made praying real based on our personalities and character.

Through a process of self reflection and reflecting on key words or concepts, it opens up for each something uniquely special and personal. It leads to a journey of deepening faith and love for Christ. It guides us to prepare our hearts for celebrating not only Jesus’ arrival to us through His birth, but preparing our hearts and soul to receive Him upon His second coming.

Having a partner during this prayerful period has enriched me. As I am a person of extremes, my prayer partner reminds me to maintain a balanced life. This has been an enriching experience for me, as I realize through our conversations and text messages that not only are we two unique individuals, with different approaches to prayer, she has shown me her own process of personalizing the Novena. This has helped me to bring abstract concepts from my headspace into my daily life. Coming down to earth so to speak – as I think in the abstract – personalizing my Novena, brings it down to my everyday.

From the Mouth of a Child

My daughter often says to me, “Mom, use normal words, I don’t know what you mean.” Upon which I would stop and rephrase my sentence, or explain to her what I mean.

The other day I reminded Aleeza to pray (and ask Jesus for the confidence to stand in front of her class for her oral). Her adamant response was, “Mom, I don’t pray. I talk to Jesus.” I smile now as I recall her statement. Yes, that is what we do when we pray, we talk to Jesus. I like the way she has personalized her relationship with Jesus. He is her friend.

Finally, from the mouth of a child, “Jesus is our friend”.

Aside: God has a way of grounding us through our friends and family.

God Bless.