During this month of St. Joseph when the entire Church honors St. Joseph in a particular way we include a few more prayers:
NOVENA PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH O glorious St. Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, to you we raise our hearts and hands to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the benign heart of Jesus all the helps and graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly for the grace of a happy death and the special favor we now request. (mention your request). O guardian of the Word Incarnate, we feel animated with confidence that your prayers in our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. O glorious St. Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ and for the glory of His name, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions. Amen. PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH FOR THE UNEMPLOYED O St. Joseph, we pray to you for those who are out of work, for those who want to earn their living or support their families. You who are the patron of workers grant that unemployment may vanish from our ranks; that all those who are ready to work may put their strength and abilities in serving their fellowmen and earn a just salary. You are the patron of families; do not let those who have children to support and raise lack the necessary means. Have pity on our brothers and sisters held down in unemployment and poverty because of sickness or social disorders. Help our political leaders and captains of industry find new and just solutions. May each and every one have the joy of contributing, according to his abilities, to the common prosperity by an honorable livelihood. Grant that we may all share together in the abundant goods God has given us and that we may help underprivileged countries. Amen. PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH FOR ASSISTANCE O glorious St. Joseph, you were chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus, the most pure spouse of Mary ever Virgin, and the head of the holy family. You have been chosen by Christ's Vicar as the heavenly patron and protector of the Church founded by Christ. Therefore, it is with great confidence that I implore your powerful assistance for the whole Church on earth. Protect in a special manner, with true fatherly love, the Pope and all bishops and priests in communion with the See of Peter. Be the protector of all who labor for souls amid the trials and tribulations of this life, and grant that all peoples of the world may follow Christ and the Church He founded. Dear St. Joseph, accept the offering of myself, which I now make to you. I dedicate myself to your service, that you may ever be my father, my protector, and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me great purity of heart and a fervent love for the spiritual life. May all my actions, after your example, be directed to the greater glory of God, in union with the divine Heart of Jesus, the immaculate heart of Mary, and your own paternal heart. Finally, pray for me that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH IN TIME OF DISTRESS We come to you, O blessed Joseph, in our sore distress. Having sought the aid of your most blessed spouse, we now confidently implore thy assistance also. We humbly beg that, mindful of the dutiful affection that bound you to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and of the fatherly love with which you cherish the Child Jesus, you will lovingly watch over the heritage that Jesus Christ purchased with His blood, and by your powerful intercession help us in our urgent need. Most powerful guardian of the Holy Family, protect the chosen race of Jesus Christ; drive far from us, most loving father, every pest of error and corrupting sin. From your place in heaven, most powerful protector, graciously come to our aid in this conflict with the power of darkness, and as of old you delivered the Child Jesus from supreme peril of life, so now defend the holy Church of God from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity. Have each of us always in your keeping, that, following your example, and borne up by your strength, we may be able to live holily, die happily, and so enter the everlasting bliss of heaven. Amen. (This article is part of a series that will appear over the course of this year on the Monthly Devotions of the Church’s year). You may have noticed as a regular feature on the front of the bulletin our Parish Mission Statement. As you know, a Mission Statement is designed to do two things – the first is to let those who see it come to a deeper understanding of the organization it represents and secondly, it helps the organization itself to keep before it its fundamental mission and to avoid placing time and energy into things that are outside of that mission.
Over the past year, our Parish Pastoral Council decided that the time had come to review and revamp our Parish Mission Statement. After discernment and consideration the following will now officially be the Mission Statement of St. Mary’s Visitation Parish: We are a community of believers who strive to be faithful and to teach the truth of the Roman Catholic Church. We see beauty in the sacramental life of the Church, especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and in adoration of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. We promote goodness in this world, following the example of our Blessed Mother, our Lady of the Visitation, by serving the needs of others. There are a few things to point out regarding this new Parish Mission Statement. First, we see three direct statements regarding our mission – each statement directly tied into one of the attributes of God – truth, beauty and goodness. The first part of the Mission Statement acknowledges the truth which has been passed on to us through the Catholic Church. As a community we are called to come to a deeper understanding of what the Church teaches us and from that understanding to assent to it with a spirit of intellectual obedience and then to pass this truth on to the next generation under the guidance of the Magisterium of the Church. For us to be truly a parish we must embrace, with deep faith, the fullness of Divine Revelation as has been given to us through the Church. The second statement is focused in on the beauty of God and the reflection of that beauty through the sacramental life of the parish, most especially the celebration of the Mass and by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in our Perpetual Adoration Chapel. Beauty is reflected in the way in which we pray with reverence and piety so that we may encounter God through the beauty of divine worship. It also is a reminder that even the physical grounds of the parish should be an invitation to see the beauty of God reflected in them. The final statement is centered on the goodness of God which we are called to reflect in our day to day lives – whether at home or at work or in the community. God is very good and we, He is people, should strive for virtue and perfection, to abandon sin and to be sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit. In a particular way we, as a parish, look to Our Lady, most especially as she shows us in her Visitation to Elizabeth, to show us how to live this life of goodness through a spirit of sacrifice and a generosity in serving the needs of the parish and the wider community, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Mission Statements are important to help make clear the mission of the parish both to those who may be new, as well as those who are already present. May the Holy Spirit grant us the gift of His grace to faithfully live it out! During this month of February in which we seek to deepen our devotion to the Holy Family, a novena prayer is provided. A novena is nine days of prayer for a specific intention which would, in this case, be fittingly tied to our intention of our own families deepening their holiness.
Novena Prayer to the Holy Family Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless me and grant me the grace of loving Holy Church as I should, above every earthly thing, and of ever showing love by my deeds. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless me and grant me the grace of openly professing as I should, with courage and without human respect, the faith that I received as your gift in holy Baptism. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless me and grant me the grace of sharing as I should in the defense and propagation of the Faith when duty calls, whether by word or by the sacrifice of my possessions and my life. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless me and grant me the grace of loving my family and others in mutual charity as I should, and establish us in perfect harmony of thought, will and action, under the rule and guidance of the shepherds of the Church. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, bless me and grant me the grace conforming my life fully as I should to the commandments of God’s law and those of His Holy Church, so as to live always in that charity which they set forth. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I ask in particular this special favor: (here state your intention). Most loving Jesus, by your sublime and beautiful virtues of humility, obedience, poverty, modesty, charity, patience, and gentleness, You blessed with peace and happiness the family which You chose on earth. In Your mercy look upon my family. We belong to You, for we have received Your many blessings over many years and we entrust ourselves to Your loving care. Look upon my family in Your loving kindness, preserve us from danger, give us help in time of need, and grant us the grace to persevere to the end in imitation of Your Holy Family, so that having revered You and loved You faithfully on earth, we may praise You eternally in heaven. Mary, dearest Mother, to your intercession we have recourse, knowing that your Divine Son will hear your prayers. Glorious patriarch, Saint Joseph, help us by your powerful prayers to offer our prayers to Jesus through Mary’s hands. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, being subject to Mary and Joseph, You sanctified family life by Your beautiful virtues. Grant that we, with the help of Mary and Joseph, may be taught by the example of Your Holy Family, and may after death enjoy its everlasting companionship. Lord Jesus Christ, help us ever to follow the example of Your Holy Family, that in the hour of our death Your glorious Virgin Mother together with Saint Joseph may come to meet us, and we may be worthy to be received by You into the everlasting joys of heaven. You live and reign forever. Amen. (This article is part of a series that will appear over the course of this year on the Monthly Devotions of the Church’s year). This month’s devotion is the Holy Family, in order to help keep this monthly devotion, a number of prayers (suitable for the individual, or a family together) are provided:
Prayer to the Holy Family Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary, bless our family. Graciously inspire in us the unity, peace, and mutual love that you found in your own family in the little town of Nazareth. Mary, Mother of Jesus and Our Mother, nourish our family with your faith and your love. Keep us close to your Son, Jesus, in all our sorrows and joys. Joseph, Foster-father to Jesus, guardian and spouse of Mary, keep our family safe from harm. Help us in all times of discouragement or anxiety. Holy Family of Nazareth, make our family one with you. Help us to be instruments of peace. Grant that love, strengthened by grace, may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials through which our families sometimes pass. May we always have God at the center of our hearts and homes until we are all one family, happy and at peace in our true home with you. Amen. Another Prayer to the Holy Family Lord Jesus Christ, who, being made subject to Mary and Joseph, didst consecrate domestic life by Thine ineffable virtues; grant that we, with the assistance of both, may be taught by the example of Thy holy Family and may attain to its everlasting fellowship. Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. Family Consecration to the Holy Family O Jesus, our most loving Redeemer, who having come to enlighten the world with Thy teaching and example, didst will to pass the greater part of Thy life in humility and subjection to Mary and Joseph in the poor home in Nazareth, thus sanctifying the Family that was to be an example for all Christian families, graciously receive our family as it dedicates and consecrates itself to Thee this day. Do Thou defend us, guard us and establish amongst us Thy holy fear, true peace, and concord in Christian love: in order that, by conforming ourselves to the divine pattern of Thy family, we may be able, all of us without exception, to attain to eternal happiness. Mary, dear Mother of Jesus and Mother of us, by thy kindly intercession make this our humble offering acceptable in the sight of Jesus, and obtain for us His graces and blessings. O Saint Joseph, most holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by thy prayers in all our spiritual and temporal necessities; that so we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior Jesus, together with Mary and thee, for all eternity. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be (three times each). A Further Prayer to the Holy Family O most loving Jesus, Who by Thy sublime and beautiful virtues of humility, obedience, poverty, modesty, charity, patience and gentleness, and by the example of Thy domestic life, didst bless with peace and happiness the family Thou didst choose on earth, in Thy clemency look down upon this household, humbly prostrate before Thee and imploring Thy mercy. Remember that this family belongs to Thee; for to Thee we have in a special way dedicated and devoted ourselves. Look upon us in Thy loving kindness; preserve us from danger; give us help in time of need, and grant us the grace to persevere to the end in the imitation of Thy Holy Family; that having revered Thee and loved Thee faithfully on earth, we may bless and praise Thee eternally in heaven. O Mary, most sweet Mother, to thy intercession we have recourse, knowing that thy Divine Son will hear thy prayers. And do thou, O glorious Patriarch, St. Joseph, assist us by thy powerful mediation, and offer, by the hands of Mary, our prayers to Jesus. Amen. (This article is part of a series that will appear over the course of this year on the Monthly Devotions of the Church’s year). This month of January is traditionally devoted to the Holy Name of Jesus, the feast of which was celebrated on January 3rd. In order to help keep this monthly devotion, some prayers are listed below for your use:
Prayer to the Holy Name - St. Alphonsus O my Jesus, thou art the Savior who hast given Thy blood and Thy life for me, I pray Thee to write Thy adorable name on my poor heart; so that having it always imprinted in my heart by love, I may also have it ever on my lips, by invoking it in all my necessities. If the devil tempts me, Thy name will give me strength to resist him; if I lose confidence, Thy name will animate me to hope; if I lose confidence, Thy name will animate me to hope; if I am in affliction, Thy name will comfort me, by reminding me of all Thou hast endured for me. If I find myself cold in Thy love, Thy name will inflame me by reminding me of the love Thou hast shown me. I have fallen into so many sins, because I did not call on Thee; from henceforth Thy name shall be my defense, my refuge, my hope, my only consolation, my only love. Thus do I hope to live, and so do I hope to die, having Thy name always on my lips. Prayer to the Holy Name - St. Bernardine of Siena Jesus, Name full of glory, grace, love and strength! You are the refuge of those who repent, our banner of warfare in this life, the medicine of souls, the comfort of those who morn, the delight of those who believe, the light of those who preach the true faith, the wages of those who toil, the healing of the sick. To You our devotion aspires; by You our prayers are received; we delight in contemplating You. O Name of Jesus, You are the glory of all the saints for eternity. Amen. Prayer Petition to the Holy Name of Jesus God, You appointed Your only-begotten Son to be the Savior of mankind, and You commanded His Name to be Jesus. I beg that a most ardent love of Your Divine Son imprint that Name upon my heart; that it always be on my mind, and frequently on my lips; that it be my defense in temptation, my refuge in danger, and my consolation and strength in the hour of my death. Holy Name Prayer of Contrition Most Merciful Jesus, by that Precious Blood which you willingly shed for sinners, I beg You to wash away all my sinfulness and to look mercifully upon me, a poor and unworthy sinner, as I call upon Your Holy Name. Mercifully grant me, through Your adorable Name, which is the joy of heaven, the terror of hell, the consolation of the afflicted, the refuge of sinners and the strength of those who repent, the grace of eternal salvation through the holy Name of Jesus. I ask this in Your Name, who live and reign with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. (This article is part of a series that will appear over the course of this year on the Monthly Devotions of the Church’s year). As was mentioned last week, this month of January is traditionally devoted to the Holy Name of Jesus, the feast of which was celebrated on January 3rd. One of the most common prayers associated with the Holy Name of Jesus is the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, which is here included for your own prayer:
V. Lord, have mercy on us. R. Christ, have mercy on us. V. Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear us. R. Jesus, graciously hear us. V. God the Father of Heaven R. Have mercy on us. V. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, R. Have mercy on us. V. God the Holy Spirit, R. Have mercy on us. V. Holy Trinity, one God, R. Have mercy on us. V. Jesus, Son of the living God, R. Have mercy on us. Jesus, splendor of the Father, [etc.] Jesus, brightness of eternal light. Jesus, King of glory. Jesus, sun of justice. Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary. Jesus, most amiable. Jesus, most admirable. Jesus, the mighty God. Jesus, Father of the world to come. Jesus, angel of great counsel. Jesus, most powerful. Jesus, most patient. Jesus, most obedient. Jesus, meek and humble of heart. Jesus, lover of chastity. Jesus, lover of us. Jesus, God of peace. Jesus, author of life. Jesus, example of virtues. Jesus, zealous lover of souls. Jesus, our God. Jesus, our refuge. Jesus, father of the poor. Jesus, treasure of the faithful. Jesus, good Shepherd. Jesus, true light. Jesus, eternal wisdom. Jesus, infinite goodness. Jesus, our way and our life. Jesus, joy of Angels. Jesus, King of the Patriarchs. Jesus, Master of the Apostles. Jesus, teacher of the Evangelists. Jesus, strength of Martyrs. Jesus, light of Confessors. Jesus, purity of Virgins. Jesus, crown of Saints. V. Be merciful, R. spare us, O Jesus. V. Be merciful, R. graciously hear us, O Jesus. V. From all evil, R. deliver us, O Jesus. From all sin, deliver us, O Jesus. From Your wrath, [etc.] From the snares of the devil. From the spirit of fornication. From everlasting death. From the neglect of Your inspirations. By the mystery of Your holy Incarnation. By Your Nativity. By Your Infancy. By Your most divine Life. By Your labors. By Your agony and passion. By Your cross and dereliction. By Your sufferings. By Your death and burial. By Your Resurrection. By Your Ascension. By Your institution of the most Holy Eucharist. By Your joys. By Your glory. V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, R. spare us, O Jesus. V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, R. graciously hear us, O Jesus. V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, R. have mercy on us, O Jesus. V. Jesus, hear us. R. Jesus, graciously hear us. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, You have said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you." Grant, we beg of You, to us who ask it, the gift of Your most divine love, that we may ever love You with our whole heart, in word and deed, and never cease praising You. Give us, O Lord, as much a lasting fear as a lasting love of Your Holy Name, for You, who live and are King for ever and ever, never fail to govern those whom You have solidly established in Your love. R. Amen. (This article is part of a series that will appear over the course of this year on the Monthly Devotions of the Church’s year). “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14; cf. Matt 1:23) “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. “ (Luke 1:31; cf. Matt 1:21) The Christmas Season, in many respects, opens up to us a reflection on the power and importance of names. Names fill the Nativity as well as the events leading up to the Nativity – we hear the genealogies in both the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke, we hear of the events surrounding the naming of St. John the Baptist by his parents Elizabeth and Zechariah, a name foretold by the angel Gabriel, we hear of the names of Simeon and Anna who are waiting for the appearance of the Christ, at the beginning of the Annunciation, St. Luke tells us that “the virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:27). Of course there is also the name of Jesus, who is given that name from on high because it is He who “will save His people from their sins” (Matt 1:21). No wonder, then, as the Christmas celebration stretches into January, the Church would give us as our monthly devotion the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is powerful – we hear in the Acts of the Apostles how the Apostles heal the sick “in the name of Jesus the Nazorean” (Acts 3:6) and St. Peter when bearing witness before the Sanhedrin to the miracle of the crippled man being healed says, “it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed” (Acts 4:10) – we hear of the Apostles casting out demons in the name of Jesus, we hear of them preaching with power in the name of Jesus, and we hear St. Paul exhort the people of Colossae, “and whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). And finally, we hear from St. Peter the Apostle himself, that “there is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:12), St. Paul says to the Philippians, “because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). It is from this admonition from which comes the ancient custom of a bow of the head when the name Jesus is mentioned, especially at the Mass. There is a power in the name of Jesus, a power which we should invoke by the reverent and holy use of His Name. This month we celebrate the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, in the Collect of which we hear: O God, who founded the salvation of the human race on the Incarnation of your Word, give your peoples the mercy they implore, so that all may know there is no other name to be invoked but the Name of your Only Begotten Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. As we begin this new year, may we invoke the name of Jesus – its power and protection – as we seek to grow in holiness over this year of grace, the Year of Our Lord 2018. May His name be exalted throughout the whole world. (This article is part of a series that will appear over the course of this year on the Monthly Devotions of the Church’s year). I am always so grateful at this time of year to have the chance to continue the celebration of Christmas – when our secular society is all done with Christmas, the Church is just getting started! We are blessed to have a number of weeks of the Christmas Season and I would urge everyone of us to continue to see these days as Christmas Days – the miracle and mystery of the Incarnation is so profound that it can’t be fully meditated on over the course of a single day, so to help continue our prayer on so great a mystery, I wanted to share with you a reflection which comes from The Letter to Diognetus which comes from sometime in the late 2nd Century:
No man has ever seen God or known him, but God has revealed himself to us through faith, by which alone it is possible to see him. God, the Lord and maker of all things, who created the world and set it in order, not only loved man but was also patient with him. So he has always been, and is, and will be: kind, good, free from anger, truthful; indeed, he and he alone is good. He devised a plan, a great and wonderful plan, and shared it only with his Son. As long as he preserved this secrecy and kept his own wise counsel he seemed to be neglecting us, to have no concern for us. But when through his beloved Son he revealed and made public what he had prepared from the very beginning, he gave us all at once gifts such as we could never have dreamt of, even sight and knowledge of himself. When God had made all his plans in consultation with his Son, he waited until a later time, allowing us to follow our own whim, to be swept along by unruly passions, to be led astray by pleasure and desire. Not that he was pleased by our sins: he only tolerated them. Not that he approved of that time of sin: he was planning this era of holiness. When we had been shown to be undeserving of life, his goodness was to make us worthy of it. When we had made it clear that we could not enter God’s kingdom by our own power, we were to be enabled to do so by the power of God. When our wickedness had reached its culmination, it became clear that retribution was at hand in the shape of suffering and death. The time came then for God to make known his kindness and power (how immeasurable is God’s generosity and love!). He did not show hatred for us or reject us or take vengeance; instead, he was patient with us, bore with us, and in compassion took our sins upon himself; he gave his own Son as the price of our redemption, the holy one to redeem the wicked, the sinless one to redeem sinners, the just one to redeem the unjust, the incorruptible one to redeem the corruptible, the immortal one to redeem mortals. For what else could have covered our sins but his sinlessness? Where else could we, wicked and sinful as we were, have found the means of holiness except in the Son of God alone? How wonderful a transformation, how mysterious a design, how inconceivable a blessing! The wickedness of the many is covered up in the holy One, and the holiness of One sanctifies many sinners. A continued Merry Christmas to all of you and a blessed and joyful new year! We find our hearts full of great joy as we begin our Christmas celebrations! In the midst of family celebrations, unwrapping presents, sharing a Christmas meal, may we, as people of faith keep before us the reason for all of this – Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who, in His Mercy, came down from heaven to save us, His wayward people. I thought it would be fitting to share portions of two Christmas homilies, the first was preached by St. John Chrysostom:
“I behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised. Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of Justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed, He had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things move in obedience to God. This day He who is, is born; and He who is becomes what He was not…” And the second, preached by St. Augustine: “He is the One through whom all things have been made and, on Christmas, Who has been made in the midst of all things. He is the Revealer of His Father and the Creator of His mother, the Son of God through His Father without a mother and the Son of Man through His mother without a father. He is great in the eternal day of the angels but small in the time-conditioned day of men. He is the Word of God before all time and the Word made Flesh in the fullness of time. Maker of the sun, He is made under the sun. Disposer of all ages in the bosom of His Father, He consecrates Christmas Day in the womb of His mother. In Him He remains while from her He goes forth. Creator of the heavens and the earth, He is born on earth under the heavens. Unspeakably wise, He is wisely speechless. Filling the universe, He lies in a manger. Ruler of the stars, He nurses at His mother’s bosom. He is both great in the nature of God and small in the form of a servant, but His greatness is not diminished by His smallness nor His smallness overwhelmed by His greatness.” On behalf of myself and the entire parish staff, I wanted to wish you a very blessed and joyful Christmas! In last weekend’s bulletin we discussed the significance of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This weekend we will include suitable prayers to offer in keeping with this monthly devotion. The first is a novena prayer which should be prayed for nine straight days for a particular intention: NOVENA PRAYERS FOR THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION O most pure Virgin Mary conceived without sin, from the very first instant, you were entirely immaculate. O glorious Mary full of grace, you are the mother of my God – the Queen of Angels and of men. I humbly venerate you as the chosen mother of my Savior, Jesus Christ. The Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords chose you for the singular grace and honor of being His beloved mother. By the power of His Cross, He preserved you from all sin. Therefore, by His power and love, I have hope and bold confidence in your prayers for my holiness and salvation. I pray that your prayers will bring me to imitate your holiness and submission to Jesus and the Divine Will. Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Now, Queen of Heaven, I beg you to beg my Savior to grant me these requests… (Mention your intentions) My holy Mother, I know that you were obedient to the will of God. In making this petition, I know that God’s will is more perfect than mine. So, grant that I may receive God’s grace with humility like you. As my final request, I ask that you pray for me to increase in faith in our risen Lord; I ask that you pray for me to increase in hope in our risen Lord; I ask that you pray for me to increase in love for the risen Jesus! Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. PRAYER OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, didst prepare a worthy dwelling place for thy Son, we beseech thee that, as by the foreseen death of this, thy Son, thou didst preserve her from all stain, so too thou wouldst permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto thee. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who livest and reignest with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen. PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION O most Holy Virgin, immaculate in body and spirit, look kindly on me as I implore your powerful intercession. O most Holy Mother, receive my prayers as I present them to God. (State your intention here) O Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, you intercede for us with your Son. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amen. (This article is part of a series that will appear over the course of this year on the Monthly Devotions of the Church’s year). |
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June 2023
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