NOVENA TO MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS
Promoted By S. Giovanni Bosco
When asked some special graces Don Bosco always responded: “If you wish to obtain some graces from the Holy Virgin, pray a novena” (MB IX, 289). Such a novena, according to him, had to take place possibly “in church, with lively faith” and was an act of fervent tribute to the Most Holy Eucharist. The soul’s dispositions, in order to be efficient, according to Don Bosco were to be as follows:•Faith in God: no hope in human virtues.
•Every request to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, fount of graces, kindness and blessing. Every request to the power of Mary glorified on earth by God’s will.
•Submit to the “fiat voluntas tua” condition for the soul of the faithful in prayer.
Pray for nine consecutive days:
3 Our Father... , Hail Mary..., Glory Be… to the Holy Eucharist followed by the short prayer:
Blessed and praised every moment be the Most Holy and Divine Sacrament
3 Hail Holy Queen… followed by the short prayer:
Mary Help of Christians, pray for us.
Personal Conditions required:
1. Move closer to the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist.
2. Offer something or proper work for the works of apostolate, preferably in favour of the youth.
3. Revive faith in Jesus Eucharist and devotion to Mary Help of Christians.
"Our Mother grants great favors to those who do their novena well," Don Bosco used to say.
To Our Lady, Help of Christians
by St. John Bosco
O Mary, powerful virgin, thou art the mighty and glorious protector of the Church; thou art the marvelous help of Christians; thou art terrible as an army in battle array; thou alone hast destroyed every heresy in the whole world. In the midst of our anguish, our struggles and our distress defend us from the power of the enemy and at the hour of our death receive our souls in paradise. Amen.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, and sought thy intercession, was left unaided, inspired with this confidence I fly unto thee; O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful, O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
PRAYER:
Mary Most Holy,
Mother of goodness and mercy,
who with your visible help oftentimes
freed the Christian people from the assaults
and barbarism of Moslems,
I ask you, my Lady,
to deliver my soul from the onslaughts of the world,
the devil and the flesh;
and grant that I may obtain,
at all times, complete victory over the enemies of my soul.
Spiritual Testament of St. John Bosco:
ReplyDelete“The God of mercy and his holy Mother came to our help in our needs. This was especially true whenever it was a case of providing for our poor and abandoned boys, and even more so when their souls were in danger. The Blessed Virgin will certainly continue to protect our Congregation and our Salesian works if we maintain our trust in her and promote devotion to her.”
INVOCATION TO OUR LADY
ReplyDeleteCOMPOSED BY ST. JOHN BOSCO
O Mary, powerful Virgin, great and illustrious rampart of the Church, wonderful Help of
Christian, terrible as an army drawn up in battle array; you alone overcome every error in the
world; in anxieties, in struggles, in every difficulty defend us from the enemy and at the hour of
our death receive our souls into paradise. Amen.
Rules for the Proper Observance of Novenas
ReplyDeleteBy St. Alphonsus Liguori
1. THE soul must be in the state of grace; for the devotion of a sinful heart pleases neither God nor the saints.
2. We must persevere, that is, the prayers for each day of the novena must never be omitted.
3. If possible, we should visit a church every day, and there implore the favor we desire.
4. Every day we ought to perform certain specified acts of exterior self-denial and interior mortification, in order to prepare us thereby for the reception of grace.
5. It is most important that we receive holy communion when making a novena. Therefore prepare yourself well for it.
6. After obtaining the desired grace for which the novena was made, do not omit to return thanks to God and to the saint through whose intercession your prayers were heard.