Novena For Support Of Pope Benedict XVI Day 3

I was surprised to hear not just about the Pope's retirement, but also about his health. 

 

Many people praying with us today are also struggling with health issues. While illness and aging are difficult and painful, they can also be opportunities to embrace the cross and grow closer to Jesus.

 

As the Pope retires, he is going to devote himself to a life of prayer and I expect he will be using his weakness to embrace the cross. Let's take his lead and devote ourselves to prayer when we struggle. 

 

Here are the novena prayers for today:

 

Day 3 - Novena Prayers for Pope Benedict

 

Dear Lord, Your servant Benedict has given his life for the Church and for You. As he now steps down from leadership, please protect his health as he grows older so that he can continue to serve You in prayer.

 

[Insert your intentions and personal petitions for the Pope here]

 

Prayer for the Pope:

 

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,

give him a long life,

make him blessed upon the earth,

and not hand him over

to the power of his enemies.

May Your hand be upon Your holy servant.

And upon Your son, whom You have anointed.

 

Closing: The Prayer of St. Benedict

 

Gracious and holy Father,

please give to our Pope and 

to us the faithful:

intellect to understand You;

reason to discern You;

diligence to seek You;

wisdom to find You;

a spirit to know You;

a heart to meditate upon You;

ears to hear You;

eyes to see You;

a tongue to proclaim You;

a way of life pleasing to You;

patience to wait for You;

and perseverance to look for You.

 

Grant Your servant the 

Pope and us the faithful:

a perfect end,

Your holy presence.

A blessed resurrection,

And life everlasting.

 

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be...

 

Amen.

The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls A Second Time

Station VII JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME COLLOQUY.----O Son of Man, Thou art like us in our sorrows; like us, Holy One, in the sadness that comes of sinfulness; like us, O Mighty God, in our fears. O dear Lord Jesus, how touching is Thy faltering and falling on the uphill road. How reassuring is it for us to creep up to Thee after our own falls, to see Thee lying prostrate, spent, powerless! And, dear Lord, here is our example, whilst still trembling with the shock and pain of Thy fall, with all the weariness of failure upon Thee, with the knowledge that at no great distance Thy strength will give way anew----rising and struggling on----in no wise shaken in Thy resolve to pursue Thy way, and to prove by Thy very falls Thy incomparable love for us. Ah, Lord Jesus, I humbly implore grace to reduce these salutary lessons to practice. Jesus, my dear Master, give me light. to understand the Mystery of the Cross----to love the Cross that will bring me so closely and securely to Thee----strengthen me to accomplish Thy holy Will perfectly under every variety of circumstances in which Thou art pleased to place me; but give me the surpassing treasure of Thy love----with that I shall want for nothing. I shall be able to attain the degree of sanctity Thou dost design for me. O my Jesus, grant me, then, Thy Divine love; strengthen me to suffer for and with Thee, and may my life be one continuous act of love.

The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls A Second Time My Jesus, one of the beautiful qualities the people admired in You was Your strength in time of ridicule - Your ability to rise above the occasion. But now, You fall a second time - apparently conquered by the pain of the Cross. People who judged You by appearances made a terrible mistake. What looked like weakness was unparalleled strength! I often judge by appearances and how wrong I am most of the time. The world judges entirely by this fraudulent method of discerning. It looks down upon those who apparently have given their best and are now in need. It judges the poor as failures, the sick as useless and the aged as a burden. How wrong that kind of judgment is in the light of your second fall! Your greatest moment wasYour weakest one. Your greatest triumph was in failure. Your greatest act of love was in desolation. Your greatest show of power was in that utter lack of strength that threw You to the ground. Weak and powerful Jesus, give me the grace to see beyond what is visible and be more aware of Your Wisdom in the midst of weakness. Give the aged, sick, handicapped, retarded, deaf and blind the fruit of joy so they may ever be aware of the Father's gift and the vast difference between what the world sees and what the Father sees that they may glory in their weakness so the power of God may be manifest. Amen

Read more:http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/stations/stat7.htm#ixzz2LXLyii9m

Novena For Support Of Pope Benedict XVI Day 2

Thank you again for joining me and so many others in praying for Pope Benedict XVI.  As we continue this important novena, I want to thank you for taking the time to pray for the Holy Father. 

He surely prays for us every single day with great passion and love for our destiny. He wants us to come closer to the God who is Love for eternity. 

Let us be generous in our prayer for the Pope, the Church and each other. 

Here are the novena prayers for today:

Day 2 - Novena Prayers for Pope Benedict

Prince of Peace, we come to You today to ask for Your grace of peace for our Holy Father. There are many problems in the world and in the Church that he must address everyday. We beg You for peace in the world, peace in our hearts as we face the brokenness of a fallen world and peace for the Pope as he shepherds Your Church.

[Insert your intentions and personal petitions for the Pope here]

Prayer for the Pope:

Let us pray for Benedict, the Pope.

May the Lord preserve him,

give him a long life,

make him blessed upon the earth,

and not hand him over

to the power of his enemies.

May Your hand be upon Your holy servant.

And upon Your son, whom You have anointed.

Closing: The Prayer of St. Benedict

Gracious and holy Father,

please give to our Pope and 

to us the faithful:

intellect to understand You;

reason to discern You;

diligence to seek You;

wisdom to find You;

a spirit to know You;

a heart to meditate upon You;

ears to hear You;

eyes to see You;

a tongue to proclaim You;

a way of life pleasing to You;

patience to wait for You;

and perseverance to look for You.

Grant Your servant the 

Pope and us the faithful:

a perfect end,

Your holy presence.

A blessed resurrection,

And life everlasting.

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be...

Amen.

Novena For Support Of Pope Benedict XVI

Thank you again for joining me and so many others in praying for Pope Benedict XVI. 

The Pope is always praying for us and working to help us to have a deeper faith in Christ. It’s very important for us to lift up our Holy Father in prayer. This novena is meant for the faithful to support the Pope through prayer.

At the close of his pontificate, we are hoping to get 50,000 people to pray this novena leading up to his last day.

Please join us in prayer from Feb 20th-28th and share this novena with your friends.

Day 1 - Novena Prayers for Pope Benedict

 

Heavenly father, Your Providence guides the Church and the successor to St. Peter, Pope Benedict XVI. May he be protected at all times from spiritual attacks so that he may lead Your Church to greater holiness and unity through your Holy Spirit.

 

[Insert your intentions and personal petitions for the Pope here]

 

Prayer for the Pope:

 

Let us pray for Benedict, the pope.

May the Lord preserve him,

give him a long life,

make him blessed upon the earth,

and not hand him over

to the power of his enemies.

May your hand be upon your holy servant.

And upon your son, whom you have anointed.

 

Closing: The Prayer of St. Benedict

 

Gracious and holy Father,

please give to our Pope and 

to we the faithful:

intellect to understand you;

reason to discern you;

diligence to seek you;

wisdom to find you;

a spirit to know you;

a heart to meditate upon you;

ears to hear you;

eyes to see you;

a tongue to proclaim you;

a way of life pleasing to you;

patience to wait for you;

and perseverance to look for you.

 

Grant your servant the 

Pope and we the faithful:

a perfect end,

your holy presence.

A blessed resurrection,

And life everlasting.

 

Our Father...

Hail Mary...

Glory Be...

 

Amen.

The Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

Station VI
VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS WITH HER VEIL

According to Tradition, our Lord was met on His way to Calvary by a woman named Veronica or Berenice. Veronica desired to give Jesus a proof of her attachment, love, and compassion at this moment of distress and abandonment. Her loving pity is practical, noble, and courageous. See her as she pushes her way through the crowd to Him, and hands Him her veil that He may wipe His Divine Face. This act was a slight service, but a courageous confession of her faith in Jesus, of her loyalty and fidelity to Him. It was all she could do at this moment, and she did it with a generous and loving heart; and oh, how magnificently Jesus rewards her for her faith and love! See how gratefully and tenderly Jesus looks on Veronica as He takes the veil, wipes the blood and perspiration from His Sacred Face, and gives it back to her. How her heart overflowed with love when, having reached her home, she unfolded the veil and beheld the adorable face of Jesus miraculously imprinted on its folds.

"Magnet of souls!----O holy Face!
Draw us to Thee by Thy sweet grace,
That all we do, and think, and say,
May be for Thee alone today.
And through Thy boundless power and grace
Work wonders, O most holy Face!"
How sweetly our dear Lord rewards even the very smallest act of charity, and encourages us to give Him heartfelt proofs of our love, even though we can do so little. 

The Sixth Station:
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

My Jesus, where were all the hundreds of peoples whose bodies and souls were healed by you? Where were they when You needed someone to give You the least sign of comfort? Ingratitude must have borne down upon Your heart and made the cross nearly impossible to carry. There are times I too feel all my efforts for Your Kingdom are futile and end in nothingness. Did your eyes roam through the crowd for the comfort of just one individual - one sign of pity - one sign of grief?

My heart thrills with a sad joy when I think of one woman, breaking away from fear and human respect and offeringYou her thin veil to wipe Your bleeding Face. Your loving heart, ever watching for the least sign of love, imprinted the Image of your torn Face upon it! How can You forget Yourself so completely and reward such a small act of kindness?

I must admit, I have been among those who were afraid to know You rather than like Veronica. She did not care if the whole world knew she loved You. Heartbroken Jesus, give me that quality of the soul so necessary to witness to spread Your Word - to tell all people of Your love for them. Send many into Your Vineyard so the people of all nations may receive the Good News. Imprint Your Divine Image upon my soul and let the thin veil of my human nature bear a perfect resemblance to your loving Spirit.

Amen

Read more:http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/stations/stat6.htm#ixzz2LVGfsUM3 

The Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

Station V
SIMON OF CYRENE HELPS JESUS TO CARRY HIS CROSS

Our Blessed Lord did not carry His Cross alone; He was accompanied by many. Indeed, all who walked with the procession to the place of execution took part in the carrying of the Cross, each in his own way. Here, we may distinguish two different groups among them: Those who load our Lord with the Cross and those who literally carry the Cross with Him.

First Group.----Those who load our Lord with the Cross. Those who lay the Cross upon our Lord's shoulders are the authors of His Passion----viz., the Jews, the Priests, the Pharisees, the soldiers, the executioners and their assistants. They are all guilty of His Passion, and increase it by their cruelty and mockery. They themselves carry a cross too----the cross of their evil passions and sins. They are the tools of Satan, and it is his yoke that they drag along. This is an inglorious cross----a fatal cross, which leads not to redemption, but to eternal death. Whoever does not embrace the Cross of Jesus must bear that of Satan.

And in a wider sense we and all men belong to those who load our Lord with the Cross. They are our sins that He is painfully carrying----our sins, that are pressing upon Him with such cruel weight----which of us has not contributed a share to weight the Cross laid on our dear Lord? How just and fitting, then, that we should accompany our Lord, and now at least make reparation to Him for the hardships and cruelties of this journey by the relief our compassion and gratitude can afford Him! As Jesus allowed Himself to be loaded with the Cross through love of me, so shall I accept each cross that is laid on me, through love for Him. When nature is ready to sink beneath the burden of the cross I shall look confidently to Jesus for grace to carry it patiently and meritoriously.

Many, says St. Alphonsus Liguori, love Jesus, as long as the breeze of heavenly consolation refreshes them; but if the clouds of adversity lower, if for their trial, Christ, our dear Lord, withdraws His sensible presence from them, they are sorely tempted to give up prayer, neglect self-denial, sink into despondency and tepidity, and finally turn for comfort to creatures and perishable things. Such souls love themselves more than Jesus Christ. Those who truly love our Lord are faithful in darkness and trial. Faith tells us that Jesus is as sovereignly amiable and good when He afflicts as when He consoles. Oh, how dear to the Heart of Jesus is the soul who suffers with loving submission! Precious, beyond all graces, is the grace to suffer and to love!

COLLOQUY.----O most sweet Jesus, draw me close to Thy Heart and help me to love the Cross, for without the Cross I know there can be no close union with Thee. "Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou shalt go." I do want to be wholly Thine; take me, and dispose of me ever and always, according to the good pleasure of Thy Heart. May I at last, by likeness to Thee, and union with thee, become a true disciple of Thy Heart. "Thou art my God and my Eternal King!"

Second Group.----Those who literally carry the Cross with Jesus. The two malefactors are the first in this group. They go with Jesus and carry their crosses to the place of execution. But they do not carry them for Jesus, for faith and virtue, but on account of their crimes and misdeeds. Nor do they carry them as Jesus did His, but only under compulsion, raging and gnashing their teeth, and----one of them at all events, the thief on the left side----with evil consequences. For him it may have been the instrument of eternal damnation. But in the heart of the good thief the first emotions of the contrition and penance that he so touchingly completed on the cross, may have just begun to stir during the carrying of the cross.

Another who literally carries the Cross with Jesus is Simon of Cyrene, who actually carried it part of the way to Calvary. How did this happen? Simon was returning from the country, and, as it appears, just entering by the city gate; for we are told that the soldiers found him as they were going out, laid hold on Him, and forced Him to take up our Lord's Cross. Why? Because the weakness and exhaustion of Jesus was so great that they feared He would succumb on the way under its weight. They laid the Cross on him to carry after Jesus.It was for Simon's sake much more than for His own that our Lord shared His Cross with him. The virtue that came from its contact with the Son of God went out to him who followed in His footsteps. Quickly Simon learned his lesson. From bearing the Cross reluctantly he came to bear it patiently, willingly, joyfully, reaching thus the highest perfection of which love is capable on earth. We may assume this in respect of Simon himself. And as regards Alexander and Rufus, his sons, the fact of their being mentioned by name in this place of St. Mark's Gospel may show that they received extraordinary graces through Simon's good deed.

To carry after Jesus.----What blessed words! I shall do well to hear them, as they apply to me just as truly as to Simon. There is rarely a day that I have not the privilege of bearing some cross for and after Jesus, my dear Master. What a loss for eternity if I neglect my opportunities. Do I? They laid the Cross on him.True, but did Simon stop at the instrument? When, after years spent in his Master's service, he looked back to the meeting on the road to Calvary, did he so much as think of the hands that constrained him? Was not the design of God too plain? Was it not God Who planned that meeting, who chose him for the honour of being the first to carry the Cross after Jesus.

Looking back on their lives, from the bed of death and from their place in Heaven, the servants of God see that what they could least spare out of their life would be its crosses. It is the Cross that has stamped them all with the mark special to the elect. For whom He foreknew He also predestinated to be made conformable to the image of His Son (Rom. viii). How wonderful are God's dealings with us. How continually He turns our days of trouble into times of the richest blessing. Little did Simon of Cyrene think that Friday morning as he went forth to his daily toil, that grace was lying in wait for him on the road to Calvary----that hidden in the Cross of pain and shame was laid up for him the highest honour and never-ending joy.

We rise in the morning and make our plans for the day. God has made His for us. Turning a corner, we find the Cross of Christ awaiting us, and with it the grace that with a little effort on our part will enable us to bear it bravely after our Master. How is it that whilst we have plenty of congratulations for Simon we have nothing but compassion for ourselves!

COLLOQUY.----Teach me, dear Lord, to bear my crosses with faith, and hope, and love.
With faith----to believe that every cross comes from Thy hand----to cry out when I see it in the distance: It is the Lord. With hope----because, dear Jesus, if I follow Thee to Calvary now, I shall follow Thee into Thy Kingdom by-and-by. With love----that will make me glad to bear something for Thee Who hast borne so much for me. Mother, imprint deeply on my heart the wounds of Thy Crucified Son; Make me feel as Thou hast felt; Make my soul to glow and melt With the love of Christ thy Son.

The Fifth Station:

Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

My Jesus, Your tormentors enlisted a Simon of Cyrene to help You carry Your cross. Your humility is beyond my comprehension. Your power upheld the whole universe and yet You permit one of Your creatures to help You carry a cross. I imagine Simon was reluctant to take part in Your shame. He had no idea that all who watched and jeered at him would pass into oblivion while his name would go down in history and eternity as the one who helped his God in need. Is it not so with me, dear Jesus? Even when I reluctantly carry my cross as Simon did, it benefits my soul.

If I keep my eyes on You and watch how You suffered, I will be able to bear my cross with greater fortitude. Were you trying to tell all those who suffer from prejudice to have courage? Was Simon a symbol of all those who are hated because of race, color and creed?

Simon wondered as he took those beams upon his shoulders, why he was chosen for such a heavy burden and now he knows. Help me Jesus, to trust your loving Providence as you permit suffering to weave itself in and out of my life. Make me understand that You looked at it and held it fondly before You passed it on to me. You watch me and give me strength just as You did Simon. When I enter Your Kingdom, I shall know as he knows, what marvels Your Cross has wrought in my soul.

Amen

Read more:http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/stations/stat5.htm#ixzz2LVFAhIWU

The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

Station IV
JESUS MEETS HIS HOLY MOTHER MARY

Our Blessed Lord did not carry His Cross alone; He was accompanied by many. Indeed, all who walked with the procession to the place of execution took part in the carrying of the Cross, each in his own way.

  VIEW PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DOORWAY OF STATION 4, VIA DOLOROSA

Here we gaze upon our Lord's own Mother, who (as Tradition says) also awaited Him on this painful journey. In the Via Dolorosa, or Way of the Cross, it is believed that there is a memorial of their sorrowful meeting. The new church of "The Lady of the Spasm," which belongs to the Armenian Catholics, stands over the place marked by Tradition as the Fourth Station of the Cross, and in a subterranean chapel belonging to this church the memorial may be seen. In the words of the learned Father Meistermann, O.S.F.: "In the crypt, level with the ancient street, some bits of the pavement of which have been found on the northern side, is a great piece of mosaic, which was discovered in digging the foundations for the new church. A square, framed in a rich border, bears in the centre two little shoes or sandals placed together, with their points turned to the northwest. This mosaic, which is prior to the seventh century, seems to mark the very spot where Tradition states that the Blessed Virgin stood when she exchanged with her Son a look which pierced her maternal heart like a sword." These words will help us in making our composition of place. "In death they were not divided."

Jesus, our dear and Blessed Master, on the way to Calvary must teach us at every turn, for His time is short. His most Blessed Mother, too, the first and most faithful of His disciples, is to serve us for an example on that way. Let us watch the meeting and see the kind of consolation they bring to one another in this hour of bitter anguish for both. What fortitude! What self-forgetfulness! What oblation of the strongest, holiest affection earth has ever seen! Mary's heart beats in perfect unison with the Heart of her Son. Like His, it throws itself into the Divine Will for the redemption of the world with a strength of purpose that sanctifies the instincts of nature. There is no shrinking in their self-immolation at the sight of the anguish of the One dearer to each than life. The Son and the Mother meet, but it is as the Redeemer and the Co-Redemptrix of the world. The sacrifice that their mutual love increases occupies them entirely.

Contemplate the meeting of the Mother and Son. Their eyes meet.----Dimly, through the tears and blood that obscure His sight, Jesus discerns His Mother's face, and His glance carries strength to her soul. He summons her, His well-beloved, to ratify the oblation made at Nazareth in the hour of the Incarnation, when she consented to become the Mother of the Man of Sorrows, the oblation made solemnly in the Temple on the day of His Presentation, and renewed again and again as the time of the Passion drew near: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord." At every stage of His Redemption she has been, and is, His handmaid, waiting upon Him always, His solitary fellow-worker, on whose sympathy and absolute fidelity He can rely.

And now His hour has come, the hour of which He had so often spoken to her at Nazareth, the hour that was the subject of such earnest prayer put up together, as they knelt side by side; the hour for which He had promised to strengthen her, that, first in privilege as in dignity, she might drink deeper than any other of His chalice. His glance recalls all this to her now, and it is met by a response such as that handmaid alone could give. No cry escapes her. To bring Him the only comfort in her power, the assurance that she accepts with Him every jot and tittle of the Father's Will; that she does not grudge one pang, that she is ready for more, for the consummation of the sacrifice, for Calvary----this is her one thought. Mary cannot speak her Ecce Ancilla, her heart would break with a word to Him; but her eyes, her quivering lip, her clasped hands speak for her. [For those unacquainted with Latin, Ecce Ancilla means Behold the Handmaid.----The Web Master]

It is by studying prayerfully this meeting of Jesus and Mary on the road to Calvary that I shall learn how true friendship comports itself in the hour of trial. What kind of consolation do I bring to others in the path of daily life that is for so many of God's servants the Way of the Cross? Is it a help and spiritual support to meet me ? Do I try to take the sting out of wounds, or are they the worse for my handling? Do I, by injudicious sympathy, accentuate vexations or misunderstandings?

 Do I try to put a favourable construction on painful words or acts, and abstain from repeating what would work further mischief? Are others moved by my words and example to bear up bravely and trust in God.

Mary's was the noblest and most sublime participation in our Lord's Cross, because nothing could equal the courage and love of His Mother, and her desire to suffer with her Divine Son. Is not our Blessed Mother here the highest model of all cross-bearing souls?

All have a cross to bear, the cross of sin and passion, the cross of misfortune permitted by God, or the cross of penance or of love. Thus the Way of the Cross is a living type of the Church and the whole human race. Whoever we are, willingly or unwillingly, we must form part of the escort of our Cross-bearing Saviour. All that is left to our choice is, to which division of the company we will belong, and surely the choice is not difficult. "Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth." How glad and proud I shall be on the last day to bear the Cross on my forehead, to hear the congratulations of the holy ones who surround the throne of God: "Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth." Why should I not feel at least the beginning of that gladness now!

COLLOQUY.----Thou wert glad, dear Lord, to suffer for me, not that Thou couldst desire suffering for its own sake, for Thou wert truly man, and Thine exquisitely sensitive nature shrank as none other ever shrank from pain; but, my dear Jesus, my Lord and my God, Thou didst long to go through that pain which was to purchase my happiness, and to prove Thy love to me. If Thou, my Jesus, didst look forward with eagerness to Thy Passion, it was all for my sake. "He loved me, and delivered Himself for me." Ah, dear Lord, so must it be with me. I cannot desire suffering for itself, but, sweet Jesus, with the grace which Thou wilt give to me as to Thy Saints I may come to love what will bring me nearer to Thee----which will forward Thy designs for my sanctification and happiness, which will enable me to glorify Thee more, and be proof to Thee of my gratitude and my love.

Give me grace, dear Jesus, to understand the Mystery of the Cross, to value it, and when Thou dost give me the Cross here, to give me a right to bear its glorious sign on the last day, let me not turn away rebellious or disconsolate. Let me not sorrow as those that have no hope, bitterly, because unwillingly. My dear Master, with Thy Almighty Grace, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou shalt go. "In what place soever Thou shalt be, Lord, my King, either in life or in death, there will Thy servant be." O my Mother, help me to be true to Jesus at any cost.

"Make me feel as Thou halt felt.
Make my heart to glow and melt,
With the love of Christ, my Lord." 

The Fourth Station:

Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother

My Jesus, it was a great sorrow to realize Your pain caused Mary so much grief. As Redeemer, You wanted her to share in Your pain for mankind. When You glanced at each other in unutterable suffering, what gave you both the courage to carry on without the least alleviation - without anger at such injustice?

It seems as if you desired to suffer every possible pain to give me an example of how to suffer when my time comes. What a humiliation for You when Your mother saw you in such a pitiable state - weak - helpless - at the mercy of sinful men - holiness exposed to evil in all hideousness.

Did every moment of that short encounter seem like an eternity? As I see so much suffering in the world, there are times I think it is all hopeless. There is an element of lethargy in my prayers for mankind that says "I'll pray, but what good will it do? The sick grow sicker and the hungry starve. " I think of that glance between You and Mary - the glance that said, "Let us give this misery to the Father for the salvation of souls. The Father's power takes our pain and frustration and renews souls, saves them for a new life - a life of eternal joy, eternal happiness. It is worth it all." Give perseverance to the sick so they can carry the cross of frustration and agony with love and resignation for the salvation of others.

Amen

Read more:http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/stations/stat4.htm#ixzz2LPL0q9X0