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A Novena
For Life
God, come to my
assistance.
Lord, make haste
to help me.
Glory to the
Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy
Spirit.
As it was in
the beginning, is
now,
and will be for
ever. Amen.
A Daily
Reading From The
Bible:
Holy Mother of
God, hear the
prayers of the
Church for all
mothers,
especially those
wearied by life
and overcome by
the suffering they
bear for their
children.
Hail Mary...
O Mother of the
Word Incarnate,
intercede for
them from your
place in heaven,
that the mercy of
your divine Son
might lighten
their burden and
give them
strength.
Hail Mary...
Glory to the
Father....
"As we
contemplate this
Mother, whose
heart a sword has
pierced (cf.
Luke 2:35),
our thoughts go to
all the suffering
women in the
world, suffering
either physically
or morally. In
this suffering a
woman's
sensitivity plays
a role, even
though she often
succeeds in
resisting
suffering better
than a man.
It is difficult to
enumerate these
sufferings; it is
difficult to call
them all by name.
We may recall her
maternal care for
her children,
especially when
they fall sick or
fall into bad
ways; the death
of those most dear
to her; the
loneliness of
mothers forgotten
by their grown-up
children; the
loneliness of
widows; the
sufferings of
women who struggle
alone to make a
living; and women
who have been
wronged or
exploited. Then
there are the
sufferings of
consciences as a
result of sin,
which has wounded
the woman's human
or maternal
dignity: the
wounds of
consciences which
do not heal
easily. With these
sufferings too we
must place
ourselves at the
foot of the
Cross."
Pope John Paul II
(Mulieris
Dignitatem, 21)
Day 1
Pray
for the Suffering
Women of the World
Labor day
usually brings to
mind images of
factory workers,
farmers or heavy
equipment
operators. Yet we
also use labor to
describe the first
work which brought
each one of us to
birth: those first
hours of maternal
sacrifice which
brought us into
the world. It's
too easy to forget
that and all the
other sacrifices
which the vocation
of motherhood
entails. Pray for
the mothers in
labor today. Those
who give birth.
Those who work two
jobs to support a
child. Those who
go without so
their child's
needs are met.
Those whose
patient endurance
is a sign of God's
love upon the
cross.
Day 2
Pray
for Mothers who
will Give Birth
Today
'At first I was
scared,' Sarah
told me. 'I was
scared, excited
and filled with
the most
incredible
expectation. It
was like those
words we hear at
Mass: we wait in
joyful hope. I
thought of all
those women who
feel the first
kick, the
stirrings of life
deep within them.
I prayed for them,
that they would
love their child,
cherish their
little baby and
know that in being
a mother they are
involved in
something so much
bigger than
themselves. They
have been chosen
by God to be
custodians of the
mystery of life.
At first I was
scared, and then I
just cried ...
with joy.'
Day 3
Pray
for Fathers at
the Birth of their
Child
'At first I was
petrified", Jon
told me.
"Petrified that I
would faint or get
in the way or not
know what to do to
help Sarah. But
then I prayed to
Mary. I know,
praying to Mary is
something you?d
think a mother
would be doing.
But somehow, I
think Mary
understood Saint
Joseph more than
anyone else. She
probably saw the
fear in his eyes
and sensed the
restlessness of
his heart. She
probably spent a
lot of time
praying for him as
well. And when I
prayed to Mary for
my child about to
be born, I knew
she understood and
heard me and
prayed for me to
her son. At first
I was petrified,
and then I put
everything into
God's hands."
Day 4
Pray
for All Children
The eyes of a
child are an
infinite well of
life, hope and
goodness. If you
doubt the value of
life, look into
the eyes of a
child. If you are
worn by life's
worries, look into
the eyes of a
child. If you want
to see tomorrow,
look into the eyes
of a child. And
what you will see
is the divine
spark which
brought beauty out
of chaos, the
infinite beauty,
which is the
presence of the
Creator in his
creation.
Day 5
Pray
for Families
I know of a
family which prays
each night. Since
the kids were
little they are
gathered from
their games and
their grumbling to
the couch in the
living room. There
they pray for
those whom they
love and those
they have a hard
time loving. They
pray for the
unborn and for
little babies.
They pray for the
sick and the
dying. They pray
for the Church and
for their priest.
Many a night it
was the knowledge
of those prayers
that gave me hope
and peace and a
good night's
sleep.
Day 6
Prayer
for Life Begins in
the Home
I know of
another family
which used to pray
for unborn
children every
Friday night. They
chose Friday
because that's
when Christ,
innocent and
without sin, was
sent to the cross.
There's no prayer
more powerful than
that said over
little folded
hands asking God
to take care of
all the babies who
you've made.
Day 7
Secret
Suffering
We look all
around us at
Church and see
them: all the
people whose kids
never seem to
scream and who
look like they
haven't a problem
in the world! But
what if we really
knew them? We
would see the
'secret
sufferings' that
mirror our own.
Mass is the
gathering of those
who have looked at
the their own
brokenness through
the lens of the
cross, and live!
Today is the
perfect day to
pray for all God's
broken children
and especially
those who are
tempted to break
the lives of
others.
Day 8
The
Holy Cross
Each time I
pray, I am called
to join my prayer
with Christ's
perfect prayer
upon the cross. It
is easy from the
vantage of the
cross to see the
world clearly. To
see how easy it is
to join the
suffering of the
innocent to the
suffering of him
who is without
sin. We should
work for an end to
all the forms of
violence which
threaten life.
That is a
wonderful good.
But it is even
more important to
stand with the
Virgin Mother and
to beg her son to
come to our aid.
Day 9
Our
Lady of Sorrows
We end as we
began nine days
ago: with Mary,
weeping silently
beside the cross.
Weeping for the
innocent child so
violently taken.
Weeping for the
nation which has
let him die.
Weeping for her
child and for our,
we place them both
in her arms.
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