A NOVENA to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart –

Last Saturday of May

Remember, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, what ineffable power thy Divine Son hath given thee over His Own adorable Heart. Full of trust in thy merits, we come before thee and beg thy protection. O heavenly Treasurer of the Heart of Jesus, that Heart which is the inexhaustible source of all graces, which thou mayest open to us at thy good pleasure, in order that from it may flow forth upon mankind the riches of love and mercy, light and salvation, that are contained therein; grant unto us, we beseech thee, the favors which we seek . . . We can never, never be refused by thee, and since though art our Mother, O our Lady of the Sacred Heart, graciously hear our prayers and grant our request. Amen.

First Day

WORD OF GOD (John 19, 31-37)

It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the Sabbath – since that Sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it – trustworthy evidence, and he knows he speaks the truth – and he gives it so that you may believe as ell. Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture: “Not one bone of his will be broken”; and again, in another place scripture says: “They will look on the one whom they have pierced”.

 

Lord Jesus, your pierced Heart is an open door for all humanity:

– give us the grace so that we in turn may know how to open our hearts to love as you have loved, and grow into togetherness with you.

Lord Jesus, your Heart is source of mercy, compassion, courage, strength:

– give us the grace to make our own the sentiments of that Heart so that one recognizes in us the Living One who makes us live.

Lord Jesus in your Heart there dwells the fullness of God’s love for the world:

– give us the grace to live this Novena in communion with all communities throughout the world, so that your love be everywhere known and loved.

Lord Jesus, in your Heart there dwells the love of God for creation and the love of creation which reaches towards the Father:

– give us the grace to be witnesses of that love with which you fill our lives both here and throughout the world.

Jesus, kindness of God!                        Come, live in us!

Jesus, mystery of love!                           Come, live in us!

Jesus, source of life!                              Come, live in us!

Jesus, Heart of our hearts!                    Come, live in us!

Jesus, tenderness of God                     Jesus, mystery of love!

Jesus, source of Life!                             Jesus, Heart of our hearts!

 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

 

Second Day

WORD OF GOD (Ezekiel 36, 25-28)

I shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your defilement and all your idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my spirit in you, and make you keep my laws and sincerely respect my observances. You will live in the land which I gave your ancestors. You shall be my people and I will be your God.

 

LORD JESUS, the wound in your side has become the source of many blessings for us:

– at the heart of our wounds teach us to discover your saving love.

LORD JESUS, a new world flowed from your open side on Calvary:

– at the heart of our world in constant change, teach us to discern the seeds of this new world.

LORD JESUS, you make rise up from nothing those who were in darkness:

– together with the people and our confreres in Papua New Guinea we learn to welcome the Gospel as the seed of life.

LORD JESUS, from your wounded Heart there poured forth streams of grace and light:

– together with our confreres and the peoples of Australia and Oceania, make us also radiate that light.

LORD JESUS…

 

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Our Lady of the open Heart,

You are the Mother of all those who will be reborn to the life of God.

As John did in that moment,

We welcome you in our home.

And since you are our Mother,

May our home truly become your home.

 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

 

Third Day

WORD OF GOD (John 4, 21-24) – The Samaritan Woman

Jesus said: “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know; for salvation comes from the Jews. But the hour will come – in fact it is here already – when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshipper the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth”.

 

LORD JESUS, “perfect adorer of the Father”:

– teach us to know how to adore in spirit and in truth, so that there may well up in us the desire of your presence.

LORD JESUS, you invite us to pray by calling God “Our Father”,

– teach us to live, like you, as beloved daughters and sons of the Father, in universal sisterhood and brotherhood.

LORD JESUS, your life is continuous, lasting, worship; everything in you is adoration:

– teach us to awaken in ourselves a sense of total gift and gratuitousness; may we acknowlede that everything comes from you.

LORD JESUS, you make us responsible for watching over, safeguarding, the faith:

– teach us, together with the people and with our confreres who live in Europe, to safeguard in our hearts the challenge of faith and the rich treasury of what we hope in.

We come before you, O Lord, seeking the Spirit’s coming, like Mary and the Apostles at Pentecost:

– Teach us to seek the gift of the Spirit and build up the Church!

 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

 

Fourth Day

WORD OF GOD (Colossians 1, 24-26)

It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church. I became the servant of the Church when God made me responsible for delivering God’s message to you, the message which was a mystery hidden for generations and centuries and has now been revealed to his saints.

 

LORD JESUS, you are our peace and our reconciliation:

– give us the grace of knowing how to create a more just and fraternal world.

LORD JESUS, you make yourself come close to the hearts of the wounded and bruised:

– give us the grace to imitate you wholeheartedly through our presence among those who are oppressed and discouraged.

LORD JESUS, you accepted humiliation to redeem us and save us:

– give us the grace to discover your face in all those who have been wounded by life; may we be able to love them as you love them.

LORD JESUS, your compassionate love has no limits or barriers:

– give us, the grace of solidarity with those who live in very difficult life-situations.

Then shall our sisters and brothers be able to draw joy, abundant life,

from the well-springs of your Heart; until that day when we shall be “new heavens, new earth” marked by the seal of the Spirit, for the glory of the Father and the triumph of the Lamb! AMEN.

 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

 

Fifth Day

 WORD OF GOD (John 3, 14-17)

The Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.

 

The Motive for my Creation

LORD JESUS, in your Heart you reveal God’s love for us:

– may we be throughout our lives creative and challenging witnesses of that love so that the world may believe.

LORD JESUS, everything in the world is a word of that love which God bestows on us:

– may we come to acknowledge in our lives the gifts with which you favour us each day.

LORD JESUS, your love is at the centre of our brittle lives:

– because you have chosen and called us to be witnesses of that love to everyone, make that love, likewise, increase in us.

LORD JESUS, in you God gives God’s self wholly and without calculation:

– together with our confreres and faithful

we ask you to give us fraternal hearts able to live according to the spirit of the Beatitudes.

Together with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, you wish us to be, like her, witnesses of hope, and you send us as “missionaries” of your Heart today, tomorrow, and always.

May we be so in truth! AMEN.

 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

 

Sixth Day

WORD OF GOD (Luke 17, 14b-19): The Healing of the ten Lepers

As they were going away they were cleansed. Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. This made Jesus say, “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner”. And he said to the man, “Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you”.

 

LORD JESUS, you give thanks for those little ones who understand better than the wise and learned:

– give us a child-like heart capable of wonder and drawn to sing of the marvels God has accomplished for us.

LORD JESUS, it brings you joy to pour out the tenderness of your Heart on the little ones, the poor and sinners:

– give us the desire to give thanks in acknowledging what you bring about in the hearts of those who are scarred by life and un-loved.

LORD JESUS, you invite us to prayer and thanksgiving:

– help us to know how to pray like you and with you so that the world may discover the love with which it is loved.

LORD JESUS, your marvels shine like the rising sun coming to meet us each morning:

– together with the peoples and our confreres in India and Asia, may we know how to live every moment in acknowledgement and thanksgiving.

 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

 

Seventh Day

WORD OF GOD (Mt 9, 36 & Mt 11, 28-30)

When he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd…

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.

 

LORD JESUS, your Heart is full of gentleness and humility:

– stir up within us the feelings of your Heart so that we may live fully united to you and all the baptized.

LORD JESUS, yours is a compassionate Heart for those who suffer:

– give us a heart which is sensitive to those who suffer so that the burden they bear may be lightened.

LORD JESUS, your heart overflows with mercy for sinners:

– preserve us from judgment and condemnation; may our hearts entreat your merciful love.

LORD JESUS, in your Heart is found the gentleness and strength which come from God:

– together with the people and our confreres of Central Europe and Russia, we beseech you to favour us with a courageous faith and a passionate pursuit of mercy.

 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

 

Eighth Day

WORD OF GOD (John 17, 9-15)

I pray for them; I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they belong to you: all I have is yours and all you have is mine, and in them I am glorified. I am not in the world any longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one life us. While I was with them, I kept those you had given me true to your name. I have watched over them and not one is lost except the one who chose to be lost, and this was to fulfill the scriptures. But now I am coming to you and while still in the world I say these things to share my joy with them to the full. I passed your word on to them and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the evil one.

 

LORD JESUS, you who beseeched the Father during your Passion:

– may the desire grow in us to conform our lives to God’s will,

in asking Him for what we really need.

LORD JESUS, your prayer is communion with the Father in the Spirit:

– awaken in us the desire for true prayer, so that we shall be in communion with you and with one another.

LORD JESUS, you seek on our behalf what is rightly for our benefit:

– awaken in our hearts a strong and wholehearted desire to live authentically the mission you have confided to us.

LORD JESUS, you desire what God desires so that His Kingdom come:

– together with the people and our confreres in the U.S.A. and Canada, we beseech you to bring about in us the desire to work gratuitously for your Kingdom.

LORD JESUS…

I lift my eyes towards your PIERCED HEART, Lord Jesus!

YOUR HEART, where human beings and your Father give themselves the kiss of peace:

– Blessed are you, and take pity on us, O Lord.

I lift my eyes towards your PIERCED HEART, Lord Jesus!

YOUR HEART, an open door to the inexpressible love of the Trinity:

– Blessed are you, and take pity on us, O Lord.

I lift my eyes towards your PIERCED HEART, Lord Jesus!

THAT HEART, whence you renew us after the image of your Father:

– Blessed are you, and take pity on us, O Lord.

I lift my eyes towards your PIERCED HEART, Lord Jesus!

THAT HEART, source of all the sacraments:

– Blessed are you, and take pity on us, O Lord.

I lift my eyes towards your PIERCED HEART, Lord Jesus!

YOUR WOUNDED HEART, on which we are all grafted:

– Blessed are you, and take pity on us, O Lord.

Holy Trinity, present in us, we adore You,

Father, source of all gifts,

Son, perfect in welcoming and sharing,

Spirit of the Father and the Son, Spirit of communion, bring us together as one body, of which Jesus becomes the Heart!

 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

 

Ninth Day

WORD OF GOD (John 15, 1-4.26-27)

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. You are pruned already by means of the word that I have spoken to you. Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me… When the Advocate comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness. And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the outset.

 

Father You so loved the world that you gave us your Son!

We thank you for your Messenger, who took to himself a human heart like ours, a Heart through which he could love and bless us.

We lift our eyes towards this adorable Heart, which we daily continue to wound in our sisters and brothers.

through our violence, our injustice, our egoism and our indifference.

Father of Jesus and Our Father, you formed our human hearts by focusing your gaze on the Heart of your Son,

who would be born of the Virgin Mary.

Continue in us today what you have so marvellously begun!

Give to all children of the Sacred Heart the strength to travel with joy on Calvary’s narrow way and to live out each day their consecration in the Church and for the world so that your Kingdom may come!

With Our Lady, we contemplate the one who has been pierced.

He has given up his Spirit, he has closed his eyes, he can no longer speak.

But there remains for him, as “love’s last word”,

The wound in his Heart “open forever more”.

LORD JESUS, you have called us to follow you and serve you.

So that the world may come to know your love, we entrust ourselves to the infinite mercy of your Heart,

and, supported by the gift of your Spirit, we renew today our consecration

to the Sacred Heart.

May your Spirit of love,

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

and St. Joseph

help us to remain faithful to your call and to our vocation, here and everywhere in the World!

AMEN.

 

Prayer to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Fiat!

Prayer for each Day

 

All:                  Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,

                        we pray to you today with confidence

 

In this anniversary Novena,

we place ourselves under your protection

to share our Founder’s faith,

the audacity to the point of folly of his projects,

the poverty of the means at his disposal,

the courage of his commitments,

his fidelity to prayer,

his understanding of a worldwide mission,

his care for the powerless and the poor,

his passionate love for the Heart of Jesus,

since we bear, as he promised you,

the name of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

 

All:                  Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,

                        with you and like you

                        we raise our eyes to your Son.

                        We contemplate

                        the One who was Pierced, his open Heart.

 

Reader:           In this anniversary Novena,

we ask through your intercession,

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,

the grace to carry out

our vocation and our mission

                        here and everywhere throughout the world,

so that Love may be loved and

the world may thereby be renewed.

May the Lord consecrate us

in the truth of his Love,

gather us together in his Unity,

send us on his Mission,

and give us a share in His Spirit.

 

All:                  Our Lady of the Sacred Heart,

                        be forever our Mother

                        so that, following your advice,

                        we may “always do what your Son tells us!”

 

                        AMEN.

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