Novena
in Preparation
for
the Feast of the Annunciation
17th March (Evening) to 25th March
2020
The Word was made Flesh in the Womb of the
Virgin Mary and she presented to the World the One who is the source of life.
We are invited to welcome the word of God in our hearts, as Mary did, so that
we can bring to others the life and hope that we ourselves have received.
In
these days, beginning on the Evening of St. Patrick’s Day and leading up to the
Feast of the Annunciation, we hope that these Novena Prayers may help you to
ponder God’s Word, even in the absence of public Mass. If possible, prepare a suitable
prayer space with a crucifix, holy picture or even a simple candle. Feel free,
if time allows, to add the Rosary after the Gospel and before the Novena prayer
given for each day.
As you may be aware, of course, mass is
being broadcast on web-cam or parish radio from many Churches and we encourage
you to participate if you can.
INTRODUCTION
In the
name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“In
truth I tell you once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all,
it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet
in my name, I am there among them.” Mt: 18:19-20
As you light the candle pray:
Lord
Jesus you came as a light that shines in darkness and a light that darkness
cannot overpower (Jn: 1:5) – enlighten our hearts and minds to your presence in
our midst.
Act of Penance
For
the times when we have failed to love God and to love each other we ask for
God’s forgiveness.
Lord
have mercy,
Christ
have mercy,
Lord
have mercy.
We Pray
Jesus,
for our salvation You willingly humbled Yourself, becoming Man in the womb of
the Virgin Mother, grant me through the mystery of Your holy Incarnation the
virtue of humility that I may ever please God as Your Mother did, by meekness
and lowliness in this world, and be exalted by You in eternity.
Gospel
'I am
the handmaid of the Lord'
The angel
Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin
betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name
was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is
with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this
greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you
have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must
name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The
Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the
House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the
angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit
will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will
cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son
of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself
conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month,
for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary
‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38
NOVENA
PRAYERS (Choose the selection given for each day)
Mary,
dear Mother of my Saviour, I greet you and I thank you for having received the
message of the Archangel Gabriel: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee”
(Luke I:28) and for having answered with your consent, “Behold the handmaid of
the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38) Intercede for me
that God the Father, who accepted you as His Daughter and the Mother of His Son
because of your humility at the Annunciation, may accept me as His humble
child. Amen
FIRST
DAY: Mary, Full of Grace
In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to
a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin who was
betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David: and the virgin's name
was Mary. The Angel came to her and said, Rejoice, Full of Grace! (Luke
1:26-28)
Let us
pray: Almighty Father, all powerful and ever-living God, we thank You for
bestowing upon Your highly favoured daughter all the graces to be Your Son’s
Mother and to be the Mother of all. We thank You for sending Your Son Jesus
Christ to be our redeemer and saviour. Thank You for giving us the breath of
life and the splendour of Your creations. We thank You Father, our Lord and our
God, for Your infinite kindness and mercy. How good You are to us, your
children. We praise you and worship you, with Your Son, Jesus Christ and his
Mother Mary, our intercessor. To You, we owe everything. We acknowledge humbly
that without You, we are nothing. Receive our gratitude and our undying adoration
and devotion. We will try to reciprocate Your loving kindness by obeying Your
commandments, by loving our neighbours and by earnestly endeavouring to become
more like Your Son. We shall continuously affirm Your lordship and celebrate
Your goodness and kindness all the days of our life. Amen.
SECOND
DAY: Mary, Cause of Our Joy Rejoice!
The Lord is with you. (Luke I:28)
Let us
pray: Lord God, You were pleased to bring joy to the world through the
incarnation of Your Son. You sacrificed Your Son in order to save our souls and
enjoy life everlasting. Grant that we, who honour His Mother, the cause of our
joy, may always walk in the way of Your commandments with our hearts set on
true and lasting joy. Moreover, grant us the grace to share that joy found deep
in the words and actions of Mary with everyone we meet. Show us the true joy of
living the gospel life – even in our deepest suffering – for You have given
Mary the power of helping the miserable. Father of mercy and God of all
consolation, grant in Your loving kindness that we who joyfully venerate Mary,
as our comforter, may deserve to enjoy the unending happiness of heaven with
her. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
THIRD
DAY: Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted
Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this
greeting could mean. (Luke I:29)
Let us
pray: With the help of our Mother of the Word Incarnate, grant us Your mercy
and consolation to lighten the burden and give comfort and strength to all who
are suffering now. Dear Lord, we ask Your Blessed Mother to teach us to be
compassionate. Help Your children, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to
conquer the menace of evil and sin in all its manifestations. Through the
intercession of the Our Lady of the Annunciation, we ask You to help us welcome
the Word into the world, that we may all experience a rebirth. Through Mary,
Your reign has dawned, a reign of compassion and mercy, born from the depths of
the Word made flesh. Amen.
FOURTH
DAY: Mary, Queen of Peace
But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked
kindly on you (Luke I:30)
Let us
pray: Loving Father, through our Mother, Mary, teach us how to be calm and
serene so as to feel Your presence here today as we pray for our needs and
desires. Teach us how to ask for them. Almighty Father, through the
intercession of Mary, the Queen of Peace, may You grant us the tranquillity in
our hearts You granted to her at the Annunciation and allow us to find pleasure
only in Your holy will Father, may the
Blessed Virgin assist us so that we may pray with faith, and that, if it is
Your will, we may obtain through her the favour that we desire. Amen.
FIFTH
DAY: Mary, Mother of Justice
You shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call him
Jesus. He will be great and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. (Luke
I:31-32)
Let us
pray: Almighty Father You gave us Mary, the mother of our Saviour to be our
model. She inspires us to constantly reach out to one another. We are called to
anticipate the needs of those around us, perceive the cry of their heart, share
their fears and their brokenness and give hope to the hopeless and forsaken.
Teach us Lord how, when and where we must reach out to those in want and in
pain. May our hearts be filled with Your love, ever yearning to serve You
through others – without counting the cost. This we ask in Jesus name through
the intercession of the Our Lady of the Annunciation. Amen.
SIXTH
DAY: Mary, Mother of Light
The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the
Most High will overshadow you. (Luke 1:35)
Let us
pray: Father, true to Your promise, You sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and
to call us out of darkness into Your wonderful Light. Help us to remember this
whenever we are beset with life’s perils and miseries. Fill us with hope and
faith in Your providence. As we journey through life, give us the strength to
courageously encounter suffering. Send us Your love and mercy when we are on
the verge of quitting. Help us to know that Your Kingdom will come and bring an
end to our ills. Anoint us with Your Spirit so that we may become credible
bearers of the Good News to our brothers and sisters who are lonely and
broken-hearted. We ask this through Christ our Lord, and the intercession of
the Our Lady of the Annunciation, the Mother of Light. Amen.
SEVENTH
DAY: Mary, Help of Christians
Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old
age, although she was unable to have a
child, and she is now on her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible” (Luke
I:36-37)
Let us
pray: God, our Father, we come to You with confidence that You will enlighten
us with Your grace and love. Today as we worry about the world’s miseries,
where love is disappearing among families and neighbours, where we find
disunity everywhere, where love and respect for Your Son Jesus Christ are no
longer seen, we implore the intercession of our Blessed Mother so that we may
find light and power in You. Loving God, we ask You to enlighten the abandoned,
the handicapped, and those deprived of true love from a father and a mother.
With Your mercy, may they find peace, hope and unity. We ask You to help us to
be like Mary who does not forget her children, always caring, helping and
watching over us. We hope to be relieved from our burdens and sufferings.
Please help us Your children to experience the love and unity You want in every
home. May we also be a model of kindness by showing us the way to establish
good relationship with our neighbor, which is an excellent way of promoting
unity in oneness of heart. O Eternal Father, we praise and thank You for the
graces You bestowed upon us, especially the Blessed Virgin Mother. Trusting in
Your love and mercy, we hope to obtain the favour we earnestly ask through her,
the grace to love and die in Your love. Amen.
EIGHTH
DAY: Mary, handmaid of the Lord
Then Mary said “I am the Handmaid of the Lord” (Luke I:38)
Let us
pray: O God, our loving Father, You infused into our hearts the gifts of
service, charity and vocation. We come to You in humility. Grant us the spirit
of divine love so that that we may imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary. Teach us
how to genuinely serve, unconditionally respond to, and lovingly care for our
family and brethren. Help us to respond to Your call so that we may become
worthy instruments of Your divine work. Father God, we know that even before we
heed Your call, You have already planned all things for us. Help us to
understand that You must be first in our lives, Give us a heart that always
desires to love, care, and serve. All these we pray through the mighty name of
Jesus Christ our Lord and through the intercession of the Our lady of the
Annunciation. Amen.
NINTH
DAY – Mary, Woman of Faith
“Lord let it be done to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38)
Let us
pray: Almighty Father, we are Your children. We call You by name and follow in
the footsteps of Jesus, Your Son. Give us the grace to have and live the faith
of Mary so we may become worthy of the eternal life You promised. Father, let
us fill our hearts with faith to be able to accept Your will for us without
reservations. Help us remove the doubts and perplexities that plague our minds
to face the difficulties and uncertainties of life. Let us not waver in our
faith. Father, call us Your children. Comfort us and give us mercy. As we
proclaim the Virgin Mary, to be the Mother of Christ and the Mother of the
Church, may our communion with her Son bring us to salvation. All praise and
glory ever be Yours. Amen.
(Sisters of Our Mother of Divine Grace)
CONCLUSION
Let us pray.
O God, who willed that your Word
should take on the reality of human flesh
in the womb of the Virgin Mary,
grant, we pray,
that we, who confess our Redeemer to be God and man,
may merit to become partakers even in his divine nature.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
May the Lord Bless us, May he Keep us from all Evil and
Bring us to Everlasting Life. Amen