With Mary and St. Joseph
The novena prayed together before the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help: an opening prayer, a litany of everyday petitions, thanksgiving and the final blessing.
From the Community’s prayer book.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
(All) Amen.
My brothers and sisters, we are gathered together before the picture of our Mother of Perpetual Help, to praise and thank God our Father for the blessings He has given through her intercession. Let us once more ask her to pray for us.
Mother of Perpetual Help, look on us, your children. We are proud to be your children and happy to call you our Mother. We are not all as we ought to be, so we come to you, our Mother. You are always ready to accept us as we are, and to encourage us to do better, in spite of temptations and weakness.
As we look at your picture, we remember your life on earth. You had many crosses and trials, but you knew how to face them. You had faith and trust in God; you relied on His loving, fatherly goodness. Help us to be like you. We too have our trials and troubles. We are often worried and confused. Give us courage. Strengthen our faith. Help us to make one more effort when we are inclined to despair.
As you stood at the foot of the Cross, you found it hard to see how God could allow His Son to suffer such agony; yet you never lost faith. Help us to learn from your example to face our trials with confidence and trust in God.
Sometimes, loving Mother, we are so worried about our own problems that we forget about God and the needs of others. We want to be like you. You forgot about yourself and your own problems when you saw others in need. Help us to remember that the troubles and sorrows of others are sometimes greater than our own.
So, Mother Mary, while we pray to you for our own special intentions, we include all your children in need: the sick and the dying, the lonely and the broken-hearted, the poor and the oppressed — all in the world who need your perpetual help. Amen.
Our Mother of Perpetual Help, your children call on you…
That you may be our inspiration, that we may have courage to face all our difficulties, that we may see meaning in the joys and sorrows of life, that our trust in God may help others too, when faced with difficult decisions, when asked to make a sacrifice for the sake of others, when put to shame in front of others, when hurt and tempted to take revenge, in times of sickness in the home, in worries about our financial difficulties, in misunderstandings with those we love, in helping young people to become self-reliant, that many may respond to God’s call to the priesthood or religious life, in choosing our entertainment and recreation, that parents may learn to adapt to their growing children, that students may show appreciation to those who sacrifice for their education, that teachers may always be inspired in forming their students to become better Christians, that we may not resort to drugs or drink as an escape from life, that we may always be honest in the struggle to earn our livelihood, that we may not be driven by greed for power and wealth, that we may always take pride in doing our work well, that workers may be justly rewarded for their labour, that we and lending agencies, in the guise of helping others, may not destroy people by collecting unjustly high interest, that we may never obstruct justice or commit perjury, that we may rise above personal considerations when called on to serve the community (or to vote), that we may never lose sight of the beauty of our country and the goodness of our people, that we may do everything in our power to bring justice, peace and progress to our land, that we may never be so proud as to think we can do without God or religion, when seriously ill and we realize that death is near, when our loved ones are called home by their heavenly Father, when we pray that our dear departed may share in the full joy of Christ’s resurrection,
AllMother, ever help us.
And now, in silence, let us pray for our special intentions. (Pause.)
Holy Mary, you are always ready to help those in need; you cheer those who weep; you encourage those who have lost hope and help them lead good Christian lives. Join with us now as we ask our Father for guidance.
Let us now thank our Mother of Perpetual Help for the favours we and others have received through her intercession.
O Mother of Perpetual Help, with grateful hearts we join you in thanking God for all the wonderful things He has done for us, especially for having given us Jesus, your Son, as our Redeemer.
O God our Creator, we thank You for the gift of life and all the gifts of nature, our senses and faculties, our talents and abilities. We thank You for creating us in Your image and likeness, and for giving us this earth to use and develop, to respect and cherish. Despite our failures, You continue to show Your love for us today by increasing the life of the Spirit in us.
Finally, we thank You, loving Father, for giving us Mary, the Mother of Your Son, to be our Mother of Perpetual Help. We are grateful for all the favours we have received through her intercession. We pray that those past favours may inspire us to greater confidence in Your loving mercy, and to seek the aid of our Mother of Perpetual Help. Amen.
May the Lord be with us to defend us. — Amen. Within us to preserve us. — Amen. Before us to lead us. — Amen. After us to guard us. — Amen. Above us to bless us. — Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
