Devotional Prayer Archives

Day 4 -Novena in Honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Lord Jesus Christ, You have destroyed the power of death and given the hope of eternal life in body and soul.

You granted your Mother a special place in your glory, and did not allow decay to touch her body.

As we rejoice in the Assumption of Mary, give to us a renewed confidence in the victory of
life over death.

You live and reign forever and ever.

Amen.

Day 4

O Dearest Mother Mary, Assumed into Heaven, God placed you at His right hand that you may intercede for his little ones as the Mother of God.

In the midst of all the Saints you stand as their Queen and ours – dearer to the Heart of God than any creation. You pray for your children and give to us every grace won by our loving Savior on the Cross.

Please intercede for us in our needs and ask Jesus to grant our request if it be for the good of our souls.

(mention your request)

O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us.

Amen.

Day 3 – Novena in Honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Lord Jesus Christ, You have destroyed the power of death and given the hope of eternal life in body and soul.

You granted your Mother a special place in your glory, and did not allow decay to touch her body.

As we rejoice in the Assumption of Mary, give to us a renewed confidence in the victory of
life over death.

You live and reign forever and ever.

Amen.

Day 3

O Mother, Assumed into Heaven, because you shared in all the mysteries of our Redemption here below, Jesus has crowned you with glory.

With your most glorious and powerful intercession, help us O loving Mother and present to Jesus our request.

(mention your request)

O Queen assumed into Heaven, pray for us.

Amen.

The Chaplet of St. Charbel – Discerning Hearts

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For the text of the Chaplet and other prayers, visit the Discerning Hearts St. Charbel Page

Memorial: 24 December
Son of a mule driver. Raised by an uncle who opposed the boy’s youthful piety. The boy’s favorite book was Thomas a Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ. At age 23 he snuck away to join the Baladite monastery of Saint Maron at Annaya, where he took the name Charbel in memory of a 2nd-century martyr. Professed his solemn vows in 1853. Ordained in 1859, becoming a hieromonk. He lived as a model monk but dreamed of living like the ancient desert fathers. Hermit from 1875 until his death 23 years later, living on the bare minimum of everything. Gained a reputation for holiness and was much sought for counsel and blessing. He had a great personal devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and was known to levitate during his prayers. He was briefly paralyzed for unknown reasons just before his death on Christmas Eve, 1898.

“…a hermit of the Lebanese mountain is inscribed in the number of the blessed, a new eminent member of monastic sanctity is enriching, by his example and his intercession, the entire Christian people. May he make us understand, in a world largely fascinated by wealth and comfort, the paramount value of poverty, penance and asceticism, to liberate the soul in its ascent to God…” Pope Paul VI, October 9, 1977

Born: 8 May 1828 at Beka-Kafra, Lebanon as Joseph Zaroun Makhlouf
Died: 24 December 1898 at Annaya of natural causes
Beatified: 1965 by Pope Paul VI
Canonized: 9 October 1977 by Pope Paul VI

BG10 Mark Hart the Bible Geek “Answers from the Word” – Lent and Prayer

Mark answers –

Preparing for Ash Wednesday and reflecting on the readings…Fasting, Almsgiving and Returning to God. Also Mark talks of the importance of Prayer.

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Mark Hart is an author, speaker, director and teacher, Mark’s work both written and spoken, is known across the country and world. While he serves as the Vice President of LIFE TEEN, he is known to tens ofthousands simply as the “Bible Geek ®” Mark passionately echoes the gospel to all he encounters. He is as deep as he is funny, and his love for his wife and daughters is second only to his immense love for Jesus
Christ.

Visit Mark at www.lifeteen.com

BG14 Mark Hart the Bible Geek “Answers from the Word” – St. Paul’s letter to the Romans

Mark breaks open St. Paul’s letter to the Romans –

Exactly who was St. Paul writing to in his letter to the Romans? What was the purpose of the letter? What was the message? How does it apply to our lives today?

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Mark Hart is an author, speaker, director and teacher, Mark’s work both written and spoken, is known across the country and world. While he serves as the Vice President of LIFE TEEN, he is known to tens of thousands simply as the “Bible Geek ®” Mark passionately echoes the gospel to all he encounters. He is as deep as he is funny, and his love for his wife and daughters is second only to his immense love for Jesus Christ.

Visit Mark at www.lifeteen.com

Day 9 St. Catherine of Siena Novena

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Day 9

“My Nature is Fire”:

In your nature, eternal Godhead,
I shall come to know my nature.
And what is my nature, boundless love?
It is fire,
because you are nothing but a fire of love.
And you have given humankind
a share in this nature,
for by the fire of love you created us.
And so with all other people
and every created thing;
you made them out of love.
O ungrateful people!
What nature has your God given you?
His very own nature!
Are you not ashamed to cut yourself off from such a noble thing
through the guilt of deadly sin?
O eternal Trinity, my sweet love!
You, light, give us light.
You, wisdom, give us wisdom.
You, supreme strength, strengthen us.
Today, eternal God,
let our cloud be dissipated
so that we may perfectly know and follow your Truth in truth,
with a free and simple heart.
God, come to our assistance!
Lord, make haste to help us!

Amen.

Heavenly Father, your glory is in your saints. We praise your glory in the life of the admirable St. Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church. Her whole life was a noble sacrifice inspired by an ardent love of Jesus, your unblemished Lamb. In troubled times she strenuously upheld the rights of His beloved spouse, The Church. Father, honor her merits and hear her prayers for each of us. Help us to pass unscathed through the corruption of this world, and to remain unshakably faithful to the church in word, deed, and example. Help us always to see in the Vicar of Christ an anchor in the storms of life, and a beacon of light to the harbor of your Love, in this dark night of your times and men’s souls. Grant also to each of us our special petition . . . (pause to pray for your own intentions). We ask this through Jesus, your Son, in the bond of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

St. Catherine of Siena, Pray for us.

For the complete novena visit the St. Catherine of Siena Novena Page

Day 8 St. Catherine of Siena Novena

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Day 8

To Queen Giovanna of Naples (written in trance):

We have three chief foes. First, the devil, who is weak if I do not make him strong by consenting to his malice. He loses his strength in the power of the Blood of the humble and spotless Lamb. The world with all its honors and delights, which is our foe, is also weak, save in so far as we strengthen it to hurt us by possessing these things with intemperate love. In the gentleness, humility, poverty, in the shame and disgrace of Christ crucified, this tyrant the world is destroyed. Our third foe, our own frailty, was made weak; but reason strengthens it by the union which God has made with our humanity, arraying the Word with our humanity, and by the death of that sweet and loving Word, Christ crucified. So we are strong, and our foes are weak.

St. Catherine of Siena, Pray for us.

For the complete novena visit the St. Catherine of Siena Novena Page

Day 7 St. Catherine of Siena Novena

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Day 7

St.-Catherine-of-Siena-photo-by-Bro. Lawrence OP

To the King of France:

Oh, how the man should be ashamed who follows the teaching of the devil and his own lower nature, caring more to gain and keep the riches of this world, which are all vain, and pass like the wind, than for his soul and his neighbor For while abiding in hate with his neighbour, he has hate by his side, since hate deprives him of divine charity. Surely he is foolish and blind, for he does not see that with the sword of hate to his neighbor he is killing himself.

Therefore I beg you, and will that you follow Christ crucified, and love your neighbor’s salvation: proving that you follow the Lamb, who for hunger of His Father’s honor and the salvation of souls chose bodily death. … Care not if you lose from your worldly substance; for loss will be gain to you, provided that you reconcile your soul with your brother.

St. Catherine of Siena, Pray for us.

For the complete novena visit the St. Catherine of Siena Novena Page

Day 6 St. Catherine of Siena Novena

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Day 6

To Brother Raimondo of Capua at Avignon:

I do not want you to fall into weariness or confusion through any vexations that you might feel in your mind; but I want you to keep that good and holy and true faithful will which I know that God in His mercy has given you … Yes, I want that out of the shadows should issue knowledge of yourself, free from confusion…Reflect that through love He keeps your will good, and does not let it run by its own consent or pleasure after the suggestions of the devil. And so, through love, He has permitted to you and me and His other servants, the many vexations and deceits of the devil and fellow-creatures and our own flesh, solely in order that we might rise from negligence, and reach perfect zeal, true humility and most ardent charity: humility which comes from knowledge of self, and charity which comes from knowledge of the goodness of God. There is the soul inspired and consumed by love.

St. Catherine of Siena, Pray for us.

For the complete novena visit the St. Catherine of Siena Novena Page

Day 5 St. Catherine of Siena Novena

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Day 5

To Monna Agnese wife of Francesco, a tailor of Florence

I desire to see thee clothed in true and perfect humility–for that is a little virtue which makes us great in the sight of God. This is the virtue which constrained and inclined God to make His most sweet Son incarnate in the Womb of Mary. It is as exalted as the proud are humbled; it shines in the sight of God and men; it binds the hands of the wicked, it unites the soul with God, it purifies and laves away the soil of our sin, and calls on God to show us mercy.

St. Catherine of Siena, Pray for us.

For the complete novena visit the St. Catherine of Siena Novena Page