The Original Novena

This weekend we celebrate Mother’s Day. It is a day to think of our mothers and all others who fulfill a nurturing role in our lives. Whether they are still in this world or already in the next, we pray that God may reward them for making his love present in so many special ways. Please join me in praying for all mothers (and others who play a nurturing role), using the words of the Church’s Book of Blessings:

A novena is typically a nine-day period during which prayers are said each day for a particular intention. Where did the idea of praying for nine days come from? Well, in the Acts of the Apostles St. Luke tells us that the Risen Lord remained on earth for forty days (Acts 1:3); and we know that Pentecost was fifty days after Easter. This leaves an interval of nine days from the Ascension of Jesus until the vigil of Pentecost. And what did the disciples do during those nine days? They “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer.” (Acts 1:14) That was the first Christian novena.

I tell you this now so that you may imitate the disciples and prepare for the feast of Pentecost by praying a novena. If you start on May 18 (which is celebrated as Ascension Thursday in many places), you will finish the novena on May 27, the day before Pentecost. What a great way to prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit! Certainly we can see the need for the Holy Spirit in our lives, in our community, and in our world. Praying a novena before the feast of his coming is a way to unite ourselves with Christians of all times and places, going all the way back to that first novena prayed in preparation for the first Pentecost.

What prayers should you say during your novena? There are numerous sites on the internet, and numerous apps that contain novena prayers for the coming of the Holy Spirit; or perhaps (like me) you have a prayer book that contains such novena prayers. However you choose to do it, let’s all pray that the Holy Spirit may come with his seven gifts and all the graces we need to be truly united to Jesus Christ.

Gratefully Yours,

Honoring Our Mothers

This weekend we celebrate Mother’s Day. It is a day to think of our mothers and all others who fulfill a nurturing role in our lives. Whether they are still in this world or already in the next, we pray that God may reward them for making his love present in so many special ways. Please join me in praying for all mothers (and others who play a nurturing role), using the words of the Church’s Book of Blessings:

Loving God,

as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children,

so you watch over your Church.

Bless these women,

that they may be strengthened as Christian mothers.

Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.

Grant that we, their sons and daughters,

may honor them always

with a spirit of profound respect.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

May God bless all our mothers on their special day and always!

Gratefully Yours,

Full of Grace

When the Angel Gabriel spoke to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation, the angel greeted her with the words, “Hail, full of grace.” When we repeat these words in one of our best-known Catholic prayers, we add her name: “Hail, Mary, full of grace.” The fact that the angel did not use her name does not diminish the greeting given to Mary; it simply shows us the key to her identity: she was filled with the life and love of God.

The Easter Season gives special emphasis to the reality of our Baptism, since it is the cornerstone of our identity as Christians. In Baptism the life and love of God enters us in a particularly strong way, making us “full of grace.” As Christians, we have a special relationship with God and also with everyone who shares the life of grace. This includes a special relationship with the Virgin Mary.

Are we still full of grace? Well, we are not perfect. We do our best to cultivate the life of grace God gives us. As we do so, it is only right that we look to Mary, who is the Mother of all Christians. The month of May is especially dedicated to her, so this is a good time to remind ourselves that the Mother of Christ is our mother as well. She looks out for us and prays to her Son with us and for us. Pray an extra “Hail Mary” every now and then during this month as a powerful expression of faith that our holy Mother prays for us “now and at the hour of our death.”

Gratefully Yours,