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
