Novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Day 1 - May 30

Fidelity

Most Holy Mother of God, our Mother in the order of grace, we the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart come to thee this first day of this Novena to pray for the grace of Fidelity.

Mary, Mother of Holy Love, our Confidence, we invoke thy most sweet Heart, that we may always be faithful to God, the Holy Catholic Church, the Good Angels, our Guardian Angels in particular, and to the Saints in Heaven of which Thou are the Queen.

Mother Mary, Model of Faith while thou was on earth, may we have a fidelity that avoids any depreciating criticism, not only in thoughts, but even more in words. Grant us the strength of self-control so that in all matters or questions of integrity, we may act and answer as thou Mary and our Guardian Angel would answer. May we be steadfast in the service of Holy Mother Church until death and adore the Most Blessed Trinity in communion with thee and all Angels and Saints for all eternity. O Virgin most faithful, Scripture declares thee "Blessed among women;" again it says, "Blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord." (Luke 1:45) Obtain for us a faith so strong that we will accept the Word of God through His Holy Church, even when it is difficult and seems contrary to the way of the world. Loyal to the very end, Mother Mary, thou stood beneath the Cross on Calvary with John the beloved disciple. Thou heard with him the words of the redeeming Savior as He completed His public ministry, "Woman, behold thy Son... Behold thy Mother." (John 19:26-27) It was thy noble role to be Mother and Heart of the infant Church, sustaining the disciples of Christ in courage and prayer, drawing down the power of the Holy Ghost as they gathered around thee after the Ascension awaiting the first Feast of Pentecost.

(State your intentions here…)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Prayer:

Mother of the Church, it has ever been thy part in the Holy Church to invoke for us the virtues of Faith and Hope so that we might live in love, patterned after thy Immaculate Heart. Thou believed, Mary, not only when things were easy; thou continued to believe in Jesus in his darkest hours. With thee as Mother, we shall persevere in fidelity until the very end. Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary: Pray for us!

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Day 2 - May 31

Humility

Immaculate Mother of God, and our Mother by grace, we the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart, come to thee on this second day of this Novena to pray for the grace of humility.

Mary, our Mother, our Confidence, we invoke thy most sweet Heart that we may be thy humble servants and thereby servants of thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. May we live in humility within the refuge of thy Immaculate Heart, as members of the Holy Catholic Church. Obtain for us the grace to live in true faith with courage to serve readily and joyfully. Intercede, O Holy Mother of God, Mediatrix of All Graces, so that we may have a joyful acceptance of our trials.

(State your intentions here…)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Prayer:

May the holy virtue of humility, in which thou excelled to the highest degree, O Ever-Virgin Mother of God, guard us against suspicion, jealousy, envy, against self-sensitivity, against the bearing of grudges, against all thinking of superiority over others. With the fire of thy Heart warm the coldness of our hearts. May we humbly serve Jesus in souls everywhere possible with a spirit of helpfulness, cheerfulness, and strength, without compromise to truth, but in total consecration to thy Immaculate Heart which is at one with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. May the humility we acquire and ask for gain us confidence in the power of thy intercession for our salvation and for the protection and growth of Holy Mother Church. Assist us so that we serve in the present, faithful to tradition, and look toward the future with undiminished trust in the power of thy Immaculate Heart. Guard us, O Holy Immaculate Mother, from the spirit of quarrelsomeness, so that we may live in peace and harmony with our families and others and thereby lead those not now in the Church, to unity in the fullness of the One True Faith, the Holy Catholic Church. O Mary, thou prayed, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for behold, all generations shall call me blessed." (Luke 1:47-48) It was thy humility that made thee great in the divine Light. Send forth now thy Angels and our Guardian Angels, in particular; also the Angel that guards our nation that we may always live by truth. Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary: Pray for us!

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Day 3 - June 1

Obedience

Immaculate Mother of God, our Mother by grace, we the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart come to thee on this third day of this Novena to pray for the grace of Obedience.

Obtain for us, O Holy Mother of God, the spirit of obedience found in responding to the grace of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our souls. May we always realize that obedience comes from the desire to unite our wills with the Will of God. O Spouse of the Holy Ghost, by thy intercession grant us the grace to be open to the ministrations of the Holy Spirit with us and to our Angels who influence us to think and act in harmony with the Divine Will. We desire to submit to all lawful authority, inwardly and outwardly, so as to avoid having those rebellious, dissenting attitudes, which cause the spirit of revenge in our hearts. By union with the Divine Will, with thy Immaculate Heart as guide, O Mother, we will obtain the true peace of the Holy Spirit and union with the Most Blessed Trinity. Obtain for us, the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother Mary, the grace of obedience to all lawful authorities which are in harmony with the laws of God and His Holy Church. In this way, the grace of humility for which we pray will accompany the doing of God's Will and all of the commands we obey will turn out for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls. Intercede, O Glorious Mother, that we may always remember that obedience as a virtue is pleasing to God because it means the sacrifice of our wills out of love for God. May our spirit imitate thine, O Holy Mother, when you answered God's Angel: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me according to Thy word." (Luke 1:38)

(State your intentions here…)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Prayer:

Grant us, O Loving Heart of Mary, the grace of rendering a special respect and undivided obedience to our Holy Father, the Pope and to Bishops who speak and teach in union with him as Vicar of Christ on earth. By always being obedient, may we, with the refuge of thy Immaculate Heart, live in uprightness as in the discipline of a well-ordered army, for the sake of Jesus Christ and His Holy Church. Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary: Pray for us!

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Day 4 - June 2

Charity

Immaculate Mother of God, our Mother by grace, we the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart come to thee on this fourth day of this Novena to pray for the grace of the holy virtue of Charity.

Let rays of light from thy Immaculate Heart penetrate our souls with the love of God. Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of Holy Love, form us according to the Heart of thy Son. His love of the Father and all mankind was so great that He lay down His life for us, even to death on the Cross. Obtain for us the grace of the infused supernatural virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and love others for the sake of God. In devotion to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mary, we will acquire the virtue of supernatural charity by the Divine power of charity infused into our souls together with sanctifying grace.

St. John, Apostle of Love, who received the Mother of Love into thine home and thereby into thy heart according to the word of Jesus Christ from the Cross, we look to thy intercession to obtain for us knowledge of God Who is Love so that we may abide in God, and God in us. Mary, Spouse of the Holy Ghost, it is through thy powerful intercession that the Holy Spirit sanctifies souls and enables us to say "Lord Jesus" in faith and love. Invoke, O Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Spirit of Divine Love to fill us with ever greater love of Jesus Christ and of the Father. Teach us to have faith as thou had faith upon earth and to love as thou lovest. Share even now the flames of the intense love which radiates from thy Heart. Enkindle in us the fire of the Holy Spirit. Help us to serve the Church lovingly and faithfully. In a world grown cold to love, a world divided, unite us through the power of thy prayers, O Immaculate Mother of Love, into one fold under one Shepherd. In drawing us to Jesus, possess our souls, our very lives. Enlighten our every thought, word, and deed, so that our lives reflect thy own.

(State your intentions here…)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Prayer:

As Our Lady of the Holy Eucharist, illuminate and purify us so that we may approach the Sacrament of Love to receive our loving Savior fruitfully to final glory. In this way, one day we will come, O Loving Mother of Grace, to be in Heaven both body and soul with Jesus as King and thou as Queen and Mother. Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary: Pray for us!

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Day 5 - June 3

Silence

Immaculate Mother of God, our Mother by grace, we the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart come to thee on this fifth day of this Novena to pray for the grace of Silence.

Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, exalted above all Angels and Saints, thou partakest in the Heavenly glory of the Beatific Vision of the Blessed Trinity; thou seest God "face to face" even as He Is. (I Cor. 13:12). Obtain for us the grace that everything we speak may be spoken in love and every silence we keep is kept, not in anger, obstinacy, vengefulness, or deceitfulness, but in the sacredness that opens hearts to God's Word. As thou pondered the Word of God in thy Immaculate Heart, O Ever-Virgin Mother of God and Mother of men, obtain for us the grace of silence so that we are not bound to the distractions of the world. Rather, emptied of the world, we desire to be filled with the treasures of Divine Grace. It is in holy silence that we can comprehend Divine treasures and the secrets of the King's Sacred Heart.

Good St. Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus Christ and true husband of Mary, thou loved silence upon earth. The Bible does not record a word thou spoke. Yet, in thy silence, thou had the holiest state in life next to Jesus and Mary. By intercession in union with thy sweet spouse, obtain for us, O Glorious St. Joseph, the grace to imitate both interiorly and exteriorly the spirit of thy silence.

(State your intentions here…)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Prayer:

O Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, in imitation of the silence which reigned in thy home, empty us of worldly noise and distractions so as to hear the voice of the Lord more clearly. Open our hearts to the work of the Holy Angels, who will lead us to faith in and love for the Most Blessed Trinity, the Word made flesh, the Church as the Mystical Body of Jesus and to the highest veneration of God's Mother, the Mother of the Church. May the spirit of materialism never more touch our lives, Heavenly Mother. Help us to be detached from the things of this world, opened in silence to the magnificent melodies of the supernatural. Where our hearts are, there also is our treasure. In the silence of our hearts, "Speak Lord, for thy servant is listening." (I Sam. 3:9). Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary: Pray for us!

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Day 6 - June 4

Right Balance

Immaculate Mother of God, conceived without Original Sin, never touched by the slightest stain of sin, "tainted nature's solitary boast," we the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart come to thee on this sixth day of this Novena to pray for the grace of Right Balance.

O Spotless Virgin-Mother, Mother of God and our Mother by grace, obtain for us right balance as a foundation of candor, of tranquility, of clearness, and holiness. May there be no duplicity in our thoughts and actions. Obtain for us a right balance in the order of our interior life, O Immaculate Heart of Mary, according to the well-ordered interior life thou lived in the perfection of holiness when thou lived on earth. Lead us to grow in holiness with a balance of spirituality so that our wills here below are in harmony with the Kingdom of God in heaven, where thou, as Queen and Mother reign with Jesus Christ thy Son Who is our King and our Lord.

May we avoid all extremes, as thou did, O Mother of God the Son, Daughter of God the Father, and Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Thou were subject to thy loving husband St. Joseph and to the laws of God. May we never be more Catholic than the Church, nor less Catholic than this same Holy Church thy Son Jesus Christ founded. May we seek to live a Catholic life and follow the teachings of the Church in faith and morals without compromise in a harmonious balance. May there be no conflict between what we believe and what we do. May we not demand of others what we decline to practice ourselves. May we never compromise right principles by subtle reasoning. May our speech be "Yes" when we mean "Yes" and "No" when we mean "No." (Mt. 5:37)

(State your intentions here…)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Prayer:

Obtain for us by thy powerful intercession, O Holy Mediatrix of all Graces, a right balance in living the spirit of poverty, chastity, and obedience according to our state in life, so that the wiles of Satan never succeed in getting us to succumb to the spirit of the world, the weakness of the flesh, or the pride of life. Send forth thy Holy Angels, O Queen of Angels, Cause of our Joy, Mother of Mercy. Intercede that we be open to the glorious Spirits of Heaven who are powerful to bring right order in our lives. Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary: Pray for us!

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Day 7 - June 5

To Lead Souls to Jesus Christ

Immaculate Mother of God, our Mother by grace, we the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart come to thee on this seventh day of this Novena to pray for the grace and strength to lead souls to Jesus Christ, our Lord, God, and Savior.

O Heavenly Mother Mary, we come to Jesus when we come to thee. Thy greatness lies in thy being "Mother of God." May living our motto "To Jesus through Mary" lead many souls to thy Son, true God, and true Man. We fly into thy patronage, O Holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

Most Holy Mary, thou conceived the Word of God in thy Immaculate Heart before thy womb. Thou sought always to ponder the Word of God in thy heart perfectly without drawing attention to thyself. It was St. John the Baptist who said, "He must increase but I must decrease." (John 3:30) It was thou, O Mary, who under the power of the Holy Spirit, prayed, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord." (Luke 1:46). May we lead souls to Christ by decreasing ourselves and by always proclaiming the greatness of the Lord. With thou as our Mother and Model, Immaculate Mary, may we never waver in leading souls to the Father through Jesus in His Holy Catholic Church, under the visible headship of the Pontiff.

(State your intentions here…)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Prayer:

Sanctify us, O Lord, through Thy Holy Spirit, that we may be instruments for the sanctification of others by word and deed. Thou said, "A man cannot receive anything unless it be given to him from Heaven." (John 3:27). May the glory of God and the salvation of souls always be our goals. May we remember, O heavenly Mother, that we teach as much by what we are as by what we say. May we never lead another soul astray. By our prayers, sacrifices, and teaching, in the performance of our daily duties, may we always lead souls to Jesus Christ, where lies their hope of eternal salvation.

As apostles of thy love, Immaculata, illumine and purify us, so that we may be effective servants of the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ in leading many souls to the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary: Pray for us!

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Day 8 - June 6

Sanctity

Immaculate Mother of God, our Mother by grace, we the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart come to thee on this eighth day of this Novena to pray for the grace to become Saints of God.

Queen of Angels and Saints, we desire to become saints, not for our own glory, but for the honor and glory of God alone. At our Baptism, O Holy Mother, we were first sanctified when "the love of God was poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." (Romans 5:5) At the same time, the entire Blessed Trinity came to dwell within us. We are now in the period of our second sanctification which shall continue throughout life as we correspond with Divine inspirations, striving to practice Christian virtues. Thus, we hope to grow more and more unto the likeness of thy Son, Jesus Christ. Assist us, O Holy Mother Mary, never to waste a single grace.

Mother Mary, in a living consecration to thy Immaculate Heart, we ask to live the consecration of our Baptism. May we arrive at that third sanctification which will take place when we enter Heaven. There we will become totally and irrevocably united with the Most Blessed Trinity in the Beatific Vision, in "what no eye hath seen nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him." (I Cor. 2:9)

We believe, Sweet Heart of Mary, that our sanctification lies in the performance of our daily duty in Christ, doing the will of God each day according to our state in life. May we be ever mindful, O Holy Mother, that the sacrifice especially requires of each of us is the fulfillment of His laws in the performance of our daily duty while living in a spirit of charity towards our neighbor. May we persevere in living the fullness of true faith in the Catholic Church, which is the Mystical Body of Jesus of which thou art Mother.

(State your intentions here…)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Prayer:

O Lady of Victory, keep us ever mindful of thy Son Who said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; for he that shall lose his life for My sake, shall save it." (Luke 9:23-24) Each one of us has a Guardian Angel to assist us in the battle against the forces of evil so as to lead us to our Heavenly home. Heavenly Mother of our Savior, keep us open to the good Holy Angels as they teach us through the voice of conscience. Thus will we live in harmony with the Word of God as taught by Holy Mother Church. Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary: Pray for us!

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Day 9 - June 7

Imitation of Mary

Immaculate Mother of God, our Mother by grace, we the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart come to thee on this final day of this Novena to pray for the grace to imitate thee, our Heavenly Mother in thy life of faith, hope, charity, humility, purity - all the Christian virtues in which thou excelled to a perfect degree. Created "full of grace," thou increased more in grace day by day. At the Annunciation, Immaculate Mary thou replied to the Angel: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me according to Thy word." (Luke 1:38) Thy cousin, St. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Ghost, greeted thee: "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb... And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things will be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord." (Luke 42-45) Thy Divine Son Jesus Christ praised thee in response to the woman in the crowd: "...blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it." (Luke 1:28) Thus did Jesus praise thy faith and love even more than thy physical maternity. It was thy perfect faith, O Mary, in which thy Motherhood was rooted and which inspires us yet today. Thou responded in love as the Spirit of Love overshadowed thee. Thou lived the beatitudes perfectly, serving the Church both as Mother and Model for the Church.

Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, calls upon all to imitate thee in faith and love when He said: "Who is my mother and my brethren? ...Behold my mother and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother, and my sister and mother." (Mark 3:33-35)

Our Mother of Mercy, "God hath regarded the humility of His handmaid." It was of thee, Mother Mary, that St. Luke the Evangelist wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, beholding thee as the first disciple who heard the Word of God and did it perfectly. (Luke 1:38) Thou was present at the beginning of the Gospel and the beginning of the Church as a perfect example: "All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with...and Mary the Mother of Jesus..." (Acts 1:14).

(State your intentions here…)

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...

Prayer:

Mary, inspiration for every Christian vocation - single and virginal, married, parent, widowed, religious - by thy perfection in all virtues, living the beatitudes perfectly, thou has inspired all generations which have called thee "Blessed." At the wedding feast of Cana, as "Daughter of Zion," thou greeted the Messianic bridegroom as thy represented the Church as, His Bride. On Calvary, as the new Eve, representing the Church, the new Israel, thou became the Mother of all. Today, ever still we hear thy words, "Do whatever He tells you." (John 2:5) And we hear still His words from the Cross: "Woman, this is thy Son. This is thy Mother." (John 19:27) In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2), in the Cenacle, we see thee, O Mary, prayerfully imploring the gift of the Holy Ghost for the Church. For none days thou teaches the Apostles how to pray. Gathered around thee and inspired by thy Immaculate Heart, Peter, the first Pope, and the other disciples of the Lord imitated thy perfection of faith, hope, and love in prayer as thou awaited with them the fulfillment of the promise of the Lord. We, the beloved of thy Immaculate Heart, gathered about thee even now, implore thy special prayers for the outpouring again of the Holy Spirit upon all members of Holy Mother Church. In confidence, we now present to thy Holy and Immaculate Heart the special intentions for which we have made this Novena. Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary: Pray for us!

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