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Treasures of the Church-
Devotions |
CHRISTMAS
NOVENA
Hail, and blessed
be the hour and moment at which the Son of God was born of a most
pure Virgin at a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing
cold At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, to hear my prayers and
grant my desires (mention request here). Through Jesus Christ and
His most Blessed Mother.
Day 1
Prayer: O Great Son
of God, Thou hast become man in order to make Thyself loved by men.
But where is the love that men give Thee in return? Thou hast given
Thy life blood to save our souls.
Why then are we so
unappreciative that, instead of repaying Thee with love, we spurn
Thee with ingratitude? And I, Lord, I myself more than others have
thus ill treated Thee.
But Thy Passion is my
hope. For the sake of that love which led Thee to take upon Thyself
human nature and to die for me on the cross, forgive me all the
offenses I have committed against Thee.
I love Thee, O Word
Incarnate; I love Thee, O infinite goodness. Out of love for Thee,
that I could die of grief for these offenses. Give me, O Jesus, Thy
love. Let me no longer live in ungrateful forgetfulness of the love
Thou bearest me. I wish to love Thee always. Grant that I may always
preserve in this holy desire.
O Mary, Mother of God
and my Mother, pray for me that thy Son may give me the grace to
love Him always, unto death. Amen.
Day 2
Prayer: O Dearest
Infant! Tell me, what hast Thou come on earth to do? Tell me, whom
art Thou seeking? Yes, I already know. Thou has come to die for me,
in order to save me from hell. Thou hast come to seek me, the lost
sheep, so that, instead of fleeing from Thee any more, I may rest in
Thy loving arms. Ah my Jesus, my treasure, my life, my love and my
all! Whom will I love, if not Thee? Where can I find a father, a
friend, a spouse more loving and lovable than Thou art?
I love Thee, my dear
God; I love Thee, my only good. I regret the many years when I have
not loved Thee, but rather spurned and offended Thee. Forgive me, O
my beloved Redeemer; for I am sorry that I have thus treated Thee,
and I regret it with all my heart. Pardon me, and give me the grace
never more to withdraw from Thee, but constantly to love Thee in all
the years that still lie before me in this life. My love, I give
myself entirely to Thee; accept me, and do not reject me as I
deserve.
O Mary, thou art my
advocate. By thy prayers thou dost obtain whatever thou wilt from
thy Son. Pray Him then to forgive me, and to grant me holy
perseverance until death. Amen.
Day 3
Prayer: O Dear Infant
Jesus, how could I be so ungrateful and offend Thee so often, if I
realized how much Thou hast suffered for me? But these tears which
Thou sheddest, this poverty which Thou embracest for love of me,
make me hope for the pardon of all the offenses I have committed
against Thee.
My Jesus, I am sorry
for having so often turned my back on Thee. But now I love Thee
above all else. "My God and my all!" From now on Thou, O my God,
shalt be my only treasure and my only good. With Saint Ignatius of
Loyola I will say to Thee, "Give me the grace to love Thee; that is
enough for me." I long for nothing else; I want nothing else. Thou
alone art enough for me, my Jesus, my life, my love.
O Mary, my Mother,
obtain for me the grace that I may always love Jesus and always be
loved by Him.
Day 4
Prayer: O Dearest
Savior, Thou hast embraced so many outrages for love of me, yet I
have not been able to bear one word of insult without at once being
filled with resentful thought, I who have so often deserved to be
trodden under foot by the demons in hell! I am ashamed to appear
before Thee, sinful and proud as I am. Yet do not drive me from Thy
presence, O Lord, even though that is what I deserve. Thou hast said
that Thou wilt not spurn a contrite and humbled heart. I am sorry
for the offenses I have committed against Thee. Forgive me, O Jesus.
I will not offend Thee again.
For love of me Thou
hast borne so many injuries; for love of Thee I will bear all the
injuries that are done to me. I love Thee, Jesus, who was despised
for love of me. I love Thee above every other good. Give me the
grace to love Thee always and to bear every insult for love of Thee.
O Mary, recommend me
to Thy Son; pray to Jesus for me. Amen.
Day 5
Prayer: O Jesus, my
sweet Love! I too have kept Thee suffering through all Thy life.
Tell me, then, what I must do in order to win Thy forgiveness. I am
ready to do all Thou askest of me. I am sorry, O sovereign Good, for
all the offenses I have committed against Thee. I love Thee more
than myself, or a least I feel a great desire to love Thee. Since it
is Thou who hast given me this desire, do Thou also give me the
strength to love Thee exceedingly.
It is only right that
I, who have offended Thee so much, should love Thee very much.
Always remind me of the love Thou hast borne me, in order that my
soul may ever burn with love of Thee and long to please Thee alone.
O God of love, I, who was once a slave of hell, now give myself all
to Thee. Graciously accept me and bind me to Thee with the bonds of
Thy love. My Jesus, from this day and forever in loving Thee will I
live, and in loving Thee will I die.
O Mary, my Mother and
my hope, help me to love Thy dear God and mine. This is the only
favor I ask of thee, and through thee I hope to receive it. Amen.
Day 6
Prayer: O my Dear
Redeemer! Where should I be now, if Thou hadst not borne with me
so patiently, but hadst called me from life while I was in the
state of sin? Since Thou hast waited for me till now, forgive me
quickly, O my Jesus, before death finds me still guilty of so
many offenses that I have committed against Thee. I am so sorry
for having vilely despised Thee, my sovereign Good, that I could
die of grief. But Thou canst not abandon a soul that seeks Thee.
If hitherto I
have forsaken Thee, I now seek Thee and love Thee. Yes, my God,
I love Thee above all else; I love Thee more than myself. Help
me, Lord, to love Thee always during the rest of my life.
Nothing else do I seek of Thee. But this I beg of Thee, this I
hope to receive from Thee.
Mary, my hope, do
thou pray for me. If thou prayest for me, I am sure of grace.
Amen.
Day 7
Prayer: Dear
Infant Jesus, crying so bitterly! Well hast Thou reason to weep
in seeing Thyself persecuted by men whom Thou lovest so much. I,
too, O God, have once persecuted Thee by my sins. But Thou
knowest that now I love Thee more than myself, and that nothing
pains me more than the thought that I have so often spurned
Thee, my sovereign Good.
Forgive me, O
Jesus, and let me bear Thee with me in my heart n all the rest
of the journey that I have still to make through life, so that
together with Thee I may enter into eternity. So often have I
driven Thee from my soul by my sins. But now I love Thee above
all things, and I regret above other misfortunes that I have
offended Thee. I wish to leave Thee no more, my beloved Lord.
But do Thou give me the strength to resist temptations. Never
permit me to be separated from Thee again. Let me rather die
than ever again lose Thy good grace.
O Mary, my hope,
make me always live in God's love and then die in loving Him.
Amen.
Day 8
Prayer: O Jesus,
my Savior! When I consider how, for love of me, Thou didst spend
thirty years of Thy life hidden and unknown in a poor workshop,
how can I desire the pleasures and honors and riches of the
world? Gladly do I renounce all these things, since I wish to be
Thy companion on this earth, poor as Thou wast, mortified and
humble as Thou wast, so that I may hope to be able one day to
enjoy Thy companionship in heaven. What are all the treasures
and kingdoms of this world? Thou, O Jesus, art my only treasure,
my only Good!
I keenly regret
the many times in the past when I spurned Thy friendship in
order to satisfy my foolish whims. I am sorry for them with all
my heart. For the future I would rather lose my life a thousand
times than lose Thy grace by sin. I wish never to offend Thee
again, but always to love Thee. Help me to remain faithful to
Thee until death.
O Mary, thou art
the refuge of sinners, thou art my hope. Amen.
Day 9
Prayer: O
Adorable Infant Jesus! I should not have the boldness to cast
myself at Thy feet, if I did not know that Thou Thyself invitest
me to draw near Thee. It is I who by my sins have made Thee shed
so many tears in the stable of Bethlehem. But since Thou hast
come on earth to pardon repentant sinners, forgive me also, now
that I am heartily sorry for having spurned Thee, my Savior and
my God, who art so good and who hast loved me so much.
In this night, in
which Thou bestowest great graces on so many souls, grant Thy
heavenly consolation to this poor soul of mine also. All that I
ask of Thee is the grace to love Thee always, from this day
forward, with all my heart. Set me all on fire with Thy holy
love. I love Thee, O my God, who hast become a Babe for love of
me. Never let me cease from loving Thee ever more.
O Mary, Mother of
Jesus and my Mother, thou canst obtain everything from thy Son
by thy prayers. This is the only favor I ask of Thee. Do thou
pray to Jesus for me. Amen.
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
