Novena To Our Lady Of Perpetual Help. Day 5

ACT OF CONTRITION

My Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, my father and redeemer, behold at Thy feet a poor sinner who has so grievously afflicted Thy loving Heart. O lovable Jesus, how could i have offended thee and filled with bitterness that Heart that love me so and that has spared no effort to attain my love? How great has been my in gratitude! But, O my saviour, be consoled, be consoled, I say to thee; now i find myself repentant, such grief i feel for the afflictions i have caused thee, that i would like to die of poor sorrow and contrition. O my Jesus! who could have make me weep for sin as Thou hast wept for them in Thy mortal life! My soul is oppressed for having offended Thee. Eternal father, in satisfaction for my offences I offer Thee the affliction and sorrow the Heart of Thy Divine Son has felt for them. And Thou, O Loving Jesus! give me such a horror for sin that from now on it may make me avoid even the most trifling of faults. Depart from my heart, earthly affections; I do not want to love anything now but my most bountiful Redeemer. O my Jesus, help me, strengthen me, and pardon me.

My Mother of perpetual help, intercede for me and obtain for me the pardon of my sins.

PREPARATORY PRAYER

(To be said everyday)

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary! Who to inspire us with boundless confidence has been pleased to take the sweet name of Mother of Perpetual help, I implore Thee to come to my aid always and everywhere, in my temptations, after my falls, in my difficulties, in all the miseries of life, and above all, at the hour of my death. Give me, O loving Mother, the desire, nay more, the habit always to have recourse to Thee, for i feel assured that if i am faithful in invoking Thee, Thou will be faithful in coming to my assistance. Obtain for me, then, this grace of graces, the grace to pray to Thee without ceasing, and with childlike trust, that, by means of my constant plea, I may ensure Thy Perpetual Help and final perseverance. Bless me, O tender and solicitous Mother, pray for me now and at the hour of my death. Amen

FIFTH DAY MEDITATION

Our Lady of Perpetual Help protects Her devotees in all the
necessities and afflictions of life.

Let us consider that the world is a place of trial, a valley of tears and weeping. Who is unaware of it? “Man”, says Job, ” born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many works and miseries.” His work is  that of Calvary. Such is the condition of every mortal. That is why the author of the “Imitation of Christ” says: Man needs consolation. “And this consolation…where will our afflicted heart find it? Perhaps in our friends and neighbours? Ah, no! Usually they look with indifference upon our tribulations; our tears do not move them; and if one of them is moved to compassion upon seeing our sorrow, often he does not know how to mitigate it in the least, because he is impotent. Of whom can we ask help in poverty, consolation in afflictions, counsel in doubts? Of whom but of Her Who is the Perpetual Help of mortals.

Look, afflicted soul, see how the divine Infant clasps the hand of His tender Mother. He has seen the cross and the instrument of His passion that the angels present to Him, and He has become terrified, and His Heart has said: “My sorrow is always before My eyes.” But where does He seek consolation? in His good Mother Who extends Her hand to Him, to support and comfort Him in His suffering! Let us learn from the Heavenly Infant to have recourse to the compassionate Mother of Perpetual Help in our afflictions and trials. Perpetual are our miseries; but, oh consolation! Perpetual also is her Help.

Poor soul! Do not be discouraged. Your Mother sees the many and varied calamities that grieves you. She sees what torment your body and afflicts your soul.

Are you poor? Neither the necessities of your family, nor the afflictions of your heart, nor the tears you shed for lack of means with which to procure food or to satisfy your creditor or to provide honestly for your children pass unnoticed by Her.

Are you ill? She sees the pain that consumes you, the abhorrence that afflicts you, the fear that oppresses you, the days you pass without relief, the nights you count without rest. Are you the target of another’s envy or anger? Are you calumniated? Do you find reason for affliction within your own family? This compassionate Mother witnesses your bitterness, the injustices committed against you in tribunals, the harm your rivals cause you, the outrage and offence you receive from your relatives. She counts your tear. This with all the rest that afflicts you, She sees without withdrawing Her penetrating and benign glance from you for one moment.

And She not only sees it, but it seems that She feels it more vividly than you yourself. A mother is of mercy; and that is why, just as She sees our miseries with the eyes of a mother with the heart of a mother She sympathizes with them. In such a way that, just as at the foot of the cross, the wounds of the most sacred Body of Jesus were reflected in the loving Heart of Mary, thus all the injuries of our wounded heart are reproduced in that of our Heavenly Mother. Finally, this tender Mother not only sees our miseries and our heart open but is moved by our misfortune  in a gesture of helping us with all haste.

And She exercises this pious office with us continually. Is She doing anything but granting us help in our necessities? Ah! no matter how little we dedicate our thoughts to the many laborious evils to which we are subject in life, we will come to see that in everything, She defends us, relieves us, protects us. At the wedding at Cana, scarcely was She aware of the lack of wine, of the shame of the bridegroom and of the disturbance of the the guests, when moved to compassion, She presented that necessity to Her son, begging sweetly to apply the opportune remedy; thus, in the same way, now that She is seated gloriously at the right hand of Her Son in Heaven, She continually discloses to Him all our necessities. She begs Him without ceasing either to alleviate our miseries or to provide powerful help to suffer them with humble resignation, as this or that may rebound to His greater glory and our spiritual good.

Well then: if such are the benign effects that we experience everyday from the loving help of Mary, what must be our gratitude towards a Mother so kind, what must be our affection for a Mother so tender, what must be our confidence in a Mother Who loves us so and concerns Herself so much with us? She has Her eyes always fixed on our miseries, with Her Heart always disposed to be compassionate and with Her hands always open in an attitude of remedying them. Let us have continuous and devout recourse then, to this most kind Mother, disclosing to Her with filial confidence all our needs, and let us be assured that through Her we will have our perpetual relief, encouragement and consolation. Amen.

Meditate and ask for what you wish to obtain from Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

JOYS

AT THE END OF EACH PARAGRAPH SAY

“Come hasten to assist me, O Mother sweet and kind!”

Thou art Perpetual Help benign;
Come, therefore, I implore Thee:
Come hasten to assist me.
O Mother sweet and kind!

Hear, O Virgin pure,
Our fervent prayers of love
That fly to Thee above
On Thine exalted Throne.

Stained by guilt and sin
I bow my head and cry;
And at Thy feet I sigh
for clemency and love.

Free the careless soul
From it tepid ways,
And set the soul ablaze
with fervour in devotion

Wretched in this vale
Of pain and tribulation,
For heavenly consolation
I humbly beg of Thee.

If my virtue wanes
When tempests howl and roar,
My energies restore
Beloved Morning Star.

To Thy faithful child
Encouragement provide,
And toward virtue guide
His weak unsteady step.

Free my fickle heart
from all its lassitude,
And grant it fortitude
To lead a sinless life.

In the final clash
With death in all its fright,
How great my soul’s delight
If then i can exclaim:

In purgatory’s fire,
Dear Mother, please be sweet;
Great Lady, I entreat,
Alleviate my pains.

Grant me, Mother dear,
As fond farewell to Thee,
To sing eternally
With love and praise to Thee:

Come hasten to assist me
O Mother sweet and kind!

EJACULATORY PRAYER

In all my difficulties and miseries, come to my aid, O Mother most kind!

EXERCISE

When some labour is presented, say; O Mother of Perpetual help! Take this chalice from me or give me virtue and fortitude to bear it for the love of my God.

PRAYER

O Mother of Perpetual Help! In the same manner as a poor, ragged and wounded one presents himself to a great Queen, I present myself to Thee, Who art the Queen of Heaven and earth. From the exalted throne where Thou art seated, I beg Thee, do not disdain to turn Thy merciful eyes toward this unhappy sinner. For that is why God has enriched Thee so much, to help the poor, and He has established Thee, Queen of Mercy, so Thou mayest alleviate the miserable. Behold me, then, and have mercy on me. I am not unaware that Thy merciful Heart finds consolation in aiding the miserable. Today, then, console Thy pious Heart and console me, too, since Thou has occassion to assist me. See, O tender Mother, the affliction of my heart; see the needs of my family. There are so many causes for affliction in my own home and so much persecution on the part of my neighbours; illness torment my body and interior pains devour my soul. in these afflictions, to whom must I have recourse, O my Lady and Mother, but to Thee, Who art Mother of Perpetual Help? Allow me, then, to say with St. Bernard: “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to Thy protection, implored Thy help, or sought Thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence I fly unto Thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To Thee I come, before Thee I knee, sinful and sorrowful. O mother of the word incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in Thy mercy, hear and answer me.  Amen.

EXAMPLE

At the end of the year 1883, while the free-thinkers of the United States were celebrating their annual reunion in Rochester, and in their impious discourse were denying the existence of God and of His works, behold suddenly a marvellous event occurred that occupied the American press; it is the following:

In the city of Boston, the directress of a college had a horrible cancer in her breast that had broken out in three places. The most distinguished doctors of Boston had examined the disease and judged it incurable, unless there was a happy outcome to a surgical operation. The sick woman, although with repugnance, had to consent to it; but first she began a novena to Our Lady Of Perpetual Help. Eight days had passed without the desired result and the operation was to be performed on the following day. Several distinguished professors from the university, among them its head, were to cooperate in this painful undertaking. They put the sick woman to sleep with a soporific drink and placed her on the operating table. The head surgeon was somewhat distant, and the surgeon assigned to begin that risky task, asked him with which of the three wounds he was to start. “With the largest, he was answered” But behold, the surgeon could not find any cancer. Very courageously the head surgeon approached the sick woman, and imagine his surprise when neither could he find any sign of the terrible disease, nevertheless, he affirmed solemnly to the doctors who were present, that the previous evening and that very same morning he himself had seen three horrible cancers in the breast of the sick woman. He added that their appearance was a mystery to him.

They released the sick woman and awaked her. Not feeling any pain she asked why they released her. They assured her that the operation was not necessary. Having convinced herself of that fact, she began to give thanks to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, declaring to the incredulous, but stunned, doctors, that this was the work of the good Mother, in Whose honour a novena was coming to an end on that very same day.

May the virgin of Perpetual Help be loved, praised, invoked and eternally blessed! May she be my hope, my love, my Mother, My refuge and my life. Amen.

NOVENA PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP DAY Six