Novena for our NFP Apostolate – Day 8
Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication
(Song of Songs 4:12)
A garden enclosed, my sister, my bride, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed!
(Acts 17:22-29)
The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything. He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’ as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
We Adore You, O Christ, and We Bless You, Because by Your Cross You Have Redeemed the World
Contrition
Lord, your radiance is on display in all the peoples of the world. Each soul is willed by you and sustained by you from the moment of its creation. Sometimes we find ourselves repulsed by those whom, at that very moment, and eternally, you are sustaining, loving, and with whom you desire a perfect union. At that moment, the gulf between us and you is so clear; you desire those souls and we do not. In our ministry, we are taxed by souls that seem unresponsive, hard hearted, and sometimes even hostile. These are the very souls you give us as cherished gifts, to grow in us a longing for souls. And these souls require of us more effort, more training, more patience, more grace. As we work with you, you are shaping our souls. Lord, may we allow you to form us in your image, may we conform our thoughts to your thoughts.
Lord thank you, forgive me, help me more.
Lord you have given us great intercessors, thank you.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, appeared to Juan Diego in 1531. She instructed Juan Diego to pick and present flowers to the local Bishop as a sign. The Bishop was skeptical but allowed Juan Diego to present his supposed sign. When Juan Diego opened his tilma the bishop fell to his knees as the flowers cascaded to the floor. Unbeknownst to Juan Diego, his tilma had become a gate of heaven for the Bishop to see the living mother of God. She was before him, fully alive, fully present. Then as rapidly as the Bishop was fully cognizant of her full gaze on him, her image fused to the tilma. The tilma, a temporal garment, had become a vessel of honor to carry the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She had presented herself as a virgin with child. The heavenly light, fused as an image, reminding us of our human condition, spirit and matter, presented to the Americas as a sign, reminds us that we are always in the presence of God if we have ‘eyes to see’. We are meant to image the divine, to make God present to others. As Mary presented our Lord still hidden in her womb, we must carry Christ to others, hidden in us, but living and active, for we are his offspring, to be light to the world.
CCL’s family prayer:
Lord God, you called us into communion with you, whether in celibacy or in holy matrimony, to reflect your love in a life of service. In a world which has grown blind to the beauty of your creation, help us to live the love with fidelity and fruitfulness.
Send your Holy Spirit to give us the courage to speak the truth, and faith so that we are not discouraged.
We entrust the work of the Couple to Couple League to your care. Make us good stewards and credible witnesses. May we always be faithful to you.
We seek the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph, Sts. Joachim and Anne, and St. Gianna Beretta Molla. May they and all the communion of saints intercede on our behalf to Jesus Christ, the Lord of Life.
Amen.
We ask for the intercession of our patrons.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Sts. Joachim & Anne, pray for us.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla, pray for us.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
Amen.
The Virgin of Guadalupe Miguel Cabrera 1764 Museo de America, Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Framed Tiles