St. Andrew Christmas Novena

 

Please join me in praying the Saint Andrew Novena.

It is piously believed that whoever recites the St. Andrew Christmas novena prayer FIFTEEN times each day from the feast of St. Andrew (November 30th) until Christmas Eve will obtain the favor requested.
(From ASCENSIONPRESS.COM)

St. Andrew Christmas Novena
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother.

Amen

November 30 is the Feast of Saint Andrew. He is the patron saint of fisherman, singers, Scotland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and Patras. Also known as Saint Andrew the Apostle, he was the older brother of Saint Simon Peter, the first Pope of the Catholic Church. In the Gospel of Matthew,  Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee when He  saw Andrew and Simon Peter fishing. It was in that moment that Jesus famously asked them to leave their occupations as fishermen to become disciples and “fishers of men.”
(From catholic.org)

 

 

Novena for Conversion – Day One

 

 

Beginning today and in honor of All Saints Day please join me in praying the Novena for Conversion!

God wants all of us to be happy with Him in Heaven at the end of our lives. But in our fallen world, many of us stray far from Him and fall into sin. All of us are in need of conversion at some level during our lives. We must continually repent of our sin and resolve to begin again as we strive for holiness.

But sometimes, some of us fall into a deeper pattern of sin and are in need of a more radical conversion to return back to friendship with God. True conversion can only come about through God’s grace. Those who are far from God’s friendship are in great need of our prayers.

Let’s offer our prayers in the Novena for Conversion, that all people who are far from God’s friendship may be given the grace of true conversion in their lives!

Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/novena-for-conversion

Novena for Conversion – Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank You and praise You for the many ways You have blessed us and brought us close to You in our lives. We humbly ask that You grant the grace of conversion to all who are in need of it.

You created us all to ultimately live with You in Heaven. But because sin entered the world, many of us have strayed far from You. Some people even live their whole lives far from Christianity and do not know You at all.

We ask You to grant the grace of conversion to all who are far from Your friendship, and we particularly ask today that You bring all those who have never known You to conversion!

Help us to grow to a more intimate relationship with You each day. Help us to grow in holiness at every opportunity.

And I especially ask in this novena (mention your intentions here).

Lord, hear our prayers!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Prayer to Your Guardian Angel

 

It is true. Angels are real and part of God’s creation.  One of the best things about angels is each of us is blessed to have  one especially  entrusted with guarding and protecting us on earth from the day we are born until the day we die. These are Guardian Angels.  To learn more about Guardian Angels read Don’t Name (Or Try to Discover the Name) of Your Guardian Angel  

What’s the best way to have a relationship with your Guardian Angel?
WATCH

 

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 336

‘From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their (the angels) watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united to God. ‘

 

Prayer to Your Guardian Angel
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.

Amen.

 

 

 

What is a Novena?

 

What is a novena?
A novena is a set of prayers and devotions to God recited over nine consecutive days, hence the name “novena” which is derived from the Latin “novem” meaning “nine.” Novenas are prayed for specific purposes, requests or petitions and often are how we ask patron saints to pray and intercede for us when we have specific needs.

This pattern of prayer has biblical roots. It  is a tradition that is traced back to the Apostles, specifically to when Jesus  instructed the Apostles to pray together in anticipation of the Holy Spirit as he ascended to Heaven.

“But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” Acts 1:8-9.

You may remember that upon receiving these instructions from Jesus, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem which was a full day’s journey, found an upper room in a house and together with the blessed Virgin Mary, they prayed constantly for the next nine days (Acts1:12-14) until the Holy Spirit descended on them like “tongues of fire.”  (Acts 2: 1-4).

So you see, the novenas we pray today are not randomly concocted rituals. On the contrary. The tradition of praying novenas evolved from the Apostles obedience to the Lord’s command, when they prayed for nine days in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Novenas are a wonderful way to remain faithful and persistent in prayer, something Jesus reminds us to do, time and time again, in the Gospel. Praying novenas is yet another simple way to live the faith everyday.

How to pray a novena.
It is traditional to begin praying certain novenas on specific days of the year, but you may choose to pray any novena any time you wish. All it takes is a sincere heart and a willingness to commit to the process, but if you a miss a day, don’t panic.  And don’t give up. You can skip the day you miss. You can recite two daily prayers to catch up for the one you missed. Or, you can resume without catching up and take longer to complete the novena.  Remember, God is forgiving and merciful!

It is also important to remember that God is in control of all things and praying a novena does not guarantee a desired outcome. Regardless of our petitions, God knows what is best for us. When we pray in faith we must accept that God’s will may not be what we want, but it is always what we need to fulfill his plan for our lives and for the lives of those for whom we pray.

For answers to answers to frequently asked questions about praying novenas, visit Pray More Novenas.