Parish Novena. October 1-9

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Parish Novena. October 1-9"

Colin Jenkins
6 years ago
Views:

1 Parish Novena October 1-9 Participate Three Ways Bible Reading Faith Meditations Or do both Culminating Prayer Event: Oct. 9 Wednesday 6:30 P.M. in the Church. With our Youth

3 What is a Novena? A novena, is a Catholic tradition of praying. After the ascension of Jesus, the Acts of the Apostles tells us that the Apostles and Mary gathered together and devoted themselves single-mindedly to prayer (Acts 1:14). And on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of the Lord came to them. Based on this, Christians have always prayed for various needs, trusting that God hears and answers prayer. Over time, the custom of praying for nine consecutive days for a particular need came to be called praying a novena, since novena means nine. This Parish Novena is a specific prayer for the success of the Forward in Faith Capital Campaign. The goal for the campaign is to strengthen Catholic education and formation throughout the diocese. This Novena is to ask the Holy Spirit to be with us and help as individuals and as a community to be a part of the success of this campaign. We come together as a community to read the Bible and to meditate on our Faith as a form of prayer and worship. Sign up to read from the Bible sometime during the Novena. The time slots are 15 minutes each. Sign up for one or more slots. Maybe sign up for one slot each day. Do what works for you. It is our goal to read the entire Bible within this time period so we will need everyone to participate. Or each day of the Novena, October 1 9, use this booklet to read the suggested scripture passage on Faith, meditate on its meaning, and then journal (write down) what the Spirit has led you to understand. Finish your time of prayer and meditation each day by saying the Forward in Faith Parish Prayer, found on the back page of this booklet. Instructions on The Bible Reading : 1

4 1. Sign up for time slots before the Novena begins on October 1 st. 2. Come to the church for your reading time and sign in in the log book. Check the checkbox giving consent to post your name on St. Gregory s Facebook page for the Bible Reading Log for the day (optional). 3. Read the Bible during your time slot, picking up where the previous reader left off. 4. When finished with your reading time, Mark in the Bible where you left off with an underline out to the margin of the page and then sign your name and date in the margin. 5. Take the time to quietly recite the Parish Forward in Faith prayer, found on the back of this booklet, before leaving the church. 6. If you would like, post a comment on St. Gregory s Facebook page under the Bible Reading entry. The comment could be about what you read that day, or what you thought about the experience. Instructions on Daily Faith Meditations; 1. Set aside some time each day, October 1-9 to do the Novena prayers in this booklet. 2. Each day, read the scripture on faith for the day. Read it at least three times through for understanding. 3. Spend an equal amount of time meditating on (thinking about) the reading. 4. Take the time to journal, (write down) your thoughts on what the Spirit has led you to feel or understand from the reading and meditation. 5. Finish you time in prayer by saying the Parish Forward in Faith prayer found on the back of this booklet. 6. If you would like, then share your journal thoughts on St Gregory s Facebook page as comments under the Novena entry for the day. Go to stgregorysmaryville.org and follow to Facebook. Day 1 2

5 Mark 10:46-52 The Blind Bartimaeus. They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, son of David, have pity on me. And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, Son of David, have pity on me. Jesus stopped and said, Call him. So they called the blind man, saying to him, Take courage; get up, he is calling you. He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, What do you want me to do for you? The blind man replied to him. Master, I want to see. Jesus told him, Go your way; your faith has saved you. Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. Journal Notes: 3

6 Day 2 Matthew 21:18-22 The Cursing of the Fig Tree. When he was going back to the city in the morning, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went over to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, May no fruit ever come from you again. And immediately the fig tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed and said, How was it that the fig tree withered immediately? Jesus said to them in reply, Amen, I say to you, if you have faith and do not waver, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea, it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive. Journal Notes: 4

7 Day 3 Matthew 17:14-20 The Healing of a Boy with a Demon. When they came to the crowd a man approached, knelt down before him, and said, Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him. Jesus said in reply, O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me. Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, Why could we not drive it out? He said to them, Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Journal Notes: 5

8 Day 4 1 Thessalonians 3:2-8 That is why, when we could bear it no longer, we decided to send Timothy, our brother and co-worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one be disturbed in these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined 1 for this. For even when we were among you, we used to warn you in advance that we would undergo affliction, just as has happened, as you know. bible/1thessalonians/ c For this reason, when I too could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had put you to the test and our toil might come to nothing. But just now Timothy has returned to us from you, bringing us the good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us and long to see us as we long to see you. Because of this, we have been reassured about you, brothers, in our every distress and affliction, through your faith. For we now live, if you stand firm in the Lord. Journal Notes: 6

9 Day 5 Colossians 1:5-8 Thanksgiving. We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. Of this you have already heard through the word of truth, the gospel, that has come to you. Just as in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing, so also among you, from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth, as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow slave, who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on your behalf and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. Journal Notes: 7

10 Day 6 1 Thessalonians 2-10: Thanksgiving for Their Faith. We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hopehttp:// of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, knowing, brothers loved by God, how you were chosen. For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the holy Spirit and [with] much conviction. You know what sort of people we were [among] you for your sake d And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the holy Spirit, so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and [in] Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. 1thessalonians/ f For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had 8

11 among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true Godhttp:// 1thessalonians/ g and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from [the] dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath. 9

12 Journal Notes: 10

13 Day 7 Philemon 1:4-6 Thanksgiving. I give thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers, as I hear of the love and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones, so that your partnership in the faith may become effective in recognizing every good there is in us that leads to Christ. Journal Notes: 11

14 Day 8 1 Peter1:17-21 Reverence. Now if you Invoke as Father him, who judges impartially according to each one s works, Conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, Handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, with the precious blood of Christhttp:/ / as of a spotless unblemished lamb. was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Journal Notes: 12

15 Day 9 1 Peter 1:3-9 Blessing. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for youhttp:// d who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. bible/1peter/ f Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, bible/1peter/ g as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Journal Notes: 13

16 Journal Notes: 14

17 Parish Prayer for Forward in Faith Campaign O God, We praise and thank you for the blessings you have entrusted to us. You are God of the past, the present, and our future and we ask for wisdom, compassion and giving hearts as we, the faith community of St. Gregory s, strive to go Forward in Faith to strengthen Catholic education and formation in our parish and diocese. It is this gift of faith that keeps us connected to you. We need to secure the passage of this gift to our children and our community, so we can ensure continual praise, worship and service to You for future generations. Help us to deepen our own faith. May the Spirit motivate us to be open to instruction throughout our lifetime to learn more about You. May the Spirit guide us towards more individual and group prayer time as to acquire a deeper love for You. And may the Spirit help us to live out our faith by putting into action what we have learned. It is through this formation of knowledge and love of You that we hope to become Your presence in the world today. Help us to grow in this way. Help us to go Forward in Faith. We ask this in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. 15

30 th SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (Cycle B) October 29, 2006 Deacon Bill Nourse, Ed.D.

30 th SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (Cycle B) October 29, 2006 Deacon Bill Nourse, Ed.D. INTRODUCTION You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. There s something about the word forever