NOVENA FOR EMPLOYMENT NOVENA FOR EMPLOYMENT. Day Two Expectation. Day One Introduction

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1 Day One Introduction Today is the first day of nine days in which we join together to pray for good jobs for ourselves, our friends, and our families. No matter what our work circumstances are, asking God to bless and improve our work or lack of work will bring down many blessings. In this Novena, as all of us are praying for one another, God will bring about wonderful things through such united prayer! This is a Novena to the "Eternal Father," our loving Father Who cares so deeply for each of us. The theme of Day One is one of trust. No matter how bad our circumstances may be, we place our lives, our needs, and our hopes into God's loving hands. We trust that He will bring about wonderful changes, both in ourselves and in the jobs we seek. Proctor, a nun of the Poor Clares in Washington State.] Day Two Expectation On the second day of our Novena, we turn to God with expectant faith. Jesus tells us in the New Testament, "You have not because you ask not," so now we make certain that we ask God for exactly what we want. We write it down on a piece of paper and make it as detailed as we wish, for many times the Saints tell us, "We cannot ask God for too much!" Our God is capable of making a Universe out of nothing; it's not too big a task for Him to find good jobs for each and everyone who needs one! Sister Marcia Kay told us once of a true experience she had with just such prayer. Several years before she entered the monastery, she and her roommate were in need of a new place to stay. Day after day they would go driving around the city, but could find nothing which would match their budget. Finally they sat down one evening and made a list, not only of what they needed but of what they would like: a house with a big picture window, and a fireplace, and many other details, and of course, at a price which they could afford (which was not very much!). The next day, as they were driving around again in search of a place, they found a house for sale, a house which had been on the market for only a few hours. The house was so nice that they knew that it was far beyond what they could afford, but they decided to inquire anyway. It matched their price! Not only that, but every one of the details which they had prayed for was part of that house! Naturally, they wasted no time in securing it. So on this second day of our Novena, we ask God to build up our faith. Proctor, a nun of the Poor Clares in Washington State.] (see prayer, at left)

2 Day Three The Power of Prayer As we continue our Novena for employment, it is extremely important that we believe whole-heartedly in the power of prayer and praise God's power in answering prayer. By reading the lives of wellknown holy people and saints, we will find our faith greatly strengthened. By sharing faith stories with one another, we build up one another in our prayer. Pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you in your spiritual reading now. You might well be surprised to see the book which God places before you! Day Four The Power of Prayer, continued So often we're told "Believe, believe..." but that's the hard part, especially on days when everything seems to be going against us! Constantly within myself I have to pray to "believe" as well. Our natural inclination is to take everything that happens exactly at face value, and so we finish happy on good days and bummed out on bad ones! Nevertheless, believing by pure faith that God is always acting for our good is what being a follower of Christ is all about, and do you know what? It's difficult work at times! We have to nuture our faith in every way that we possibly can, in order to become the Lord's strong believers. Going to daily Mass and receiving our Eucharistic Lord in Communion, praying over Scripture (even one sentence can jump-start us out of depression!), reading spiritual books, praying and sharing frequently with other believers, these are all places of grace which the God of Love puts into our lives. What speaks to my spirit is St. Paul's advice to "Encourage one another daily!" God knows us so well; He knows that we need to be encouraged daily. God in His wisdom created us to live with others through His Love, and to expect blessings for ourselves and others.

3 Day Five Joining Our Prayer with the Prayer of Others St. John Vianney, known as the Cure of Ars in France, once defined the power of the Church at prayer in this way: "A single person praying is like a match; his or her prayer provides a light in a dark room and is excellent. However, a Church full of people praying is like a bonfire, where the whole area is illuminated! " St. Faustina wrote of her trust in Jesus at the heart of His Church. "Profound peace engulfs my soul. Not a single cloud hides the sun (the Son!) from me. I lay myself entirely open to these rays, that God's love may effect a complete transformation in me and in all His beloved people." Day Six Thankfulness Franciscan wisdom brings to mind one of our own American Franciscan saints-to-be, Blessed Solanus Casey, who is beatified, but not yet canonized. A loving, wonderful, holy man, Father Solanus' favorite advice was, "Thank God ahead of time!" Of course, St. Paul recommended gratitude long before as a marvelous and Christian way to pray. If we desire a miracle, then St. Paul tells us that we must believe that we are about to receive one. Father Solanus, who was a warm-hearted and holy counselor of many ordinary people, often said with a twinkle in his eye that when we thank God beforehand, we put God "in a tough spot"! Our Eternal Father is almost obliged to give us what we desire because we have thanked Him for it with the trust of a child! Trusting God enough to thank Him before we receive what we need is a great way to step out in faith. This parallels trusting your parents to provide good things for you, or trusting your best friend to help you when you are in trouble. Thanking God is all about trust and gratitude! I firmly believe that God loves being thanked, and that acting in faithful love ahead of time shows true confidence in our loving Father. Anybody can remember to thank God after he or she receives what was prayed for, but it takes a faithful child of God to offer gratitude before the gift or answer arrives. So go ahead! Spend the whole day thanking God for the wonderful job situation which He is finding for you, or thank Him now for those for whom you are praying. Almost immediately, you will grow stronger and more excited about what is about to happen through God's loving wisdom. A joyful heart is good medicine, the best, and we all love being with someone who expresses a joyful spirit. Imagine searching for a job with thankfulness and joy! Who knows through what person or in what manner God is arranging, by His Fatherly care, the blessings of a suitable job for your particular life? Dedicate yourself to gratitude and joy! Proctor, a nun of the Poor Clares in Spokane, (see prayer, at left)

4 Day Seven Delight in the Lord I cannot remember who first wrote this, but truly "A sad saint is a sad saint indeed." Being without a job, or being in a job that is not fulfilling or not providing enough for our needs, can be extremely depressing. These circumstances bog us down and tear at our spirits, but only so if we stop there, for God has a plan for us, a life to make us far happier and more fulfilled! Once upon a time, there was a child named Michael who went for a long ride with his Mama and Daddy. Michael sat in the back seat with his two brothers and one sister. First the family drove through the city, and there they stopped at McDonald's and got drinks, fries, and sandwiches to eat along the way. After a time, they left the city and drove on a freeway. Many cars went speeding by them, and they watched the big trucks and buses. For hours they were on the freeway, and the children became very restless. Daddy stopped at a rest stop, and everyone got out to stretch their legs and move about, before getting back in the car and continuing on their way. They drove and drove; the sun went down, and still they continued traveling. They stopped at more rest stops and service stations and McDonald's, and the parents took turns driving. One parent drove while the other one slept, and the children slept fitfully in the backseat. Their journey seemed to go on forever; the kids got cranky and tired and then-- At long last, the family got off the freeway and drove onto a little country road. First the road was paved, and then it was gravel, and then they turned off of the gravel road onto a little dirt road which followed through the trees. And lo and behold, up ahead the road stopped in front of a little house! "This is your Grandma's home," the parents said, "and we will be staying here for a while." The kids stared! Wow, here? A chestnut-colored dog came roaring around the house at full tilt, tail wagging while he jumped excitedly around the children. He was big and friendly and beautiful. The children saw two swings hanging from an old oak tree, and off in the distance, a small, sparkling pond. The next months were the best ones those kids had ever had! Every day was a new adventure. It was only years afterwards that the children found out what had caused that long, long ride. Their father had lost his job, and for the parents, it was a very hard time. Mama and Daddy had prayed and decided to make the trip. It changed the lives of every one of them! They learned new ways and made new friends, and yes, Dad found a new job. The job didn't pay as much, and the family never lived in a fancy house or owned a fancy car, but the family had days and days of fishing in the little pond, and swinging on the swings, and playing with the dog. They became a family in ways that they never had been a family before. They watched sunsets and falling stars, and they made memories which lasted forever and which forever strengthened each person in the family. Just as God has created us for good, God has created a marvelous plan for us, a loving life to make us always happier and more fulfilled. We might have to spend some long hours on the freeway journey, but there is a much better life at the end of road. We Franciscans say that God's ways are not our ways, but that God's ways are the best ways!

5 Day Eight Waiting on the Lord Today I shall remain simple. These verses from Psalms express our waiting on the Lord and our longing for Him.-- "Give thanks to the Lord Who is Good, Whose Love endures forever!" "How precious to me are Your designs, O God, and how vast the sum of them!" Day Nine Trusting and Loving "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases! His Mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning." The book of Psalms is thousands of years old, and I find this reality quite comforting. For thousands of years, these words have strengthened and ennobled countless numbers of people! From the beginning of creation, God foresaw what troubles we would encounter and what sufferings we would undergo, through the operation of our free will. As healing grace, the Merciful Lord sent His Living Word to be the consolation of our prayer, and to this end also He gave us the Sacraments. God holds all of our todays and all of our tomorrows in His fatherly hands, so what better offering can we make to God than to entrust all of our lives to Him? This entrusting is the nature and essence of prayer.