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Prayers & Novenas - May
The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”
Saint Maximilian Kolbe
The Angelus
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary...
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary...
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
The Memorare
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 to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Act of Reparation to the Blessed Virgin Mary
O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever virgin, conceived without stain of sin, co-redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity, who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.
How to Pray the Rosary
The Rosary has always been a very powerful prayer. It’s a wonderful way to pray and meditate on the Life of Christ. It is a comfort in the midst of sorrow and anxiety. It gives our hearts and minds something else to focus on when things feel scary.
It helps us to see the life of Jesus through Mary’s eyes. Through praying the Rosary, Mary our Mother stays close to us, comforting us – the Help of Christians.
Basically, each decade (10 Hail Marys) corresponds to an event in the life of Jesus and Mary. While we say the 10 Hail Marys we try to think about or imagine the event (called a Mystery); or we might mull over some part of the event – for example we might think about a phrase Jesus uses (such as when, as He is crucified, Jesus says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”). We may get distracted – but no matter, we just keep going, using the rhythm of the Hail Marys to keep us on track.
For each rosary there are 50 Hail Mary beads – so there are 5 mysteries for each Rosary. There are 4 series of Mysteries – the Joyful Mysteries, the Luminous Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries.