The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/Novena in Preparation for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Novena
IN PREPARATION FOR THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.[1]
(Beginning on the 29th November.)
EVERY DAY.
COME, O holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of thy divine love.
V. Send forth thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
LET US PRAY.
O GOD, who hast taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant to us in the same spirit to relish what is right, and ever to rejoice in his consolation.
Prevent our actions, we beseech thee, O Lord, by thy inspiration, and further them by thy continual help: that every prayer and work of ours may begin from thee, and by thee be happily ended, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
PREPARATORY PRAYER.
[To be said every day.]
O MOST pure Virgin, conceived without sin, and from that very first instant entirely beautiful and without spot, O glorious Mary, full of grace, and Mother of my God, Queen of Angels and of men, I humbly venerate thee as Mother of my Saviour, inasmuch as he has taught me by the esteem he has for thee, and by his respect and submission towards thee, what honours and what homage I ought to render thee, deign, I beseech thee, to accept this Novena which I consecrate to thee. Thou art the secure refuge of penitent sinners, and I therefore may rightly have recourse to thee; thou art the Mother of Mercy, and therefore thou canst not but be melted into tenderness by my miseries; thou, after Jesus Christ, art all my hope; thou canst not, then, but be pleased with the tender confidence which I have in thee. Make me worthy to be called thy son, that I may be able to say with confidence, shew thyself to be a Mother.
Here are to be said nine Hail Marys and a Glory be to the Father, and then the following
PRAYER FOR THE FIRST DAY,
The 29th of November
BEHOLD me at thy most holy feet, O immaculate Virgin. I rejoice with thee exceedingly that from all eternity thou hast been chosen to be the Mother of the Eternal Word, and been preserved from original sin. I thank and bless the most holy Trinity for having enriched thee with these privileges in thy conception; and I humbly implore thee to obtain for me grace to overcome those sad effects which original sin has wrought in me. Ah, do thou enable me to conquer them, and never more to cease to love my God.
Here is to be recited the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, or the following
HYMN.
V. Thou art all fair, O Mary.
R. Thou art all fair, O Mary.
V. And the original stain is not in thee.
R. And the original stain is not in thee.
V. Thou art the glory of Jerusalem.
R. Thou art the joy of Isreal.
V. Thou our people’s special honour.
R. Thou the advocate of sinners.
V. O Mary
R. O Mary.
V. Virgin prudent above all.
R. Mother too most merciful.
V. Pray thou for us.
R. Intercede for us with Jesus Christ our Lord.
V. In thy conception, Holy Virgin, Thou wert immaculate.
R. Pray for us to the Father, whose Son thou didst bring forth.
LET US PRAY.
O GOD, who by the Virgin’s immaculate conception didst prepare a worthy dwelling for thy Son, we beseech thee, that thou, who by the death of that same Son of thine, foreseen by thee, didst preserve her from every stain, wouldst grant that by her intercession we also may be purified, and so come to thee.
Then the following:
O GOD, the shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look mercifully down on thy servant Leo, whom thou hast chosen to be the shepherd of thy Church. Grant, we beseech thee, that he may both by word and example benefit those whom he governs, that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to life everlasting.
O God, our refuge and our strength, listen to the holy prayers of thy Church, who art thyself the author of holiness, and grant that what we faithfully ask for we may efficaciously obtain, through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
On the other days, let everything he said as above, except the following prayers.
Prayer for the second day.
The 30th November.
O MARY, immaculate lily of purity, I congratulate with thee, that from the very first instant of thy conception thou hast been filled with grace, and also that the perfect use of reason was conferred on thee. I thank and adore the most holy Trinity for having imparted to thee graces so sublime; and I am utterly confounded before thee to see myself so poor in grace. Do thou, who wast so entirely filled with heavenly grace, give some portion of it to my soul, and make me partaker of the treasures of thy immaculate conception.
Here the Litany, or Hymn “ Tota pulchra,” as before, is to be said .
PRAYER FOR THE THIRD DAY.
The 1st of December.
O MARY, mystical rose of charity, I rejoice with thee that thou didst gloriously triumph in thy immaculate conception over the infernal serpent, and that thou wast conceived without stain of original sin. I thank and praise with all my heart the most holy Trinity for having granted to thee such a privilege; and I implore thee to obtain for me courage to overcome every device of the infernal enemy, and not to stain my soul with sin. Ah, do thou always assist me; and let me, under thy protection, ever triumph over the common enemies of our eternal salvation.
Here the Litany, or the Hymn , as before, is to be said .
PRAYER FOR THE FOURTH DAY.
The 2nd of December.
O IMMACULATE Virgin Mary, mirror of virtue, I rejoice with the utmost joy to see that the most sublime and perfect virtues have been from thy first conception infused into thee, and with them all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I thank and praise the most holy Trinity for having favoured thee with these privileges; and I implore thee, O gracious Mother, to obtain for me the practice of virtues, and to render me thus worthy to receive the gifts and the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Here the Litany , or the Hymn, as before, is to be said.
PRAYER FOR THE FIFTH DAY.
The 3rd of December.
O MARY, bright moon of mercy, I congratulate with thee, inasmuch as the mystery of thy immaculate conception was the beginning of the salvation of all the human race and the joy of the whole world. I thank and bless the most holy Trinity for having so exalted and glorified thy person; and I implore thee to obtain for me grace to know how to profit by the passion and death of thy Jesus, and that the blood shed upon the Cross may not be unavailing for me, but that I may live holily and be saved.
Here the Litany , or the Hymn , as before , is to be said .
PRAYER FOR THE SIXTH DAY.
The 4th of December.
O IMMACULATE Mary, most resplendent star of sanctity, I rejoice with thee that thy immaculate conception has brought a most exceeding joy to all the angels of paradise. I thank and bless the most holy Trinity for having enriched thee with so beautiful a privilege. Ah, grant that I may enter one day into a participation of that joy, and may be able, in the company of the angels, to praise and bless thee for all eternity.
Here the Litany , or the Hymn, as before, is to be said.
PRAYER FOR THE SEVENTH DAY.
The 5th of December.
O IMMACULATE Mary, bright dawn of the sun of justice, I rejoice with thee, and wonder that in the moment of thy conception thou wast confirmed in grace and preserved from all sin. I thank and extol the most holy Trinity for having distinguished thee alone with this special privilege. Ah, obtain for me, O holy Virgin, an entire and constant abhorrence of sin above every other evil, and that I may sooner die than commit it any more.
Here the Litany, or the Hymn, as before, is to be said.
PRAYER FOR THE EIGHTH DAY.
The 6th of December.
O VIRGIN Mary, sun without spot, I congratulate with thee, and rejoice that in thy conception a greater and more abundant grace was bestowed upon thee than all the angels and saints possessed in the fulness of their merits. I thank and admire the sovereign goodness of the most holy Trinity in having enriched thee with this privilege. Ah, enable me to correspond to divine grace, and never more abuse it! Change my heart, and let me from this moment begin to amend my life.
Here the Litany , or the Hymn , as before , is to be said.
PRAYER FOR THE NINTH DAY.
The 7th of December.
O IMMACULATE Virgin and Mother Mary, living light of holiness and model of purity, thou, when scarcely yet conceived, didst profoundly adore God and thank him, because in thee, the ancient curse being taken away, the fulness of blessing was coming upon the children of Adam. Ah, let this blessing enkindle in my heart a love of God! Do thou inflame it, that I may love him constantly, and then enjoy him eternally in paradise, where I may be able to thank him more ardently for the singular privileges granted to thee, and behold thee also crowned as thou art with such exceeding glory.
Here the Litany, or the Hymn, as before, is to be said.
- ↑ Indulgences: 300 days each day; plenary once on the Feast, or during the Octave. Applicable to the dead. — Pius VII.