Liturgical Novena in Honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Sacred Heart Novena at the Visitation Monastery in Toledo, Ohio continues. Every day at the 7:00 AM and 7:30 PM Masses we pray together the Liturgical Novena in Honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It consists of Prayers of the Faithful and a Prayer of Thanksgiving after Communion.  Where did the Sisters get copies of this Novena for all the people who come to the Novena?  From the Apostleship of Prayer.  However, this particular leaflet is one that we decided not to reprint. Instead we have a Novena leaflet that consists of the Litany to the Sacred Heart.  As Providence would have it, however, I am being touched by the recitation of these daily prayers and will return to Milwaukee on Saturday with the desire to reprint the Liturgical Novena.  Here it is:

Prayer of the Faithful

Celebrant: We have come together in the power of the Spirit to give thanks to our Father in heaven for His great love for us, a love revealed in Jesus and symbolized by His Sacred Heart.  As we prepare to unite our hearts with His in offering this Eucharistic Sacrifice, let us pray for ourselves and for all the children of God.

Lector: For our Holy Father in Rome, for the bishops of the world, and for all the People of God: let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Lector: For the world you came to save, that all may open their ears to your gospel and open their hearts to your love: let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Lector: For the Church, sprung from your side as you died upon the cross, that it may be a beacon of the Way, the Truth and the Life: let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Lector: For all who are in any way afflicted, that they may find comfort for their spirits in the tender love that wells from your Sacred Heart: let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Lector: For ourselves, that we may be ever faithful to our baptismal commitment to you, and bring your word and your love to the world in which we live: let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Celebrant and People:  Lord Jesus Christ, you called us to share your saving mission. We accept this mission and we renew today our baptismal commitment and all that we do to be united with your Eucharistic offering to our Father in heaven.  That we may serve you with greater fidelity, we ask you, our divine Mediator, to obtain for us the favors we seek in this Novena. (Pause)  Deepen our faith and touch fire to our hearts that we may respond with love to the great love for us and for all people that fills your Sacred Heart.

Prayer of Thanksgiving after Communion

Celebrant and People: Lord Jesus Christ, we give you thanks. We thank you, Lord Jesus, for becoming our brother, for making us sons and daughters of your Father, for breathing into our spirits your own divine life.  We thank you, Lord Jesus, for your risen presence in our midst and for your saving action in our Church.  We thank you for sending us your Spirit, your abiding gift to us of love and truth and peace.  We thank you, Lord Jesus, for this renewal of your Sacrifice, for coming to us in the Eucharist, for making us more one with you and with each other in the depths of your Sacred Heart.  Lord Jesus Christ, we give you thanks. We give you thanks for your great love for us and for all your wondrous gifts.

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I suspect there will be a few small changes to the wording, but I very much like the emphasis in this Novena on the renewal of our baptismal commitment which joins us to the mission of Jesus.  I also like the emphasis in the invitation to the Prayer of the Faithful and its concluding prayer on preparing to unite ourselves with the perfect offering and sacrifice of Jesus that is made present at every Mass. 

I'm sure the Visitation Sisters of Toledo and perhaps some other people will be happy if we reprint this Novena for the future.