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Madonna between St John the Baptist and St Sebastian- PERUGINO, Pietro |
Novena in honor of the Nativity
of St. John the Baptist
June 19th
Wisdom therefore decreed that just as the rising sun
is announced by the morning-star, and prepares his coming by the gently
tempered brilliancy of aurora; so Christ, who is Light should be preceded here
below, by a star, his precursor; and his approach be signalized by the luminous
rays which he himself, (though still invisible) would shed around this faithful
herald of his coming. When, in by-gone days, the Most-High vouchsafed to light
up, before the eyes of his prophets, the distant future, that radiant flash
which for an instant shot across the heavens of the old covenant, melted away
in the deep night, and ushered not in, as yet, the longed-for dawn.
The "morning-star" of which the psalmist sings,
shall know naught of defeat: declaring unto night that all is now over with
her, he will dim his own fires only in the triumphant splendor of the Sun of
Justice. Even as aurora melts into day, so will he confound with Light
Increated, his own radiance; being of himself, like every creature, nothingness
and darkness, he will so reflect the brilliancy of the Messias Shining
immediately upon him, that many will mistake him even for the very Christ.
O glorious St. John
the Baptist,
Greatest prophet among those born of woman, although
thou wast sanctified in thy mother’s womb and didst live a most innocent life,
nevertheless it was thy will to retire into the wilderness, there to devote
thyself to the practice of austerity and penance; obtain for us of thy Lord the
grace to be wholly detached, at least in our hearts, from earthly goods, and to
practice Christian mortification with interior recollection and with the spirit
of holy prayer.
St. John the Baptist, precursor of Christ, R. Pray for
us.
St. John the Baptist, shining lamp of the world, R.
Pray for us.
St. John the Baptist, angel of purity before thy
birth, R. Pray for us.
O most zealous
Apostle,
Who, without working any miracle on others, but solely by the example of thy life of
penance and the power of thy word, didst draw after thee the multitudes, in
order to dispose them to receive the Messias worthily and to listen to His
heavenly doctrine; grant that it may be
given unto us, by means of the example
of a holy life and the exercise of every
good work, to bring many souls to
God, but above all those souls that are enveloped in the
darkness of error and ignorance and that
are led astray by vice.
St. John the Baptist, intrepid preacher of truth, R.
Pray for us.
St. John the Baptist, voice crying in the wilderness,
R. Pray for us.
St. John the Baptist, miracle of mortification and penance, R. Pray for us.
O Martyr
invincible,
Who, for the honor of God and the salvation of souls,
didst with firmness and constancy withstand the impiety of Herod even at the
cost of thine own life, and didst rebuke him openly for his wicked and
dissolute life; by thy prayers obtain
for us a heart, brave and generous, in
order that we may overcome all human respect and openly profess our faith in loyal obedience to the teachings of Jesus
(☨) Christ, our divine Master.
St. John the Baptist, example of profound humility, R.
Pray for us.
St. John the Baptist, great defender of holy
matrimony, R. Pray for us.
St. John the Baptist, glorious martyr of zeal for
God’s holy law, R. Pray for us.
O God, we rejoice at the apostolate of Saint John the
Baptist, though whom we came to know our Redeemer and King. Through his
intercession we implore…
(Mention your request)
We offer this prayer to Thee (☨) God the Father,
through Christ Our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God forever and
ever. R. Amen.
Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this
day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Hail Mary
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.
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
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