Novena in honor of the Nativity of
St. John the Baptist
June 18 – The Voice of one crying
in the wilderness
“Prepare ye the way of the Lord;
behold thy God!” Oh! in this world of ours grown now so cold, who can
understand earth’s transports, at hearing these glad tidings so long expected ?
The promised God was not yet manifested; but already have the heavens bowed
down, to make way for his passage. No longer was he “the One who is to come, he
for whom our fathers, the illustrious saints of the prophetic age ceaselessly
called, in their indomitable hope. Still hidden, indeed, but already in our
midst, he was resting beneath that virginal cloud compared with which, the
heavenly purity of Thrones and Cherubim wax dim; yea, the united fires of
burning Seraphim grow faint, in presence of the single love wherewith she alone
encompasses him in her human heart, she that lowly daughter of Adam whom he had
chosen for his mother. Our accursed earth, made suddenly more blessed far than
yonder heaven so long inexorably closed to suppliant prayer, awaited only that
the august mystery should be revealed; the hour was come for earth to join her
canticles to that eternal and divine praise, which henceforth was ever rising
from her depths, and which being itself no other than the Word Himself, would
celebrate God condignly. But beneath the veil of humility where his divinity,
even after as well as before his birth, must still continue to hide itself from
men, who may discover the Emmanuel?
In the name of the Father, and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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.
In the name of the Father, and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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