A Novena to the Queen of Peace

Powered By EmbedPress Powered By EmbedPress 43rd Anniversary Novena – A Gift for Our LadyA Novena to the Queen of Peace – Starts June 15 !!Medjugorje 1981 – 2024© Informativni Centar “Mir” -MedjugorjeWhat to offer to Our Lady for the 43rd Anniversary of Her apparitionsWhat could we offer to Our Lady for the anniversary of Her apparitions?This is the question many pilgrims ask, and we answer with another question:Wouldn’t the dearest gift be if we would really start to live Her messages?The main theme of Our Lady’s messages is the call to peace and reconciliation, but She underlines very often that we can obtain them only through prayer. This is why She calls us unceasingly to pray, to renew prayer until it becomes a joy for us, to pray with the heart….We have composed a simple novena with the deep desire to offer something special to Our Lady for this Anniversary, something that unites all Her children in the whole world, something that helps us to live Her messages.Why a Novena?The idea for the Novena comes from the New Testament, when Mary and the Apostles, 40 days after the Resurrection of Jesus, remained in prayer for nine consecutive days. They prayed with one heart and persevered in prayer, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, that was promised them, and that filled them “when the time of Pentecost was fulfilled” (Ac 2,1). Since then, Novenas have become a frequent practice in the tradition of the Church. Also in Medjugorje, Our Lady calls us: “Dear children, offer novenas, making sacrifices wherein you feel the most bound.” (July 25, 1993)How to pray this Novena?One special intention is devoted to each day. We pray for this intention, meditating on the texts that are proposed, through the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. The first text is a passage from the Gospel, the second – a message of Our Lady from one of the previous anniversaries, and the third – a passage from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. These have been chosen to give a threefold insight into the prayer intention: A Gospel, a Marian (through the messages of Medjugorje) and an Ecclesiastical insight, to help the person who is leading the prayer and introducing the Mysteries. The passages from the Catechism on prayer show us the richness, the depth and the immensity of the experience of Christian prayer, of which Our Lady reminds us here in Medjugorje. The concluding prayer unites all the intentions of prayer regarding the intention for the day.Together towards something newWe believe that this unity in prayer will bring a new experience of the love of God, which has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. This experience is always a new beginning, a passage to a new level of existence. Real wars, wars of our doubt and our incredulity can be stopped, and even natural laws can be changed through prayer. We sincerely hope that our common prayer, united in the Heart of Mary for the victory of Her Immaculate Heart, will obtain a conversion in our hearts and in our lives and bring forth the most pleasing and dearest gift to Our Lady.1st dayWe pray for the Visionaries1. Prayer to the Queen of Peace2. Veni Creator Spiritus3. Glorious Mysteries of the RosaryTexts for MeditationJesus said to his disciples: “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. And he said to them: “thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with the power from on high.” (Lk 24,44-49)“Dear children! Today I thank you for living and witnessing to my messages with your life. Little children, be strong and pray so that prayer may give you strength and joy. Only in this way will each of you be mine and I will lead you on the way of salvation. Little children, pray and with your life bear witness to my presence here. May each day be a joyful witness for you of God’s love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (Message, June 25, 1999)“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or “out of the depths” of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer, only when we humbly acknowledge that “we do not know how to pray as we ought,” are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. “Man is a beggar before God.” (CCC: 2559)4. The Litany of the Blessed VirginConcluding prayer: Lord, You call all Christians to be real witnesses of Your life and of Your love. Today, we thank You in a special way for the visionaries and for their mission in witnessing to the messages of theQueen of Peace. We present to You all of their needs. We pray for each one of them personally, that You may be near them, so that they may grow unceasingly in the experience of Your strength. We pray that You guide them to a deeper and more humble prayer in further witnessing to the presence of Our Lady in Medjugorje. Amen.2nd dayWe pray for all Priests who Minister at the Sanctuary1. Prayer to the Queen of Peace2. Veni Creator Spiritus3. Glorious Mysteries of the RosaryTexts for MeditationJesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen I say…