A POWERFUL NOVENA TO SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES (PILLARS OF THE CHURCH): DAY 1

O God, come to my aid+
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for the lives and missions of St. Peter and St. Paul, ardent apostles of Your beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. As you have enriched them with many graces and gifts, we ask you, Father, to meet our needs, both spiritual and material (ask for the grace you want to achieve). This we ask through the merits of your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ and through the intercession of St. Peter and St. Paul. Amen.

Scriptural Reading (Matthew 16:13-19)

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said, ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a blessed man! Because it was no human agency that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock, I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’

The Gospel of the Lord…

—PAUSE FOR A MOMENT OF MEDITATION—

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

DAY 1 PRAYER

Glorious apostle St. Peter, who has received the keys of the kingdom of heaven, I implore you, open the doors of my ways, which have closed before me, behind me, and beside me. Open for me the paths of charity and holiness, the financial paths and the professional paths with the keys of the heavenly treasures, and give me the grace of being able to overcome my daily obstacles. Glorious apostle St. Paul, chosen vessel of the Lord to carry his holy name throughout the earth; for the unalterable patience with which you suffered persecution, prisons, whips, chains, temptations, shipwrecks, and even death itself; for the zeal that urged you to work day and night for the benefit of souls; and, above all, for the readiness with which you immediately surrendered to grace, to the first call of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, I ask that you would obtain from the Lord that I imitate your examples, listening promptly to the voice of God’s inspiration and fighting against my passions with contempt for temporal things that hinder my spiritual progress and appreciation for eternal things, for the glory of God the Father, who with the Son and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns forever and ever (make other particular requests). Amen.

Our Father…10 Hail Marys…Glory be… (For the Intentions of the Holy Catholic Church, the Pope, and all the clergy)

BRIEF LITANY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL

Lord have mercy on us

Christ has mercy on us

Lord have mercy on us

Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles of Christ, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, Holy Martyrs of the Lord, pray for us!

Saints Peter and Paul, Pillars of the Church, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, Proclaimers of the Gospel, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, Models of faith, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, Examples of missionaries, pray for us.

Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Forgive us O Lord.

Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Hear us O Lord.

Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Have mercy on us.

Pray for us, glorious St. Peter and St. Paul, that we may be worthy of Christ’s promises. Amen.

Let Us Pray

O God, who grants us the joy of celebrating St. Peter and St. Paul, the pillars of the Church, disciples, and missionaries of Jesus Christ, instill in us the faith that animated them and the courage and missionary zeal, to love more Our Lord Jesus Christ and make him loved and known to all. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen!

CONCLUDING PRAYER

To the glorious Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles, for being the rock on which God built His Church; To Blessed St. Paul, because he was chosen by God as a preacher of the Truth throughout the world. Grant, we ask, a living Faith, firm Hope and ardent Charity; a total self-emptying, contempt for ‘worldly desires’, patience in adversity, humility in prosperity, attention to prayer, sincere intention at work, diligence in fulfilling obligations, constancy in purposes, conformity with God’s will and perseverance in divine grace until death, so that through your intercession and your glorious merits, overcoming the temptations of the world, the devil and the flesh, we may be worthy to appear before the supreme and eternal Shepherd of souls, Jesus Christ, to enjoy and love eternally He who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, God forever and ever. Amen.

May the Divine assistance remain always with us, and may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

Blessing+

Through the intercessions of St. Peter and St. Paul, may Almighty God bless + us, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 Great job praying Day 1!  Click here for Day 2 Prayers

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Shalom!

Sources

• My Catholic Prayers and Devotions
• © Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
  Paroquia Nossa Senhora de Loreto, Vila Medeiros, São Paulo, Brazil
  nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com

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Have you prayed your rosary today?