POWERFUL NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE THADDEUS, PATRON OF HOPELESS AND DESPERATE CASES: DAY 5

(For married couples seeking the ‘fruit of the womb’)

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.

Hymn

Apostle of Jesus, a martyr-saint of old
The cousin of our Saviour, of Whom thy love hath told;
A writer of the scriptures, with tongue of fire aflame,
The worker great of wonders, in Jesus’ Holy Name,
The worker great of wonders, in Jesus’ Holy Name.

St. Jude, though oft-forgotten, thou shalt remembered be,
We hail thee now in glory, and have recourse to thee;
For help for the despairing, when hopeless seems the task,
And from the Heart of Jesus, through thee, we favours ask,
And from the Heart of Jesus, through thee, we favours ask.

Daily Prayer to St. Jude Thaddeus

Most holy Apostle Saint Jude Thaddeus, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered the beloved Master into the hands of His enemies, has caused you to be forgotten by many but the Church honours and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases, of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so miserable; make use I implore you, of this particular privilege accorded to you, to bring visible and speedy help, where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolations and succour of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (here, make your special request) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect forever. I promise you, O Blessed Saint Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favour and I will never cease to honour you as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to you. Amen.

Scriptural Meditation
(Introduction to the Epistle of St. Jude)

Jude verse 1-4

From Jude, servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James; to those who are called, to those who are dear to God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ, mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. My dear friends, at a time when I was eagerly looking forward to writing to you about the salvation that we all share, I felt that I must write to you encouraging you to fight hard for the faith which has been once and for all entrusted to God’s holy people. Certain people have infiltrated among you, who were long ago marked down for condemnation on this account; without any reverence, they pervert the grace of our God to debauchery and deny all religion, rejecting our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

                                                            The Word of the Lord…

Exegesis:

First, since the epistle of Jude is only a chapter, it is biblically reasonable to go ahead and cite the epistle without really mentioning chapter one; for instance, when citing a passage, let’s say in verse 3, we could say Jude verse 3.

In verse 1, the identity of the author is clearly seen – “Brother of James.” This must be understood as “James the less,” known as the son of Alphaeus (cf. Mat. 10:3), the Bishop of the Church of Jerusalem (cf. Acts 15:13; 21:18), spoken of by St. Paul as “the brother of the Lord” (Galatians 1:19), who was the author of the Epistle of St. James.

In his relationship with James, a piece of contrasting information seems to be the case in Luke 6:16 where Jude is referred to as the “Son” of James. It is pertinent to note that in the original manuscript, the term “son” does not appear, it rather illustrates, thus: “Jude of James,” indicating that they’re brothers; that is, Jude, brother of James.

In verses 3 to 4, Jude states the reason for his letter: two reasons, precisely – First, “about the salvation that we all share – “common salvation”: this is rooted in the teachings of the Christian faith derived from the apostolic preaching and meant to be kept by the Christian community. Here, we see why doctrines are really important. Second, Jude writes to warn the Church against “certain infiltrators” who tend to mislead many, and “rejecting our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Points for reflection:

–       How do we cherish and safeguard our “common salvation” – the Catholic faith/doctrine?

–        Do we take cognisance of the infiltrators in our midst who tend to preach a different gospel and deceive many? Do we follow these infiltrators and their messages?

Pause for a moment…

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 5 PRAYER

St. Jude, apostle of Christ and helper in despairing cases, hear the prayers and petitions of those who are gathered here online in your honour. In all our needs and desires may we only seek what is pleasing to God and what is best for our salvation. Today, we bring in the petition of those seeking for the ‘fruit of the womb,’ especially those among them that are close to despair with the fear that they might not be able to bear any child of their own. We place them all in your loving care, o Patron of despairing cases, asking you to heal their despair and intercede for them especially if it be for the good of their souls. We are resigned to God’s holy will in all things, knowing that he will leave no sincere prayer unanswered. Amen

Our Father…3 Hail Marys…Glory be…

LITANY OF ST. JUDE

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us!

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us!

God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us!

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us!

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

All you heavenly powers and saints of God, pray for us!

St. Jude, relative of Jesus and Mary, pray for us!

St. Jude, raised to the dignity of an apostle, pray for us!

St. Jude, who had the honour of beholding the Divine Master humble Himself to wash his feet, pray for us!

St. Jude, who at the Last Supper received the Holy Eucharist from the hands of Jesus, pray for us!

St. Jude, who after the profound grief which the death of your beloved Master caused you, had the consolation of beholding Him risen from the dead and of assisting at His glorious Ascension, pray for us!

St. Jude, who was filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, pray for us!

St. Jude, who preached the Gospel in Persia, pray for us!

St. Jude, who converted many people to the Faith, pray for us!

St. Jude, who performed wonderful miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, pray for us!

St. Jude, who restored an idolatrous king to health, both of soul and body, pray for us!

St. Jude, who imposed silence on demons, and confounded their oracles, pray for us!

St. Jude, who foretold to a weak prince an honourable peace with his powerful enemy, pray for us!

St. Jude, who took from deadly serpents, the power of injuring men, pray for us!

St. Jude, who, disregarding the threats of the impious, courageously preached the doctrine of Christ, pray for us!

St. Jude, who gloriously suffered martyrdom for the love of your Divine Master, pray for us!

Blessed Apostle, with confidence, we invoke you!

Blessed Apostle, with confidence, we invoke you!

Blessed Apostle, with confidence, we invoke you!

St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid me in my distress!

St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid me in my distress!

St. Jude, help of the hopeless, aid me in my distress!

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us!

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord!

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace!

Pray for us o most gracious St. Jude, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY:

O, Saint Jude Thaddeus, cousin of Jesus Christ, glorious apostle and martyr, renowned for virtues and miracles, faithful and prompt intercessor of all who honour you and trust in you. You are a powerful patron and helper in grievous afflictions. I come to you and entreat you from the depths of my heart to come to my aid with your powerful intercession, for you have received from God the privilege to assist those who almost despair of all hope. Look down upon me, my life is a life of crosses; my days are days of tribulation; my paths are strewn with thorns, and scarcely one moment passes but is a witness of my tears and sighs.

Overwhelmed by these thoughts, I see myself surrounded by a dark cloud. You cannot forsake me in this sad plight. I will not depart from you until you have heard me. O hasten to my aid. I will be grateful to you all my life. I will honour you as my special and powerful patron, I will thank God for the graces bestowed upon you and will propagate your honour and devotion according to my power. Amen.

PRAYER TO SAINT JUDE THADDEUS FOR URGENT FINANCIAL HELP (Optional)

Saint Jude Thaddeus, Apostle of Christ and glorious Martyr, great intercessor in all difficult problems. Today I turn to you with great faith to ask for your generous assistance for I am afflicted and tormented by the lack of economic means. You who are my beloved saint, my blessed patron and noble protector welcome my soul and my body, my mind, and heart; I humbly prostrate before you, ask by the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, that you cast me a compassionate glance and despise not my heartfelt prayer, so my confidence be not in vain. You who, in addition to a singular love, were united with links of kinship to the Divine Redeemer Jesus Christ, source of all good, and are a powerful aid of the desperate. Pray for me my patron saint, my aid, so that, assisted by your precious intercession, I may receive a prompt and efficacious solution for my overwhelming needs. Make it so that I can obtain urgently, needed cash to meet all my expenses, payments, debts, and have peace of mind and tranquillity. Make it so, I beg you, with the certainty of being heard, that I obtain what I need so much: (Ask for everything that you want to attain) Blessed Saint Jude, I honour you with special affection and devotion, hand me the presence and strength of God. Protect me in all circumstances, may your help and consolation never cease. Obtain for me by the grace of the Lord Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the grace to embrace the cross and challenges when they come inasmuch as we pray for deliverance, prosperity, work, and health; make it so that well-being is installed in my home. As an expression of my affection and gratitude, I promise you I will promote an authentic devotion to you, and already from this moment, I infinitely give you thanks for all your favours. So be it. Amen.

Concluding Prayer

O admirable St. Jude Thaddeus, you who, by trusting in the providence of God, has made you an intercessor in the most difficult cases, teach us today the way of solid faith, confident without reservations. May we believe in the miracle of love present in our lives at every moment, in the smallest things on a daily basis. Grant that as we go to bed tonight, we may be filled with joy and peace of one who has already received favours from God through your intercession. I promise you, O blessed Saint Judas Thaddeus, to always remember this grace and never fail to praise and honour you. I will do everything to spread through my life and my testimony the love taught by Jesus and lived by you. Amen

(If possible, kindly accompany this novena with the Holy Rosary at any hour of the day, either 5 or 10 or 15 or 20 decades…)

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 intercession of the holy Apostle and martyr, St. Jude Thaddeus, may the Lord bless + us, keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

Great job praying Day 5! Click here for Day 6 Prayers

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