POWERFUL NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE THADDEUS, PATRON OF HOPELESS AND DESPERATE CASES: DAY 8

(For Vocations – to the Sacred Priesthood/Religious life and Holy Matrimony)

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 witness to his Word
As helper of the needy,
Jude’s name is ever heard;
A preacher of the Gospel
To poor and blind and lame,
A worker great of wonders
In Jesus’ Holy Name.

All praise to the Father
And to his Son, Our Lord,
And to the Holy Spirit
Whose strength we have implored,
With all the saints in heaven
We join our voice as one
To pray as Jesus taught us,
Thy will be ever done.

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 11–16

(Their vicious behaviour)

Alas for them, because they have followed Cain; they have thrown themselves into the same delusion as Balaam for a reward; they have been ruined by the same rebellion as Korah – and share the same fate. They are a dangerous hazard at your community meals, coming for the food and quite shamelessly only looking after themselves. They are like the clouds blown about by the winds and bringing no rain, or like autumn trees, barren and uprooted and so twice dead; like wild sea waves with their own shame for foam; or like wandering stars for whom the gloom of darkness is stored up forever. It was with them in mind that Enoch, the seventh patriarch from Adam, made his prophecy when he said, ‘I tell you, the Lord will come with his holy ones in their tens of thousands, to pronounce judgement on all humanity and to sentence the godless for all the godless things they have done, and for all the defiant things said against him by godless sinners.’ They are mischief-makers, grumblers governed only by their own desires, with mouths full of boastful talk, ready to flatter others for gain.

The Word of the Lord…

Exegesis:

Verse 11 mentions names like Cain…Balaam…Korah. It is important to note that these are examples of rebellious men and of the punishment their conduct incurred; cf. Gen 4:8–16; Nm 16:1–35; 31:16; 2 Pt 2:15.

Verse 13 goes on to illustrate how these infiltrators engaged in scandalous conduct in connection with community gatherings called love feasts (agape meals), which were associated with Eucharistic celebrations at certain stages of early Christian practice; cf. 1 Cor 11:18–34 and 2 Pt 2:13. In this same verse, they are characterized as “wandering stars for whom the gloom of darkness is stored up forever” Recall that in Jewish literature, ‘stars’ often stand for ‘angels.’ Therefore, “wandering stars” or stars that have wandered away represent the lost or fallen angels for whom the gloom of darkness is stored up forever. Here, Jude tells of the eternal calamity that awaits them in the future. Above all, verses 14–15 are cited from the ‘apocryphal’ Book of Enoch 1:9.

Points for reflection:

• How is our conduct at the Eucharistic celebrations?
• Are we influenced by those (the present-day infiltrators in our midst) who abuse the Eucharistic liturgy?
• We have to be cautious of these abuses because the calamity would be severe and eternal!

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 8 PRAYER

O holy Saint Jude, apostle of Christ, pray that we may ever imitate the Divine Master and live according to His will in our chosen vocations. May we cooperate with the grace of God and ever remain pleasing in His sight. Today, we beseech your intercession for the increase in the vocation to the priesthood and religious life, asking that God would raise up many holy priests and religious to serve the needs of the Church and mankind. We also pray for all those who desire to enter into marital union and those who are yet to sanctify their union in the Church. You know their anxieties, pains, challenges, etc. We ask that through the prayers of this novena and with thy intercession, God may look with mercy upon them and be gracious to them by granting them a befitting companion or helpmate and that the union be sanctified through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, for the glory of God’s name, and for their sanctification and salvation.

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 Saint Jude Thaddeus, who accepted the Lord’s invitation and made you an evangelizer of the Syrians, Mesopotamians and Armenians, peoples of the East, teach the world today the way of unity so that, no longer divided into East and West, North or South, the peoples have one heart and one soul. May humanity walk, inspired by your desire for unity, towards the civilization of love. 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 8! Click here for Day 9 Prayers

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