TRIDUUM OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION – DAY 3

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

O Mother of the King of the Universe, most perfect member of the human race, ‘our tainted nature’s solitary boast,‘ we turn to you as mother, advocate, and ‘mediator.’ O Holy Mary, assist us in our present necessity. By your Immaculate Conception, O Mary conceived without sin, we humbly beseech you from the depth of our hearts to intercede for us with your Divine Son and ask that we be granted the favour of accepting God’s will in our lives amidst all our intentions, through this novena. We should learn to say like Jesus: “not our will, but Thy Will, O Lord (Also, state your personal intentions here…) O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

PRAY THE 20 DECADES OF THE HOLY ROSARY

At the end of the 20 decades, say the following Prayers:

Hail Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray

O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! St. Joseph, pray for us!

Litany of Loreto

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven,
have mercy on us (Repeat after each invocation)

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,

Holy Mary,
pray for us (Repeat after each invocation)
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of Mercy,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother of Hope,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Saviour,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honour,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Solace of Migrants,
Comfort of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most Holy Rosary,
Queen of families,
Queen of peace.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray
Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord God, that we, your servants, may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body;
and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may be delivered from present sorrow, and obtain eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Prayer to Saint Joseph after the Rosary

To you, O Blessed Joseph, we come in our trials, and having asked the help of your most holy spouse, we confidently ask your patronage also. Through that sacred bond of charity which united you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the fatherly love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you to look graciously upon the beloved inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by his blood, and to aid us in our necessities with your power and strength.

O most provident guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ. Most beloved father, dispel the evil of falsehood and sin. Our most mighty protector, graciously assist us from heaven in our struggle with the powers of darkness. And just as you once saved the Child Jesus from mortal danger, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity. Shield each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your help, we may be able to live a virtuous life, die a holy death, and obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

DAY 3 REFLECTION: “ON THE DOGMA OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION” – PART 3

From all we have said so far, a confusion that might arise is: if Mary were without sin, then, can we say she is equal to God? No! In the beginning, God created Adam, Eve, and the angels without sin, but none of them was equal to God. Most of the angels never sinned, and all souls in heaven are without sin. This does not take away the glory of God but manifests it by the work He has done in sanctifying his creation. Sinning does not make one human; rather, it is when a man is without sin that he is most fully what God intends him to be: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Also in another passage, St. Peter quotes Leviticus 11:44 and exhorts the Christians to be holy in the way God is holy (cf. 1Peter 1:16)

Importantly, on Thursday, 25th March 1858, Bernadette of Lourdes (a city in France) recounted the apparition of the Virgin Mary and what she heard from her. According to Bernadette, “the Lady lifted up her eyes to heaven, joined her hands as though in prayer, that were held out and open towards the ground and said to me: ‘Que soy era Immaculada Concepciou.’ (I am the Immaculate Conception). The young visionary left and, running all the way, repeated continuously the words that she did not understand. These words troubled the brave Parish Priest. Bernadette was ignorant of the fact that the theological expression (Immaculate Conception) was assigned to the Blessed Virgin four years earlier, in 1854, when Pope Pius IX declared this a truth of the Catholic Faith (a dogma). In the Constitution Ineffabilis Deus of 8 December 1854, Pius IX pronounced and defined that the Blessed Virgin Mary “in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin.”  Now, what sense can we make of this? For years throughout Church history, this Immaculate Conception has been debated and rejected… However, our Blessed Mother waited for the Church on earth to proclaim her Immaculate before she revealed it to St. Bernadette… This shows that whatever the Church binds here on earth by the Church shall be considered bound in heaven.

Dear friends in Christ, without God’s grace, it would have been impossible for Mary to be sinless. The Holy Spirit even declared her blessedness from the lips of Elizabeth during the visitation scene “Blessed are you among all women and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42).  The conclusion is inescapable, how can someone who is blessed among all women and chosen by God to bring forth His Son (holy of holies) be in contact with the stain of sin? Indeed, a bad tree cannot produce good fruits, it is only a good tree that produces good fruits – according to Christ himself (cf. Matthew 7:17-18; Luke 6:43)

Above all, by invoking Mary’s immaculateness in her Litany, may we come to imitate her in our daily efforts to attain holiness and be free from all defilement of body and soul, because ‘nothing defiled shall enter heaven’ (Rev. 21:27)

…PAUSE AND MEDITATE FOR A MOMENT…

Concluding Prayer

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve Her from all stain, so too, You would permit us, purified through Her intercession, to come unto You.

Immaculate Virgin Mary, you were pleasing in the sight of God from the first moment of your conception in the womb of your mother, St. Anne. You were chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I believe the teaching of Holy Mother Church, that in the first instant of your conception, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race and beloved Son, you were preserved from all stain of original sin. I thank God for this wonderful privilege and grace He bestowed upon you as I honour your Immaculate Conception. Virgin Immaculate, Mother of God and my Mother, from your throne in heaven turn your eyes of pity upon me. Filled with confidence in your goodness and power, I beg you to help me in this journey of life which is so full of dangers for my soul. I entrust myself entirely to you, that I may never be the slave of the devil through sin, but may always live a humble and pure life. I consecrate myself to you forever, for my only desire is to love your divine Son Jesus. Mary, since none of your devout servants has perished, May I too be saved. Amen.

Blessing: Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary – the Immaculate Conception, may the Lord bless us + protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

Final Anthem to the Immaculate Conception

Immaculate Heart! we kneel
To consecrate all to thee:
The present, its pain and joy
The future, all it may be.

Refrain:

O Lady of Fatima, hail!
Immaculate Mother of grace;
O, pray for us, help us today,
Thou hope of the human race!

👏🏼👏🏼 Great job praying Day 3! 👏🏼👏🏼 May God answer our humble prayers. Amen

Shalom!
Compiled by 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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PS: Have you prayed your Rosary today?