Lent prayers together with Our Sorrowful Mother

Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows , comforter the afflicted


Most holy Mother of Sorrows, by that soul-piercing martyrdom thou didst undergo at the foot of the Cross during the three hours' agony of Jesus, deign to assist me also, who am the child of thy Sorrows, in my agony, so that by thine intercession I may be found worthy to pass from my deathbed to thy blessed society in Paradise.

From a sudden and unprovided death,
Deliver us, O Lord.
From the snares of the devil,
Deliver us , O Lord.
From everlasting death,
Deliver us , O Lord.

Let us pray.
O God, Who for the salvation of mankind hast made for us in the most bitter death of Thy Son both an example and a refuge; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may be found worthy to obtain the fruit of His great love in our final peril at the hour of death, and to be made partakers of our Redeemer's glory. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Daily Prayer to Sorrowful Mother

Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God
and our most compassionate Mother,
we present ourselves in thy sight in all humility,
and with full confidence we implore thee for thy maternal patronage.

Thou hast been proclaimed by Holy Church
the Comforter of the Afflicted,
and to thee constant recourse
is had by the sorrowful in their afflictions,
the sick in their maladies, the dying in their agony,
the poor in their straitened circumstances,
those who stand in all manner of need in both public
and private calamities;
and from thee they all receive consolation and strength.

Our dearest Mother, turn upon us also,
wretched sinners that we are, thy merciful eyes,
and graciously accept our humble and confident prayers.
Aid us in all our spiritual and temporal necessities;
deliver us from all evil, and especially from sin,
which is the greatest evil, and from all danger of falling into it;
obtain for us from thy Son Jesus
every blessing of which thou seest we stand in need,
both in soul and in body, and especially the greatest blessing of all,
which is Divine grace.
Comfort our spirits, troubled and afflicted
in the midst of the many dangers that threaten us and
in the countless miseries and misfortunes that beset us on every side.
This we ask through that immense joy
which filled thy pure soul in the glorious Resurrection of thy Divine Son.

Obtain tranquility for Holy Church,
help and comfort for her visible Head, the Roman Pontiff,
peace for Christian princes,
refreshment in their pains for the Holy Souls in Purgatory;
for sinners, the forgiveness of their sins, and for the just,
perseverance in well-doing.
Receive us all, our most tender Mother,
under thy loving and mighty protection,
that we may be enabled to live virtuously,
die holily and attain to everlasting happiness in heaven. Amen.
(~~ (Rac., No. 419)

Happy Feast of Annunciation of the Lord

Lent's austerity is interrupted as we solemnly keep a feast in honor of the Annunciation. The Annunciation is a mystery that belongs to the temporal rather than to the sanctoral cycle in the Church's calendar. For the feast commemorates the most sublime moment in the history of time, the moment when the Second Divine Person of the most Holy Trinity assumed human nature in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Thus it is a feast of our Lord, even as it is of Mary, although the liturgy centers wholly around the Mother of God. ( — The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch )


Let us faithfully rejoice for the great gift of eternal life given to us through Jesus Christ , from the very moment of Annunciation till Nativity , Passion and sorrowful Death , till the luminous and life giving Resurection .
For this important Feast for mankind , we can pray following Saint Alphonsus Liguori meditations :

First Meditation : When God was pleased to send His Son on earth, that by becoming man He might redeem lost man, He chose Him a Virgin Mother, who, amongst all virgins, was the most pure, the most holy, and the most humble. Behold, whilst Mary was in her poor dwelling, beseeching God to send the promised Redeemer, an Angel stood before her and saluted her, saying , "Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women". And what was the conduct of this humble Virgin when she heard so honorable a salutation? She was not elated, but was silent and troubled, considering herself indeed unworthy of such praises: "she was troubled at his saying".

O Mary,
thou art so humble,
and I am so filled with pride;
obtain for me holy humility.Amen

Second Meditation : Think you that these praises caused Mary at least to suspect that she might be the destined Mother of the Redeemer? No; they only caused her to conceive a great fear of herself; so much so, indeed, that the Angel had to encourage her: "Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found grace with God". He then announced to her that she was the chosen Mother of the Redeemer of the world: "Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus".

Blessed art thou, O Mary,
how dear wast thou to God,
and how dear art thou still to Him!
Have pity on me.Amen

Third Meditation : "And now, O holy Virgin", says Saint Bernard, "why dost thou delay thy consent? The Eternal Word awaits it to clothe Himself with flesh and become thy Son. We also await it, who in misery are condemned to eternal death. If thou consentest, and acceptest to become His Mother, we shall be made free. Quickly, O Lady, answer. Delay not the salvation of the world, which depends on thy consent". But let us rejoice, for Mary already hears the Angel: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word". "Behold", she says, "the slave of the Lord, who is bound to do all that her Lord commands". If He chooses a slave for His Mother, it is not she who is to be praised, but the goodness of that Lord alone, Who is thus graciously pleased to honor her.

O most humble Mary, thou by this thy humility didst so enamor thy God that thou didst draw Him to thee, so as to become thy Son and our Redeemer. I know that thy Son refuses thee nothing that thou askest Him. Ask Him to forgive all the offenses which I have committed against Him; ask Him to grant me perseverance until death. In fine, recommend my soul to Him; for thy recommendations meet with no denial from a Son Who loves thee so much. O Mary, thou hast to save me; thou art my hope. Amen

Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary

Devotion to the Sorrows of Mary has always been a favorite devotion among Catholics.
How touching is the beautiful hymn, Stabat Mater Dolorosa, which the Church intertwines with the public recitation of the Way of the Cross. The Church spares no pain to induce her children to venerate the sufferings of their Heavenly Mother. Seven of her sorrows have been chosen for our special veneration.
Holy Church recalls to our mind only seven of Our Lady's Dolors, but who could form an estimate of their real number! The sufferings of the Mother of God cannot be comprehended; they are inconceivable. But although her whole life was, like that of her Divine Son, a continuous series of sufferings and tribulations, the greatest woes and trials came to her during the week of the bitter passion and death of Jesus, when the storm of hatred and fury burst forth with all violence against Him.
Devotion to the sorrows of Mary should be practiced especially by souls who wish to rid themselves of sinful habits. This devotion nourishes the spirit of compunction, affords great consolation, strengthens confidence in God's mercy, draws down the special protection of the Blessed Mother in the hour of temptation and preserves the converted sinner from relapsing into sin.
The Mother of God once said to her faithful servant St. Bridget: "No matter how numerous a person's sins may be, if he turns to me with a sincere purpose of amendment, I am prepared forthwith to receive him graciously, for I do not regard the number of sins he has committed, but look only upon the dispositions with which he comes to me; for I feel no aversion in healing his wounds, because I am called and am in truth the Mother of Mercy."

Day 3

Feast of Annunciation

Before Novena prayer for Annuciation http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/Novena/annovena.htm

we can meditate faithfully over the great mystery of the moment of Incarnation of the Word of God , the most Holy and Immaculate Conception .
In the Feast of the Annunciation, the Church commemorates two events important to all humanity. On this day, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce that she was to be the Mother of of the Redeemer and Messiah promised for centuries in prophecy. On the same day, the Incarnation took place. God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, assumed a human body and soul and became the Son of Mary and Joseph.
The Incarnation proves that Mary is the Mother of God.
She is the Mother of the Divine Redeemer of the world, the Mother of our Lord and Master, our perfect friend and guide to her Son. After His heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit, there is no-one Jesus honours so much as His Blessed Mother. She intercedes for us to Her Son, and has been blessed with the privilege of appearing to us on occasion, as at Fatima and Lourdes.
The Feast of the Annunciation is an opportunity to bow our heads and thank Our Blessed Mother for her faith and trust, and to offer our own trusting 'Fiat' to God's designs.

Day 2

Feast of Annunciation

Before Novena prayer for Annuciation http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/Novena/annovena.htm

is good to remember that through Immaculate Mary at the moment of the Annunciation, Jesus entered the world in His human nature. Through Mary, He became a member of the human race. Through Mary, Jesus was given to the world for the salvation of mankind.

Through Mary, an Immaculate Virgin, Jesus received His human form to become the perfect sacrifice and sin offering according to the Divine will of God the Father. Through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus came an end to the imperfect sacrifices and sin .
Let us pray,
[That we may become more like Christ,
who chose to become one of us.]
Almighty Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
You have revealed the beauty of your power
by exalting the lowly virgin of Nazareth
and making her the mother of our Savior.
May the prayers of this woman
bring Jesus to the waiting world
and fill the void of incompletion
with the presence of her child,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit
one God forever and ever. Amen

Novena for the Feast of Annunciation ( 25 March )

Today we start to prepare for a great feast for mankind , the holy and glorious moment when Archangel Gabriel brings the news of Joyful Mystery : Annunciation of our Lord Jesus Christ to Immaculate Mary .

It was this day on which Our Lord entered the world, and on this day, thirty-three years later, that He left it.
It must be remembered that it was on this day, not Christmas, that Christ came to the world, as a baby inside Mary's womb , that's why true catholics fight for Life , from the very moment of conception .
Our Lady uttered her Fiat -- her words "Let it be done to me according to thy word" -- and the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity condescended to take on a human nature and become man. God became man! through Mary .
Yes, the whole heavens were moved, and we Catholics are moved yet, honoring Christ's Incarnation at each and every Mass when we kneel in gratitude during the Creed, at the words "Et homo factus est" ("And became man"). Angelus Bells at one time (and still in some places) reminded us three times a day -- morning, noon, and evening -- of St. Gabriel's announcement, Mary's fiat, and the Creator of the Sun and Moon and Stars deigning to take on a human nature .
So let us faithfully pray , may God bless you all joining in prayers .

I greet you,
Ever-blessed Virgin,
Mother of God,
Throne of Grace,
miracle of Almighty Power!
I greet you,
Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity
and Queen of the Universe,
Mother of Mercy
and refuge of sinners!
Most loving Mother, attracted by your beauty and sweetness, and by your tender compassion, I confidently turn to you, miserable as I am, and beg of you to obtain for me from your dear Son the favor I request in this novena:(mention your request).
Obtain for me also, Queen of heaven, the most lively contrition for my many sins and the grace to imitate closely those virtues which you practiced so faithfully, especially humility, purity and obedience. Above all, I beg you to be my Mother and Protectress, to receive me into the number of your devoted children, and to guide me from your high throne of glory.
Do not reject my petitions, Mother of Mercy! Have pity on me, and do not abandon me during life or at the moment of my death.
Daughter of the Eternal Father, Mother of the Eternal Son, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, Temple of the Adorable Trinity, pray for me. Immaculate and tender Heart of Mary, refuge of the needy and hope of sinners, filled with the most lively respect, love, and gratitude, I devote myself forever to your service, and I offer you my heart with all that I am and all that belongs to me.
Accept this offering, sweet Queen of Heaven and Earth, and obtain for me of your dear Son, Jesus Christ, the favors I ask through your intercession in this novena. Obtain for me also a submission to His adorable Will, the true spirit of a Christian, and the grace of final perseverance. Amen.
Memorare
Remember, most pure spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, my loving protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
Consecration
Holiest Virgin, with all my heart I venerate you above all the Angels and Saints in paradise as the Daughter of the Eternal Father, and I consecrate to you my soul with all its powers. Hail Mary
Holiest Virgin, with all my heart I venerate you above all the Angels and Saints in paradise as the Mother of the only-begotten Son, and I consecrate to you my body with all its senses. Hail Mary
Holiest Virgin, with all my heart I venerate you above all the Angels and Saints in paradise as the beloved Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and I consecrate to you my heart and all its affections, praying you to obtain for me from the Most Holy Trinity all the graces I need for my salvation. Hail Mary

Praying Lent together with Sorrowful Mother of God

As Mother of God, Mary was exalted to an incomparable height of holiness. Who can comprehend the lofty height of her greatness or fathom the abyss of her sanctity? St. Thomas attempted, and concluded that omnipotence itself could not invent a "greater greatness." It was necessary that her sorrows should correspond to her holiness, for the sufferings and tribulations of the Saints always keep apace with their sanctity. What then must Mary's sufferings have been in order to be proportionate to her greatness ---- the greatness of the Mother of God! Who can comprehend the immensity of her graces and merits, and consequently the enormous weight of sufferings required by such holiness, to complete her perfection, to crown her most condignly?

The sorrows of the Mother of God surpassed the power of human endurance. It is the unanimous opinion of spiritual writers that beneath the pressure of her inconceivable sufferings, the Blessed Virgin's life was miraculously preserved. From the moment of Simeon's prophecy she foresaw her sorrows in vivid reality. Without the special aid of God's omnipotence, her soul would have been separated from her body.

True, Mary was marvelously tranquil, because she was wholly submissive to the will of God; but this did not lessen her sorrows. Her nature, never disturbed by sin, possessed an extraordinary tenderness and was susceptible to suffering in an inexpressibly high degree. "Men will never comprehend the anguish of my sorrows!" she revealed to St. Bridget.

The picture of Mary bowed down with sorrow on Calvary teaches us that pain is the twin sister of love on earth.