Day 4

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

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful

and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.

And you shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O my God, because you are so good, I am very sorry that I have sinned against you, and by the help of your grace, I will not sin again. Amen.

If you can, pray the Chaplet and the Litany of Our Mother of Perpetual Help on each day of the Novena. You can skip this step, or come back to the Novena afterwards.

To be said on each day of the Novena.

O Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, I salute you with filial devotion. I renew the consecration of myself, and all I have, to you. I thank you for your maternal protection and for the many blessings that I have received through your wondrous mercy and most powerful intercession. In all my necessities I have recourse to you with unbounded confidence, O Help of Christians, O Mother of Mercy. I beseech you now to hear my prayer and to obtain for me of your divine Son the favour that I request in this novena.

Here mention your petition.

Obtain for me, also, dearest Mother, the grace that I may imitate you and become more like you in the practice of the virtues of humility, purity, submission to the will of God, and charity. Be my protectress in life, guard and guide me in dangers, direct me in difficulties, lead me in the way of perfection, and assist me in the hour of my death, that I may come to Jesus, and with thee enjoy Him, bless Him, and love Him eternally in Heaven. Amen.

To you, then, O Hope of the wretched, I, a miserable sinner, address myself. I hope that by the merits of Jesus Christ and through your intercession, I shall be saved. Such is my confidence, O Mary, that were eternal salvation in my own hands, I would place it in yours; for I trust more in your mercy and protection than in all my own endeavours. My Mother and my Hope, abandon me not as I deserve. Be moved to pity. Help me and save me; let all see that your goodness surpasses the number and the malice of my sins. It is testified throughout the Church that no one under thy protection can ever perish. Should then all others forget me, do not, O Mother of Perpetual Help. Say to God that I am your servant. Defend me, and I shall be saved. I wish to live and die saying that next to God you are my chief Hope. Our Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may always hope in you. Amen.

Pray the Hail Mary three times.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Our Mother of Perpetual Help,

pray for us.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help defends her devotees in temptations.

Consider that one of the major difficulties in which man needs the perpetual help of Mary especially is in temptation, that perpetual and provoking struggle in which we are engaged against the enemies of our salvation. We all, the just and the sinners, feel inclined to evil. After being carried up to the third heaven, St. Paul himself exclaimed: "Unhappy man that I am. I see another Law in my members, fighting against the laws of my mind and captivating me in the law of sin. A sting of my flesh, an angel of Satan, was given to buffet me." Perhaps, my friend, you could use the same language; you, too, feel this dismal law of sin that wants to dominate the spirit, those vehement impulses of passions hungering for pleasure; Satan and a deceiving world hold out chains to you too, and at times you find yourself in great danger of succumbing to the very violence of temptation. O then, what constraints, what straits are those to the soul who wants to be saved; it finds itself surrounded by so many and such powerful enemies; it feels its weakness and frailty, and with all that, it has to defeat all its enemies together, under pain of being lost, perhaps for eternity! How critical a position!

Christians, what will you do in this terrible struggle with the world, the flesh and the devil? Will you surrender your arms, declaring yourself defeated? No, that would be great and criminal cowardice. Ah! Let that not be your conduct! Instead, let us have recourse to Our Lady, and Her Perpetual Help will attain victory for us. It is related that Emperor Constantine, having to face a decisive battle against Maxentius, an enemy of the Christians, lifted his eyes to heaven and saw in the sky a brilliant cross with this inscription: "In this sign shalt thou conquer." And the complete routing of Maxentius verified it. Christian soul, you are continually at war with so many enemies; heaven presents you with the same banner in the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Look at the veil that covers the virginal forehead of the Heavenly Queen; on it, you will also see a cross that promises you the most powerful help of the merciful Mother of God.

Mary is terrible against the power of Hell, Like an army in battle array. She is the tower of David, constructed with ramparts from which hang a thousand shields. Against this tower, the sharp arrows of the enemy will break. She is the one Who crushes the head of the infernal serpent, and the powers of hell flee, simply on hearing Her most holy Name pronounced.

Christian, have you looked for some time with reflection upon the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help? Does not Her sight remind you of the prodigies worked in other times by the ark of the Lord? Truly, the ark of the Covenant was covered with pure gold; it contained the manna that fell from heaven, and two angels covered it with their white wings. By means of the ark of the Lord, the people of God attained their victories; the walls of Jericho crumbled; the Philistines were defeated; because the holy ark was with Israel. Well then, do you not see the gold of divine charity glow in the same way in the loving Heart of that kindest of mothers? Do you not see Jesus, the sweet manna of our souls, in Her maternal arms? Do you not see the angels in the background of that picture with their wings extended? Is it not by means of Her most powerful help that so many Christians have attained victory over their enemies? How many souls adorned with the grace of the Lord would be sunk in sin if they had not invoked Our Lady of Perpetual Help at the moment of temptation!

Thus, O Christian soul, make a firm resolution never to enter into combat with the enemies of your salvation alone, but rather accompanied by Most Holy Mary; Her Perpetual Help will serve as your shield, and thus you will attain innumerable other victories in as many battles as you must endure. O Mother of Perpetual Help! Thou art the holy Ark of the Lord; with Thee, we will win victories; before Thee, the enemies of our salvation will flee terrified; in every temptation, we will invoke Thy Perpetual Help, and Thou will help us perpetually.

Meditate and ask for what you wish to obtain from Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

O Mother of Perpetual Help, we place before you all the intentions entrusted to you by those who pray with us here: the sick and the suffering, families in need, those seeking work, those carrying burdens known to you alone, and all who give thanks for favours received.

We pray for one another, though we may never meet. Take every petition into your motherly heart and present it to your Son. Obtain for each of us what is for God's glory and our true good, and the grace to accept His holy will in all things.

Our Mother of Perpetual Help,

pray for us. Amen.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defence against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

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. Amen.

Antiphon

Thou art Perpetual Help benign. Come, therefore, I implore Thee.

The refrain is sung after each verse.

Most Blessed Virgin, Immaculate Queen and my Mother Mary, refuge and consolation of all creatures: I come before your throne with my entire family. I choose you for my Lady, my Mother, and my advocate with God. I dedicate myself to your service with all who are near and dear to me. Receive us as your children, I beg of you, O Mother of God. Keep us under your protection, especially at the hour of our death. O Mother of Mercy, I appoint you the mistress and ruler of my whole household, my family, my interests, my affairs. Please do not refuse this charge. Bless me and all my loved ones, and never allow us to be far from your Son.

Never let the devil glory in enslaving any one of us who is now consecrated to you. Grant that we may all arrive in heaven to thank you, and to praise and love Jesus our Redeemer together with you for all eternity. Amen.