Day 5

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.

O Mary, of all creatures the most noble, the most sublime, the most pure, the most beautiful, the most holy. You are loved pre-eminently by all the elect and by God Himself, who has more love for you alone than for all men and angels together. But I wish to see all mankind love you, and love you exceedingly. Obtain for me this love which I so much desire for others and which is a sure sign of predestination. But above all obtain for me the grace to love Jesus Christ, your divine Son, whom above all I am so much bound to love, as infinitely amiable in Himself, as having so much loved me, and whom you so ardently desire to see loved by all. This is the grace I seek for most, above every other good. You can obtain it for me, O Mother of Perpetual Help, and cease not to pray until you see a great love for Jesus enkindled in my soul, or rather cease not to pray until you see me united with yourself in loving Him with a pure and endless love in Paradise. 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 protects Her devotees in all the necessities and afflictions of life.

Let us consider that the world is a place of trial, a valley of tears and weeping. Who is unaware of it? "Man" says Job, "born of a woman, living for a short time, is filled with many works and miseries." His work is that of Calvary. Such is the condition of every mortal. That is why the author of the "Imitation of Christ" says: Man needs consolation. "And this consolation, where will our afflicted heart find it? Perhaps in our friends and neighbours? Ah, no! Usually, they look with indifference upon our tribulations; our tears do not move them, and if one of them is moved to compassion upon seeing our sorrow, often he does not know how to mitigate it in the least because he is impotent. Of whom can we ask for help in poverty, consolation in afflictions, counsel in doubts? Of whom but of Her Who is the Perpetual Help of mortals.

Look, afflicted soul, see how the divine Infant clasps the hand of His tender Mother. He has seen the cross and the instrument of His passion that the angels present to Him, and He has become terrified, and His Heart has said: "My sorrow is always before My eyes." But where does He seek consolation? In His good Mother Who extends Her hand to Him to support and comfort Him in His suffering! Let us learn from the Heavenly Infant to have recourse to the compassionate Mother of Perpetual Help in our afflictions and trials. Perpetual are our miseries, but, oh, consolation! Perpetual also is her Help.

Poor soul! Do not be discouraged. Your Mother sees the many and varied calamities that grieve you. She sees what torment your body and afflicts your soul.

Are you poor? Neither the necessities of your family, nor the afflictions of your heart, nor the tears you shed for lack of means with which to procure food or to satisfy your creditor or to provide honestly for your children pass unnoticed by Her.

Are you ill? She sees the pain that consumes you, the abhorrence that afflicts you, the fear that oppresses you, the days you pass without relief, the nights you count without rest. Are you the target of another's envy or anger? Are you calumniated? Do you find a reason for affliction within your own family? This compassionate Mother witnesses your bitterness, the injustices committed against you in tribunals, the harm your rivals cause you, and the outrage and offence you receive from your relatives. She counts your tears. This, with all the rest that afflicts you, She sees without withdrawing Her penetrating and benign glance from you for one moment.

And She not only sees it, but it seems she feels it more vividly than you. She is a Mother of mercy, and that is why, just as She sees our miseries with the eyes of a mother with the heart of a mother, She sympathizes with them. In such a way that, just as at the foot of the cross, the wounds of the most sacred Body of Jesus were reflected in the loving Heart of Mary. Thus all the injuries of our wounded heart are reproduced in that of our Heavenly Mother. Finally, this tender Mother not only sees our miseries and our hearts open but is moved by our misfortune in a gesture of helping us with all haste.

And She exercises this pious office with us continually. Is She doing anything but granting us help with our necessities? Ah! No matter how little we dedicate our thoughts to the many laborious evils we are subject to in life, we will see that in everything, She defends, relieves, and protects us. At the wedding at Cana, scarcely was She aware of the lack of wine, of the shame of the bridegroom and the disturbance of the guests; when moved to compassion, She presented that necessity to Her son, begging sweetly to apply the opportune remedy; thus, in the same way, now that She is seated gloriously at the right hand of Her Son in Heaven, She continually discloses to Him all our necessities. She begs Him to alleviate our miseries or provide powerful help to suffering them with humble resignation, as this or that may rebound to His greater glory and our spiritual good.

Well then: if such is the soothing effects that we experience every day from the loving help of Mary, what must be our gratitude towards a Mother so kind, what must be our affection for a Mother so tender, what must be our confidence in a Mother Who loves us so and concerns Herself so much with us? She has Her eyes always fixed on our miseries, Her Heart always disposed to be compassionate, and Her hands always open to remedy them. Let us have continuous and devout recourse then, to this most kind Mother, disclosing all our needs to Her with filial confidence. Let us be assured that through Her, we will have our perpetual relief, encouragement and consolation. Amen.

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.