Day 7

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.

Most holy Mother of our Saviour, you alone have loved Him worthily, for you have not loved Him in word only, but indeed and in truth. You have given the great proof that this love demands, for you have loved us with a love which, next to His own, never had an equal, and which brought you to sacrifice for our happiness all that was your own, even your Jesus Himself. I can never be dear to thee unless I also love my neighbour with a sincere and generous love. Help me to do so, O Mother of Perpetual Help. Obtain for me a heart like that of Jesus and your own, so that I may be meek and humble, patient, compassionate, more ready to forgive than to take offence, and to give than to receive; that thus I may keep my eyes ever open to my own faults, and may close them to those of my neighbour; that I may put up with everything rather than cause pain to another; that, severe to myself, I may be full of indulgence towards others; that I may love them in Jesus, and Jesus in them; that by my prayers, my good advice and good example, I may strive to draw them for their salvation to Jesus and to thee. 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 grants Her devotees fidelity in Her service.

Perseverance! A great problem, a major question of life and death, a perpetual torment of souls who want to be saved. Have you not said trembling - on seeing yourself surrounded by so many dangers, and above all, on seeing souls that seemed confirmed in good fall away, on feeling violent passions inflamed, and on examining your fickleness - have you not said: "O, will I be saved? Have my sins been forgiven? I hope so. Am I in the grace of God? Will I persevere in good until the end? What will be my sentence at the judgement? Will I be found among the predestined? And, finally, what will be my lot in eternity?" Terrifying reflections, questions whose uncertain replies fill the heart with anxiety. St Teresa, writing on this point, could not understand why the pen did not fall from her hand. After having preached to others, St. Paul feared that he would be among the reprobate, and St Jerome responded beforehand to the sound of the trumpet of final judgement with cries of terror.

How, then, to get rid of this annoying doubt? How to find a guarantee of tranquillity? A great saint tells us: "Of what value is it to stir up these questions disputed by the wise ones concerning whether you will be saved or lost? If we are true children of Mary, certainly we will be among the chosen ones." This is the doctrine of all the Doctors of the church. It is impossible for one who counts on the most powerful help of Mary to be condemned. Consoling words that should fill us with confidence and devotion. But this is understood on the condition that one lives without sins or desires at least to cease sinning; if someone wants to sin with the hope that the Blessed Virgin will save him through his own faults, he will make himself unworthy, incapable of Her protection. It is true, then, O Mother of Perpetual Help, that if I am Thy faithful servant, without a doubt, I will be saved. I will serve Thee; then, I will love Thee; I will invoke Thee always.

Nevertheless, Christian soul, you are still not at peace concerning your perseverance; you must still fear one thing. Without doubt, Most Holy Mary will save you if you invoke Her, but will you be faithful in Her service? Will you, one day, cease to be Her devotee? So great is the fickleness of our heart that tomorrow you will give up what today you have begun. Have, perchance, all those who were devotees of the Virgin, in the beginning, persevered in Her service? There is a remedy for this great misery, called inconstancy, in Our Lady of Perpetual Help. She is the one Who must help us to persevere in her service. If all graces pass through the hands of Mary, why would not this most special grace of all graces, that of invoking her perpetually, also pass through them? And the very name of Perpetual Help, is it, not almost a sure guarantee that she will help us perpetually? How could we weaken in her love and forget Her? If a mother, according to nature, knew that a child of hers could not be happy without enjoying the attentions of his mother, what would she not do to keep him at her side? Well then, our august Queen knows that there cannot be happiness for us, her very beloved children, without having fidelity in Her service, which is intimately united to the service of the Lord, and that is why She provides Her devotees with Her maternal help, abundantly and perpetually.

When a soul who has been at one time Her devotee wishes to abandon Her, that tender Mother waits at the door of his heart and knocks until it is opened, until the unfaithful one returns to his primitive fervour. We have an infallible means of assuring ourselves of perseverance in the devotion to Mary; it suffices to ask Her for the grace to call on Her always, to ask Her for the grace today, to ask Her tomorrow and every day. In short, O soul devoted to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, engrave in your memory that maxim of the great doctor, St. Alphonsus: "I am sure that I will be saved if I sincerely invoke Mary; I am sure of invoking Her if I ask of Her grace to do so always, and I will not tire of repeating this petition of imploring Her with fidelity."

Let us conclude, then, by saying with St. Bernard: "O man, whomever you may be, do not forget that, rather than walking on earth, you go fluctuating between dangers and tempests; if you do not want to be immersed, do not take your eyes away from this star: Mary. Look at Her often. When in danger of sinning, in the anguish of temptations, in doubts concerning things you must resolve, remember that Mary can assist you, and call on Her right away, so She may help you. Never let her powerful name leave your heart so that it may inspire you with confidence, nor your lips so that you may invoke it. Follow Mary, and you will not stray from the path of salvation; commend yourself to Her, and you will not lose confidence; if Her hand sustains you, you will not fall; if She is your guide, you will be saved without effort; and finally, if Mary takes your defence, undoubtedly you will arrive at the kingdom of the blessed. Do this, and you will live." 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.