NINE-MONTH NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

NINE-MONTH NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
Start March 12 to December 12

Tuesday, September 11, 2018


PATRIOT DAY



Romans, Chapter 2, Verse 9-10
9 Yes, affliction and distress will come upon every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. 10 But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek.

There is no impartiality with God. There is nobody who is privileged or exempt from God’s judgment. We will all account for our individual deeds or misdeeds. Those who make life style choices contrary to God will earn God’s wrath which includes sexual immorality[1], covetousness, maliciousness; envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness, whisperings, backbiting, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving and unmerciful.

Wicked Spirits[2]

Great courage is required in spiritual warfare. Our enemies are terrible in strength and numerous beyond count. They are ever active, ever alert to work our destruction. Yet, only one angel of God is able to defeat the devil and all the demons. God never permits us to be tempted beyond our strength. By God’s grace we can resist them and advance the work of our sanctification. Know that the devil fears no person and would destroy us if not for the limits God puts on him and the protection provided by our guardian angels and the other eight choirs of angels. Let ourselves be guided by the grace which the precious blood provides and call upon the intersession of Mary Queen of Heaven. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (He will go on to easier pickings like any criminal) When tempted call upon the Blood of Christ to give you courage and strength to fight the enemy.

Patriot Day[3]

Patriot Day is a day the US remembers the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  This day is commonly referred to as 9-11 (Nine-Eleven).  It is believed that 2,977 people died in the attacks. President George W. Bush proclaimed September 11th Patriot Day in 2002.

Patriot Day (Sept 11) Facts

·         On September 11th, US Flags should be flown at half-mast - both on US soil and abroad.
·         A moment of silence is held at 8:46 a.m. (EST) across the nation - commemorating the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
·         The National September 11 Memorial and Museum takes up over half of the destroyed World Trade Center site. It contains bronze parapets inscribed with the names of those killed on September 11, 2001 and those killed in the 1993 World Trade Center attack.
·         Cleaning up Ground Zero, as the World Trade Center was renamed, took 18 months and 19 days, and was completed in May of 2002.
·         The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were once the tallest buildings in the world and contained enough concrete to build a sidewalk from New York City to Washington D.C
Top Events and Things to Do

·         Visit the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City.
·         Observe a moment of silence.
·         Attend a 9/11 Memorial Service.
·         Share with a group of children your memories of 9/11 and how the events of the day forever changed America.
·         Show support for local police and firemen as a way to honor the emergency personnel who gave their lives on 9/11.
·         Firemen on that day climbed 2200 steps in the stairs of the towers to save lives; perhaps today would be a good day to climb 2200 stair steps and donate one cent for each step ($22.00) to a 911 fund that supports the widows and orphans.



 This year marks the 101th anniversary of the miracle of the sun at Fatima in 1917. Mary asks that in order for us to be happy in this life and the next that we follow her example of prayer, sacrifice and devotion to her son Christ by making a total consecration to her immaculate heart. This consecration takes 33 days of prayer and reflection. As it is exactly 33 days from 9/11 to 10/13 I propose we make a gift of ourselves to Christ through Mary in preparation of the 101th anniversary of the miracle of the sun.

St. Louis de Montfort (1673 – 1716) had a profound devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and wrote extensively on the virtues of Our Lady, what true devotion to her consists in, and how the faithful need to turn to her as the way to her Son, Jesus Christ. In his classic writings (The Secret of Mary, The Secret of the Rosary, and True Devotion to Mary) he recommends that the faithful formally consecrate themselves to the Blessed Mother. For this end he developed a specific 33-day program consisting of various prayers and readings to help the faithful detach themselves from the world and bond themselves more closely with Christ through the example and intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Louis de Montfort stands in a long tradition of saints completely devoted to Our Lady, and his work has been influential in the lives of many other saints, notable among them is Pope St. John Paul II who took his papal motto, "Totus Tuus" (Totally Yours) from de Montfort. This "Total Consecration of Jesus through Mary" consists of an intial 12-day preparation followed by a period of three consecutive weeks, each week focusing on a different theme. It is recommended that the consecration be done on a major feast day of Our Lady, meaning that the preparation would begin 33 days prior. That is, after the 33-day program is completed, the Act of Consecration is made on a Marian feast day. Once you make the consecration, it is for life. It can then be renewed annually. Keep in mind that this is a formal consecration to Our Lady, not unlike a vow, that is to be done in a solemn manner. Through this 33-day program you are giving Mary all of yourself - heart, mind, and soul - in order to bring you to her Son, Jesus Christ. Also, that she may use you as a holy instrument in her battle with Satan - i.e. this consecration allows her the free reign in your life to make you holy (as she assists you, through the Holy Spirit, to conform to her virtues) and to use your prayers, sacrifices, and sufferings for the greater glory of God.


“The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. She seeks souls that will consecrate themselves entirely to her, that will become in her hands forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God's kingdom."

- St. Maximilian Kolbe



35 Promises of God[5] cont.

10.  “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
-John 8:36

The Way[6]

"Read these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in the end you will be a more worthy soul."

55.  Virtue without order? Strange virtue!

Daily Devotions
·         Drops of Christ’s Blood
·         Pray the 54 Day Rosary
·         Total Consecration Day 1




[1] Sexuality is God’s design. He alone can define the parameters for its use. The Bible is clear that sex was created to be enjoyed between one man and one woman who are in a covenant marriage until one of them dies (Matthew 19:6). Sexuality is His sacred wedding gift to human beings. Any expression of it outside those parameters constitutes abuse of God’s gift. Abuse is the use of people or things in ways they were not designed to be used. The Bible calls this sin. Adultery, premarital sex, pornography, and homosexual relations are all outside God’s design, which makes them, sin.
[2] St. Michael and the Angels, Tan Books, 1983.
[3] http://www.wincalendar.com/Patriot-Day-911
[6]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm

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