Thirty Days with Mary-Day 28-September 11

DAY 28 - MARY, TOWER OF DAVID, PRAY FOR US!

DRAW YOUR STRENGTH FROM THE LORD

"We belong to the Church Militant; and she is militant because on earth the powers of darkness are ever restless to encompass her destruction." - Venerable Pius XII

Pope Benedict XVI stated that we are facing a critical moment: "In vast areas of the earth the faith risks being extinguished, like a flame without fuel." The pope warned, "We are facing a profound crisis of faith, a loss of a religious sense which represents one of the greatest challenges for the Church today ... The renewal of faith must, then, be a priority for the entire Church in our time."

In recent decades, we have seen Satan engage the world as never before. In all of human history we have never witnessed evil promoted so effectively while virtue and character and morals are roundly mocked and rejected. Meanwhile, it could be said that the Mystical Body - the Church - has never been so unprepared for and unengaged in the challenging mission of spiritual warfare. It is obvious that Satan's forces are well trained and well organized while ours are clearly not. At the very beginnings of our great nation, Sir Edmund Burke is said to have warned, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Yes, we are being called upon to fight the mother of all wars against powerful evil spirits in the heavenly realm, but we are sure to meet our demise unless we discover these battles cannot be won without first acquiring God's strength and mighty power:

"Draw your strength from the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above. You must put on the armor of God if you are to resist on the evil day; do all that your duty requires, and hold your ground" (Eph 6:10-12) (Excerpt from Church Militant Field Manual).

PRAY A ROSARY

Choose either:

Rosary of the Day: Joyful Mysteries
Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Joyful Mysteries

PRAYERS FOR TRADITIONAL 54 DAY NOVENA

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES OF THE HOLY ROSARY

Prayer before the recitation: Sign of the cross. Hail Mary.

In petition (first 27 days): Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I humbly kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses, snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys, each bud recalling to thee a holy mystery, each 10 bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God's graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee, thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my petition; from thy bounty thou wilt give me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly seek. I despair of nothing that I ask of thee. Show thyself my Mother!

In thanksgiving (last 27 days): Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I gratefully kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys each bud recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, Dispenser of God's graces. and Mother of all who invoke thee! thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my thanksgiving; from thy bounty thou hast given me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly sought. I despaired not of what I asked of thee, and thou hast truly shown thyself my Mother.

Say: The Apostles' Creed, Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be.

The Annunciation - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.

Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of humility and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.

The Visitation - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.

Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of charity and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.

The Nativity - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.

Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of detachment from the world and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.

The Presentation - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.

Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of purity and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.

Finding the Child Jesus in the Temple - Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, Glory Be.

Concluding Prayer: I bind these snow-white buds with a petition for the virtue of obedience to the will of God and humbly lay this bouquet at thy feet.

Say: The Hail Holy Queen.

Spiritual Communion: My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

In petition (first 27 days): Sweet Mother Mary, I offer thee this spiritual communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon thy brow. O my Mother! Look with favor upon my gift, and in thy love obtain for me (specify request, see below). Hail Mary ...

In thanksgiving (last 27 days): Sweet Mother Mary, I offer thee this Spiritual Communion to bind my bouquets in a wreath to place upon thy brow in thanksgiving for (specify request, see below) which thou in thy love hast obtained for me. Hail, Mary, etc.

PETITION: For the Protection of and Provision for the Church, the Family and our Nation. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

All of the daily Novena Prayers and Reflections are found in this book: 54 Day Basic Training in Holiness

All of the daily Novena Prayers and Reflections are also posted at usgraceforce.com

Spanish language Novena prayers and reflections are available at https://rosarycoasttocoast.com/nfon-espanol/.

Those who would like to pray with others via The Telephone Rosary, call 1-951-799-9866 daily at 6 pm Eastern.

"One day through the Rosary and the Scapular, I will save the world." The Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Dominic www.ConfraternityCommunity.com

PATRIOT DAY

2 Maccabees, Chapter 15, Verse 23

And now, Sovereign of the heavens, send a good angel to spread FEAR and trembling ahead of us.

God calls some to be Kings, some to be Prophets, some to be Warriors and some to be lovers or artists. Nevertheless, God demands all of us to choose.

God is calling on His children not to be lulled into the spirit of self-absorbed lethargy that now pervades this God-denying world. Judgment is now on the house of God (I Peter 4:17). Those who do not pass His muster will be denied protection from the horrifying earthquake at Christ's return, one so terrifying that people plead for death! Our attention now, while we still have the chance, must be riveted on pleasing Him with our attention and energies focused upon the spiritual things that cannot be shaken and moved. Which shall it be? Will we fritter away our opportunity—which is far greater than merely being golden—by carelessly allowing time to get away from us, or will we make our calling and election sure while we have time, as Peter charges us in II Peter 1:5-10? Every one of us has this same choice. We must all take Paul's advice and not presumptuously think we stand as we are (I Corinthians 10:12). Make good use of the grace given to us![1]

Patriot Day^{^[2]}

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.

Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary[3]

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(miracle of the sun in Fatima 1917)

I propose we make a gift of ourselves to Christ through Mary for the protection of America and the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

Iceman's Total Consecration to Mary

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 initial 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 hand’s forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God's kingdom."

- St. Maximilian Kolbe