Novena to Jesus Nazareno
OPENING PRAYER FOR EVERYDAY
O Jesus Nazarene, my most sweet Redeemer, I prostrate myself before Thee, with a heart full of repentance for all the sins I have committed against Thee, especially for my forgetfulness of the graces which thou has bestowed on me in the past, most particularly the ineffable grace of the act of redemption. Jesus, I am sorry and deeply grieve my offenses.
My Lord, I am sorry for all my sins which have been the cause of Thy carrying of the cross in the midst of suffering and embitterness until thous has offered Thy life in Mt Calvary. This thou hast done for love of me, a sinful creature, and for love of mankind.
Allow me now, my sweet Lord to bring myself face to face with Thee, however unworthy I am. Forgive me all my sins, since Thou didst not want the condemnation of the sinner but his conversion and salvation. I come to Thee with firm purpose of amendment and a resolve not to displease Thee again by sin but to pledge my service to Thee, unto the hour of my death. Sanctify O God my desires and deign to grant me the graces which I need, and I call upon the powerful, intercession of Thy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER
PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN
O Mary, Mother laden with sorrows, I humbly ask of thee, through the merits of thy grief which Thou didst suffer because of the death of thy Son, our Lord and God. Who was disfigured by bruises and blood for love of me, that thou offer to God my supplications so that I may obtain the graces which I ask from Him.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee
SPECIAL PRAYER
O most sweet Jesus Nazarene, My God and Redeemer, who hast trodden the road to Calvary with the weight of the cross on thy shoulders: look down on me a sinner who is now giving praise to Thy sufferings. I also thank Thee for saving me through thy sweet acceptance of sufferings on the cross.
Forgive me my sins, O Good Jesus. I acknowledge my weaknesses and I trust that out of the boundless mercy Thou will wash with Thy blood my inumerable sins. I love Thee above all things, and I promise to be faithful to Thy commandments unto the hour of my death.
Be with me, Lord and guide my steps so that I may reach the end of this earthly journey to the kingdom of heaven. Amen
LITANY OF THE PASSION
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,
*have mercy on us.
God the Son, *
God the Holy Spirit, *
Holy Trinity one God, *
Jesus, the Eternal Wisdom, *
Jesus, sold for thirty pieces of silver, *
Jesus, prostrate on the ground in prayer, *
Jesus, strengthened by an angel, *
Jesus, in Thine agony bathed in a bloody sweat, *
Jesus, betrayed by Judas with a kiss, *
Jesus, bound by the soldiers, *
Jesus, forsaken by thy disciples, *
Jesus, brought before Annas and Caiphas, *
Jesus, struck in the face by a servant, *
Jesus, accused by false witnesses, *
Jesus, declared guilty of death, *
Jesus, spat upon, *
Jesus, blindfolded, *
Jesus, smitten on the cheek, *
Jesus, thrice denied by Peter, *
Jesus, delivered up to Pilate, *
Jesus, despised and mocked by Herod, *
Jesus, clothed in a white garment, *
rJesus, rejected for Barnabas, *
Jesus, torn with scourges, *
Jesus, bruised by our sins, *
Jesus, esteemed as a leper, *
Jesus, covered witha purple robe, *
Jesus, crowned with thorns, *
Jesus, struck with a reed upon the head, *
Jesus, demanded for crucifixion by the Jews, *
Jesus, condemned to an ignominious death, *
Jesus, given up to the will of Thine enemies, *
Jesus, loaded with the heavy weight of the Cross, *
Jesus, led like a sheep to the slaughter, *
Jesus, stripped of Thy garments, *
Jesus, fastened with nails to the cross, *
Jesus, reviled by the malefactors, *
Jesus, promising paradise to the penitent thief, *
Jesus, commending St John to thy mother as her son, *
Jesus, declaring Thyself forsaken by Thy father, *
Jesus, obedient even to the death on the cross, *
Jesus, pierced with a lance, *
Jesus, made a propitiation for us, *
Jesus, taken down from the Cross, *
Jesus, laid in the sepulchre, *
Jesus, rising gloriously from the dead, *
Jesus, ascending into heaven, *
Jesus, our Advocate with the Father, *
Jesus, sending down on the disciples the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, *
Jesus, exalting Thy mother, above the living and the dead, *
Be merciful
spare us, O Lord,
Be merciful
graciously hear us, O Lord,
From all evil,
*Lord Jesus, deliver us,
From all sin, *
From anger, hatred and avery evil will, *
From war, famine & pestilence, *
From all dangers of mind and body, *
From everlasting death, *
Through Thy most pure conception, *
Through Thy miraculous nativity, *
Through Thy humble circumcision, *
Through Thy baptism and holy fasting, *
Through Thy labors and watchings, *
Through Thy cruel scourging and crowning, *
Through Thy thirst and tears and nakedness, *
Through Thy precious death on the cross, *
Through Thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension, *
Through Thy sending forth the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, *
On the day of Judgment, *
We sinners,
*We beseech Thee, hear us
That Thou wouldst spare us, *
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring us to true pennance, *
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe mercifully to pour into
our hearts the grace of the Holy Spirit, *
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve and increase
all societies assembled in Thy holy name, *
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bestow upon us true peace, *
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give us perseverance
in grace and in Thy holy service, *
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe deliver us from unclean
thoughts and temptations of the devil, and everlasting damnation, *
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to unite us to the company
of Thy saints, *
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to graciously hear us, *
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world
Spare us O Lord,
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world
graciously hear us O Lord,
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world
have mercy on us,
V. We adore thee, O Christ and praise Thee.
R. Because of the Holy cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.
LET US PRAY
Almighty and eternal God, who hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son the Savior of the world and hast willed to be appeased with His blood, grant that we may so venerate this Price of our salvation, and by it might be so defended upon earth from the evils of this present life, that in heaven we may rejoice in its everlasting fruit, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
Day One
JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH
MEDITATIONS
This day remember how Jesus hears the sentence of death with meekness.
Leaving the house of Caiphas where he had been blaspehemed, and the house of Herod where he had been mocked, Jesus is dragged before Pilate, his back torn with scourges; His head crowned with thorns; and He who on the last day will judge the living and the dead, is Himself condemned to a disgraceful death.
REFLECTIONS
the Lord Jesus came to earth not to destroy life but for the salvation of man. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest doctor, for there is nothing He cannot cure. Indeed His power to solve man’s problems is well demonstrated in the miracles He has wrought-the blind made to see; the dead raised to life; the lame walked.
With men, it is impossible, but not with God (Mark 10:27).
If we should find ourselves in the predicament of the suffering and the needy, let us say with the Lord, “My God, if it pleases Thee, let this chalice pass from my life; nevertheless Thy will be done, not mine”.
(Pray three Hail Mary’s in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may ask from Jesus her Son the grace which you would like to obtain from Him).
Day Two
JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS
MEDITATION
Remember this day that a heavy cross is laid upon the bruised shoulders of Jesus Christ. Most willingly Jesus accepts and patiently bears His cross for my sake. Will I refuse to bear my cross for His sake? No, my loving Redeemer, I will no longer seek to evade my cross, but with the help of thy grace I will bear it with Christian patience and resignation and follow Thee always.
REFLECTION
In the beginning of creation, God made life and death co-exist. But at the operation, each is opposed to the other, hence if one exists, the other ceases. Yes, when death comes, life follows. God created us to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him and to be happy with Him forever in heaven, Someday, we do not know when, where and how death will overtake us. Life is everlasting for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and death is endless to those who will die in mortal sin. To the believers, death is merely the cessation of man’s activity.
(Pray three Hail Mary’s in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may ask from Jesus her Son the grace which you would like to obtain from Him).
Day Three
JESUS FALLS BENEATH THE CROSS
MEDITATION
Weakened by torments and the loss of blood, Jesus falls three times. My feeble resolutions, my oftrepeated sins, have crushed Jesus to earth. Such is the malice of sin. O Jesus, grant me true repentance. Let me die a thousand times rather than have the misfortune to fall again into mortal sin. Help me to hate all sin.
REFLECTION
Our Lord for a fact did not worry about Himself. Even He hang on the cross, he did not give much thought to himself but to his creatures. He asked that His enemies be forgiven for they did not know what they did. The sources of man’s worry is manifold. A few of them are personal while a few others are social.Each type of problem is as compelling as the other, and is no less oppressive. Worry saps the vitality of the man. But we have to trust in God. “Do not therefore be solicitous for tomorrows, for the morrows will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew: 6.34)
A man who has motto in his life, “God first and second the rest,” has nothing to worry about.
… (Pray three Hail Mary’s in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may ask from Jesus her Son the grace which you would like to obtain from Him).
Day Four
JESUS MEETS HIS BLESSED MOTHER
MEDITATION
Jesus, the man of sorrows meets Mary, the Queen of Martyrs. Oceans of griefs deluge their hearts as they face each other. They suffer this for my sins.
O Jesus, O Mary, bathe my sinful soul in the sea of true sorrow for my past offences. In all temptation, I will say, Jesus, Mary, help me.”
REFLECTION
Nervousness, akin to worry, is like the devil inside the human body. It is more tangible because it has outward manifestations. St. Paul, however counsels us: “Give not place to the devil .” (Ephesians 4:27)
Crisis of any kind, whether physical, mental or otherwise, can be met with equanimity, fortitude and without nervous tension.
Let us believe and have faith in Jesus Christ as the immediate comforter and nearest available physician, faithful friend and true companion.
Have moral courage in the face of adversities. Also, be calm in sizing up the situation and use of mind to adopt the measures called for. To learn to smile even in the face of a crisis, to be cheerul is most refreshing to the body, the mind and the soul.
(Pray three Hail Mary’s in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may ask from Jesus her Son the grace which you would like to obtain from Him).
Day Five
SIMON OF CYRENE ASSISTS JESUS CARRY THE CROSS
MEDITATION
Although Jesus seems about to expire, He does not need the help of Simon since he wills to die on the cross. Yet, he still accepts the help of Simon to teach us the virtues of charity and perseverance.
O Jesus, I too will carry my cross patiently to the end and strive to lighten the cross of my fellowmen.
REFLECTION
Man’s greed for material wealth has not infrequently led him to commit crime. Charity finds no place in the hearts of the wicked.
The immoderate love for material and wordly things can never insure perpetual enjoyment. The pleasures of the world are fleeting and transitory, quite unlike those of heaven as our Lord Jesus said:
“Lay not up to yourselves on earth; where the rust and moth comsume and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven where neither the rust nor the moth doth consume and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
… (Pray three Hail Mary’s in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may ask from Jesus her Son the grace which you would like to obtain from Him).
Day Six
VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS
MEDITATION
The lady Veronica takes compassion on Jesus and wipes His face with clean towel. Jesus accepts and returns the towels to Veronica. Upon it is left the impress of His adorable and holy face.
Alas, my sins have also disfigured Thy holy countenance. O Jesus, grant me efficacious sorrow so that all my sins may be erased from my soul and that Thy grace and thy divine image may be stamped upon it forever.
REFLECTION
The Lord knows the plight of laborers and has therefore said the following:
“Come to me all ye that labor and are burdened and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you and learn of me because I am meek and humble of heart, and you shall find rest for your souls, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light.” (Matthew: 11:28-30)
Laborers, whether mental or manual, should remember the Lord and His words.
“I am the door; by Me if any man shall enter, he shall be saved and shall go in and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
Let us consider that He is also “the way and the truth and the life,” and that “no man cometh to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6).
Neither is there salvation in any other. Let us all have recourse to Jesus in times of prosperity and want, in joy and in sorrow.
… (Pray three Hail Mary’s in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may ask from Jesus her Son the grace which you would like to obtain from Him).
Day Seven
JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM
MEDITATION
When our Lord meets the women of Jerusalem on His way to Calvary, He tells them not to weep for Him but for their own children-for all sins. How generous Jesus is!
O Jesus, grant that I may understand the true meaning of Thy passion and be so inflamed with love for thee that I may shed tears over my past transgressions.
REFLECTION
It is well said that the heaviest crosses which any of us carry are the crosses of our own making. Yes, life in action requires the proper weighing of the pros and cons in a try to solve a problem.
In man’s daily activities, he should take the necessary precaution to scrutinize through self-inquiry the statements of others, of their motives.
In so doing, we should also overcome any urge of envy by demonstrating love, charity and sympathy to others. This should be a good norm of conduct for ” all men are born brothers.” Hence, if any one suffers, all the brethren feel the same pain.
In like manner, when a finger is cut, the whole body feels the pain of the injury. Thus through thick and thin men should be united and work peaceably together. Thus man can enjoy contently and peacefully the fruits of his brain and broawn.
… (Pray three Hail Mary’s in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may ask from Jesus her Son the grace which you would like to obtain from Him).
Day Eight
JESUS REACHES CALVARY, IS NAILED TO THE CROSS
MEDITATION
When Jesus reaches Calvary, he is stripped of His garments. Then he is ignominiously nailed to the hard wood of the cross. Blood flows afresh. Ghastly wounds are reopened and all because of my sins!
O Jesus crucified help me to esteem and practice Christian mortification so that I may love only Thee and renounce the world, the flesh and the devil. Grant that I may truly be converted and suffer evil rather than be numbered among ungrateful souls.
REFLECTION
Self-humiliation can cure pride, and I am the most proud of creatures the moment I fail to acknowledge my weaknesses. Jesus has taught us to be humble. He had chosen to be born in a stable. This was a supreme act of humility.
When he died, it was before the eyes of contemptuous men. Even when he was in Nazareth, He was obscured from the attention of the people, working in a humble carpenter’s shop.
Then at the cenacle, He took a basin of water and towel and washed the feet of His apostles.
Let me then remember, ” The servant is not greater than his Lord.” God resists the proud, but not the humble heart. Indeed, humility is the right pathway to real greatness. And “pride goes before destruction.”
… (Pray three Hail Mary’s in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may ask from Jesus her Son the grace which you would like to obtain from Him).
Day Nine
JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
MEDITATION
Jesus, my God, dies on the cross for us sinners. But what have I done for Him? After a while, his lifeless body rest in the arms of Mary. Shall I also carry Him in all my life, defend His teachings unto death?
Like Jesus, I too must die, but die to sin.
O Jesus, have mercy on me, a poor sinner. Grant me the grace to rise to a new spiritual life, that dying to myself now, I may rise gloriously with Thee on the last day, and enjoy Thy promised glory in heaven for all time.
REFLECTION
In this world of chaos, people have learned to come in closer sacred communion with God, more often through prayers. Our Lord has taught us how to pray, and to pray unceasingly. By this is meant, that even if we were at work, we should offer this work to God and thus become ourselves unceasing in prayer.
Our Lord did not only teach, he also set the example. Thus in His apostolate and in the garden of Gethsemane, he prayed hard for us.
Prayer is the most important activity of men that helps him solve many problems.
Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.
“Every one that asketh, receiveth, and he that seeketh, findeth.” (Matthew 7:8)
… (Pray three Hail Mary’s in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may ask from Jesus her Son the grace which you would like to obtain from Him).