J.M.J.
December 19, 2017
Christmas Novena Day Five
Dear Family of Mary!
We are at Day Five of our Christmas Novena! Half way there! Today both Our Lady and Jesus speak about sleep! Truly, sleep is an act of trust, because we give ourselves over completely to rest and let go control of our life for a few hours. It is very important to sleep, as we need to be revitalized and strengthened through our rest for the next day’ challenges. Sleep is really a sort of surrender, especially if we pray and give ourselves over to God before we sleep.
Our Message for today:
Sunday, October 30, 1983
To Jelena:
“Why do you not put your trust in me? I know that you have been praying for a long time, but really, surrender yourself. Abandon your concerns to Jesus. Listen to what He says in the Gospel: And who among you, through his anxiety, is able to add a single cubit, to the length of his life’ (Mt. 6:27). Pray also, in the evening when you have finished your day. Sit down in your room, and say to Jesus: ‘Thank you.’ If in the evening you fall asleep in peace, and in prayer, in the morning you will wake up thinking of Jesus. You will then be able to pray for peace, but if you fall asleep in distraction, the day after will be misty, and you will forget even to pray that day.”
Novena of Surrender to the will of God – Day Five
(Jesus speaks to Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo)
And when I must lead you on a path different from the one you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in my arms; I will let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep in their mother’s arms, on the other bank of the river. What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, your thoughts and worry, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
(I have to say that Jesus’ words are comforting. There is power in this image. We often find ourselves confronted with a change in our life, something unexpected and maybe difficult. We can respond with fear and the need to control the situation, which will lead us into a spiral of chaos. Or we can respond with complete surrender to Jesus, in which we place all our fears in His heart, and then rest on His chest, letting Him carry us. “Who among you, through his anxiety, is able to add a single cubit to the length of his life?” Jesus alone can carry us over the unexpected paths we encounter. He will do it. We only have to surrender.)
Let us pray 7 Our Fathers, 7 Hail Marys and 7 Glory bes.
Lord Jesus, through the Intercession of your Mother, Mary, we want to stop worrying and start praying to you when a new path is presented to us. May we learn to stop worrying and planning on our own, and instead turn to you for help. May we learn to surrender our entire selves to You, that we may give you glory and honor all our days, and especially at this celebration of your Incarnation and Nativity. We are all yours through the guidance and intercession of our Mother, Mary! Amen.
SURRENDER PRAYER
God, my Father, I thank you for all that you are, and all that you do for me through your son Jesus Christ. I praise you for my life, for your mercy and for your Eucharist. In Jesus’ name, Father, I place myself entirely in your Heart. I surrender to you my whole self, my heart, my mind, my memory, my imagination, my will, my emotions, my passions, my body, my sexuality, my desire for human approval, my weaknesses, my desires, my sins.
I surrender every person in my life to you. I surrender every situation in my life to you. I surrender every relationship I am in to you. I surrender every concern I have to you. I surrender every fear I have to you. I surrender every doubt I have to you. I surrender all confusion I have to you. I surrender all sadness I am experiencing in my heart to you. I surrender all my wounds to you. I surrender all anxiety and worry I have to you. I surrender all that deceives me in my heart to you. I trust you to care for me and others in a perfectly loving way.
As I have emptied myself, and surrendered everything to you, I ask you now, Father, to fill me with your Holy Spirit and all the gifts and fruits of your Spirit. Holy Spirit you are the source of love, hope, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, tenderness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Purify my desires. Help me to open my heart to you. Help me to become perfectly receptive as a pure child. Help me to believe in your love for me. Help me to hope in your love. Help me to receive from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus all grace and virtues necessary for me to become the person you created me to be. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ, Your son, God Almighty Father.
O Most Holy Immaculate Virgin Mary. I entrust this prayer to your Heart, and ask you to press it to your wounded heart and intercede for me to your Son Jesus. Please help me to be as you are, a perfect disciple, an obedient servant, a true child of God. Amen.
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2017
PS. Join us for this live event from December 15 to 23, 2017 at www.marytv.tv It will be shown on our Channel Window on the home page.
Also, we will live stream this Novena on our Facebook page, “Medjugorje Mary TV”. https://www.facebook.com/marytv.tv/
If you are on Facebook with us, please “like” and “share” the event so we can spread the word about Medjugorje and Our Lady’s presence!
