Novena to the Queenship of Mary - Day 9

Day 9 – May 30^th – Feast of Pope Saint Felix I and Saint Joan of Arc

~Prayers~

O my sovereign Queen and worthy Mother of my God, most holy Mary; I seeing myself, as I do, so despicable and loaded with so many sins, ought not to presume to call thee Mother, or even to approach thee; yet I will not allow my miseries to deprive me of the consolation and confidence that I feel in calling thee mother; I know well that I deserve that thou shouldst reject me; but I beseech thee to remember all that thy Son Jesus has endured for me, and then reject me if thou canst.  I am a wretched sinner, who, more than all others, have despised the infinite majesty of God: but the evil is done.  To thee have I recourse; thou canst help me; my Mother, help me.  Say not that thou canst not do so; for I know that thou art all-powerful, and that thou obtainest whatever thou desirest of God; and if thou sayest that thou wilt not help me, tell me at least to whom I can apply in this my so great misfortune.  "Either pity me," will I say with the devout St. Anselm, "O my Jesus, and forgive me, and do thou pity me, my Mother Mary, by interceding for me, or at least tell me to whom I can have recourse, who is more compassionate, or in whom I can have greater confidence than in thee.” (Prayer of Saint Alphonsus Ligouri, The Glories of Mary)

Look forgivingly on thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Felix thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church.  Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.   (Missale Romanum)

The immortal crown to thee, O Joan! we bear;

Thou martyr of high God! to thee the palm we bring;

A glorious throne for thee our loving hands prepare,

Beside the King.

Rest now in heaven at last, rest now in heaven, pure bride,

Escaped forevermore from every net and snare!

In endless peace behold! the living waters glide

’Mid fields bestrewn with flowers most fair!

Take thou thy flight; expand thy wings of snow;

For swiftly shalt thou speed from star to golden star.

Through heaven’s eternal space, all joyous shalt thou go.

Fly now afar!

No cruel foes are here, no gloomy prison walls;

The shining seraph hosts hail thee their sister blest;

For thee, O spouse of Christ: thy Well-Beloved calls.

Find now with Him eternal rest!

(Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, Poems, The Canticle of Triumph - The Saints to Jeanne D’Arc)

~Reading for Meditation~

Taken from the Encyclical Letter of Ven. Pope Pius XII Ad Caeli Reginam – On Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary

By this Encyclical Letter We are instituting a feast so that all may recognize more clearly and venerate more devoutly the merciful and maternal sway of the Mother of God. We are convinced that this feast will help to preserve, strengthen and prolong that peace among nations which daily is almost destroyed by recurring crises. Is she not a rainbow in the clouds reaching towards God, the pledge of a covenant of peace?[Gen. 9:13] "Look upon the rainbow, and bless Him that made it; surely it is beautiful in its brightness. It encompasses the heaven about with the circle of its glory, the hands of the Most High have displayed it."[Eccl. 43:12-13] Whoever, therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and earth -- and let no one consider himself exempt from this tribute of a grateful and loving soul -- let him invoke the most effective of Queens, the Mediatrix of peace; let him respect and preserve peace, which is not wickedness unpunished nor freedom without restraint, but a well-ordered harmony under the rule of the will of God; to its safeguarding and growth the gentle urgings and commands of the Virgin Mary impel us.

Earnestly desiring that the Queen and Mother of Christendom may hear these Our prayers, and by her peace make happy a world shaken by hate, and may, after this exile show unto us all Jesus, Who will be our eternal peace and joy, to you, Venerable Brothers, and to your flocks, as a promise of God's divine help and a pledge of Our love, from Our heart We impart the Apostolic Benediction.

Prayers for each day.