Day 8 – The Virgin Mary – Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena – Discerning Hearts Podcast
Summary: <br> <br> Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Novena<br> Day 8 – The Virgin Mary<br> «When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple there whom He loved, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.» John 19:26-27<br> Meditation<br> Sts. Louis and Zélie had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. A statue of Mary Immaculate was enthroned in their home; it was around that statue that the family gathered to pray. St. Zélie encouraged her brother to have recourse to the Virgin Mary also. « You live very close to Our Lady of Victory. Well! Go there just once a day and say a Hail Mary to the Blessed Mother. You’ll see that she’ll protect you in a very special way, and that she’ll help you succeed in this world and give you eternal happiness. What I’m saying to you is not exaggerated piety and unfounded on my part. I have reason to have trust in the Blessed Mother, I’ve received favors from her that only I know. »<br> Every year, St. Zélie made a pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at Séez and entrusted herself to Mary. « Again this year, I’ll go to find the Blessed Mother at daybreak, and I want to be the first to arrive. I’m going to light my candle to her as usual… I’m only going to ask her that the little daughters she’s given me all become saints and that I may follow them closely, but they must be much better than I am. » At the end of St. Zélie’s life, Marie attested, « Her Rosary beads never leave her fingers: she is praying constantly in spite of her sufferings… Until two weeks ago, she used to recite the five decades of her beads on her knees at the feet of the Blessed Virgin… »<br> Resolution<br> Today, I will be especially united to the Virgin Mary; I will pray a decade of the Rosary and entrust myself entirely and forever to my Heavenly Mother.<br> <br> Prayer<br> Our Father…<br> Hail Mary…<br> Glory be to<br> Saints Louis and Zélie,<br> you who in your life as a couple and as parents<br> have given witness of an exemplary Christian life,<br> in putting God in the first place<br> through the exercise of the duties of your state in life<br> and the practice of the virtues of the gospel,<br> we turn to you.<br> Help us to have unshakable confidence in God<br> and to surrender ourselves to His Will,<br> as you did in the joys<br> but also in the trials, the sorrows, and the sufferings<br> with which your life was marked.<br> Help us to love God with all our heart,<br> to persevere in our daily difficulties,<br> and to dwell in the joy and hope<br> that will give us a living faith in Christ.<br> Intercede for us<br> so that we may obtain the graces we need<br> today and all the days of our life. Amen.<br> Saints Louis and Zélie, pray for us<br> Imprimatur +Jacques Habert, Bishop of Séez, 26 May 2016<br> text ©Shrine of <a href="https://louisetzelie.com/en/pray/novena-to-saints-louis-and-zelie/">Sts. Louis and Zélie in Alençon</a><br> Please visit their website at <a href="https://louisetzelie.com/en/pray/novena-to-saints-louis-and-zelie/">https://louisetzelie.com/en/pray/novena-to-saints-louis-and-zelie/</a><br> <br> For more on the life of Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin visit:<br> <a href="https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/a-sister-of-st-therese-servant-of-god-leonie-martin-bearer-of-hope-w-fr-timothy-gallagher/">A Sister of St. Thérèse: Servant of God, Léonie Martin; Bearer of Hope w/Fr. Timothy Gallagher</a><br> and <a href="https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/the-letters-of-st-therese-of-lisieux-with-fr-timothy-gallagher-o-m-v/">The Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux with Fr. Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.</a><br> <br>
