My Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, my father and Redeemer, behold at Thy feet a poor sinner who has so grievously afflicted Thy loving Heart. O lovable Jesus, how could I have offended thee and filled with bitterness that Heart that loves me so and that has spared no effort to attain my love? How great has been my ingratitude! But, O my saviour, be consoled, be consoled, I say to thee; now I find myself repentant, such grief I feel for the afflictions I have caused thee, that I would like to die of poor sorrow and contrition. O my Jesus! Who could have made me weep for sin as Thou hast wept for them in Thy mortal life! My soul is oppressed for having offended Thee. Eternal Father, in satisfaction for my offences, I offer Thee the affliction and sorrow the Heart of Thy Divine Son has felt for them. And Thou, O Loving Jesus! Give me such a horror for sin that it may make me avoid even the most trifling of faults from now on. Depart from my Heart, earthly affections; I do not want to love anything now but my most bountiful Redeemer. O my Jesus, help me, strengthen me, and pardon me.
My Mother of Perpetual Help, intercede for me and obtain for me the pardon of my sins.
PREPARATORY PRAYER
(To be said everyday)
O Most Blessed Virgin Mary! Whom to inspire us with boundless confidence has been pleased to take the sweet name of Mother of Perpetual Help; I implore Thee to come to my aid always and everywhere, in my temptations, after my falls, in my difficulties, in all the miseries of life, and above all, at the hour of my death. Give me, O loving Mother, the desire, nay more, the habit always to have recourse to Thee, for I feel assured that if I am faithful in invoking Thee, Thou will be faithful in coming to my assistance. Obtain for me, then, this grace of graces, the grace to pray to Thee without ceasing and with childlike trust, that, by means of my constant plea, I may ensure Thy Perpetual Help and final perseverance. Bless me, O tender and solicitous Mother, pray for me now and at the hour of my death. Amen
SEVENTH DAY MEDITATION
Our Lady of Perpetual Help grants Her devotees fidelity in Her service.
Perseverance! A great problem, a major question of life and death, a perpetual torment of souls who want to be saved. Have you not said trembling - on seeing yourself surrounded by so many dangers, and above all, on seeing souls that seemed confirmed in good fall away, on feeling violent passions inflamed, and on examining your fickleness - have you not said: " O, will I be saved? Have my sins been forgiven? I hope so. Am I in the grace of God? Will I persevere in good until the end? What will be my sentence at the judgement? Will I be found among the predestined? And, finally, what will be my lot in eternity?" Terrifying reflections, questions whose uncertain replies fill the heart with anxiety. St Teresa, writing on this point, could not understand why the pen did not fall from her hand. After having preached to others, St. Paul feared that he would be among the reprobate, and St Jerome responded beforehand to the sound of the trumpet of final judgement with cries of terror.
How, then, to get rid of this annoying doubt? How to find a guarantee of tranquillity? A great saint tells us: " Of what value is it to stir up these questions disputed by the wise ones concerning whether you will be saved or lost? If we are true children of Mary, certainly we will be among the chosen ones." This is the doctrine of all the Doctors of the church. It is impossible for one who counts on the most powerful help of Mary to be condemned. A consoling words that should fill us with confidence and devotion. But this is understood on the condition that one lives without sins or desires at least to cease sinning; if someone wants to sin with the hope that the Blessed Virgin will save him through his own faults, he will make himself unworthy, incapable of Her protection. It is true, then, O Mother of Perpetual Help, that if I am Thy faithful servant, without a doubt, I will be saved. I will serve Thee; then, I will love Thee; I will invoke Thee always.
Nevertheless, Christian soul, you are still not at peace concerning your perseverance; you must still fear one thing. Without doubt, Most Holy Mary will save you if you invoke Her, but will you be faithful in Her service? Will you, one day, cease to be Her devotee? So great is the fickleness of our heart that tomorrow you will give up what today you have begun. Have, perchance, all those who were devotees of the Virgin, in the beginning, persevered in Her service? There is a remedy for this great misery, called inconstancy, in Our Lady of Perpetual Help. She is the one Who must help us to persevere in her service. If all graces pass through the hands of Mary, why would not this most special grace of all graces, that of invoking her perpetually, also pass through them? And the very name of Perpetual Help, is it, not almost a sure guarantee that she will help us perpetually? How could we weaken in her love and forget Her? If a mother, according to nature, knew that a child of hers could not be happy without enjoying the attentions of his mother, what would she not do to keep him at her side? Well then, our august Queen knows that there cannot be happiness for us, her very beloved children, without having fidelity in Her service, which is intimately united to the service of the lord, and that is why She provides Her devotees with His paternal help, abundantly and perpetually.
When a soul who has been at one time Her devotee wishes to abandon Her, that tender Mother waits at the door of his heart and knocks until it is opened, until the unfaithful one returns to his primitive fervour. We have an infallible means of assuring ourselves of perseverance in the devotion to Mary; it suffices to ask Her for the grace to call on Her always, to ask Her for the grace today, to ask Her tomorrow and every day. In short, O soul devoted to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, engrave in your memory that maxim of the great doctor, St. Alphonsus: " I am sure that I will be saved if I sincerely invoke Mary; I am sure of invoking Her if I ask of Her grace to do so always, and I will not tire of repeating this petition of imploring Her with fidelity."
Let us conclude, then, by saying with St. Bernard: " O man, whomever you may be, do not forget that, rather than walking on earth, you go fluctuating between dangers and tempests; if you do not want to be immersed, do not take your eyes away from this star: Mary. Look at Her often. When in danger of sinning, in the anguish of temptations, in doubts concerning things you must resolve, remember that Mary can assist you, and call on Her right away, so She may help you. Never let her powerful name leave your heart so that it may inspire you with confidence, nor your lips so that you may invoke it. Follow Mary, and you will not stray from the path of salvation; commend yourself to Her, and you will not lose confidence; if Her hand sustains you, you will not fall; if She is your guide, you will be saved without effort; and finally, if Mary takes your defence, undoubtedly you will arrive at the kingdom of the blessed. Do this, and you will live." Amen
Meditate and ask for what you wish to obtain from Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
JOYS
Thou art Perpetual Help benign;
Come, therefore, I implore Thee:
Come hasten to assist me.
O Mother sweet and kind!
Hear, O Virgin pure,
Our fervent prayers of love
That fly to Thee above
On Thine exalted Throne.
Stained by guilt and sin
I bow my head and cry;
And at Thy feet I sigh
for clemency and love.
Free the careless soul
From it tepid ways,
And set the soul ablaze
with fervour in devotion
Wretched in this vale
Of pain and tribulation,
For heavenly consolation
I humbly beg of Thee.
If my virtue wanes
When tempests howl and roar,
My energies restore
Beloved Morning Star.
To Thy faithful child
Encouragement provide,
And toward virtue guide
His weak unsteady step.
Free my fickle heart
from all its lassitude,
And grant it fortitude
To lead a sinless life.
In the final clash
With death in all its fright,
How great my soul's delight
If then I can exclaim:
In purgatory's fire,
Dear Mother, please be sweet;
Great Lady, I entreat,
Alleviate my pains.
Grant me, Mother dear,
As fond farewell to Thee,
To sing eternally
With love and praise to Thee:
Come hasten to assist me
O Mother sweet and kind!
EJACULATORY PRAYER
O Mother of Perpetual Help! Grant me Thine omnipotent aid and grant that
I
may ask for it without ceasing.
EXERCISE
Do not let one day pass without reciting three Hail Marys, morning and night,
to Our Lady of Perpetual Help to obtain the grace of invoking Her the following day.
PRAYER
O my Mother of Perpetual Help! In Thy hands I place my poor soul; I entrust to Thee my perseverance; intercede for me, an unhappy sinner. Take me under Thy protection, and this will suffice for me. Indeed, if Thou protects me, I have nothing to fear. I do not fear my sins because Thou will remedy the evil they have caused me. I do not fear the devils because Thou art more powerful than all Hell. I do not even fear my judge Himself because Thou will appease His just indignation by one word from thee. No, I do not fear anything. O! Despite all this, my Mother, one fear, assaults me. And it is that of forgetting Thee, of ceasing, one day, to call Thee to my aid, and thus to be lost for all eternity. O, my tender Mother! Obtain for me the grace of commending myself to Thee always; and if now Thou foresees that one day I will abandon Thee, let me die today at Thy feet, before the world may be a witness to such great ingratitude. But no, O Mother, I will not forget Thee; I would rather die, that my right hand wither, that my tongue be paralyzed than not one day go to sing Thy mercies forever and ever. Amen.
EXAMPLE
In a certain city in England, a man, completely given to drinking, used to come home every day intoxicated. One day his unhappy wife, tired of all she was suffering from her husband's perversity, lamented her lot before a devotee of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The latter moved to compassion and gave a medal of that Virgin to the afflicted wife, advising her to light a candle in honour of Her dear Mother every day.
The woman promised to do so and recited the holy rosary before the miraculous medal. Her husband returned that day late, as was his custom, but not intoxicated.
After some time had passed, the woman related to her pious advisor, who was asking her about her husband: " Since I began to honour Our Lady of Perpetual Help, he has amended; he returned to his vice only once when, distractedly, I forgot to fulfil the promise I made to the Mother of God." Thus, the blessed Virgin rewards Her devotees.
May Our Lady Of Perpetual Help be loved, praised, invoked and eternally blessed! May she be my hope, love, Mother, refuge, and life. Amen.
Mother of perpetual help, I freely and consciously dedicate my body, soul and spirit to Your Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus today. May two hearts of love protect my life and soul from the attacks of the devil and the fire of hell.
My Queen and Mother, before Your throne of mercy, I come for help and intercession. I beg for mercy and healing touch upon me and those that are sick, especially those that are terminally ill. Mother of mercy, present all those sick before your Son; our lord Jesus Christ, the greatest physician; for miraculous cure and wholeness. Uproot every infirmity in our lives and grant us divine healing.
Mother of perpetual help, intercede for me now and always, be my constant and sure aid in times of need, trouble or affliction. Help me always to serve, love and obey your Son, my lord Jesus Christ. Lead me by the hand in this life that I live, that I may not stray from the path of life, but live according to the will of God, in order to have a blessed life here on Earth and to rejoice also in the afterlife.
I commit to You today, my life. I pray that You sustain and increase all sources of my joy and happiness and remove every form of discomfort and pain not of God in my life. Give me the grace to serve and please God that He may bless, favour and guard me in all I do.
I pray for the grace always to be your devotee and always call on you daily. I consecrate my family to you, asking you to always intercede on our behalf at every moment and at all times, and I also ask you to preserve our soul and lead us to your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
I give you my whole life and my entire being, asking you to take strict possession of me from now henceforth as your property. I also consecrate today all family members, wherever they are, asking you to take over their lives.
Mother of perpetual help, I give you my heart and my soul. Preserve them in love and for the love of Your Son, my lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Make my heart fear God and desist from displeasing and hurting God as long as I live. Give me the grace to love Him honestly with all my heart, mind, strength, and neighbour as myself. Mother, preserve me in my earthly journey so that I can attain salvation at the end of my life, there to rejoice forever with you and the heavenly host.
Amen
PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP FOR A SPIRITUAL NEED
(Optional)
Oh mother of perpetual help, with great confidence, I come before you today to invoke your unfailing aid. You have seen the wounds my lord and master has taken upon Himself to receive for my soul. You have seen the precious blood of your adorable Son flowing for my salvation, oh, Mother, know how much your Son, our lord Jesus Christ desires so much to save me. Behold, I cast myself at your feet and ask you to obtain the grace I stand so much in need of. O mary, my queen and mother, o most loving of all mothers, obtain from me from Jesus, the source of all good things, these grace here (mention your intention). My mother of perpetual help, you desire my salvation far more than I do: our lord has
given you to me for my mother; you have chosen to be called the mother of perpetual help. I trust not in my merit but in your powerful intercession, your goodness and mercy, and your powerful motherly love. Mother of perpetual help, for the love of your Son Jesus, our Redeemer, for the love of my soul, grant me what I humbly ask of you.
CONSECRATION OF FAMILY TO OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP
(Optional)
Most Holy Virgin Mother of Perpetual Help, I thank you with great respect and love. Most humble and precious mother, I kneel before you to consecrate to you in a special manner my home and everybody and everything in it. I take you most loving as the mother of my family. Queen of heaven, make us worthy of becoming your favours children. Hold us under your protection. Protect us from sin and sinful occasions, and teach us to love Jesus, your most holy child. I thank you, most holy Mother, for your maternal protection and the numerous graces we have received through your powerful intercession. Grant that all who live may always invoke your good name, for your name o Mother is help in life and salvation in death. O Mother of Perpetual Help, bless and my household, pour your blessings on us, bless all those who think about you. So that we may contribute to you are family, may imitate you in love, humility, chastity and resignation to the will of God, so that if we serve you worthily in this world, we may praise you and thank you forever the world to come. amen
