Eighty-one years after he passed away in the island of Sancian, St. Francis Xavier appeared to Fr. Marcello Mastrilli, a Jesuit at the point of death. Several days earlier, Fr. Mastrilli was supervising the removal of a temporary structure put up in celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. A hammer slipped from the hands of a worker perched near the top of the structure and hit Fr. Mastrilli on the head, injuring him gravely.
Nobody expected Fr. Mastrilli to survive. As he himself waited for death, Fr. Mastrilli was visited by St. Francis Xavier who told him:
"All those who implore my help daily for nine consecutive days, from the fourth to the twelfth of March, and worthily receive the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion on one of the nine days will experience my protection and may hope with entire assurance to obtain from God any Grace they ask that is for the good of their souls and the glory of God."
St. Francis also bade Fr. Mastrilli to renew a vow he had made in his youth--to go to Japan and help spread Christianity there. As the vision left him, Fr. Mastrilli stood up fully healed and more resolved than ever to witness to the Kingdom of God in Japan. At that time, missionaries were being tortured and martyred in Japan in the most gruesome ways imaginable. But still Fr. Mastrilli ventured to the Land of the Rising Sun. Before he left, he made sure to publicize his miraculous cure and the promise St. Francis Xavier had made.
Fr. Mastrilli led a courageous band of thirty-three Jesuits to Japan. They had hardly landed there when they were seized, tortured, and hung upside down over a volcanic pit. Fr. Mastrilli faced death again. For certain, St. Francis Xavier was with him, strengthening his faith until the very end.
When can you say a miracle has happened? Not only when there is an unexplained cure, but more so when there is an increase of faith, hope, and love in a person. Truly, a miracle happened to Fr. Mastrilli!
Are you also seeking a miracle? Are you also seeking greater faith, hope, and love? Perhaps, the Novena of Grace can help you...
What is the Novena of Grace?
A novena is a traditional expression of our faith in the communion of saints, one of the beliefs we profess whenever we say the Apostle's Creed. As Catholics, we hold that the faithful here on earth, the souls in purgatory, and our glorified brothers and sisters in heaven have a spiritual solidarity. We are united because we are all part of the Mystical Body of Christ ("saints" in the phrase "communion of saints" does not refer only to those who have been canonized but to all the members of the Body of Christ). Our prayers for the souls in purgatory have value and meaning just as we here on earth (and also those in purgatory) can depend on the effectiveness of the prayers of our glorified brothers and sisters in heaven.
Following the promise of St. Francis Xavier to Fr. Mastrilli, a novena is said beginning on March 4 and ending on March 12, when we celebrate the canonization of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis. Because of the innumerable graces and favors received through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier, this devotion came to be known as the Novena of Grace.
How do you say the Novena of Grace?
The short form consists of either the traditional or the more contemporary wording below:
Saint Francis Xavier Novena Prayer
Traditional
O most kind and loving saint,
in union with you, I adore the Divine Majesty.
The remembrance of the favors
with which God blessed you during life,
and of your glory after death,
fills me with joy; and I unite with you
in offering to God my humble tribute
of thanksgiving and of praise.
I implore of you to secure for me
through your powerful intercession
the all important blessing of living
and dying in the state of grace.
I also beseech you to obtain the favor
I ask in this Novena:
(-state your intention here-)
But if what I ask
is not for the glory of God
or for the good of my soul,
obtain for me what is most conducive to both.
Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...)
Concluding Prayer:
O God,
who was pleased to gather
unto your Church
the people of the East
by the preaching and miracles
of blessed Francis,
mercifully grant that we
who honor his glorious merits,
may also imitate
the example of his virtues,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Contemporary Wording
I join with you, Saint Francis,
in bowing before the God of all Creation.
When I look at the great things
you did during life,
I see what marvels can be achieved
by a person blessed by God.
I join with you in praising God
and giving thanks for all the good things
I have been given.
Dear Saint Francis,
please pray to God for me
and ask that I may live and die
in God’s favor.
Please ask God for me for
(-state your intention here-)
provided, of course,
that this would be good for me.
In the end, my only wish is
for whatever gives glory to God
and is good for my health in body,
mind and spirit.
Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...)
Concluding Prayer:
O God, you used Francis Xavier
to take the Christian message to the East.
You inspired his teaching,
supported him in his work
for the poor, sick and oppressed,
and strengthened him
in times of loneliness and trial.
May we who are inspired
by the life of Saint Francis Xavier
imitate his virtues,
and come to our eternal joy with you,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
There is also a longer form that includes nine meditations on the life of St. Francis Xavier, one for every day of the novena. To be guided through these meditations, visit Sacred Space, the prayer site run by the Irish Jesuits, by clicking here.
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Repost from www.phjesuits.org
