2020 Novena for Family Unity Copyright 2017 George Martell/Holy Cross Family MInistries. All rights reserved.[/caption] How to begin Take a moment to gather your family. It’s helpful to find a quiet space, turn off all digital devices, light a candle and perhaps have a statue or image of Our Lady or the Holy Family. Discuss as a family what intentions you will pray for today. Is a family member ill, out of work, struggling with their studies? Were you blessed in some way today that you would like to offer a petition of thanksgiving? There are no right or wrong petitions. Anything from the hearts of any family member are important to offer. If every family member has a Rosary, take them out. FamilyRosary.org offers an infographic on how to pray the Rosary that you can share with your children as they learn this form of prayer.

DAILY OPENING PRAYER

Begin by praying together each day the following prayer: O Jesus, on the Cross you gave us Mary as our Mother. Her faithful servant, Father Patrick Peyton C.S.C., the Family Rosary priest, was inspired by the Holy Spirit to proclaim an important message about the power of family prayer. He believed and preached that The Family That Prays Together Stays Together. Through Mary and his intercession, we ask for this favor for our family: _____________________________________. Let our praying of the Rosary be a way for us to become more united as a family. Amen.

January 3 – Sorrowful Mysteries

Pray the Rosary. Read one mystery and reflection at each Our Father and spend a few quiet moments reflecting on it. You may want to have different family members read the reflections and lead the prayers:

PATIENCE

As we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries together, we discover a commitment to patience, even in challenging times, leads to eternal life with Christ. First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden “Christ Jesus displayed all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him.” 1 Timothy 1:16 Time after time Jesus asked more of His disciples than they were ready to give. He asked faith of Peter, and Peter sank beneath the waves; in the Garden, He asked his disciples to pray, and they slept. But Jesus was patient. He knew that in time, they would understand. Being patient can be painful, especially during times of uncertainty and fear of the unknown. Strengthen our faith, O Lord. Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar “We commend ourselves as ministers of God through … patience and kindness in the power of God.” 2 Corinthians 6:6 The Pharisees test Christ when they led an adulteress to Him to see if He would command her to be stoned, and so appear heartless, or demand her release, and so break the law. Instead He invites the sinless ones among them to stone her, and the crowd departs. Lord, help our family to be merciful to those suffering. Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has glorified his servant Jesus whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence.” Acts 3:13 Jesus knew he was King, but a King in exile. He knew He did not need to seek His own glory because glory was given by the Father. As so, when His royalty was made sport of in His Passion, Jesus bore the humiliation patiently. Jesus knew He was doing what was right and good. Help us, Lord, to do the same. Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross “As they led Jesus away they took hold of a certain Simon.” Luke 23:26 On his long journey back to Jerusalem, Simon found himself helping Jesus Christ carry His cross. He didn’t like it, but he did as he was told; and it wasn’t long before God enlightened his soul. Simon was the first to discover that the yoke of Christ is sweet and His burden light. “Come to me when you are weary.” Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:46 For years Jesus allowed Himself to be imposed upon by others, to be misunderstood and misrepresented. He had worked a thousand miracles, but few gave Him thanks; His wonderful sermons often fell upon deaf ears; and at the end of his life, He was betrayed, deserted, condemned to death and crucified. It was His vocation, so Jesus was patient until His last breath. We can do the same, by uniting our silent endurances to His.

CLOSING

We end this novena with Venerable Patrick Peyton’s prayer for beatification: Prayer For the Beatification of Venerable Patrick Peyton Dear Jesus, Father Peyton devoted his priestly life to strengthening the families of the world by calling them to pray together every day, especially the Rosary. His message is as important for us now as it was during his life on earth. We beg you, therefore, to hasten the day of his beatification so that your faithful people everywhere will remember his message that The Family That Prays Together Stays Together, will imitate him in his devotion to your Mother and ours, and will be inspired by his holy life to draw ever closer to you with childlike confidence and love. Amen. Here at CatholicMom.com, we will offer the full text of the daily novena prayers at 5:30 AM Eastern through January 9. You may also download the Novena eBook from FamilyRosary.org. All in honor of Venerable Patrick Peyton, we thank you for joining us in this Novena of Thanksgiving. As we express our profound gratitude to Our Lord for this tremendous gift, we also give thanks for all your prayers for Father Peyton’s Cause. Please continue to pray for Father Peyton’s Cause so that one day he will become “Blessed,” then a “Saint.” After all, the world needs “A Saint for Family Prayer.” We encourage you to continue praying with your family every day, wherever you are. For additional online resources for family prayer including a Prayer Petition Page and our World at Prayer Blog, please visit FamilyRosary.org. All our resources represent a sample of Father Peyton’s passion for family unity through prayer. We hope our services will enhance your family’s prayer life particularly remembering Father Peyton’s famous words: “The Family That Prays Together Stays Together” and “A World at Prayer is a World at Peace.”
Copyright 2020 Holy Cross Family Ministries