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 4 – Joyful 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:

CARE & GUIDANCE

As we pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary together today, let us remember God’s presence in our lives. He is always there to guide us and care for us. First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28 The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the Mother of Jesus. Mary loved God so she said yes, then left everything else to him. Help our family remember that we are also in God’s hands, through the good, bad and uncertain times. We are confident God will guide us and care for us. Second Joyful Mystery: The Visitation “For at the moment that the sound of thy greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” Luke 1:44 Mary went to visit her older cousin, Elizabeth. As Mary cared for others, God also cares for us in every way; from the tiniest details to the very big events in our lives. God asks us to care for our family, our friends, our faith, our talents, our responsibilities and our circumstances. That is God’s will for each of us. Third Joyful Mystery: The Birth of Our Lord “There was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7 Jesus wasn’t born in comfortable or fancy circumstances but Mary and Joseph were still at peace. They understood that God was always with them. God is in everything and in every place. Nothing is without Him. This is a truth our family lives by. Fourth Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple “Blessed are you who are poor for the Kingdom of God is yours.” Luke 6:20 Anna and Simeon met Jesus at the temple when his parents brought him there as a baby to be presented to God. Anna was known and loved by everyone there but Simeon, although he was always there too, was rather unknown. God uses all of us – with different talents, abilities and personalities – in different ways. God’s plans are unique for each of us but we are all equally important instruments of God. Fifth Joyful Mystery: The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find.” Luke 11:9 The story of Jesus being separated from his parents and getting lost makes us uneasy. As a family, we can understand how Mary and Joseph felt. If one of us were lost, the rest of us would search as hard as we could. Mary and Joseph did the same. After they searched, God reunited them. Help our family remember that in all circumstances, if we search for Jesus, God will be with us and assist us.

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