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 8 – Glorious 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: MARY AND JESUS As we pray the Glorious Mysteries together, we ask Mary to lead and teach us through her loving Son. First Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection “I am the way and the truth and the life.” John 14:6 Jesus is our road to God, and all our strength for the journey comes from Him. The more we love Jesus Christ now, the more the reign of God will be realized. Second Glorious Mystery: The Ascension of Our Lord I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory as yet unrevealed which is waiting for us.” Romans 8:18 After death we shall know and love God in a way that is beyond our imagination. This world that God created is filled with beauty and wonder – how much more beautiful will be what is to come! Third Glorious Mystery: The Descent of the Holy Spirit “Love is patient.” 1 Corinthians 13:4 Nothing disturbs Him, nothing provokes Him, nothing excites Him. He has been sinned against a million times. Why does God continue to forgive us? Because He sees us, not only as we are, but as we shall be. Lord, help me to love others as you love me. Fourth Glorious Mystery: The Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven “It is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit.” Catechism, no. 364 Mary is with God, body and soul. The light of glory that now fills her will pour out over all of us, transforming our own hearts. Mary, gently lead us to your Son. Fifth Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary “The prayer of the church is sustained by the prayer of Mary and united with it in hope.” Catechism, no. 2679 Mary, you are our Mother. The more God exalts you by His grace, the quicker we run to you. Help us, Mary, to humbly and devoutly pray the Rosary every day.

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

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