Day Five: Among Her Children
This Novena includes: Daily Opening Prayer, Readings from The Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe (KW), Prayer Intention, “Grace for Today” and Daily Closing Prayer.
Daily Opening Prayer
You are all beautiful, Mary,
and the original stain is not in you.
You are the glory of Jerusalem,
you are the joy of Israel,
you give honor to our people.
You are the advocate of sinners.
O Mary,
Virgin most prudent,
Mother most merciful,
pray for us, intercede for us,
with the Lord Jesus Christ.
O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin prepared a worthy dwelling for your Son, grant, we pray, that, as you preserved her from every stain by virtue of the death of your Son, which you foresaw, so, through her intercession, we, too, may be cleansed and admitted to your presence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe
The Immaculata descends on earth as a good Mother among her children, to help them save their souls. Thus, she desires the conversion and sanctification of all souls, without exception. In order to carry out that work, though, she uses the tools taken from among men, as we see in the apparitions [to Bernadette]. At any rate, those are extraordinary events.
Most often, she urges the children who love her to cooperate with her in situations of normal everyday life. These same souls consecrated to her, live by her, often think of her, love her wholeheartedly, and endeavor to discern her desires—either voiced from her own lips, or offered to them in silent inner inspirations. They propagate thus her will, attracting an ever larger number of souls to ever more perfect knowledge and ever more ardent love toward her, and in her and through her, to ever deeper love toward the Divine Heart of Jesus.
At all times, the Immaculata inspires thousands of such souls devoted to herself. Many of them also come together more or less closely with one another to serve their Lady even better, in concerted effort. For this reason, the associations that work exclusively for her are many and varied. One of the youngest groups that aim to win souls over to the Immaculata and, through her, to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, is the Militia of the Immaculata. (KW 1323)
Prayer Intention
For all unborn (preborn) children and their parents; for the protection of the sacredness of human life from conception to natural death.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you, and for all those who do not have recourse to you, especially the enemies of Holy Church and all those recommended to you.
Grace for Today
Eagerness to be attentive to inner inspirations and to work with others so as to radiate Our Lady’s presence in the world.
Daily Closing Prayer
Immaculate Virgin!
Your spotless spiritual beauty
is for us a living source of
confidence and hope.
To have you as Mother, Holy Virgin,
reassures us on the path of life
as a pledge of eternal salvation.
Because of this, O Mary,
we have recourse to you
with confidence.
Help us to build a world
where human life is always
cherished and defended,
every form of violence banished,
the peace of all tenaciously sought.
Immaculate Virgin!
grant that we may celebrate and adore
with renewed faith and ardent love
the holy mystery of the
Body and Blood of Christ.
At your school,
O Woman of the Eucharist,
teach us to remember the marvels
that God never ceases to work in
human hearts.
With motherly tenderness, Virgin Mary,
guide our steps always on the
path of good. Amen!
– Pope St. John Paul II