March 17th, Prepare for Him!

A Nine Day Novena from March 17th to March 25th in preparation of the day God Became Man and Dwelt Among Us…

March 25: When God became man and dwelt among us! The Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, and announced that she would conceive in her womb, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary’s Fiat, her yes, “Be it done to me according to Thy word.” The Incarnation, the Conception of our Lord, the tiny human being, living in the womb of his mother Mary those first nine months.

The Conception of Our Lord was so significant in the history of salvation, the history of humanity, that God sent an angel to announce the event beforehand. That moment of conception when our God became incarnate, became a human being, is indeed so significant that we are all called in Love to prepare our hearts and our mind to embrace the moment, to join with Mary in giving our personal “yes” to God!

We are all called to recognize and embrace our tiny Savior, Emanuel, from his earliest moment of human life. We are called in Love, to recognize and rejoice at the very first beat of His tiny Sacred Heart! We are blessed to see Him… to be pilgrims with Mary and the hidden Jesus for His first nine months, in great anticipation of his birth on Christmas Day!

And so, let the Great Fiat begin! May the Church, united with Mary and all humanity, prepare our hearts and our minds with this daily novena prayer, March 17-25th:

The Angelus Prayer
(Traditionally prayed at 6 a.m., 12 noon, and 6 p.m., alone or with a leader.)

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary . . .
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary . . .
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.