NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART: SIXTH DAY –
WHEN I LOSE HEART.......
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Philippians 4:4-7 The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.
REFLECTION FOR THE SIXTH DAY
Fear, doubt, anxiety and depression
can creep into our lives at any time.
If you are a parent, and your children are late coming home, what do you do? Do you sleep through it?
Or do you pace the floor and pray they are just late and that nothing bad has happened. Because, right now for you, fear and anxiety have set in.
It does not matter if you are worried about your children or worried about yourself. It does not matter if your fear is considered ‘small’ or ‘big’.
Fear is fear.
Pain is pain.
Anxiety is anxiety.
Our world is a mess.
We are living in a whirlwind of uncertainty. Our ‘what next’ questions are never ending.
We don’t know what to do.
We don’t know who to believe.
And, I think our biggest underlying fear is death. Death for ourselves or someone we love.
St. Ignatius Loyola said that we should always speak to Jesus in prayer
just as one close friend would speak to another.
Don’t be afraid to express your real feelings to the Lord, anger, hurt, joy, sorrow, depression.
When you’ve made your complaint
or expressed your joy, don’t forget one thing - listen for God’s response.
It may come in surprising ways.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Jesus, I have to be honest and tell you
that there’ve been times when I’ve been angry with you and I feel that you’ve let me down.
Help me to trust that you really do have a loving plan for me and for everyone, a plan that most times
I find hard to fathom.
Heavenly Father, strengthen our hearts, and remind us to encourage one another when the troubles of life start to overwhelm us.
Guard our hearts from depression, and give us the strength
to fight against the struggles which seek to weigh us down. John Barnett
Most merciful and Triune God, We come to you in our weakness. We come to you in our fear. We come to you with trust. For you alone are our hope.
We place before you
the disease present in our world. We turn to you in our time of need. Bring wisdom to doctors. Give understanding to scientists. Endow caregivers with compassion and generosity. Bring healing to those who are ill. Protect those who are most at risk. Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one. Welcome those who have died into your eternal home. Stabilize our communities. Unite us in our compassion. Remove all fear from our hearts.
Fill us with confidence in your care.
—Unknown Author.
NOVENA PRAYER
Lord Jesus, your Heart is moved with compassion when we are suffering,
when we need your help,
and when we pray for each other.
I ask you to listen to my prayer during this Novena,
(Mention your intention.)
and to grant what is best.
DAILY INVOCATION
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
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