The Catholic Defender: St. Andrew Advent Novena

St. Andrew Advent Novena

Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, (Mention your request here…) through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother.

Amen.

Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…

St. Andrew Advent Novena

Advent is a time of anticipation for Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas. But that is only part of it. The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming.” In the Greek translation, this means parousia.

Scholars believe that during the 4th and 5th centuries, Advent was a season of ‘preparation’ for the baptism of new Christian’s at the January feast of Epiphany, the celebration of God’s incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi to baby Jesus (Matthew 2:1), His baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (John 1:29), and His first miracle at Cana (John 2:1). During this season of preparation, Christian’s would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for the celebration. By the 6th century, Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. The “coming” they had in mind was not Christ’s first coming … but His second coming as the Judge of the world. It was not until the Middle Ages when the Advent season was explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming … Christmas.

.It’s not too late to take a tip on Christmas gift giving from two doctors of the Church: St. Alphonsus Liguori and St. Teresa of Ávila.

You can help a soul in purgatory reach heaven on Dec. 25.

And — marking the eight days of the Octave of Christmas — you can keep giving and keep helping through Jan. 1.

It well may be your unfamiliar with the revelations of both St. Alphonsus and St. Teresa that say most souls are released from purgatory on Christmas Day (not All Souls Day!). It seems the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord is when purgatory is least populated.

Then, too, it well might be you’re a little unclear on the Church’s teaching on purgatory. Here’s what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. …

From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God [that is, heaven]. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead: Let us help and commemorate them. … Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them. (CCC, 1030–1032)

Year 2022 is dedicated to the Mother of God. Now in my prayers I can say, “Mother Mary, Pope Francis has given you permission to enter into time and history.” The Catholic Church calls her the Queen of Mercy with good reasonGod cannot be outdone in His Mercy. Pray for your family members, even those who lived generations before you. One day we will meet in heaven, and the souls whose release you secure through prayer, pentinence, acts of mercy and love will be most grateful to you. Imagine the joy of seeing God face to face. They will become your intercessors, too.

Go back in your family tree and pray for those you know by name. Pray for those you don’t know by name. You might assume that they have already reached heaven. That might not be true. They might need one rosary or one Mass offered for them to be released. No prayer goes unused. If they have already reached the joys of heaven, God will use those prayers for someone else.

Help to end the suffering of the souls in Purgatory this Advent. Open the gates for them through your prayers. You will be blessed!

The Prayer of St. Gertrude This prayer is said to release 1,000 souls each time it is prayed.

Eternal Father, I offer You the Most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son Jesus, in union with all of the Masses said today, in reparation for sin, for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those within my own home, and within my family. Amen.