St. Francis Novena – Day 2

Today we pray to trust in God’s specific plan for each of our lives.

Br. Ed Gura, OFM

Holy Father Francis, your soul found perfect joy at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, where there you shared in His sufferings, knowing that through your sufferings, others would come to know of Him who took on flesh and suffered to save us. You shed an abundance of tears over so great a sacrifice that bore Him such excruciating pain, all wrapped up in His forgiveness, till His last breath and death.

Holy Father Francis, you embraced the sufferings of Jesus with the whole of your life. You rejoiced in your sufferings. You thanked Jesus for your sufferings. You patiently endured your sufferings with love and forgiveness. You healed the wounded in body and soul through your sufferings. You healed them and you were healed. Through your sufferings, you grew in the ways of holiness and likeness of Jesus.

Holy Father Francis, your care was always and only for the glory of God and salvation of souls. We ask for your intercession to help us in our progression toward the ways of holiness and likeness of Jesus. May we welcome your light and allow your light to be a light guiding our way in the ways of Jesus, who came to take upon his shoulders the weight of the sins of the world. Help us to see with the eyes of Jesus, who saw glory in suffering. For through suffering, the wounds of our human family shall be mended and all shall be drawn to Him who was raised on a cross, who is Jesus Christ come in the flesh.

Br. Ed Gura, OFM

(Br. Ed Gura, OFM, serves at the Church of the Transfiguration in Southfield, Michigan.)

Pray the Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

Read by Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM

St. Francis was from a wealthy merchant family. He gave his riches to the poor and lived a chosen life of poverty.  Post your prayer intentions to him on our Prayer page.

The Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

Day 2

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

Poor and humble St. Francis, through your kind intercession we seek to love God above all things. We seek the faith, hope, and love that moved you to joyfully renounce honors and riches and to radically follow our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray for us that we come to see the privilege of suffering with and for the poor after the example of Jesus. Help us to be always grateful for all the blessings we have received and give us the strength to overcome our most pressing concerns.

(Include your personal intentions now.)

Seraphic St. Francis, when you decided to walk in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ you entrusted your whole life to his Divine Providence. Inspired and encouraged by your example, I resolve to entrust the favorable resolution of my situation to God our Father, through your most kind intercession.

St. Francis, help us to continue praying for the grace to truly repent and change our hearts by actively seeking reconciliation with God and all those we have offended or hurt in any way. May the blessings we receive through your intercession deepen our faith, and inspire us to store up treasures in heaven, where we hope to spend eternity with our loving God.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

Post your prayer requests on our Prayer Page.

Light a candle or give alms on our Donation Page.

Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, is a writer and poet. His book, Teaching the Soul to Speak, is available at Tau Press now.

Videos and articles on St. Francis at Franciscan Media.

We follow Jesus in the footsteps of St. Francis, learn more at Franciscan.org