St. Francis Novena – Day 5

Pray to trust in the Holy Spirit even in the midst of troubled times.

Fr. Colin King, OFM

Since February 2020, the entire globe has been crying out in frustration and fear with feelings of tearing at the seams. In moments like these, we can learn the unfortunate lesson that we can only trust in ourselves and cannot trust in anyone or anything else. In this process, we can hoard money and supplies, allowing our greed and selfishness to say, “As long as my family, friends, and I are all safe, that is all that matters.” We retreat away from the world and only focus on what we want.

This novena allows us the opportunity to cry out to God in our time of need—to once again discover the radical trust we have in God, even in the midst of such troubled times. We can run from the selfishness and greed that gives us the false sense of security in this world, and move to abandoning everything that stops us from totally abandoning ourselves to God’s will.

We do not live, move, and have our being with only ourselves or maybe just a few people whom we like. The Holy Spirit guides us on the paths of life’s journey. If we will abandon ourselves to God’s will, we have to ask God to reveal that to us. As we prayerfully discern God’s will for our lives, it often calls for us to be willing to go out into the world to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ in thought, word, and deed.

Fr. Colin

(Fr. Colin King, OFM, is pastor of St. Julie Parish, Orange Hill and St. Mary Parish, Reunion both in Jamaica. Learn about the various Jamaican ministries at: stanthony.org/jamaica/)

Pray the Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

Read by Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM

As a young man of 20, St. Francis was profoundly changed by his experience of war and prison.  Post your prayer intentions to him on our Prayer page.

The Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

Day 5

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.)

Blessed St. Francis, when you were blessed with the decision to serve our Lord, you abandoned everything and surrendered yourself totally to God’s will. Obtain for us the same trust in God, that the Holy Spirit may guide our every thought, word and deed.

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.

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Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, is a writer and poet. His spiritual autobiography, Gathering Shards: A Franciscan Life, is available at Tau Publishing.

Videos and articles on St. Francis at Franciscan Media.

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