The Canticle of
Creation
Saint
Francis of Assisi
O Most High, all-powerful,
good Lord God,
to you belong praise,
glory,
honour and all blessing.
Be praised, my Lord, for
all your creation
and especially for our
Brother Sun,
who brings us the day and
the light;
he is strong and shines
magnificently.
O Lord, we think of you
when we look at him.
Be praised, my Lord, for
Sister Moon,
and for the stars
which you have set shining
and lovely
in the heavens.
Be praised, my Lord,
for our Brothers Wind and
Air
and every kind of weather
by which you, Lord,
uphold life in all your
creatures.
Be praised, my Lord, for
Sister Water,
who is very useful to us,
and humble and precious
and pure.
Be praised, my Lord, for
Brother Fire,
through whom you give us
light in the darkness:
he is bright and lively
and strong.
Be praised, my Lord,
for Sister Earth, our
Mother,
who nourishes us and
sustains us,
bringing forth
fruits and vegetables of
many kinds
and flowers of many
colours.
Be praised, my Lord,
for those who forgive for
love of you;
and for those
who bear sickness and
weakness
in peace and patience
- you will grant them a
crown.
Be praised, my Lord, for
our Sister Death,
whom we must all face.
I praise and bless you,
Lord,
and I give thanks to you,
and I will serve you in
all humility.
For Christ's Mercy
Saint
Jerome
O Lord, show Your mercy to
me
and gladden my heart.
I am like the man on the
way to Jericho
who was overtaken by
robbers,
wounded and left for dead.
O Good Samaritan,
come to my aid.
I am like the sheep that
went astray.
O Good Shepherd,
seek me out and bring me
home
in accord with Your will.
Let me dwell in Your house
all the days of my life
and praise You for ever
and ever
with those who are there.
Novena to the Magi
This Novena begins on
December 28th (the Feast of the Holy Innocents) and ends on January 5
th (the Vigil of the Epiphany).
28 December
O holy Magi!
You were living in
continual expectation of the rising of the Star of Jacob,
which would announce the
birth of the true Sun of justice;
obtain for us an increase
of faith and charity,
and the grace to live in
continual hope
of beholding one day the
light of heavenly glory and eternal joy.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the
beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
29 December
O holy Magi!
who at the first
appearance of the wondrous star
left your native country
to go
and seek the newborn King
of the Jews;
obtain for us the grace of
corresponding
with alacrity to every
divine inspiration.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the
beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
30 December
O holy Magi!
who regarded neither the
severity of the season,
nor the inconveniences of
the journey
that you might find the
newborn Messiah;
obtain for us the grace
not to allow ourselves
to be discouraged by any
of the difficulties
which may meet us on the
way of salvation.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the
beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
31 December
O holy Magi,
who, when deserted by the
star in the city of Jerusalem,
sought humbly, and without
human respect,
from the rulers of the
Church,
the place where you might
discover the object of your journey;
obtain for us grace to
have recourse,
in faith and humility,
in all our doubts and
perplexities to the counsel of our superiors,
who hold the place of God
on earth.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the
beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
1 January
O holy Magi,
who were gladdened by the
reappearance of the star
which led you to
Bethlehem;
obtain for us from God the
grace, that,
remaining always faithful
to Him in afflictions,
we may be consoled in time
by His grace,
and in eternity by His
glory.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the
beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
2 January
O holy Magi,
who, entering full of
faith into the stable of Bethlehem,
prostrated yourselves on
the earth,
to adore the newborn King
of the Jews,
though he was surrounded
only by signs of poverty and weakness;
obtain from the Lord for
us
a lively faith in the real
presence of Jesus in the blessed Sacrament,
the true spirit of
poverty,
and a Christ-like charity
for the poor and suffering.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the
beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
3 January
O holy Magi,
who offered to Jesus
Christ gold, incense, and myrrh,
thereby recognizing Him to
be at once King, God, and Man;
obtain from the Lord for
us
the grace never to present
ourselves before Him with empty hands;
but that we may
continually offer to Him the gold of charity,
the incense of prayer, and
the myrrh of penance and mortification.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the
beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
4 January
O holy Magi,
who, when warned by an
angel not to return to Herd,
traveled back to your
country be another road;
obtain for us from the
Lord,
the grace that, after
having found Him in true repentance,
we may avoid all danger of
losing Him again.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the
beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
5 January
O holy Magi,
who were first among the
Gentiles
called to the knowledge of
Jesus Christ,
and who persevered in the
faith till your deaths,
obtain for us of the Lord
the grace of living always
in conformity to our
baptismal vows,
ever leading to a life of
faith;
that like you we may
attain to the beatific vision
of that God Who now is the
object of our faith.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the
beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
