Novena of spazio + spadoni | FIFTH DAY
The Novena is a time of waiting that spazio + spadoni wishes to fill with a personal reflection on works of mercy
- On the altar, 9 unlit candles, in a row (one will be lit each day at the conclusion of the prayer)
- If praying as a family, the same candle can be lit each time.
DAY 5 – Dec. 20: VISITING THE INFIRMS
– Symbol: a clock
Initial hymn: your choice, depending on your repertoire
CEL. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
ASS. Amen.
THE WORD
From the Gospel according to Matthew (25:36)
“I was sick and you visited me, imprisoned and you came to visit me.”
From the 2007 Christmas homily of Pope Benedict XVI
“Do we have time for the neighbor who needs ours, my word, my affection? For the suffering person who needs help? For the refugee or refugee seeking asylum? Do we have time and space for God? Can He come into our lives? Does He find a space in us, or have we occupied all the spaces of our thinking, our acting, our living for ourselves?”
Today’s work of mercy: visiting the sick
A watch, on the fifth day of this novena…
Because a visit – especially to the sick –
is primarily a matter of time:
That which is carved out,
the one that is spent and given,
that which is filled with love.
- Jesus, as we wait for Christmas, let us find time to visit those who cannot do the same;
- Jesus, in anticipation of Christmas, grant us to know how to approach the suffering of others;
- Jesus, as we wait for Christmas, help us rediscover the joy of these encounters.
The fifth lamp (or candle) is lit, as the reader reads a prayer by Pope Francis
O God, Father of mercy,
who gave to your Son Jesus Christ
the power to heal every sickness and every infirmity,
we ask you to visit the sick and heal them with your grace.
Grant them the strength to bear their suffering and offer it to you,
for the good of your Church and for the salvation of the whole world.
CEL. Beloved, today, we have been reflecting and praying on the fifth work of mercy. Let us make these words become deeds. God’s mercy is at work — ALWAYS!
God bless you. In the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.
ASS. Amen.
Final hymn: your choice according to your repertoire