Novena of spazio + spadoni | SEVENTH 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.
Symbol: a handkerchief
Opening hymn: your choice, depending on your repertoire
CEL. In the name of the Father,
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
ASS. Amen.
THE WORD
From the Gospel according to John (19:38.42)
“After these events, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but in secret for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate granted it. So he went and took the body of Jesus. Nicodemus, the one who had previously gone to him at night, also went and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes of about a hundred pounds. They then took the body of Jesus, and wrapped it in bandages together with aromatic oils, as is the custom for the Jews to bury. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. There therefore they laid Jesus, because of the Preparation of the Jews, for that tomb was near.”
From a meditation by Enzo Bianchi
“Let it not be forgotten that even this action of corporal mercy causes great good to those who perform it: it leads them to reflect on the question of death, on what death is as an enigma/mystery for each person; to measure their own limitation; to discern what is essential to life; to reflect on what others are to us; to measure whether our love lasts as long as the other is useful to us or whether it remains even when the other is gone.”
Today’s work of mercy: burying the dead
A handkerchief is reminiscent of tears.
For this reason, it is the symbol chosen for this novena day,
and for this corporal work.
A handkerchief recalls tenderness, sorrow,
welcomes the emotions one carries inside
when a loved one goes away.
- Jesus, as we wait for Christmas, explain how to accompany those who leave this world;
- Jesus, in anticipation of Christmas, reminds us that the departed are to be loved and respected;
- Jesus, while waiting for Christmas, tells us the mystery of eternal love.
The seventh lamp (or candle) is lit as the reader reads a prayer posted on the website of the Diocese of Cremona:
Father, you want those who have left us to be those who bring us together today.
Our occupations had scattered us: now the thought of death has made us pause in prayer
To open ourselves to one another’s grief.
Remember, Father, that your Son on the cross
Has taken upon himself our death and our loneliness,
by his resurrection confirm us in the assurance that in him also we shall live.
He lives reigns for ever and ever.
CEL. Beloved, today, we have been reflecting and praying on the seventh 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