<p>The journey begins in sombre purple but ends in the joy and celebration of</p><p>white vestments as we celebrate the Resurrection. The season of Lent, which</p><p>begins on Ash Wednesday, is the start of that journey to the joy of Easter.</p><h2>Why Join?</h2><p>We are probably used to packing suitcases for our travels and then un-packing</p><p>and re-packing them because there is a limit on how much we can bring. The</p><p>important thing is to have the essentials. The Lenten journey needs no suitcase</p><p>but is an opportunity to focus on the essentials, on what truly matters in our life</p><p>of faith.</p><p class="hoz_quote">“We have been given forty days, a ‘favourable time&#039; to remind ourselves that the world is bigger than our narrow personal needs, and to rediscover the joy, not of accumulating material goods, but of caring for those who are poor and afflicted. Let us set out, then, on the path of prayer and use these forty days to restore God&#039;s primacy in our lives and to dialogue with him from the heart, and not only in spare moments”</p><p><em><strong>Pope Francis</strong></em></p><h2>The Programme</h2><p>Every Sunday and Wednesday in Lent and everyday in Holy Week a series of</p><p>meditations and questions for reflections, linked to Pope Francis&#039; Message for</p><p>Lent, will be posted to help us prepare for the joy of the Resurrection.</p><h2>Liam Kelly</h2><p>Liam Kelly works at <a href="https://www.ampleforthabbey.org.uk/" target="_blank">Ampleforth Abbey</a> and has written a number of books,</p><p>most recently <a href="https://www.rpbooks.co.uk/lent-in-50-moments" target="_blank">Lent in 50 Moments</a>, a series of reflections from Ash Wednesday</p><p>to Easter Wednesday.</p>

Lenten Retreat with Pope Francis 2024

Heavenly Father,

thank you for the gift of this season.

May these weeks leading up to the celebration of your

Passion, Death and Resurrection
remind us of who you are, how you love us,
and how you have called us to be your followers.
May we journey through this season in prayer,
removing distractions that take our gaze from your glory.
May we see your love and goodness in new ways.

May our actions reflect our hearts and may we worship you
through all that we say and do throughout the coming weeks.

May Easter be a day of joyful celebration
as we meet you, who alone can raise us up from our ashes,

Christ our Lord.
Amen.

<h2>A Solemn Call to Prayer </h2><p>As we approach the feast of St. Michael, <strong>the Norbertines of St. Michael&#039;s Abbey are calling on all Catholics around the world to unite under the banner of St. Michael and join them in a novena against the forces of darkness in our world</strong>. Let us call on the powerful intercession of St. Michael on his feast day to protect our families, our society, and the Church against Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl the world seeking the ruin of souls.</p><h2>Why join?</h2><p>St. Michael, the great defender of the faithful, stands as a beacon of hope and a symbol of divine protection. By invoking his name, we call upon his strength to combat the darkness that threatens to overshadow the light of Christ. <strong>Now, more than ever, we must join together in prayer, asking for his powerful intercession to guard us against all forms of spiritual attack and to lead us toward the path of righteousness.</strong></p><p>We invite you to participate in this novena, to lift your voices in prayer alongside the Norbertines of St. Michael&#039;s Abbey, and to stand together in faith and solidarity. May the prayers of this novena ascend like incense before the throne of God, and may St. Michael, with his sword of truth, defend us against the snares of the enemy.</p><p>Together, let us be vigilant, steadfast, and unwavering in our faith, trusting in the mighty intercession of St. Michael to be our shield and defender. Through his protection and the grace of God, may we find the strength to overcome all darkness and remain faithful to the light of Christ.</p>

A Novena to St. Michael the Archangel 

Great Saint Michael, Prince of the Heavenly Host,
your name is a question filled with awe:
"Who is like God?"
Your vocation is to reveal His power and His wisdom,
and so your name teaches us that nothing can compare with His might and goodness.

What is there that we cannot hope to receive from God's hand
through your intercession and care?
We entrust to you the intentions we bring in this novena:
for Holy Church in Her trials;
for our homelands so much in need of healing and grace;
for our families who are shielded by the angels who guard us on our way to heaven;
for the sick; for sinners; for the dying;
for our dear, departed loved ones;
and for protection from all the forces of evil who oppose these intentions.

We expect great things and abundant blessings as we invoke you.
Christ the Lord is your King and ours;
we are safe under your shield and with your fiery sword of burning love for Him.
We thank you in advance for the gifts to be obtained in this novena
and promise in our gratitude to make your name and devotion known as much as we are able.

Blessed be God, glorious in His fair hosts of angels led by you,
Michael, the leader of the bodiless powers of heaven!

Amen.


<h2>What is the purpose of this community of prayer?</h2><p>The purpose is to find peace of mind and heart by putting our trust in God through prayer, meditation, and abandoning ourselves to the Lord. We will encourage you throughout this Novena and lift each one of you in prayer. </p><h2>&#34;What if....?&#34;</h2><p>Many of us suffer from worry, anxiety, and fear. These negative feelings can easily overwhelm us, up to the point where we begin struggling with our faith. </p><p>Indeed, there are so many reasons to develop fear and worry today. Wars, violence, crime, natural disasters, unemployment, illness, future uncertainty... The list goes on. </p><p>We keep asking ourselves &#34;What if?&#34; while imagining the worst outcomes; living under the weight of this uncertainty eventually takes its toll on both our physical and mental health. </p><p>While there is no way to know what future will hold, <strong>we do have a powerful weapon against fear: trusting in God who loves us</strong>. Jesus came to save us, to set us free from all of our enemies. Putting our trust in God, we can gradually overcome all negative thoughts we&#039;re constantly fighting. No, it&#039;s not a miraculous cure, but <strong>God can work wonders in hearts that believe in His power.</strong> </p><h2>Every day, for the duration of the Novena, you&#039;ll receive:</h2><ul><li>A Bible verse to fight fear and anxiety.</li><li>A prayer.</li><li>A short meditation. </li></ul><p class="hoz_important">if you are suffering from depression and/or anxiety, and/or having suicidal thoughts, please seek professional help. Prayer does help and accomplishes miracles, but no one in their right mind would tell a cancer patient to &#34;just pray their cancer away.&#34; The same applies to mental illnesses. Emergency international resources can be found <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines">here</a> and <a href="https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/">here</a>.  </p><h2>Click Join to receive the prayers</h2><p><a href="https://hozana.org/en/intentions">Click here to leave your prayer intention.</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Photo </strong>by Gorjan Ivanovski on Unsplash. </p>

Novena for Peace of Mind

Kneeling at your feet, sweet Mother of God and Queen of Peace, I, your loving child, confidently turn to you in my need, seeking your intercession for peace of mind and comfort to my troubled heart. (Mention your petition here.)
O listen to me, dear heavenly mother. Come to my aid and refuse me not as I cry to you. For you are my mother, and you fail no one who has recourse to you, O Consoler of the afflicted, O Queen of Peace. 
Amen.

<h2>A Walk of Faith for Valentine&#039;s Day!</h2><p>Now is the time to experience the spirit of Valentine&#039;s Day, by confidently entrusting our desires to live a Christian marriage to St. Valentine, a great martyr and the patron saint of lovers.</p><p>Be assured that we share your hopes and keep your intentions in our hearts every day!</p><h2>The Grace of Love: a Gift from God</h2><ul><li>Pray for yourself: pray that you meet someone in accordance with the Lord &#039;s heart.</li><li>Pray for yourself: entrust God with your desire to live a fruitful Christian marriage.</li><li>Pray for a single person you know who suffers from loneliness.</li><li>Pray for all those who desire to get married.</li><li>Pray that marriages be based on the « Rock of Faith » .</li><li>Pray for young people who are not looking to commit to the Sacrament of Marriage </li><li>Pray that the world regains a deep sense of commitment to sacraments.</li></ul><p>… other ideas? Share them with us!</p><p><strong>St. Valentine will certainly be happy to hear them and present them to the Lord!</strong></p><h2>Commitment</h2><p>Commit yourself to offer your thanks to St. Valentine: if you feel that he answered your prayers, celebrate his Feast Day in a spirit of gratitude for his intercession on your behalf!</p><h2>Click Join to receive the prayers</h2><p><a href="https://hozana.org/en/intentions">Click here to leave your prayer intention.</a></p>

Meet Your Soulmate with the Novena to St. Valentine

Loving Father,
You know that the deepest desire of my heart is
to meet someone that I can share my life with.
I trust in Your loving plan for me and ask that I may soon meet
the person that you have prepared for me.
Through the power of Your Holy Spirit,
open my heart and mind so that I recognize my soulmate.
Remove any obstacles that are in the way of this happy encounter,
So that I might find a new sense of wholeness, joy and peace.
Give me the grace too, to know and accept, if you have another plan for my life.
I surrender my past, present and future into the tender heart of Your Son, Jesus,
full of confidence that You will hear and answer my prayer.
AMEN.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.
St Valentine, pray for me.