|
Novena to St. Giles
|
 |
|
(One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers)
|
|
|
PREPARATORY PRAYER Almighty and eternal God! With lively faith and reverently worshipping Your Divine Majesty, I prostrate myself before You and invoke with filial trust Your supreme generosity and mercy. Illuminate the darkness of my intellect with a ray of Your Heavenly light and inflame my heart with the fire of Your Divine Love, that I may contemplate the great virtues and merits of the Saint in whose honor I make this novena, and following their example imitate, as they did, the life of Your Divine Son. Moreover, I beseech You to graciously grant me, through the merits and intercession of this powerful Helper, the petition which through them I humbly place before You, devoutly saying, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Vouchsafe graciously to hear it, if it is to Your greater glory and the salvation of my soul. Amen. |
|
|
PRAYER IN HONOR OF ST. GILES
O God, we beseech You to grant us through the merits and intercession of St. Giles to flee from the vanity and praise of this world, to carefully avoid all occasions of sin, to cleanse our hearts from all wickedness by a sincere confession, to leave this world in Your love and rich in good works, and to find You gracious on the day of judgment. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. INVOCATION OF ST. GILES Zealous follower of Christ, St. Giles, you took to heart from your early youth the words of our Savior: "Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart." Because of this, you fled from the praise and honors of the world, and were rewarded with the grace of preserving your heart from all sin and persevering in a holy life until old age. On my part, I have through pride, self-confidence, and negligence, yielded to my evil inclinations, and through this sinned grievously and often, offending my God and Lord, my Creator and Redeemer, my most loving Father. Therefore I implore you to help me through your mighty intercession to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit, that I may know the malice, grievousness, and multitude of my sins. Grant that I may confess them humbly, fully, and contritely, and receive pardon, tranquillity of heart, and peace of conscience from God. Amen. PRAYER My Lord and my God! I offer up to You my petition in union with the bitter passion and death of Jesus Christ, Your Son, together with the merits of His Immaculate and Blessed Mother, Mary ever Virgin, and of all the Saints, particularly with those of the Holy Helper, St. Giles, in whose honor I make this novena. Look down upon me, merciful Lord! Grant me Your Grace and Your Love, and graciously hear my prayer. Amen. |
|
