Devotion to the Saints: today October 4th the Church celebrates Saint Francis of Assisi

04 OCTOBER

SAN FRANCESCO D'ASSISI

Assisi, 1181/2 - Assisi, on the evening of 3 October 1226

After a carefree youth, in Assisi in Umbria he converted to an evangelical life, to serve Jesus Christ whom he had met in particular in the poor and underprivileged, making himself poor. He joined the Friars Minor in community. Traveling, he preached the love of God to everyone, even to the Holy Land, seeking in his words as in his actions the perfect following of Christ, and he wanted to die on the bare earth. (Roman martyrology)

NOVENA IN SAN FRANCESCO D'ASSISI

FIRST DAY
o God enlighten us on the choices of our life and help us to try to imitate the readiness and enthusiasm of St. Francis in fulfilling Your Will.

Saint Francis, pray for us.

Father, Ave, Gloria

SECOND DAY
St. Francis help us to imitate you in contemplating creation as the mirror of the Creator; help us to thank God for the gift of creation; to always have respect for every creature because it is an expression of God's love and to recognize our brother in every created being.

Saint Francis, pray for us.

Father, Ave, Gloria

THIRD DAY
St. Francis, with your humility, teach us not to exalt ourselves before men or before God but to always and only give honor and glory to God as far as He works through us.

Saint Francis, pray for us.

Father, Ave, Gloria

FOURTH DAY
Saint Francis teach us to find time for prayer, the spiritual food of our soul. Remind us that perfect chastity does not require us to avoid creatures of different sex from ours, but asks us to love them only with a love that anticipates on this earth that love that we can fully express in Heaven where we will be "like angels" ( Mk 12,25).

Saint Francis, pray for us.

Father, Ave, Gloria

FIFTH DAY
St. Francis, remembering your words that "you go up to Heaven from a hovel than from a palace", help us to always seek holy simplicity. Remind us of your detachment from the things of this world in the imitation of Christ and that it is good to be detached from the things of the earth to be ever more inclined towards the realities of Heaven.

Saint Francis, pray for us.

Father, Ave, Gloria

SIXTH DAY
Saint Francis be our teacher on the need to mortify the desires of the body so that they are always subordinated to the needs of the spirit.

Saint Francis, pray for us.

Father, Ave, Gloria

SEVENTH DAY
St. Francis help us to overcome the difficulties with humility and joy. Your example exhorts us to be able to accept even the oppositions of the closest and dearest when God invites us in a way that they do not share, and to know how to humbly live the contrasts in the environment in which we live daily, but firmly defending what it seems useful to us for our good and for those who are close to us, especially for the glory of God.

Saint Francis, pray for us.

Father, Ave, Gloria

EIGHTH DAY
Saint Francis obtain for us your joy and serenity in diseases, thinking that suffering is a great gift from God and should be offered to the pure Father, without being ruined by our complaints. Following your example, we want to endure illnesses patiently without making our pain weigh on others. We try to thank the Lord not only when he gives us joy but also when he allows diseases.

Saint Francis, pray for us.

Father, Ave, Gloria

NINTH DAY
St. Francis, with your example of joyful acceptance of "sister death", help us to live every moment of our earthly life as a means to achieve the eternal joy that will be the prize of the blessed.

Saint Francis, pray for us.

Father, Ave, Gloria

PRAYER TO SAN FRANCESCO D'ASSISI

Seraphic Patriarch,
that you leave us such heroic examples of contempt for the world
and all that the world appreciates and loves,
I beg you to want to intercede for the world
in this age he forgets supernatural goods
and lost behind matter.
Your example was already used in other times to collect men,
and exciting in them more noble and more sublime thoughts,
it produced a revolution, a renewal, a real reform.
The reforming work was entrusted to you by your sonship,
who responded well to the high position.
Look now, glorious Saint Francis,
from Heaven where you triumph,
your children scattered throughout the earth,
and infuse them again with a particle of that seraphic spirit of yours,
so that they can fulfill their highest mission.
And then take a look over the Successor of St. Peter,
to whose seat, living, you were so devoted, above the Vicar of Jesus Christ,
whose love has so greatly plagued your heart.
Get him the grace he needs to fulfill his duties.
He awaits these graces from God
for the merits of Jesus Christ represented on the throne of divine Majesty
by such a powerful intercessor. So be it.

O Seraphic Saint Francis, patron of Italy, who renewed the world in spirit

of Jesus Christ, listen to our prayer.

You who to faithfully follow Jesus voluntarily embraced the

evangelical poverty, teach us to detach our hearts from earthly goods

so as not to become its slaves.

You who lived in the ardent love of God and neighbor, get us to practice

true charity and having a heart open to all the needs of our brothers.

You who know our anxieties and our hopes, protect the Church

and our homeland and arouses in the hearts of all purposes of peace and good.

O glorious Saint Francis, who for all the time of your life,

all you did was mourn the passion of the Redeemer

and you deserved to carry the miraculous stigmata in your body,

get me to carry the mortification of Christ in my limbs too,

so that by making my delight in the exercise of penance, you deserve

to one day have the consolations of Heaven.

Pater, Ave, Glory

PRAYERS OF SAN FRANCESCO D'ASSISI

Prayer before the Crucifix
O tall and glorious God,
illuminates the darkness
of my heart.
Give me a straight faith,
sure hope,
perfect charity
and deep humility.
Give me, Lord,
hindsight and discernment
to fulfill your true
and holy will.
Amen.

Simple prayer
Lord, make me
an instrument of Your Peace:
Where hatred is, let me bring Love,
Where it is offended that I bring forgiveness,
Where is discord, that I bring the Union,
Where it is doubtful that I bring the Faith,
Where it is an error, that I bring the Truth,
Where is despair, that I bring Hope,
Where is sadness, that I bring joy,
Where is the darkness, that I bring the Light.
Master, don't let me try so hard
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.
Since, so it is:
Giving, that you receive;
By forgiving, that one is forgiven;
By dying, you are raised to Eternal Life.

Praise from God Most High
You are holy, Lord God only,
that you do wonders.
You are strong. You are great. You are very high.
You are almighty King, you Holy Father,
King of heaven and earth.
You are Triune and One, Lord God of gods,
You are good, all good, highest good,
Lord God, alive and true.
You are love, charity. You are wisdom.
You are humility. You are patience.
You are beauty. You are meekness
You are security. You are quiet.
You are joy and gladness. You are our hope.
You are justice. You are temperance.
You are all our sufficient wealth.
You are beauty. You are meekness.
You are protector. You are our custodian and defender.
You are fortress. You are cool.
You are our hope. You are our faith.
You are our charity. You are our complete sweetness.
You are our eternal life,
great and admirable Lord,
Almighty God, merciful Savior.

Blessing to Brother Leo
The Lord bless you and keep you,
show you his face and have
mercy on you.
Turn his gaze towards you
and give you peace.
The Lord bless you, Brother Leo.

Greeting to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Hail, Lady, holy queen, holy Mother of God,
Mary
that you are a virgin made Church
and elected by the most holy heavenly Father,
who consecrated you
together with his most holy beloved Son
and with the Holy Spirit Paraclete;
you in which was and is all fullness of grace and all good.
Ave, his palace.
ave, his tabernacle,
ave, his home.
Ave, his dress,
ave, his handmaid,
ave, his Mother.
And I greet you all, holy virtues,
that by grace and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit
you are infused into the hearts of the faithful,
because as infidels
make them faithful to God.

"Absorbeat" prayer
Kidnap, please, O Lord,
the ardent and sweet force of your love my mind
from all the things that are under the sky,
for me to die for love of your love,
as you deigned to die for love of my love.

Exhortation to the Praise of God
(Praise of God in the place of the Hermit)
Fear the Lord and honor him.
The Lord is worthy to receive praise and honor.
All you who fear the Lord, praise him.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Praise him, heaven and earth. Praise the Lord, or all rivers.
Bless the Lord, O children of God.
This is the day made by the Lord,
let us rejoice and rejoice in it.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! The King of Israel.
Every living thing give praise to the Lord.
Praise the Lord, because he is good;
all of you who read these words,
bless the lord.
Bless the Lord, all creatures.
All of you, birds of heaven, praise the Lord.
Serve all of the Lord, praise the Lord.
Young men and girls praise the Lord.
Worthy is the Lamb who has been immolated
to receive praise, glory and honor.
Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity.
The Archangel Saint Michael, defend us in combat.

The Canticle of Creatures

Very high, almighty, good Lord
yours are praise, glory and honor
and every blessing.
To you alone, Most High, they agree,
and no man is worthy of you.

Praise be, O my Lord,
for all creatures,
especially for Messer Frate Sole,
which brings the day that illuminates us
and it is beautiful and radiant with great splendor:
of you, Most High, brings significance.

Praise be, O my Lord,
for sister Luna and the Stars:
in heaven you formed them
clear, beautiful and precious.

Laudato be, o my Lord, for Brother Vento e
for the Air, the Clouds, the clear Sky and every weather
for which you give sustenance to your creatures.

Praise be, O my Lord, to sister Acqua,
which is very useful, humble, precious and chaste.

Praise be, O my Lord, to Brother Fire,
with which you enlighten us at night:
and it is robust, beautiful, strong and playful.

Praise be, O my Lord, to our Mother Earth,
which sustains and governs us
produces several fruits with colorful flowers and grass.

Praise be, O my Lord,
for those who forgive for your sake
and endure sickness and suffering.
Blessed are those who will bear them in peace
because they will be crowned by you.

Praise be, O my Lord,
for our sister Corporal death,
from which no living man can escape.
Woe to those who will die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those who will find themselves in your will
for their death will do no harm.

Praise and bless the Lord and thank him
and serve him with great humility.