O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Then one ‘Our Father’ and three ‘Hail Marys’ are to be prayed after each of the following nine salutations 1. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of…

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day Eight St. Therese you have said: “And it is the Lord, it is Jesus, who is my judge. Therefore I will try always to think leniently of others, that He may judge me leniently, or rather not at all, since He says: “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.” Saint Therese, flower of Carmel, you said you would spend your…

Day 5 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart with Msgr. John Esseff Day 5: Poverty St. Francis, you embraced Lady Poverty, imitating Christ who was born in a humble manger and died naked upon the Cross. By detaching yourself from the things of this world, you found the riches of Heaven, for “where your treasure is, there your heart…

Day 4 – Humility Before God – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart From the Diary of St. Faustina, 593 – Faustina writes: “A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God. God defends the humble and delivers him from snares and miseries. The humble man, though he be amidst great sufferings, keeps his peace, for he …

Sunday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with…

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day Seven St. Therese you have said: “Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you – for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart… don’t listen to the demon, laugh at him, and go without fear to receive the Jesus of peace and love…” Saint Therese, flower of Carmel, you sai…

Day 4 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart with Msgr. John Esseff Day 4: Love of Creation St. Francis, you praised God through all of His creation, seeing in every creature the hand of the Creator. In your “Canticle of the Creatures,” you praised the Lord for Brother Sun and Sister Moon, recognizing that all of nature reflects Go…

Day 3 – The Power of Suffering – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart From the Diary of St. Faustina, 57 – Faustina writes: “Suffering is a great grace; through suffering, the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering, love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love. This true, pure love gives the soul strength and…

Day 9 – The Celestial Choir of Angels – St. Michael and the Holy Angels Novena V/. O God, + come to my assistance R/. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory Be Day 9 – The Celestial Choir of Angels The ANGELS primary focus is the caretakership of humanity and the world. While the lowest ranked of all angelic beings—if one accepts the idea of a regula…

Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is wi…

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day Six St. Therese you have said: “My whole strength lies in prayer and sacrifice, these are my invincible arms; they can move hearts far better than words, I know it by experience.” Saint Therese, flower of Carmel, you said you would spend your heaven doing good upon the earth. Your trust in God was complete. Liste…

Day 8 – The Celestial Choir of Archangels – St. Michael and the Holy Angels Novena V/. O God, + come to my assistance R/. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory Be Day 8 – The Celestial Choir of Archangels The ARCHANGELS primary duty, as is clear from their appearances in Scripture, is to carry out the will of God as it relates directly to humanity. …

Day 3 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart with Msgr. John Esseff Day 3: Humility St. Francis, you embraced the profound humility of Christ, who “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). You considered yourself the least of all and sought not your own glory, but the glory of God. You saw in humility the p…

Day 2 – Mercy for All Sinners – St. Faustina Novena for the Discerning Heart From the Diary of St. Faustina, 699 – Jesus speaks to Faustina: “Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of My goodness? For you I descended from h…

Friday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time – A Time of Lectio Divina for the Discerning Heart Podcast As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord. Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over” Become aware that He is with…

St. Thérèse of Lisieux Novena – Day Five St. Therese you have said: “I know now that true charity consists in bearing all our neighbors’ defects–not being surprised at their weakness, but edified at their smallest virtues.” Saint Therese, flower of Carmel, you said you would spend your heaven doing good upon the earth. Your trust in God was complet…

Day 2 – St. Francis of Assisi Novena for the Discerning Heart with Msgr. John Esseff Day 2: Peace St. Francis, you were a true instrument of peace, not only in your actions but in your entire way of life. You lived out the peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7), reconciling enemies, healing divisions, and spreading the…