With only a little more than a month before the 2012 presidential election, EWTN is asking Catholics and anyone interested in preserving the religious freedom we enjoy in the United States of America to pray a novena beginning tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012.
Called the Novena to the Mother of God for Our Nation, the prayer asks participants to meditate each day on a different grace received by the Blessed Virgin Mary during her lifetime, including:
Day 1: The Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God
Day 2: Mary’s Desire for Virginity
Day 3: The Annunciation
Day 4: The Visitation
Day 5: The Divine Motherhood of Mary
Day 6: The Wedding Feast of Cana
Day 7: Mary at Calvary
Day 8: Mary and the Mystery of Easter
Day 9: The Assumption of Mary into Heaven
I urge you to consider adding this prayer to your daily routine for the next nine days. To obtain the novena and for more information, you can go to the EWTN website at the following link.
EWTN states that “Catholics turn instinctively for help to the Mother of God in times of need” and because of threats to religious freedom and other “fundamental rights” under our current administration, now is such a time…
“Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI and the American Bishops have noted the erosion of religious freedom in the United States, the first value guaranteed by the Constitution,” the website states. “Other fundamental truths are also in danger: The God-given right to life of every unborn child, the value of virginity until marriage for our young people and the virtue of chastity for everyone, the very definition of marriage as the indissoluble bond between a man and a woman who are open to receive new life from God, and the responsibility of all to care for the disabled and the elderly until God calls them to himself. There are many other issues, but these alone point to the importance of prayer and discernment.”
EWTN points out that, because of the proximity of this novena to the 2012 elections, this prayer will offer those participating “an opportunity to pray for all of our government officials and seek Divine Assistance in the elections.”
