Novenas - Totus2us

Day 3, Novena to St Joseph - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Redemptoris Custos: "Together with Mary, Joseph is the first guardian of this divine mystery. Together with Mary, and in relation to Mary, he shares in this final phase of God's self-revelation in Christ and he does so from the very beginning. .. One can also say that Joseph is the first to share in the faith of the Mother of God and that in doing so he supports his spouse in the faith of the divine annunciation. He is also the first to be placed by God on the path of Mary's "pilgrimage of faith." It is a path along which - especially at the time of Calvary and Pentecost - Mary will precede in a perfect way." Music by Olen Cesari. Visit Totus2us.com for more. Totus Tuus (All Yours) was the motto of Blessed John Paul II to Mary. Our Lady is also everything to us - Totus 2us.

Day 2, Novena to St Joseph - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Redemptoris Custos: "Joseph is visited by the messenger as "Mary's spouse," as the one who in due time must give this name to the Son to be born of the Virgin of Nazareth who is married to him. It is to Joseph, then, that the messenger turns, entrusting to him the responsibilities of an earthly father with regard to Mary's Son. "When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife." He took her in all the mystery of her motherhood. He took her together with the Son who had come into the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this way he showed a readiness of will like Mary's with regard to what God asked of him through the angel." Music by Olen Cesari. Visit Totus2us.com for more. Totus Tuus (All Yours) was the motto of Blessed John Paul II to Mary. Our Lady is also everything to us - Totus 2us.

Day 1, Novena to St Joseph - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Redemptoris Custos: "I am convinced that by reflection upon the way that Mary's spouse shared in the divine mystery, the Church - on the road towards the future with all of humanity - will be enabled to discover ever anew her own identity within this redemptive plan, which is founded on the mystery of the Incarnation. This is precisely the mystery in which Joseph of Nazareth "shared" like no other human being except Mary, the Mother of the Incarnate Word. He shared in it with her; he was involved in the same salvific event; he was the guardian of the same love, through the power of which the eternal Father "destined us to be his sons through Jesus Christ" (Eph 1:5)." Music by Olen Cesari. Visit Totus2us.com for more. Totus Tuus (All Yours) was the motto of Blessed John Paul II to Mary. Our Lady is also everything to us - Totus 2us.

Day 9, Novena for Europe - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa - Entrustment to Mary: "The Church's journey through history is accompanied by “signs” which are visible to all, yet need to be interpreted. Among such signs the Book of Revelation presents the “great portent” which appeared in the sky, which speaks of a conflict between the woman and the dragon. The woman, clothed with the sun, in travail and ready to give birth, can be seen as the Israel of the Prophets which gives birth to the Messiah “who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.” But she is also the Church, the People of the New Covenant, subjected to persecution and yet protected by God. The dragon is “the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” The conflict is an uneven one: the dragon seems to prevail, so great is his arrogance before the defenceless and suffering woman. Yet in reality the triumph belongs to the son born of the woman. In this conflict one thing

Day 8, Novena for Europe - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa: "Do not be afraid! The Gospel is not against you, but for you. This is confirmed by the fact that Christian inspiration is capable of transforming political, cultural and economic groupings into a form of coexistence in which all Europeans will feel at home and will form a family of nations from which other areas of the world can draw fruitful inspiration. Be confident! In the Gospel, which is Jesus, you will find the sure and lasting hope to which you aspire. This hope is grounded in the victory of Christ over sin and death. He wishes this victory to be your own, for your salvation and your joy. Be certain! The Gospel of hope does not disappoint! Throughout the vicissitudes of your history, yesterday and today, it is a the light which illumines and directs your way; it is the strength which sustains you in trials; it is the prophecy of a new world; it is the sign of a new beginning; it is the invitation to everyone,

Day 7, Novena for Europe - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa: "Church in Europe, welcome every day with renewed freshness the gift of charity which your Lord offers to you and enables you to accept. Learn from him the content and the measure of love. Be the Church of the Beatitudes, constantly conformed to Christ. Free from all forms of hindrance and dependency, be poor yourself and a friend to the poor, welcoming every person and attentive to all forms of poverty, both old and new. Continuously purified by the Father's goodness, see in the attitude of Christ, who always defended the truth yet still showed mercy towards sinners, the supreme norm of all your actions. In Jesus, at whose birth peace was proclaimed, in him whose death broke down the walls of enmity and brought true peace, be a builder of peace. Encourage your sons and daughters to allow their hearts to be purified of all hostility, selfishness and partisanship, and to favour at all times mutual dialogue and respect.

Day 6, Novena for Europe - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa: "The Gospel of hope, as a proclamation of the truth which sets us free is meant to be celebrated. Before the Lamb of the Book of Revelation there begins a solemn liturgy of praise and adoration: “To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might for ever and ever!” This vision, which reveals both God and the meaning of all history, takes place “on the Lord's day”, the day of the resurrection, as re-lived by the Sunday assembly... Church of God dwelling in Europe, you too are called to be a community which prays, celebrating your Lord in the Sacraments, in the liturgy and in your whole life. In prayer you will discover the Lord's life-giving presence. By making him the foundation of all your activity, you will thus be able to invite Europeans to an encounter with him, our true hope, the One who alone knows how to satisfy fully the yearning for God hidden in the different forms o

Day 5, Novena for Europe - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa: "As I stepped through the Holy Door at the beginning of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, I held high the Book of the Gospels, showing it to the Church and to the world. This same ritual action, carried out by all the Bishops in the different cathedrals of the world, points to the task awaiting the Church of our Continent now and for ever. Church in Europe, enter the new millennium with the Book of the Gospels! May every member of the faithful hear the Council's plea “to learn 'the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ' (Phil 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. 'Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ' ”. May the Holy Bible continue to be a treasure for the Church and for every Christian: in the careful study of God's word we will daily find nourishment and strength to carry out our mission. Let us take up this book! Let us receive it from the Lord who continually offers it to us through his

Day 4, Novena for Europe - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa: "The vision of the Book of Revelation tells us of “a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals” and held “in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.” This writing contains the God's plan of creation and salvation, his detailed design for all things, for persons, things and events. No created being, on earth or in heaven, is able to “open the scroll or to look into it” so as to understand its contents. In the confusion of human affairs, no one is able to declare the unfolding of the future and the ultimate meaning of things. Only Jesus Christ gains possession of the sealed scroll; only he is “worthy to take the scroll and open its seals.” Only Jesus is able to reveal and bring about the plan of God hidden therein. Left to himself, man is not capable of giving meaning to history and to human affairs: life remains without hope. Only the Son of God is able to dispel the shadows and to show

Day 3, Novena for Europe - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa: "The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the golden lampstands..., the first and the last, who died and came to life..., the Son of God” (Rev 2:1,8,18). It is Jesus himself who speaks to his Church. His message is addressed to all the individual Particular Churches and concerns their inner life, which is at times marked by the presence of ideas and ways of thinking incompatible with the Gospel tradition, frequently subjected to different forms of persecution and, what is yet more dangerous, beset by troubling symptoms of worldliness, the loss of an earlier faith, and compromise with the “logic” of the world. Not infrequently communities have lost their first love. One sees how our ecclesial communities are struggling with weaknesses, weariness and divisions. They too need to hear anew the voice of the Bridegroom, who invites them to conversion, spurs them on to bold new undertakin

Day 2, Novena for Europe - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa: "From the synodal Assembly there emerged the clear and passionate certainty that the Church has to offer Europe the most precious of all gifts, a gift which no one else can give: faith in Jesus Christ, the source of the hope that does not disappoint; a gift which is at the origin of the spiritual and cultural unity of the European peoples and which both today and tomorrow can make an essential contribution to their development and integration. After twenty centuries, the Church stands at the beginning of the third millennium with a message which is ever the same, a message which constitutes her sole treasure: Jesus Christ is Lord; in him, and in no one else, do we find salvation. Christ is the source of hope for Europe and for the whole world, “and the Church is the channel in which the grace pouring from the pierced Heart of the Saviour flows and spreads”. This confession of faith causes our hearts and lips to raise

Day 1, Novena for Europe - Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa: "At a time of persecution, tribulation and bewilderment for the Church, the message resounding throughout the vision of the writer of the Book of Revelation is a message of hope: “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one, I died and behold I am alive for ever more, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Rev 1:17-18). We thus find ourselves before the Gospel, the “good news”, that is Jesus Christ himself. He is the First and the Last: in him all history finds its beginning, its meaning, its direction and its fulfilment. In him and with him, in his death and resurrection, everything has already been said. He is the Living One: once he was dead yet now he lives for ever. He is the Lamb standing before the throne of God: sacrificed, because he shed his blood for us on the wood of the Cross. He is standing, because he has come back to unending life and has shown us the infinite power of the Father's love

Day 9, Novena - The Church of the Eucharist - Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia: "Allow me, dear brothers and sisters, to share with deep emotion, as a means of accompanying and strengthening your faith, my own testimony of faith in the Most Holy Eucharist. Ave verum corpus natum de Maria Virgine, vere passum, immolatum, in cruce pro homine! Here is the Church's treasure, the heart of the world, the pledge of the fulfilment for which each man and woman, even unconsciously, yearns. A great and transcendent mystery, indeed, and one that taxes our mind's ability to pass beyond appearances. Here our senses fail us: visus, tactus, gustus in te fallitur, in the words of the hymn Adoro Te Devote; yet faith alone, rooted in the word of Christ handed down to us by the Apostles, is sufficient for us. Allow me, like Peter at the end of the Eucharistic discourse in John's Gospel, to say once more to Christ, in the name of the whole Church and in the name of each of you: “Lord to whom shall we go? Yo

Day 8, Novena - The Church of the Eucharist - Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia: "Mysterium fidei! If the Eucharist is a mystery of faith which so greatly transcends our understanding as to call for sheer abandonment to the word of God, then there can be no one like Mary to act as our support and guide in acquiring this disposition. In repeating what Christ did at the Last Supper in obedience to his command: “Do this in memory of me!”, we also accept Mary's invitation to obey him without hesitation: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). With the same maternal concern which she showed at the wedding feast of Cana, Mary seems to say to us: “Do not waver; trust in the words of my Son. If he was able to change water into wine, he can also turn bread and wine into his body and blood, and through this mystery bestow on believers the living memorial of his passover, thus becoming the 'bread of life."" Music is from 'Triduum - Contemporary Sacred Music' by David Bevan and Neil Wright, and sung b

Day 7, Novena - The Church of the Eucharist - Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia: "Like the woman who anointed Jesus in Bethany, the Church has feared no “extravagance”, devoting the best of her resources to expressing her wonder and adoration before the unsurpassable gift of the Eucharist. No less than the first disciples charged with preparing the “large upper room”, she has felt the need, down the centuries and in her encounters with different cultures, to celebrate the Eucharist in a setting worthy of so great a mystery. In the wake of Jesus' own words and actions, and building upon the ritual heritage of Judaism, the Christian liturgy was born. Could there ever be an adequate means of expressing the acceptance of that self-gift which the divine Bridegroom continually makes to his Bride, the Church, by bringing the Sacrifice offered once and for all on the Cross to successive generations of believers and thus becoming nourishment for all the faithful? Though the idea of a “banquet” na

Day 6, Novena - The Church of the Eucharist - Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia: "The Eucharist thus appears as the culmination of all the sacraments in perfecting our communion with God the Father by identification with his only-begotten Son through the working of the Holy Spirit. With discerning faith a distinguished writer of the Byzantine tradition voiced this truth: in the Eucharist “unlike any other sacrament, the mystery [of communion] is so perfect that it brings us to the heights of every good thing: here is the ultimate goal of every human desire, because here we attain God and God joins himself to us in the most perfect union”. Precisely for this reason it is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist." Music is from 'Triduum - Contemporary Sacred Music' by David Bevan and Neil Wright, and sung by the Holy Redeemer Choir. Visit Totus2us.com for more. Totus Tuus (All Yours) was the motto of John Paul II to Mary. Our Lady is also eve

Day 5, Novena - The Church of the Eucharist - Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia: "If, as I have said, the Eucharist builds the Church and the Church makes the Eucharist, it follows that there is a profound relationship between the two, so much so that we can apply to the Eucharistic mystery the very words with which, in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, we profess the Church to be “one, holy, catholic and apostolic”. The Eucharist too is one and catholic. It is also holy, indeed, the Most Holy Sacrament." Music is from 'Triduum - Contemporary Sacred Music' by David Bevan and Neil Wright, and sung by the Holy Redeemer Choir. Visit Totus2us.com for more. Totus Tuus (All Yours) was the motto of John Paul II to Mary. Our Lady is also everything to us - Totus 2us.

Day 4, Novena - The Church of the Eucharist - Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia: "By its union with Christ, the People of the New Covenant, far from closing in upon itself, becomes a “sacrament” for humanity, a sign and instrument of the salvation achieved by Christ, the light of the world and the salt of the earth, for the redemption of all. The Church's mission stands in continuity with the mission of Christ: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (Jn 20:21). From the perpetuation of the sacrifice of the Cross and her communion with the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, the Church draws the spiritual power needed to carry out her mission. The Eucharist thus appears as both the source and the summit of all evangelization, since its goal is the communion of mankind with Christ and in him with the Father and the Holy Spirit." Music is from 'Triduum - Contemporary Sacred Music' by David Bevan and Neil Wright, and sung by the Holy Redeemer Choir. Visit Totus2us.com for m

Day 3, Novena - The Church of the Eucharist - Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia: "The Church has received the Eucharist from Christ her Lord not as one gift – however precious – among so many others, but as the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of himself, of his person in his sacred humanity, as well as the gift of his saving work. Nor does it remain confined to the past, since “all that Christ is – all that he did and suffered for all men – participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times." Music is from 'Triduum - Contemporary Sacred Music' by David Bevan and Neil Wright, and sung by the Holy Redeemer Choir. Visit Totus2us.com for more. Totus Tuus (All Yours) was the motto of John Paul II to Mary. Our Lady is also everything to us - Totus 2us.

Day 2, Novena - The Church of the Eucharist - Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia: "This varied scenario of celebrations of the Eucharist has given me a powerful experience of its universal and, so to speak, cosmic character. Yes, cosmic! Because even when it is celebrated on the humble altar of a country church, the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the world. It unites heaven and earth. It embraces and permeates all creation. The Son of God became man in order to restore all creation, in one supreme act of praise, to the One who made it from nothing. He, the Eternal High Priest who by the blood of his Cross entered the eternal sanctuary, thus gives back to the Creator and Father all creation redeemed. He does so through the priestly ministry of the Church, to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. Truly this is the mysterium fidei which is accomplished in the Eucharist: the world which came forth from the hands of God the Creator now returns to him redeemed by Chris