Day 5 : The Coming of Jesus Christ
The Rosary
The Doxology
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended onto hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. AMEN.
The Joyful Mysteries -- Mondays & Saturdays
- The Annunciation
- The Visitation
- The Birth of the Lord
- The Presentation
- The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
The Sorrowful Mysteries -- Tuesdays & Fridays
- The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane
- The Scourging at the Pillar
- The Crowning with Thorns
- The Carrying of the Cross
- The Crucifixion and Death of the Lord
The Luminous Mysteries -- Thursdays
- The Baptism of Jesus
- Christ's Manifestation at the Wedding in Cana
- The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
- The Transfiguration
- The Institution of the Holy Eucharist
The Glorious Mysteries -- Wednesdays & Sundays
- The Resurrection
- The Ascension
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit
- The Assumption of Mother Mary
- The Coronation of Mother Mary as Queen
Hail Holy Queen
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy. Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee, do we cry, poor banish children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, Oh most gracious Advocate thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this, our exile, show us the Blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Oh Clement, Oh loving, Oh Sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.
The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Entrance Song
Come Holy Ghost, Creator Blest
And in our souls, take up your rest
Come with your grace and heavenly aid
To fill the hearts which you have made
To fill the hearts which you have made
The Act of Contrition
Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and I am afraid of the pains of Hell. But most of all, I have offended Thee my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do my penance, to amend my life and sin no more. AMEN.
Salutations
Opening Prayers
Oh most powerful Paraclete, God the Holy Spirit, we humbly ask of you to sanctify us and give us the best of health, give us the strength and courage to overcome our sinfulness.
Praises to the most Blessed Trinity
Prayers continued after Reflection...
Reflection
Day 5 : The Coming of Jesus Christ
Leader: This is the history of man's relationship with God. Man and GOD had a personal relationship after all creation was done. Man talked to God and God listened to Adam and Eve. Man accepted freely this friendship with God. His command to Adam (not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil) shows symbolically that man had to acknowledge his limits as a creature and submit his behavior to God.
Although using figurative language and beyond recorded history, the story of Adam's sin does describe our wounded state of life and the need for healing. All human history is marked by that fall of our first parents. By the first sin of Adam, man set aside his trust in God and disobeyed Him. All subsequent sins would be disobedience and lack of trust. By sin, man rebelled against his status as a creature. Man wanted to be of the same status as his God. Man's choice was a bad one because he wanted to be like God.
Our first parents lost original holiness and because afraid of God, whom they falsely thought was jealous of their prerogatives, The soul's control over the body's powers was shattered. The union of man with woman became subject to tensions and their sexual relationship was marked by lust and domination (Gen 3:5-16). Creation became hostile to man and death made its entrance into human history. "Sin entered the world and through sin, DEATH..." (Rom. 5:12).
But from the benevolence of a GOD flows HIS MERCY. From the mercy of a God springs His forgiveness. Forgiveness means reconciliation. The first man and woman had offended God by disobeying His command. In fact, God had banished them from that beautiful Garden of Eden and punished them so badly. The greatest punishment was this: Man could no longer talk to God in a "person-to-person" style the way Adam and Eve did, before disobeying God.
But as always in God's Divine Plan, He wanted man to share in His blessings. God always comes close to man and calls man to seek Him.
The disobedience of Adam and Eve only meant one thing: A REJECTION OF GOD. This was an INFINITE OFFENSE because God is INFINITE. NO AMOUNT OF MERIT by any human sacrfice can appease, satisfy and pay for this offense.
After the original sin, God still called man and even promised a victory. He announced that there would be a Messiah and Redeemer, a battle between the serpent and the Woman, and the final victory for her descendants: "I will put an enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers. He will strike at your head while you strike at his heel" (Gen. 3:15). We call this the "proto evangelium" or the "first Gospel" because it preannounced the coming of Jesus our Savior, Son of Mary.
This was an announcement of the coming of Christ, the INFINITE sacrificial LAMB, Christ came to this world in the cloak of a man and yet retaining his being a God. The fact is Christ in himself has two natures: human and divine. He is God and man at the same time.
This assertion had caused and generated so many questions and skepticism among people, even until now. How can divinity and humanity exist in Christ at the same time? The answer to this question is clearly explained in the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians (Ph. 2:7). In order to become man and at the same time still remaining as God, Christ EMPTIED himself of his eternal and divine happiness, thereby taking into himself sadness and even death; then he said to them, "My soul is sorrowful even unto death". (Mt. 26:38).
The MERIT of Christ's sacrifice in becoming a MAN and DYING ON THE CROSS had an INFINITE MERIT. This is because Christ is also God, the Second Person in the Trinity. This is called SALVATION.
NO GREATER GIFT to man did GOD THE FATHER GIVE than sending His Beloved Son to act as the divine bridge in man's relationship with Him. In JESUS, God the Father personally talked to man again. And Christ had a person to person relationship with men (His apostles, disciples and followers) because He is also human.
Leo the Great once said, "Christ gave us better blessings than the devil took away." And St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that "There is nothing to prevent human nature from being raised up to something greater, even after sin.". And as we sing in the Exultet, that beautiful humn sung at the beginning of the Easter Vigil, "O happy fault...which gained for us so great a Redeemer.". Let us thank Christ Jesus for restoring back to us that important relationship and trust with God, the Father.
Prayer
Novena Prayers (cont)
Petitions to the Blessed Trinity
God eternal Son, image of the splendor and greatness of the Father, teach us how to be humble and truthful in our words and actions. Give us the grace to follow your footsteps the way your Apostles and disciples followed you. Grant us the courage to bear the burdens of our daily life which are just very little compared to the sufferings you have encountered, due to our sinfulness. Bless us with the Love that had consumed your being just to give us our salvation, choosing death in order to give us back our life. May your Sacred Heart be always a constant source and fountain of the kindness, of your mercy, and goodness with which you have redeemed us. May your image in front of us, be a constant reminder that you really care for us, and may your presence in the Blessed Sacrament bring us joy, peace, and eternal happiness.
Oh God, the Holy Spirit, mutual love of the Father and the Son, grant, we beseech you, that all of humanity be endowed with that same mutual love and togetherness which exists in the most Blessed Trinity. Enkindle our hearts with the fire of your eternal Love. Purify and sanctify our souls with the virtues that we need so that we can achieve that eternal life prepared for us. AMEN.
Consecration to the Three Divine Persons
Oh Jesus, we desire to serve you with that same love that impels you to remain with us in the Holy Eucharist for the nourishment of our souls. Strengthen us, Oh Lord, and make pure our hearts and minds so that we may serve you with our pure and true love.
Oh Holy Spirit, we desire to dedicate our whole being to you and offer ourselves, body and soul, in the same manner that our Mother Mary has dedicated herself to you in union with Saint Joseph and the martyrs and all the saints in Heaven. With them, we praise, honor and glorify YOU, now and forever. AMEN.
Concluding Prayers
Final Prayer
Final Song -- Hymn to our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima
We come on bended knees
To beg your intercession
For peace and unity
Dear lady, won't you show us
The right and shining way
We pledge our love and offer you
A rosary each day
You promised at Fatima
Each time that you appeared
To help us if we pray to you
To vanish war and fear
Dear Lady on first Saturdays
We ask your guiding hands
For grace and guidance here on earth
And protection of our land
¡VIVA SANTISIMA TRINIDAD!