Reasons to Pray a Novena by Michael Dubruiel:
1. Praying a novena can help you develop the habit of praying daily.
Our lives are filled with ritual from the time we get up in the morning: the route we take to work and home again, how we spend our evenings, and the usual time we go to bed. Day in and out the pattern is repeated. Is prayer a part of that daily routine? Praying a novena for nine consecutive days can set a pattern of prayer in our lives that can create a daily habit of prayer.
Below is part 4 of Michael Dubruiel's introduction to the book:
Shrines: Places of Encounter with God
Jacob was fleeing for his life, but at the point of exhaustion he could go no further. Now under the cover of darkness he found a spot where he could rest for the night. Under the expansive desert sky, he placed a rock for a pillow under his head. Perhaps he did this so he would not sleep too deeply, but soon sleep came. Before long, his imagination awakened him and he dreamed of a staircase that went from the rock his head rested upon to the throne of God in heaven. Angels of God were descending and ascending the staircase.
In the dream, God assured Jacob of his presence and protection. When he awoke, Jacob poured oil over the rock that had been both a source of rest and the first step to knowledge of God's love. He consecrated the place a shrine, calling it Bethel, or "House of God."
Thus begins the history of shrines, places set aside to commemorate religious experiences and dedicated to the worship of God. A recent Vatican document defines a shrine as "a church or other sacred place to which the faithful make pilgrimages for a particular religious reason, with the approval of the local Ordinary"
Shrines arise one stone at a time, built on the faith experiences of individuals like Jacob, the great patriarch in the Book of Genesis, until they tower over the landscape and beckon others to come and be still so that they, too, might know the Lord.
Jesus identified himself with the staircase in Jacob's vision when he told Nathaniel in the Gospel of John that he would see "heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (my emphasis). Jesus is the staircase that leads from every shrine to the very presence of God. "The deepest meaning of every shrine is to serve as a reminder in faith of the salvific work of the Lord" (The Shrine: Memory, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God, no. 4).
Shrines remind us that God has first loved us, without any merit on our part. The very response that we make to God's love is itself a gift of grace from God. "This conviction is further expressed in the shrine through the specific message connected with it, whether in regard to the mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ, in regard to one of the titles of Mary, 'who shines forth to the whole community of the elect as a model of virtues,' or in regard to the individual saints whose memory proclaims the 'wonderful works of Christ in his servants" (The Shrine: Memory, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God, no. 6).
Below is part 3 of Michael Dubruiel's introduction to the book:
Shrines: Places of Encounter with God
Shrines have come into existence in the United States since the first moment that a Christian set foot on its shores, that is, when Mass was celebrated in St. Augustine, Florida, on September 8, 1565, by Fr. Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales. Each shrine points to a particular way that individuals have found a way to encounter Christ and to deepen their relationship with God.
Many of the novena prayers in this prayer book are used at shrines located in the United States and Canada. These shrines stand as living monuments to the efficacy of the prayers that have been prayed in them. Those who have donated their labor and wealth in thanksgiving to God for
Below is part 1 of Michael Dubruiel's introduction to the book:
What makes these novenas the most powerful prayers to pray? What is the evidence for this claim?" were two questions posed to me as this book was being prepared. The answer lies in the many places associated with the prayers found in this book and also calls upon all of those who pick this up to rediscover the power that previous generations of Catholics knew about and accessed to their great benefit.
If you want to see the evidence of this power visit any of the Catholic Shrines listed in the appendix of this book and there you will find items left behind as a testimony to the healing power of Jesus Christ working through His Church and His Saints by those who have prayed these prayers before you.
This is a continuation of the 73 Steps to Spiritual Communion with God by Michael Dubruiel. The previous posts are below and in the archives to the right. This is step 45:
(45) To be in dread of hell.
I think it is helpful to personally design our own notion of Hell. Jesus used Gehenna to describe it to the people of His day. "Gehenna" was the local dump (landfills were a long way into the future) for the city of Jerusalem. So when Jesus described Hell to the people they would have thought of Gehenna where a smoldering fire burned incessantly consuming the refuse of the people of Jerusalem.
Designing your own notion of Hell merely insists of imagining what the would be the worst possible experience that could happen to you and magnifying that by eternity. For most of this would involve pain and suffering that would never cease, but for some it might be an embarrassing situation. Sadly for many it might be an actual moment in their life that they play over and over again in their minds.
