Note:
Sharing with you a Novena prayer to our Beloved Dead, the Poor Souls in Purgatory edited in 2020 with readings from Augustinian sources which may be of help as we pray for our beloved deceased these days. The prayer texts were sourced from the pamphlet published by St. Paul’s. The Augustinian passages were chosen from available English Augustinian sources such as the Ritual of the Order of Saint Augustine and the Works of Saint Augustine series. The novena may begin on November 2 and last until the tenth. May we have a solemn observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days!
The Novena Prayer was compiled by Fr. Rich Anthony Reyes, OSA.
FIRST DAY
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
A reading from Saint Augustine’s City of God [22.3o]
There, we shall be at rest and we shall see, we shall see and we shall love, we shall praise. The end of our desire will be He who can be admired without end, can be loved without our being bored, can be praised without our becoming tired.
PRAYER:
The Lord said whenever two or three are gathered in his name, he is present in their midst. We are gathered together to pray for the eternal rest of our beloved faithful departed who have parted for eternity. We ask in faith that our brothers and sisters may soon reach God’s throne and enjoy the company of the Blessed Mother, the saints, and the angels in heaven. Amen.
LEADER 1: May the Angels lead you to paradise; may the Martyrs come to welcome you to the Holy City, the new and eternal Jerusalem.
LEADER 2: Eternal rest, grant unto them, 0 Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
RESPONSORY AND INVOCATIONS [FOR THE ENTIRE NOVENA]
LEADER 1:
I know that my Redeemer lives, and on the last day, I shall rise again: in my body I shall look on God my Savior. (Everybody repeats this line)
LEADER 2:
I myself shall see him; my own eyes will gaze on him. (Everybody repeats this line)
Response: Lord, save your people.
By your coming as man: By your birth: By your baptism and fasting: By your suffering and cross: By your death and burial: By your rising to new life: By your return in glory to the Father: By your gift of the Holy Spirit: By your coming again in glory:
CONCLUDING PRAYER
LEADERS 1 & 2: Father, hear our prayer: welcome to paradise our beloved faithful departed and help us comfort each other with the assurance of our faith, until we meet Christ to be with you and with our beloved faithful departed forever and ever. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
_________________________________________________________
SECOND DAY
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
A reading from Saint Augustine’s Homilies on the Gospel of John [2.4; 14.13]
For you He allowed himself to be crucified to teach you humility. He was alive and you were dead; He died that you might live. God vanquished death so that death might not overcome man.
PRAYER: Lord, we pray together before your Cross for the soul of our beloved dead. Forgive the sins of our brothers and sisters and grant them eternal rest in your kingdom, where you promised to wipe away all our tears. You created them so that they may enjoy eternal life with you. Look with pity then as they pass through their purification in purgatory. Amen.
LEADER 1: Come to their aid, saints of God; Come to meet them, angels of the Lord; Receive their souls and present them to the Most High.
LEADER 2: Eternal rest, grant unto them, 0 Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
(Responsory and Invocations follow, see above)
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
_________________________________________________________
THIRD DAY
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
A reading from Saint Augustine’s Sermon [233.1]
Our faith is strengthened by the resurrection of Christ. The passion of Christ represents the misery of our present life, while the resurrection of Christ gives us a brilliant glimpse of the happiness of future life. Let us apply ourselves energetically in the present life, and hope in the future. Now is the time for the painful struggle; then will come the recompense. Anyone who is lazy about carrying out his work will be brazenly impudent, if he expects the recompense.
PRAYER:
Lord, your resurrection is the guarantee of our own resurrection. You have promised that if we live like you, we will also resurrect like you and enjoy the fullness of life with God. Listen to our petition for our beloved faithful departed. As they lived like Christ, may they now enjoy the fullness of life with him. We trust that whatever failings they did, you have already forgiven them. Amen.
LEADER 1: I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in me although has died will live and all those who live and believe in me will never die eternally.
LEADER 2: Eternal rest, grant unto them, 0 Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
(Responsory and Invocations follow, see above.)
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
_________________________________________________________
FOURTH DAY
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
A reading from Saint Augustine’s Exposition of the Psalms [148.8]
What Christ has done counts for more than what he promised you. What did he do? He died for you. What did he promise? That you may live with Him. If is more difficult to believe that the eternal One died than that man should live forever. If God has in fact died for man, why should not man live forever with God? He took on what he needed to die for you; you will take on what you need to live with Him.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, our faith assures us that death is just a passage to eternal life. We believe in the communion of saints, in the resurrection of the dead and life of eternal happiness in heaven. United by this faith, we lift to you our petitions, hoping to be with our beloved dead in the final and happy reunion in heaven. Amen.
LEADER 1: Let your eternal light shine on them, 0 Lord, that they may live with your saints forever. Let your light cleanse them as they undergo the purification of purgatory. May you soon welcome them into paradise.
LEADER 2: Eternal rest, grant unto them, 0 Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
(Responsory and Invocations follow, see above.)
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
_________________________________________________________
FIFTH DAY
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
A reading from Saint Augustine’s Sermon [184.3]
O manifest infirmity, O wondrous humility, in which all the greatness of God lay hidden! The mother to whom His infancy was subject, He ruled with His power; and to her at whose breast He nursed, He gave the nourishment of truth. May He who did not shrink from making a beginning like ours, perfect in us His gifts. And may He also make us children of God, He who for our sakes wished to become a human child.
PRAYER:
We pray today for the intercession of our Mother, Mary who frequents purgatory to accompany the souls in their sorrows and bring to heaven those who have finished their purification. Mother Mary, we ask you to help our beloved dead in purgatory. You who have shown so much concern for us while living on this valley of tears, inspire our beloved dead to accept the purification of purgatory and hasten their entrance into eternal life. Amen.
LEADER 1: Do not take into consideration, O Lord, our sins when you call us to your presence. Remember that you have made us into your image and likeness and that your Son redeemed us with his blood.
LEADER 2: Eternal rest, grant unto them, oO Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
(Responsory and Invocations follow, see above.)
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
_________________________________________________________
SIXTH DAY
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
A reading from Saint Augustine’s Sermon [137.1]
Since Christ is the Head of the Church, and the Church is His Body, the whole Christ is both Head and Body. He has already risen again. So we have our Head in heaven. Our Head is interceding for us; our Head, sinless and deathless, is already placating God for our sins so that we, too, when we rise again at the end and are changed into heavenly glory, may follow our Head.
PRAYER:
We ask the intercession of all saints in heaven to remember the poor souls in purgatory. Saints of God, while still living on earth, you were Christ’s light and you prayed not just for the people on earth but also for the poor souls in purgatory who are helpless about their situation. Now in heaven, you speak directly to Jesus. Help our beloved dead reach soon the glory of heaven. May they soon enjoy Jesus’ company along with you and the angels. Amen.
LEADER 1: Remember, O Lord, that you promise eternal life to all who believe in you. Grant our petition that our beloved dead in purgatory may soon enjoy your presence in heaven. Listen to the intercession of the holy saints, who night and day proclaim your glory.
LEADER 2: Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
Amen.
(Responsory and Invocations follow, see above.)
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
_________________________________________________________
SEVENTH DAY
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
A reading from Saint Augustine’s Sermon [114.5]
The terms have been stated, the rule fixed: “Forgive as I forgive.” So He won’t forgive unless your forgive. “Forgive as I forgive.” You want forgiveness when you seek it; forgive anyone who seeks it from you. These prayers were dictated by the heavenly law: “say “Forgive, as we also forgive.” And do what you say. If you lie in your prayers, you derive no benefit.
PRAYER:
We come to you, O Lord, believing that the sins of our beloved dead have already been forgiven. In your justice, you wish that those who reach your eternal glory have been totally purified of all effects of sins. This happens in purgatory where the souls of our beloved dead undergo the purification of love. Hasten, O Lord this purification that our beloved dead may soon enjoy your loving presence. Erase in their souls the last taints of sin. Amen.
LEADER 1: Remember, O Lord, that our hearts are forever restless until they rest in you. Look with kindness the lonely souls of our beloved dead in purgatory, hoping soon to find rest and peace in your presence.
LEADER 2: Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
Amen.
(Responsory and Invocations follow, see above.)
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
_________________________________________________________
EIGHTH DAY
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
A reading from Saint Augustine’s Treatise on the Care of the Dead
When the mind recalls where the body of a very dear one has been buried, he commends to God the beloved soul in a spirit of prayerful recollection. And when such a disposition is shown for the dead by very dear Christian friends, there is no doubt that the dead are benefited by these devotions, if when they were living in the body they merited such things to be to their advantage after this life. Such supplications on behalf of the dead are made within the Christian and Catholic community in the form of a_- general commemoration by the Church, the one devoted common Mother of all.
PRAYER:
We believe, O Lord that we, who belong to the Church militant, who struggle daily to fulfill your will, have much to contribute to the Church suffering, the souls of our beloved dead who are still in purgatory. We offer to you our daily sufferings and sacrifices. We believe that our sufferings are united with those of Christ’s, thus becoming salvific and saving. Welcome soon our beloved dead to your throne in heaven. Let your glory fill them with happiness and love. Amen.
LEADER 1: You died in the cross, Lord, to save us from sin. Let your saving blood purify us and our beloved dead in purgatory. May your sacrifice on the cross penetrate the recesses of our hearts and purify our tormented brothers and sisters in purgatory.
LEADER 2:
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
(Responsory and Invocations follow, see above.)
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
_________________________________________________________
NINTH DAY
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
A reading from Saint Augustine’s Sermon [228B.2]
Christ our Lord, who suffered by suffering for us what by being born he had received from us, has become our high priest forever, and has given us the order of sacrifice which you can see, of his body… and his blood. When his body, remember, was pierced by the lance, it poured forth the water and the blood by which he cancelled our sins. Be mindful of this grace as you work out your salvation, since it is God who is at work in you, and approach with fear and trembling to partake the altar. Recognize in the bread what hung on the cross and in the cup what flowed from his side.
PRAYER:
We end, O Lord, our novena for our beloved dead, hoping that now they are fully at rest with you in heaven. We promise to offer them more prayers and seek his suffrage through the Eucharistic sacrifice. We believe, O Lord, that our best help to our beloved dead is through the Holy Eucharist. May your death purify them and teach them how to love. May the memory of your Passion, Death, and Resurrection which we commemorate in every mass shorten their stay in purgatory. Amen.
LEADER 1: You left behind the Eucharist, Lord, as your best gift to us. You are present every time we celebrate the mass, and your presence saves us and the poor souls in purgatory. May we offer always masses for our beloved dead and that our faith in this sacrament becomes deep and profound each day.
LEADER 2: Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
(Responsory and Invocations follow, see above.)
In the Name of the Father… Amen.
