NV-OL Good Counsel

NOVENA IN PREPARATION FOR OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL
(feast day April 26th)

What is a Novena?
A novena is a traditional devotion consisting of specific prayers recited on nine successive days. Besides being a form of praise, a novena is frequently offered for a particular intention. The first novena took place in the Cenacle, during the nine days preceding Pentecost, or the coming of the Holy Ghost. As a regular popular custom, this practice began in 12th century Christianity and continues to be beneficial today as a way of praying for healing, protection or other blessings for ourselves or others.

This particular novena is prayed to God in honor of and thanksgiving for the gift of the assistance of His most Holy Mother in our needs and enterprises.. In praying this Novena, as in the case of all prayer, it is good to begin by opening ourselves wholeheartedly to God's will, offering a simple act of trust in God's wisdom and in His providential love for us all, that disposes all things for the ultimate benefit of our souls and their salvation.

How to Pray This Novena
This novena is based on the history of the events leading up to the feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Each day of the novena is divided into the following parts: (1) a short extract from the history of Our Lady of Good Counsel; (2) some words of Our Lady or an occasional quote from Holy Scripture (3) a Meditation; (4) a Prayer during which you mention your intention, pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary; (5) a Closing Prayer.

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL

Most Glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, thou who art the treasurer of Divine graces, and the advocate of sinners, I, thy most unworthy servant, have recourse to thee. I consecrate myself to thy wisdom and beg thee to be my guide and counselor in this vale of tears. Obtain for me through the Most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it. In like manner, obtain for Holy Mother the Church victory over her enemies, and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the whole Earth.

O Holy Virgin, to whose feet we are led by our anxious uncertainty in our search for and attainment of what is true and good, invoking thee by the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel, we beseech thee to come to our assistance, when, along the road of this life, the darkness of error and of evil conspires towards our ruin by leading our minds and our hearts astray.

O Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the doubtful and the erring, that they be not seduced by the false appearances of good; render them steadfast in the face of the hostile and corrupting influences of passion and of sin. O Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us from thy Divine Son a great love of virtue, and, in the hour of uncertainty and trial, the strength to embrace the way that leads to our salvation.

If thy hand sustains us, we shall walk unmolested along the path indicated to us by the life and words of Jesus, our Redeemer; and having followed freely and securely, even in the midst of this world's strife, the Sun of Truth and Justice under thy maternal Star, we shall come to the enjoyment of full and eternal peace with thee in the haven of salvation. Amen.

LITANY TO OUR LADY OF
GOOD COUNSEL

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
Have mercy on us.

Beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father, pray for us.
August Mother of God the Son, pray for us.
Blessed Spouse of God the Holy Ghost, pray for us.
Living temple of the Holy Trinity, pray for us.
Queen of Heaven and earth, pray for us.
Seat of Divine Wisdom, pray for us.
Depositary of the secrets of the Most High, pray for us.
Virgin most prudent, pray for us.
In our doubts and difficulties, pray for us.
In our tribulations and anguish, pray for us.
In our discouragements, pray for us.
In perils and temptations, pray for us.
In all our undertakings, pray for us.
In all our needs, pray for us.
At the hour of death, pray for us.
By thine Immaculate Conception, pray for us.
By thy happy nativity, pray for us.
By thine admirable presentation, pray for us.
By thy glorious Annunciation, pray for us.
By thy charitable Visitation, pray for us.
By thy Divine Maternity, pray for us.
By thy holy Purification, pray for us.
By the sorrows and anguish of thy maternal heart, pray for us.
By thy precious death, pray for us.
By thy triumphant Assumption, pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
R. And obtain for us the gift of good counsel.

Let Us Pray.
Lord Jesus, Author and Dispenser of all good, Who in becoming incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin hast communicated to her lights above those of all the Heavenly intelligences, grant that in honoring her under the title of Our Lady of Good Counsel, we may merit always to receive from her goodness counsels of wisdom and salvation, which will conduct us to the port of a blessed eternity. R. Amen.

FIRST DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations posted each day)

Theme: A Mother of Wise Counsel

“Star of the stormy sea of my mortal life, may thy light shine upon me, so that I do not stray from the path that leads me to Heaven.”

The History Behind Our Lady of Good Counsel

As early as the fifth century, the people of Genazzano were greatly devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. During the reign of Pope Sixtus III (432 - 440), the town of Genazzano, about 30 miles (48 km) south-east of Rome, had contributed a large portion of its revenue for the restoration of the Roman basilica now known as Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major). Shortly thereafter, in appreciation for the generosity of the people of Genazzano, they built a church in Genazzano dedicated to Our Lady under the title of Santa Maria. Almost 1,000 years later the church was entrusted to the Augustinian Order in 1356.

Words of Good Counsel from Our Lady

Holy Mother Church assigns the following passage from Holy Scripture to some of the Masses of Our Lady: “I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded; and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting” (Ecclesiasticus 24:24-31).

Meditation

Never before has the world been so sinfully foolish and foolishly sinful. Sin is the ultimate folly, for it risks separating man from his God-given eternal destiny, which is eternal life in Heaven. Hell is full of fools, who now know their incredible foolishness in preferring a brief life sin, or even just a few brief sins in life, in preference to eternal life with their Creator in Heaven. Above all else, let us ask of Our Lady of Good Counsel a wise and true notion of what sin really is, for it is the only thing that can separate from eternal happiness and joy in Heaven, giving us, instead, an eternal life of misery and torture in Hell.

Prayer

Holy Virgin, moved by the painful uncertainty we experience in seeking and acquiring the true and the good, we cast ourselves at thy feet and invoke thee under the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel. We beseech thee: come to our aid at this moment, in our worldly sojourn, when the double darkness of error and of evil plot our ruin, by leading minds and hearts astray.

Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the victims of doubt and of error, so that they may not be seduced by evil masquerading as good; strengthen them against the hostile and corrupting forces of passion and of sin.

Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us our most urgent need..... (here mention your request) and secure for us, from thy Divine Son, the love of virtue and the strength to choose, in doubtful and difficult situations, the course agreeable to our salvation.

Supported by thy hand, we shall thus journey, without harm, along the paths taught us by the word and example of Jesus our Savior, following the Sun of Truth and Justice, in freedom and safety, across the battlefield of life, under the guidance of thy maternal Star, until we come, at length, to the harbor of salvation, to enjoy, with thee, unalloyed and everlasting peace. Amen

1 Our Father and 3 Haily Marys

Final Prayer

Most Glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, thou who art the treasurer of Divine graces, and the advocate of sinners, I, thy most unworthy servant, have recourse to thee; be thou pleased to be my guide and counselor in this vale of tears.

Obtain for me through the Most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it.

In like manner, obtain for Holy Mother the Church victory over her enemies, and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the whole earth. Amen.

LITANY TO OUR LADY OF
GOOD COUNSEL

SECOND DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations each day)

Theme: A Foolish World Needs Counseling

“The perverse are hard to be corrected, and the number of fools is infinite!” (Ecclesiastes 1:15)

The History Behind Our Lady of Good Counsel

The Genazzano church, Santa Maria, became a popular place of pilgrimage. Numerous cures were said to have taken place there. The Augustinian friars were invited to minister to the spiritual needs of the pilgrims. They continue to serve there to this day. According to tradition, the story of Our Lady of Good Counsel is said to have begun in 1467 in a small church in Albania. In this church there was the old painting of Our Lady with the Child Jesus and no one in the village knew where it had come from.

Due to the Turks invading Albania, many villagers were fleeing. Two young men, Giorgio and De Scalvis, often visited the church to pray. They had had a particular devotion to Mary as depicted in the painting of Mary and regretted that it would be left behind. One night as they prayed in the church, they both fell asleep and dreamt that Mary had commanded them to leave the country. She also said that the painting would also depart to escape from the Turks and that they must follow the painting wherever it went.

In the morning the painting had detached itself from the wall and hovered, wrapped white cloud. They followed after as the painting led them to the coast. Then they followed it out across the water until they reached the Italian coast. After a few days the cloud and the painting disappeared. Giorgio and De Scalvis began searching the city until they found the old Augustinian church of Santa Maria in Genazzano.

Words of Good Counsel from Our Lady

The following words of Our Lady are those addressed to the Venerable Mary of Agreda:

“Attend to my counsels, follow my instructions and receive my warnings; for if thou pass them by unheeded, I will cease to speak to thee. Hear what thou hast not until now known of the disposition of these enemies. I wish to make known to thee that no intellect, nor any tongue of man or angels can describe the wrath and fury which Lucifer and his demons entertain against mortals just because they are images of God and because they are capable of enjoying Him for all eternity. The Lord alone can comprehend the wicked malice of these proud and rebellious spirits against his holy name and against his worship. If these foes were not restrained by his almighty arm they would in one moment destroy the world; they would like famishing lions, like wild beasts and fierce dragons, dispatch all mankind and tear them to pieces.

“Consider then, as seriously as thou canst, whether anything deserves greater pity, than to see so many men misled into danger and made forgetful of it; how some of them cast themselves into it on account of their lightheartedness, some of them for trivial reasons, others for a short and instantaneous pleasure, others through negligence, and yet others on account of their inordinate appetites, tearing themselves away from the places of refuge, in which the Almighty has placed them, to fall into the hands of such cruel and furious enemies; and not only to feel their fury for an hour, a day, a month, a year, but to suffer indescribable and unmeasured torments for all eternity. Thou shouldst be filled with fear and wonder, my daughter, to see such horrible and dreadful foolishness among the impenitent mortals and to see even the faithful, who have come to know and confess all this by Faith, so far lose their understanding and allow themselves to be so insanely blinded by the devil that they neither regard nor avoid this danger.”

Meditation

We are truly living in an age of foolishness where fools abound and true wisdom is rare. “Fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). The words of Psalm 13 are especially true today: “The Lord hath looked down from Heaven upon the children of men―to see if there be any that understand and seek God. They are all gone aside! They are become unprofitable together! There is none that doth good―no, not one! Their throat is an open sepulcher! With their tongues they acted deceitfully! The poison of asps is under their lips! Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness! Their feet are swift to shed blood! Destruction and unhappiness in their ways and the way of peace they have not known! There is no fear of God before their eyes! They have not called upon the Lord! There have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear!” (Psalm 13:2-5).

We are increasingly becoming or have largely become a godless world―apart from the false gods that we have created or taken into our lives, the idol of self not being the least of them! “O children, how long will you love childishness, and fools covet those things which are hurtful to themselves, and the unwise hate knowledge?” Proverbs 1:22). There is profound immaturity in the world today―with even adults thinking, talking and behaving like children. Holy Scripture rebukes such an attitude: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child” (1 Corinthians 13:11). Sadly, though, “the perverse are hard to be corrected, and the number of fools is infinite!” (Ecclesiastes 1:15). “The heart of fools publisheth folly … the mouth of fools bubbleth out folly!” (Proverbs 12:23; 15:2).

Let us pray for a spiritual maturity―a serious approach to our Faith and our salvation―as an antidote to the foolishness of this age. We need the seriousness, application and perseverance of someone like Noe, in order to build our own ark of wisdom to preserve us from this Great Flood of Foolishness!

Prayer

Holy Virgin, moved by the painful uncertainty we experience in seeking and acquiring the true and the good, we cast ourselves at thy feet and invoke thee under the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel. We beseech thee: come to our aid at this moment, in our worldly sojourn, when the double darkness of error and of evil plot our ruin, by leading minds and hearts astray.

Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the victims of doubt and of error, so that they may not be seduced by evil masquerading as good; strengthen them against the hostile and corrupting forces of passion and of sin.

Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us our most urgent need..... (here mention your request) and secure for us, from thy Divine Son, the love of virtue and the strength to choose, in doubtful and difficult situations, the course agreeable to our salvation.

Supported by thy hand, we shall thus journey, without harm, along the paths taught us by the word and example of Jesus our Savior, following the Sun of Truth and Justice, in freedom and safety, across the battlefield of life, under the guidance of thy maternal Star, until we come, at length, to the harbor of salvation, to enjoy, with thee, unalloyed and everlasting peace. Amen

1 Our Father and 3 Haily Marys

Final Prayer

Most Glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, thou who art the treasurer of Divine graces, and the advocate of sinners, I, thy most unworthy servant, have recourse to thee; be thou pleased to be my guide and counselor in this vale of tears.

Obtain for me through the Most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it.

In like manner, obtain for Holy Mother the Church victory over her enemies, and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the whole earth. Amen.

LITANY TO OUR LADY OF
GOOD COUNSEL

THIRD DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations each day)

Theme: Counsels of Holiness

“Seek counsel always of a wise man” (Tobias 4:19).
Seek counsel always of a wise woman―Our Lady of Good Counsel.

The History Behind Our Lady of Good Counsel

At the time that the Albanians were following their floating painting of Our Lady, in Genazanno, the church of Santa Maria was in dire need of repairs. Though everyone saw that it was necessary to repair the church, it appeared that only a local widow, Petruccia de Geneo, was willing to aid with the financing of the restoration. She was criticized by some of her neighbors, but her efforts were rewarded by the miraculous event of April 25th, 1467.

In the year 1467, the entire town of Genazanno was participating in the yearly festivities in honor of the feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. The church was still unfinished and roofless when the image of the Madonna and Child was transported there from its former location in Scutari, Albania. Around four o’clock that afternoon, in the midst of the festivities for the Feast of Saint Mark, the townsfolk suddenly heard “exquisite music.” The multitude of people saw a mysterious cloud descend upon the unfinished wall of the parish church. The church bells rang of their own accord and the cloud parted in full view of the people, revealing the portrait of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child. The image, approximately fifteen inches wide by eighteen inches high, came to rest on a narrow ledge of the unfinished wall of the church and remains in that location to this day―though the wall, of course, was finished in due time. The painting is a fresco, painted on a thin layer of plaster as thin and fragile as an egg shell, no thicker than a carte-de-visite, or calling-card.

Within weeks, two refugees, from the town of Scutari in Albania, arrived in Genazzano. They testified before the papal delegation that the same image was in a church in the Albanian town of Scutari only a few weeks earlier. When the town was on the verge of being invaded, the portrait was miraculously relocated for its own protection. The commission verified that there was indeed an empty space in the plaster wall of the church at Scutari, the exact size of the portrait. The unfinished church was soon completed after the miraculous event of April 1467 and became a place of pilgrimage. Within the first six months alone, over 170 healings and miracles were recorded.

Words of Good Counsel from Our Lady

The following words of Our Lady are those addressed to the Venerable Mary of Agreda:

“Disorderly sorrow and excessive enjoyment, which are apt to pervert the just estimation of good or bad. Thence arise two dangerous vices: precipitation in our actions, impelling us to undertake things without considering the proper means of success, and inconstancy in our good resolutions and in the works once begun. Ungoverned anger or indiscreet fervor, both cause us to be hurried or forgetful in many of our exterior actions, because they are performed without proper moderation and counsel. Hasty judgment and want of firmness in pursuing the good, cause the soul imprudently to desist from its praiseworthy desires; for it gives easy admittance to that, which is opposed to the true good, and is highly pleased, now with the true goodness, then again with what is but apparent and deceitful, or is presented by the passions or by the demon.

“Against all these dangers I wish to see thee watchful and provident; and thou wilt be so, if thou attend to the example, which I gave thee in my life, and if thou obey the instructions and counsels of thy spiritual guides; for without them thou must do nothing, if thou wishest to proceed with docile discretion. Be assured, that the Most High will give thee plentiful wisdom; for a pure submissive and docile heart will draw from Him superabundant aid. Keep in mind always the misfortune of the imprudent and foolish virgins, who, in their thoughtless negligence, rejected wise counsel and cast aside fear, instead of being solicitous; and when afterwards they sought to make up for it, they found the portal of salvation closed against them” (Words of Our Lady to Venerable Mary of Agreda).

Meditation

“Seek counsel always of a wise man” (Tobias 4:19). Seek the counsel of a wise woman―Our Lady of Good Counsel. “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and understanding, and knowledge in all manner of work” (Exodus 31:3). Our Lord said of Himself: “Without Me, you can do nothing!” (John 15:5). Yet Our Lord, in His wisdom, has given us His Holy Mother, while He was dying on His cross on Calvary, saying to Mary: “Woman! Behold thy son!” and saying to us: “Son! Behold thy Mother!”

As St. Louis de Montfort writes, in his book The Secret of Mary, “Chosen soul, living image of God and redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, God wants you to become holy like Him in this life, and glorious like Him in the next. It is certain that growth in the holiness of God is your vocation. All your thoughts, words, actions, everything you suffer or undertake, must lead you towards that end. Otherwise you are resisting God, in not doing the work for which He created you and for which He is even now keeping you in being. What a marvelous transformation is possible! Dust into light, uncleanness into purity, sinfulness into holiness, creature into Creator, man into God! A marvelous work, I repeat, so difficult in itself, and even impossible for a mere creature to bring about, for only God can accomplish it by giving His grace abundantly and in an extraordinary manner. The very creation of the universe is not as great an achievement as this.

“Chosen soul, how will you bring this about? What steps will you take to reach the high level to which God is calling you? The means of holiness and salvation are known to everybody, since they are found in the Gospel; the masters of the spiritual life have explained them; the saints have practiced them and shown how essential they are for those who wish to be saved and attain perfection. These means are: sincere humility, unceasing prayer, complete self-denial, abandonment to divine Providence, and obedience to the will of God.

“The grace and help of God are absolutely necessary for us to practice all these, but we are sure that grace will be given to all, though not in the same measure. I say “not in the same measure,” because God does not give His graces in equal measure to everyone, although in His infinite goodness He always gives sufficient grace to each. A person who corresponds to great graces performs great works, and one who corresponds to lesser graces performs lesser works. The value and high standard of our actions corresponds to the value and perfection of the grace given by God and responded to by the faithful soul. No one can contest these principles.

“It all comes to this, then. We must discover a simple means to obtain from God the grace needed to become holy. It is precisely this I wish to teach you. My contention is that you must first discover Mary if you would obtain this grace from God.” (St. Louis de Montfort, The Secret of Mary).

Prayer

Holy Virgin, moved by the painful uncertainty we experience in seeking and acquiring the true and the good, we cast ourselves at thy feet and invoke thee under the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel. We beseech thee: come to our aid at this moment, in our worldly sojourn, when the double darkness of error and of evil plot our ruin, by leading minds and hearts astray.

Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the victims of doubt and of error, so that they may not be seduced by evil masquerading as good; strengthen them against the hostile and corrupting forces of passion and of sin.

Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us our most urgent need..... (here mention your request) and secure for us, from thy Divine Son, the love of virtue and the strength to choose, in doubtful and difficult situations, the course agreeable to our salvation.

Supported by thy hand, we shall thus journey, without harm, along the paths taught us by the word and example of Jesus our Savior, following the Sun of Truth and Justice, in freedom and safety, across the battlefield of life, under the guidance of thy maternal Star, until we come, at length, to the harbor of salvation, to enjoy, with thee, unalloyed and everlasting peace. Amen

1 Our Father and 3 Haily Marys

Final Prayer

Most Glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, thou who art the treasurer of Divine graces, and the advocate of sinners, I, thy most unworthy servant, have recourse to thee; be thou pleased to be my guide and counselor in this vale of tears.

Obtain for me through the Most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it.

In like manner, obtain for Holy Mother the Church victory over her enemies, and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the whole earth. Amen.

LITANY TO OUR LADY OF
GOOD COUNSEL

FOURTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations each day)

Theme: Counsels for Prayerfulness

“Seek counsel always of a wise man” (Tobias 4:19).
Seek counsel always of a wise woman―Our Lady of Good Counsel.

The History Behind Our Lady of Good Counsel

At once devotion to Our Lady in Santa Maria sprang up. The Genazzano church became a popular place of pilgrimage. Numerous cures took place there. With miracles occurring in ever-increasing numbers, a register was opened two days after the event at the shrine. The Augustinian Friars were invited to minister to the spiritual needs of the pilgrims. In July following, Pope Paul deputed two bishops to investigate the alleged wonder-working image. Their report, however, is not known to be in existence today.

Words of Good Counsel from Our Lady

The following words of Our Lady are those addressed to the Venerable Mary of Agreda:

I wish that thy prayer be without intermission and that thou watch one hour with me, that is during the whole of thy life― for, compared with eternity, life is less than one hour, yea less than one moment! At all times and in all places, occupations and operations thou must keep the Lord in sight, without releasing Him from the intimate embrace of thy heart. Offer up all thy petitions and prayers in the name of my most holy Son and my own; and be assured without doubt, that they will be heard, if they are joined with the upright intention of pleasing God.

Pray and sigh for the eternal salvation of thy brethren, and that the Name of my Son may be extolled by all and known to the whole world. Pray that all nations may know, confess and adore their true God who became man for all. Through ignorance and lukewarmness, it happens that they are not prepared to receive and acquire the true science of the Most High. They bring upon themselves the loss of the divine light and they deserve to be left in the heavy darkness, making themselves more unworthy than the infidels themselves and entailing upon themselves an incomparably greater chastisement. Pray and weep with heartfelt and fervent love, that God may furnish the remedy for such great and dangerous evil, and do not neglect any means, divine or human, as far as thou art concerned, in order to obtain the salvation of eternal life of souls.

Mourn over such great damage of thy neighbors and pray for help from the bottom of thy heart. Thou must establish the habit of this kind of prayer, by a constant resolve, founded upon firm Faith and unshaken confidence, and by never losing sight of thy misery in profound humility and self-abasement. Pray for them with lively Faith and confidence. Thou must pray for all souls, but thou must pray more earnestly for those whom the Lord will point out to thee.

My Son and I look with especial love upon those who afflict themselves on account of the perdition of so many souls. Seek thou, to distinguish thyself in this exercise and continue to pray―for thou canst scarcely imagine how acceptable are such prayers to the Almighty!

Meditation

Prayer is perhaps the most important ingredient of our cure for sin. If it is true that we can do nothing without God’s help—“Without Me, you can do nothing!” (John 15:5)—then we have to ask for His help in all things. Even though “your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8), this does not mean that God will give what is needful WITHOUT our asking Him: “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). “And in all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive” (Matthew 21:22).

This reminds us of what Our Lady said to St. Catherine Labouré when she showed her the Miraculous Medal. Our Lady had beams of light streaming from the jeweled rings on her fingers. However, some of the rings gave off no rays of light. As St. Catherine was wondering why some jewels gave off no light, the Blessed Virgin turned her eyes on her and made her understand with what generosity and great joy she dispensed grace. But she indicated that there are graces for which she is not asked, and it is for this reason that some of the gemstones did not send forth rays of light: “These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The gems, from which rays do not fall, are the graces for which souls neglect to ask.” It is through prayer that we ask—those who neglect to pray, neglect to ask. St. Alphonsus Liguori says that “He who prays most receives most.”

St. Augustine tells us that “As our body cannot live without nourishment, so our soul cannot spiritually be kept alive without prayer,” while St. John Chrysostom says “It is simply impossible to lead, without the aid of prayer, a virtuous life.” We sin so much because we pray so little—if we would only pray much more, we would sin much less. St. John Climacus calls it “the bridge over temptations” and St. Ephraem points out that “Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy.”

“When prayer is poured forth, sins are covered” says St. Ambrose. Holy Scripture confirms this: “My son, hast thou sinned? Do so no more: but, for thy former sins, also pray that they may be forgiven thee” (Ecclesiasticus 21:1). If we have sinned, we need to pray for forgiveness. “Make thy prayer before the face of the Lord, and offend less” (Ecclesiasticus 17:22). “He will open his mouth in prayer, and will make supplication for his sins” (Ecclesiasticus 39:7). “He that loveth God, shall obtain pardon for his sins by prayer, and shall refrain himself from them” (Ecclesiasticus 3:4).

Our Lord placed a great deal of importance on the faith of those who asked anything of Him—faith as in the sense of confidence: “And when Jesus was come to the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them: ‘Do you believe, that I can do this unto you?’” (Matthew 9:28) … Jesus said to the father of the possessed boy who wanted Jesus to cast the devil out of his sin: “‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’ And immediately the father of the boy crying out, with tears said: ‘I do believe, Lord! Help my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:23-24). Elsewhere Jesus says: “And in all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive” (Matthew 21:22).

Therefore, we are encouraged to go God and ask through prayer: “Thou shalt pray to Him, and He will hear thee” (Job 22:27). “Pray to the Lord, and He shall heal thee” (Ecclesiasticus 38:9). “And you shall pray to Me, and I will hear you” (Jeremias 29:12). So let us go with confidence to God: “And I set my face to the Lord my God, to pray and make supplication with fasting” (Daniel 9:3). “Let my prayer come in before thee: incline thy ear to my petition” (Psalm 87:3). “Let my prayer be directed as incense in Thy sight; the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice” (Psalm 140:2).

Sadly, we pray too little! “And Jesus spoke also a parable to them, that we ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). “I desire therefore that men pray in every place” (1 Timothy 2:8). “I will praise Thy Name continually” (Ecclesiasticus 51:15). “We will give ourselves continually to prayer” (Acts 6:4). “Prayer was made without ceasing” (Acts 12:5).

The Angel of Portugal, at Fatima, even told little children to pray much—they were busy playing and he rebuked them, telling them to cease playing and pray without ceasing: “What are you doing? Pray! Pray a great deal. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs on you. Offer prayers and sacrifices continually to the Most High” (Angel of Portugal, Fatima, summer of 1916). Our Lady reiterated this during her apparitions at Fatima, in 1917: “Pray! Pray very much!” At Akita in 1973, Our Lady echoes this: “Continue to pray very much...very much! … Prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father’s anger … Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary.”

Yet, according to research done in 2008, less than 4% of Catholics pray the Rosary once a day—never mind more than once a day! It looks like the jeweled rings on Our Lady’s fingers are exuding less and less rays of grace as the years go by! Both the quantity and quality of prayer today, take as a whole, is probably pretty abysmal.

However, we need to be in a state of grace for our prayers to be powerful and truly effective—especially if we are praying for others. If we are in a state of mortal sin, then our prayers for others are powerless and useless—they will be redirected or re-channeled towards our own conversion and a return to the state of grace. “Now we know that God doth not hear sinners: but if a man be a server of God, and doth His will, him He heareth” (John 9:31). “The Lord is far from the wicked: and He will hear the prayers of the just” (Proverbs 15:29). “Be converted therefore, ye sinners, and do justice before God [go to confession and do penance], believing that He will show His mercy to you” (Tobias 13:8).

Prayer

Holy Virgin, moved by the painful uncertainty we experience in seeking and acquiring the true and the good, we cast ourselves at thy feet and invoke thee under the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel. We beseech thee: come to our aid at this moment, in our worldly sojourn, when the double darkness of error and of evil plot our ruin, by leading minds and hearts astray.

Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the victims of doubt and of error, so that they may not be seduced by evil masquerading as good; strengthen them against the hostile and corrupting forces of passion and of sin.

Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us our most urgent need..... (here mention your request) and secure for us, from thy Divine Son, the love of virtue and the strength to choose, in doubtful and difficult situations, the course agreeable to our salvation.

Supported by thy hand, we shall thus journey, without harm, along the paths taught us by the word and example of Jesus our Savior, following the Sun of Truth and Justice, in freedom and safety, across the battlefield of life, under the guidance of thy maternal Star, until we come, at length, to the harbor of salvation, to enjoy, with thee, unalloyed and everlasting peace. Amen

1 Our Father and 3 Haily Marys

Final Prayer

Most Glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, thou who art the treasurer of Divine graces, and the advocate of sinners, I, thy most unworthy servant, have recourse to thee; be thou pleased to be my guide and counselor in this vale of tears.

Obtain for me through the Most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it.

In like manner, obtain for Holy Mother the Church victory over her enemies, and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the whole earth. Amen.

LITANY TO OUR LADY OF
GOOD COUNSEL

FIFTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations each day)

Theme: Counsels for Sacrifice

“Sacrifice yourselves for sinners … Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners;
for many souls go to Hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves
and pray for them!” (Our Lady of Fatima).

The History Behind Our Lady of Good Counsel

The picture of Our Lady was at first called “La Madonna del Paradiso” and now better known as “Madonna del Buon Consiglio” (Our Lady of Good Counsel). Among her noted clients have been St. Aloysius Gonzaga, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. John Bosco, and Blessed Stephen Bellesini.

The miraculous image has always been regarded with special favor by the Apostolic See.

Pope Paul II (1464-1471) called for an investigation and gave initial approval to devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Pope St. Pius V (1565-1572) attributed the victory in the Battle of Lepanto to the help of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Such was the holy image’s reputation that Pope Urban VIII made a “glittering” pilgrimage there in 1630, invoking the protection of the Queen of Heaven.

On November 17th, 1682, Pope Innocent XI had the picture solemnly crowned.

In 1753, Pope Benedict XIV approved the placing of a gold crown over the image.

In 1779 Pope Pius VI granted the Augustinian Order the special privilege of celebrating the feast day each year on April 26th.

Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) had special devotion to Our Lady under this title and made a pilgrimage to Genazzano in 1864.

More than any other pope, Pope Leo XIII (1878- 1903) had a deep love for this devotion. He was born in the town of Carpineto, not far from the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel, and elevated the shrine to the status of a Minor Basilica. In 1903, he inserted the title “Mater Boni Consilii” into the Litany of Loreto and also had a copy of the image installed in the Pauline Chapel of the Vatican Basilica.

Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) dedicated his entire pontificate to the Madonna of Good Counsel.

Pope John XIII (1958-1963) made a visit to the shrine in 1959.

Most Popes, shortly after their election to the papacy, visit the shrine of Our Mother of Good Counsel to pray for wisdom.

Words of Good Counsel from Our Lady

The following words of Our Lady are those addressed to the Venerable Mary of Agreda:

Seek to mortify the inferior part of thy being, the seat of the evil inclinations and passions. Die to all that is earthly, sacrifice, in the consciousness of God’s presence, all thy sensitive appetites, fulfill none of their impulses, nor ever satisfy thy own will outside of the narrow limits of obedience.

Sacrifice thy own inclination and repress all thy appetites and passions; and when by this efficacious determination thou art dead to all the movements of self, let obedience be the soul and the life of thy works.

Oblige God by the sacrifice of thy own will, submitting in humble patience to all that His divine Providence may ordain.

Unite thy spirit and thy affections in union with the Church triumphant and militant, offering at the same time thy life as a sacrifice and praying that all nations may know, confess and adore their true God who became man for all. For such high purpose I wish that thou spare no labor, beseeching the Lord and offering thyself in sacrifice unto death.

Meditation

Sacrifice was certainly a central factor in the Catholic spirituality of my youth. We attended the “Sacrifice of the Mass” daily. Today most of us have been taught to be suspicious of appeals to sacrifice. Yet there is no Christian life without some degree of sacrifice. In fact, there can be no human life without sacrifice. Sacrifice is the cost of being human, for to be human is to be social. to live with others requires sacrifice in the interests of our relationship with them. If we want others to sometimes cede to our interests, we must also sometimes cede to theirs. And the more intimacy we desire with another person, the closer to the core of our person will be the sacrifices we make in that relationship.

There are different kinds of sacrifice. Sacrifice can be religious, when people forgo something of value in order to consciously offer it directly to God in ritual or indirectly to God through others. Sacrifice can also be simple rationality working in one’s own self-interest. When my son forgoes candy and soda to save his quarters for the latest model of roller blades, he learns that sacrifice―as personal discipline―pays off. Actually, this kind of sacrifice is really not altogether different from the religious meaning of sacrifice.

If our sacrifices are to have moral and spiritual worth, they must first be made for good ends. A person may undertake great personal sacrifices―of friends, leisure, income, even freedom―in the pursuit of revenge or hate. Because hate or revenge are obstacles to moral and spiritual advancement, sacrifices made to promote them also fail to be valuable. Some parents make great sacrifices for their children but attempt to use those sacrifices to create guilt by which they can manipulate their children. Such sacrifice is not in the service of love or justice, or any other good, but rather further domination and control of others.

Obligations to others are necessary in human society. It is the obligations that parents have to children, that adult children have to elderly parents, and that all adults have to the weak and helpless, that provide the security humans need in order to form communities, to grow and mature as persons. When we feel overburdened by obligations that are not fairly shared in our families or society, we are easily seduced by secular notions of human persons as autonomous, free beings endowed with a variety of rights and no responsibilities.

We should recall the words of the Angel of Portugal to the three little children at Fatima, in the second of three apparitions. The second apparition of the Angel took place during the summer of 1916. While the children were playing near their favorite well, at Lucia’s house, the Angel suddenly appeared and rebuked them for playing and not praying: “What are you doing? Pray! Pray a great deal! Offer prayers unceasingly and sacrifice yourselves to the Most High. Make everything you do a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which God is offended, and as a petition for the conversion of sinners. Above all, accept and bear with submission all the sufferings the Lord will send you.”

Prayer

Holy Virgin, moved by the painful uncertainty we experience in seeking and acquiring the true and the good, we cast ourselves at thy feet and invoke thee under the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel. We beseech thee: come to our aid at this moment, in our worldly sojourn, when the double darkness of error and of evil plot our ruin, by leading minds and hearts astray.

Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the victims of doubt and of error, so that they may not be seduced by evil masquerading as good; strengthen them against the hostile and corrupting forces of passion and of sin.

Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us our most urgent need..... (here mention your request) and secure for us, from thy Divine Son, the love of virtue and the strength to choose, in doubtful and difficult situations, the course agreeable to our salvation.

Supported by thy hand, we shall thus journey, without harm, along the paths taught us by the word and example of Jesus our Savior, following the Sun of Truth and Justice, in freedom and safety, across the battlefield of life, under the guidance of thy maternal Star, until we come, at length, to the harbor of salvation, to enjoy, with thee, unalloyed and everlasting peace. Amen

1 Our Father and 3 Haily Marys

Final Prayer

Most Glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, thou who art the treasurer of Divine graces, and the advocate of sinners, I, thy most unworthy servant, have recourse to thee; be thou pleased to be my guide and counselor in this vale of tears.

Obtain for me through the Most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it.

In like manner, obtain for Holy Mother the Church victory over her enemies, and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the whole earth. Amen.

LITANY TO OUR LADY OF
GOOD COUNSEL

SIXTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations each day)

Theme: Counsels Against Foolishness

“The perverse are hard to be corrected, and the number of fools is infinite!” (Ecclesiastes 1:15).

The History Behind Our Lady of Good Counsel

Our Lady of Good Counsel (Latin: Mater Boni Consilii) is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, after a painting said to be miraculous, was found in the thirteenth century Augustinian church at Genazzano, near Rome, Italy. Measuring 12 by 18 inches (40 by 45 centimeters) (some say 12 by 17 inches), the image is a fresco executed on a thin layer of plaster no thicker than an egg shell.

The Augustinians had been entrusted with the church of Santa Maria in Genazzano in 1356. With the passage of time the church became decrepit and ill-kempt. During the year of the miracle, 1467, a local widow named Petruccia de Geneo felt herself called to spend her meager funds on needed repairs. Her friends and neighbors thought her plan presumptuous and declined to support her praiseworthy endeavor. After the widow had spent all her money on repairs, work had to be halted due to the increased cost of both materials and labor. When the people saw this, they scoffed and ridiculed her, laughingly calling the unfinished work “Petruccia's Folly.” Her efforts were nevertheless rewarded in a marvelous manner.

On St. Mark’s Day, April 25th, 1467, the entire population of the city was participating in the yearly festival in honor of St. Mark. At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon the merrymakers began to hear the strains of exquisite music. Then, while they silently gazed at the sky for the source of the singing, they saw, in an otherwise clear sky, a mysterious cloud that descended until it obliterated an unfinished wall of the church. Before the thousands of awe-struck revelers, the cloud parted and dissipated, revealing a portrait of Our Lady and the Christ Child. This was resting on the top of the unfinished wall that was only a few feet high. It is said that the church bells of the city rang of their own accord, attracting people from outlying areas who hurried to investigate the untimely ringing. Petruccia, who had been praying in another area, rushed to the scene when she heard the bells and fell down in tears before the miraculous image. Miraculous Character The provincial of the Augustinian order, Ambrogio da Cori, recorded that:

“All of Italy came to visit the blessed image; cities and towns came in pilgrimage. Many wonders occurred, many favors were granted... The very beautiful image of Mary appeared on the wall without human intervention.”

So great was the number of healings that a notary was appointed to make a register of the more important cases. This record, which is still preserved, notes that from April 27th until August 14th, 1467, 171 miracles occurred. In a thorough, detailed study, Joao S. Cla Dias writes, “...the fresco has unexplainably remained suspended in the air close to the wall of the chapel in the church of Our Lady of Good Counsel for over five hundred years.”

Cla Dias’ work contains several documents about the miraculous character of the image itself, including the amazing fact that the painting is not mounted or attached at the back. There are also indications that the image appears to bear different expressions according to particular situations. There is a vast registry of miraculous happenings related to the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel and to its copies. Conversions, healings, and specially requested graces are among the numerous accounts of extraordinary occurrences related in connection with the image.

There is more to the story and its possible translation (being carried over) from Albania. The Christian population of Albania have kept the memory of Our Lady of Good Counsel alive for centuries. The Catholic population of the country celebrates not one, but two feast days in honor of Our Lady of Good Counsel, April 26th for all Albania and the 3rd Sunday of October for the Scutari area. The people come from all over the country to gather by the thousands before the cathedral where Our Lady of Good Counsel once was. There is an ancient hymn with the refrain:

“Mother of Good Counsel, return to us. On the path of peace lead us. Copies of the image are found in homes throughout Albania. During the time under Communist rule in this century, the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel was nevertheless to be found in the majority of Catholic homes. It is the Augustinian Order which has contributed to the worldwide spread of devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel.

The miraculous image, at first called the Madonna of Paradise, has always been regarded with special favor by the Apostolic See. Pope Paul II (1464-1471) called for an investigation and gave initial approval to devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel. Pope St. Pius V (1565-1572) attributed the victory in the Battle of Lepanto to the help of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Words of Good Counsel from Our Lady

The following words of Our Lady are those addressed to the Venerable Mary of Agreda:

“Although the number of fools is so great and the vices are become so measureless, there are those who think that also the perfect are numerous―there are fewer than one thinks, and many less than there should be! The foolishness of men makes them stupid and deaf, their impious malice makes them scoffers, and their unbelieving perversity turns them away from God! In senseless fury they follow their pleasures, place no restraint on their passionate desires, and care not where they walk, even if to the most dangerous precipices. They are surrounded by innumerable enemies, who pursue them with diabolical treachery, unceasing vigilance, unquenchable wrath and restless diligence.

“What wonder then, that from such extremes, or rather from such unequal combat, irreparable defeats should arise among the mortals? And that, since the number of fools is infinite, the number of the reprobate should also be uncountable, and that the demon should be inflated by his triumphs in the perdition of so many men? It is most lamentable that while the rich might purchase eternal life with their possessions, they abuse them, and draw upon themselves damnation as senseless and foolish creatures! This evil is common among the children of Adam! Men give themselves over, like brute beasts, to sensual pleasures, and consume their lives in the pursuit of apparent good, until they suddenly fall a prey to eternal perdition. Such is in reality the fate of innumerable foolish men!

“Consider all delights and joys of the world as insanity, its laughing as sorrow, sensible enjoyment as self-deceit, as the source of foolishness, which intoxicates the heart and hinders and destroys all true wisdom. Live in constant and holy fear of losing eternal life and rejoice in nothing except in the Lord until you obtain full possession of Him in Heaven!”

Meditation

St. Louis de Montfort gives us a perfect meditation, in his book The Love of Eternal Wisdom, on the foolishness of worldliness. He writes:

There is the Wisdom of God, the only true Wisdom that deserves to be loved as a great Treasure. There is also the wisdom of the corrupt world which must be condemned and detested as evil and pernicious. The wisdom of the world is that of which it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:19) according to the world. “The wisdom of the flesh is an enemy to God” (Romans 8:7). “This is not the wisdom descending from above, but earthly, sensual, devilish” (James 3:15).

This worldly wisdom consists in the exact compliance with the maxims and the fashions of the world; in a continuous trend toward greatness and esteem. It is a secret and unceasing pursuit of pleasures and personal interests, not in a gross and open manner so as to cause scandal, but in a secret, deceitful and scheming fashion.

Those who proceed according to the wisdom of the world are those who know how to manage well their affairs and to arrange things to their temporal advantage without appearing to do so; who know the art of deceiving and how to cleverly cheat without being noticed; who say or do one thing and have another thing in mind; who are thoroughly acquainted with the way and the flattery of the world; who know how to please everybody in order to reach their goal, not troubling much about the honor and interests of God; who make a secret but deadly fusion of truth with untruth, of the Gospel with the world, of virtue with vice, of Jesus Christ with Satan; who wish to pass as honest people but not as religious men; who despise and corrupt or readily condemn every religious practice which does not conform to their own. In short, the worldly‑wise are those who, being guided only by their human senses and reason, seek only to appear as Christian and honest folk, without troubling much to please God or to do penance for the sins which they have committed against His divine Majesty.

The worldling bases his conduct upon his honor, upon what people say, upon convention, upon good cheer, upon personal interest, upon refined manners, upon witty jokes. These are the seven innocent incentives, so he thinks, upon which he can rely that he may lead an easy life. He has virtues of his own for which he is canonized by the world. These are manliness, finesse, diplomacy, tact, gallantry, politeness, sprightliness. He considers as serious sins such traits as lack of feeling, silliness, dullness, sanctimoniousness. He adheres as strictly as possible to the commandments which the world has given him:

1. Thou shalt be well acquainted with the world.
2. Thou shalt be an “honest” man.
3. Thou shalt be successful in business.
4. Thou shalt keep what is thine.
5. Thou shalt get on in the world.
6. Thou shalt make friends.
7. Thou shalt be a society man.
8. Thou shalt make merry.
9. Thou shalt not be a killjoy.
10. Thou shalt avoid singularity, dullness and an air of piety.

Never was the world so corrupt as it is now, because it was never so astute, so wise in its own conceit, so cunning. It is so skillful in deceiving the soul seeking perfection that it makes use of truth to foster untruth, of virtue to authorize vice and it even distorts the meaning of Christ’s own truths to give authority to its own maxims. “The number of those who are fools according to God, is infinite!” (Ecclesiastes 1:15).

The earthly wisdom spoken of by St. James is an excessive striving for worldly goods. The worldly-wise make a secret profession of this type of wisdom when they allow themselves to become attached to their earthly possessions, when they strive to become rich, when they go to law and bring useless actions against others in order to acquire or to keep temporal goods; when their every thought, word and deed is mainly directed toward obtaining or retaining something temporal. As to working out their eternal salvation and making use of the means to do so, such as reception of the Sacraments and prayer, they accomplish these duties only carelessly, in a very offhand manner, once in a while, and for the sake of appearances.

Prayer

Holy Virgin, moved by the painful uncertainty we experience in seeking and acquiring the true and the good, we cast ourselves at thy feet and invoke thee under the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel. We beseech thee: come to our aid at this moment, in our worldly sojourn, when the double darkness of error and of evil plot our ruin, by leading minds and hearts astray.

Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the victims of doubt and of error, so that they may not be seduced by evil masquerading as good; strengthen them against the hostile and corrupting forces of passion and of sin.

Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us our most urgent need..... (here mention your request) and secure for us, from thy Divine Son, the love of virtue and the strength to choose, in doubtful and difficult situations, the course agreeable to our salvation.

Supported by thy hand, we shall thus journey, without harm, along the paths taught us by the word and example of Jesus our Savior, following the Sun of Truth and Justice, in freedom and safety, across the battlefield of life, under the guidance of thy maternal Star, until we come, at length, to the harbor of salvation, to enjoy, with thee, unalloyed and everlasting peace. Amen

1 Our Father and 3 Haily Marys

Final Prayer

Most Glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, thou who art the treasurer of Divine graces, and the advocate of sinners, I, thy most unworthy servant, have recourse to thee; be thou pleased to be my guide and counselor in this vale of tears.

Obtain for me through the Most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it.

In like manner, obtain for Holy Mother the Church victory over her enemies, and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the whole earth. Amen.

LITANY TO OUR LADY OF
GOOD COUNSEL

SEVENTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations each day)

Theme: Counsels Against Sinfulness

“If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them!” (Our Lady of Akita).

The History Behind Our Lady of Good Counsel

The devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel increased. In 1630 Urban VIII himself went to Genazzano on a pilgrimage, as did Pius IX in 1864. On November 17th, 1682, Innocent XI had the picture crowned with gold by the Vatican Basilica.

In 1727 Benedict XIII granted the clergy of Genazzano an Office and Mass of Our Lady for April 25th, anniversary of the apparition, elsewhere the feast being kept a day later so as not to conflict with that of St. Mark the Evangelist.

On July 2nd, 1753, Benedict XIV approved of the Pious Union of Our Lady of Good Counsel for the faithful at large, to promote devotion to Mary under this title, and was himself enrolled therein as its pioneer member; Pope Pius IX was a member, and also Pope Leo XIII.

On December 18th, 1779, Pius VI, while re-approving the cult of Our Lady, granted all Augustinians an Office with hymns, lessons, prayer and Mass proper of double-major rite; with a plenary indulgence also for the faithful, to which Pius VIII added another for visitors to the shrine.

More than any other pope, Pope Leo XIII (1878- 1903) had a deep love for this devotion. He was born in the town of Carpineto, not far from the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

On December 18th, 1884, Pope Leo XIII approved of a new Office and Mass of second-class rite for all Augustinians.

On December 21st, 1893, Pope Leo XIII sanctioned the use of the White Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel for the faithful.

On March 17th, 1903, Pope Leo XIII elevated the church of Santa Maria — one of the four parish churches at Genazzano — to the rank of minor basilica.

On April 22nd, 1904, Pope Leo XIII authorized the insertion in the Litany of Loreto of the invocation “Mater Boni Consillii” (Mother of Good Counsel) to follow that of “Mater Admirabilis” (Mother Most Admirable).

In the United States there are many churches and institutions in honor of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Words of Good Counsel from Our Lady

The following words of Our Lady are those addressed to the Venerable Mary of Agreda:

“Fear and abhor sin, even the slightest … If the world were to heap upon you all its punishments and insults, all of this would do you less damage than one venial sin against the God whom you are obliged to serve and love in all things and through all things. Any punishment of this life is less dreadful than sin; for it ends with mortal life, but the guilt of sin, and with it punishment, may be eternal.

All mortals are weak and afflicted by many sins, for which the only remedy is suffering … Why then will mortals continue to deceive themselves, by expecting, in spite of their sins, to become pure and worthy of enjoying God, without the furnace or the file of sorrows? In this life any punishment or tribulation fills mortals with fear and dread, merely because it affects the senses and brings them in close touch with it through them, but the guilt of sin does not affect them nor fill them with dread. Men are entirely taken up by that which is visible, and they therefore do not look upon the ultimate consequences of sin, which is the eternal punishment of Hell. Though this is imbibed and inseparably connected with sin, the human heart becomes so heavy and remiss that it remains as if it were stupefied in its wickedness, because it does not feel it present in its senses. There are not words or sentences sufficient to describe this terrible and tremendous danger.

Remember, that a voluntary remissness in regard to one imperfection, prepares and opens the way for others, and these, in turn, facilitate the commission of venial sins; and these venial sins facilitate the commission of mortal sins. Thus the descent is from one abyss to another, until the bottom is found in the disregard of all evil. Those that talk much, cannot keep free from grievous sins for long. The way to avoid this danger is to tend continually toward the other extreme, striving rather to reflect and be silent. For the prudent medium of speaking only what is necessary, is found more in reflection than in immoderate speech.

In order to prevent such a misfortune it is necessary to intercept from afar the current of sin, for this practice, which seems but small, keeps the enemy at a distance, while the precepts and laws concerning more important matters are the fortress walls of conscience. If the demon can break through and gain the outer defenses, he is in better position to gain the inner ones. If then an opening is made in the bulwarks by the commission of sin, although it may not be a very grievous one, he already has a better opportunity to make an assault on the interior reign of a soul. As the soul finds herself weakened by vicious acts and habits and without strength of grace, she does not resist the attack with fortitude, and the devil, acquiring more and more power over her, begins to subject and oppress her without opposition.

Meditation

In a chapter from the Introduction to the Devout Life, called, “How to strengthen our heart against temptation,” St. Francis de Sales has the answer to our lack of progress: “Consider from time to time which passions are most predominant in your soul. When you have discovered them adopt a way of life that will be completely opposed to them in thought, word and action.” This predominant passion has gone by many names, but we will use the name, “predominant fault” because this is its most common name today.

Once you hear about the idea of a predominant fault, it makes sense―because our own experience shows that we don’t fall into every sin all the time, but, as the example above shows, we tend to fall into the same sins. So, if we can win even a few victories against our predominant fault, then we can significantly reduce the sin in our lives, which translates into the progress we are seeking.

The predominant fault “tends to prevail over the others, and thereby over our manner of feeling, judging, sympathizing, willing, and acting,” according to Fr. Reginald Gariggou-Lagrange, one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century. Since this temptation has infiltrated every part of us, we can see why St. Francis advises adopting a way of life that is totally opposed to it.

The saying, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” is cliché because it’s true. The devil attacks us at our weakest point, as St. Ignatius says in rule 14 of his list of rules for discernment of spirits:

“The enemy of human nature, roving about, looks in turn at all our theological, cardinal, and moral virtues; and where he finds us weakest and most in need for our eternal salvation, there he attacks us and attempts to take us.”

In other words, we could have the virtue of chastity in abundance, but, if all it takes for us to get really angry is for someone to cut us off on the road, then meekness is the virtue that will address our predominant fault. The enemy is happy to never tempt us against chastity, if it means that we won’t notice our anger and, therefore, think that we are holy.

This is why focusing on our predominant fault is the fastest way to progress in the spiritual life. The pattern goes like this: the devil attacks us at our weak point, then we fortify our defenses there, so he attacks our new weakest point and we fortify our defenses there. Repeat until you rarely sin and are totally united to God.

1 Our Father and 3 Haily Marys

Final Prayer

Most Glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, thou who art the treasurer of Divine graces, and the advocate of sinners, I, thy most unworthy servant, have recourse to thee; be thou pleased to be my guide and counselor in this vale of tears.

Obtain for me through the Most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it.

In like manner, obtain for Holy Mother the Church victory over her enemies, and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the whole earth. Amen.

LITANY TO OUR LADY OF
GOOD COUNSEL

EIGHTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations each day)

Theme: Counsels of Humility

“He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble!” (Luke 1:52).

The History Behind Our Lady of Good Counsel

Father Ambrogio da Cori, known as Coriolano, was then provincial of the Augustinians of the Roman province, to which the church of Santa Maria of Genazzano had been entrusted and on which the church depended. The church was given to the Augustinians by the Colonna, who were the local feudal lords. Father Ambrogio da Cori had to defend the Augustinian Order from the accusations of the Lateran Canons of Frisonia and, for this purpose, writes the work In Defensorium Ordinis fratrum heremitarurn Sancta Augustani, where among other things, he lists a series of figures of saints blooming in his religious family.

“Eighth on this list of figures – he tells us – was the blessed Petruccia of Genazzano, who had all the expenses to repair our church, thus putting into practice the advice of Christ: if you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, Give it to the poor, and follow me (…) Because his property was not enough to complete the restoration work, people began to mock her. But she quietly reassured: Do not worry, my children; before I die – she was then already much advanced in years – the Blessed Virgin and Saint Augustine will complete the repair work of the church itself. The prophecy was fulfilled in a wonderful way. Not a year had passed from the time that she had uttered the words as referred above, behold miraculously, an image of the Blessed Virgin appeared in the wall of said church Many people from all over Italy were moved to admire this event (…) There were prodigies and miracles. With the alms that came had exceeded all expectations, with the blessed Petruccia still alive to witness it, and not only could the church be rebuilt, but it was also possible to build a beautiful convent.”

According to both the biography written in 1478 and the Vatican Archive, the pilgrimages to Genazzano were so numerous that Pope Paul II sent two bishops to check on the situation. There were no irregularities found, and this explains the support that the popes continued to give to the Sanctuary throughout the centuries. The tomb with the remains of Petruccia, who was always popularly venerated as a saint, is at the entrance of the church. In the year of the “coming” of the Madonna, as described by the people of Genazzano, the documentation called “code of miracles” was drafted under notary, which describes 161 miracles that took place in the chapel between April 25th and August 14th 1467. The prefect of the Vatican archive, Msgr. Marini, certified its authenticity in 1779. There is even a resurrection of a dead man!

After just six months from the “coming”, the Augustinian fathers could no longer continue to document the flood of miracles so accurately, that they limited themselves to accepting only the ex voto (gifts) in gold, silver and marble that were offered in thanksgiving and in memory of the many supernatural interventions.

We describe the image with the words of the Augustinian Francisco Javier Vàsquez, general of the Order in the eighteenth century: “Its beauty raptures the heart, its appearance is sometimes joyous and at times sad, and sometimes it is seen as inflamed by the color rose, her most beautiful face is to be compared to Paradise, that is why, from the beginning of the apparition she was popularly called Holy Mary of Paradise (Santa Maria del Paradiso)”. In fact, Holy Mary of Paradise, is the title with which the inhabitants of Genazzano have long called this rectangle of frescoed plaster of our Lady which is precariously placed on the wall of the Church. But over time the Augustinians obtained, with the support of the pontiffs, that the image was to be called by all, with the original title of the church that stood on that spot: Our Lady of Good Counsel (Madonna del Buon Consiglio).

Words of Good Counsel from Our Lady

The following words of Our Lady are those addressed to the Venerable Mary of Agreda:

“Be thou filled with wonder and praise at the greatness and magnificence of the Creator and in His presence humiliate thyself to the dust. Shun no difficulty or suffering in order to become meek and humble of heart. Zealously study to acquire the humility, which pleases the Most High and myself, who desire thy true advancement. Take notice that this virtue of humility was the firm foundation of all the wonders, which the Most High wrought in me. The Most High has providentially formed man in such a way, that his own existence and formation manifest the important lesson of humility.

“Wonderful was the gift of humility, which the Most High conferred upon me. My divine Son came in the guise of humility in order to teach the world this virtue in word and example, to inculcate the hate of vanity and pride and rooting out its seed sown by Lucifer among mortals in the first sin. His Majesty gave me such a deep knowledge of how much He is pleased with this virtue, that in order to be allowed to perform only one of the acts mentioned by thee, such as sweeping the floor or kissing the feet of the poor, I would have been ready to suffer the greatest torments of the world. Thou wilt never find words to express the love for humility which I had, nor to describe its excellence and nobility. I had no part in the sin of Adam, for I was exempted from his disobedience; but, because I partook of his nature and by it was his daughter, I humiliated myself in my estimation to nothingness.

“In the light of this example then, how far must those humiliate themselves, who not only have had a part in the first sin, but also have committed other sins without number? The aim and motive of this humiliation moreover, should not be to remove the punishments of those sins, but to make restoration and recompense for the decrease and loss of honor due to God. God does not reject the prayers of those who wish to receive the grace of humility.”

Meditation

Humility is considered in all Christian tradition as the foundation of the spiritual life, since it removes pride, which is, says Holy Scripture, the beginning of every sin because it separates us from God. Thus humility has often been compared to the excavation which must be dug for the erection of a building, an excavation which should be so much the deeper in proportion as the building is to be higher.

Humility should repress pride under all its forms, including intellectual and spiritual pride. Humility consists in bowing toward the earth (as in soil)―called humus in Latin―from which the name of this virtue is derived. Its essential act consists in abasing ourselves before God and adoring what is of God in every creature. To abase ourselves before the Most High is to recognize our inferiority, our littleness, and our neediness or poverty. If all that comes from God were taken away, strictly speaking nothing would remain. We should recognize practically that without God, the Creator and Preserver of all things, we are nothing. . Consequently we should humbly accept the place, it may perhaps be very modest, which God has willed from all eternity for each one of us.

The interior soul experiences a holy joy in annihilating itself, as it were, before God to recognize practically that He alone is great and that, in comparison with His, all human greatness is empty of truth like a lie. Humility therefore is based on truth, especially on the truth that there is an infinite distance between the Creator and the creature. The more this distance appears to us in a living and concrete manner, the more humble we are.

Practically, what must we do to reach the perfection of humility, without which we cannot have that of charity? Our attitude toward praise and reproach is of great importance. In regard to praise, we must not praise ourselves; by so doing we would soil ourselves. Furthermore, we must not seek praise; should we do this, we would render ourselves ridiculous and lose the merit of our good acts. Lastly, we should not take pleasure in praise when it comes; to do so would be to lose, if not the merit of our good actions, at least the flower of merit.

We must, however, mount still higher by acting as we should in regard to reproaches. We must patiently accept deserved reproaches, especially when they come from superiors who have the right and the duty to make them. If we pout, we lose the benefit of these just observations. It is also fitting that we accept patiently at times a reproach that is only slightly deserved or undeserved. Thus, while still a novice, St. Thomas was unjustly reproved for a so-called mistake in Latin while reading in the refectory. He corrected himself as he had been told to do; later at recreation his brethren were astonished and said to him: “You were right! Why did you correct yourself?” “It is better in the eyes of God,” answered the saint, “to make a mistake in grammar, than to fail in obedience and humility.”

Lastly, we would do well to ask for a love of contempt, keeping in mind the examples of the saints. When our Lord asked St: John of the Cross: “What do you wish for a reward?”― the saint replied: “To be scorned and to suffer for love of Thee!” His prayer was granted a few days later in the most painful manner; he was treated like an unworthy religious in a scarcely credible fashion.

1 Our Father and 3 Haily Marys

Final Prayer

Most Glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, thou who art the treasurer of Divine graces, and the advocate of sinners, I, thy most unworthy servant, have recourse to thee; be thou pleased to be my guide and counselor in this vale of tears.

Obtain for me through the Most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it.

In like manner, obtain for Holy Mother the Church victory over her enemies, and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the whole earth. Amen.

LITANY TO OUR LADY OF
GOOD COUNSEL

NINTH DAY OF THE NOVENA (new meditations each day)

Theme: Counsels of Charity

“I am the mother of fair love!” (Ecclesiasticus 24:24).

The History Behind Our Lady of Good Counsel

SCAPULAR OF OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL
The small Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel (the White Scapular) was presented by the Hermits of St. Augustine to Pope Leo XIII, who, on December 19th-21st, 1893, approved it and endowed it with indulgences in a Decree of the Congregation of Rites.

On the front panel of the sacramental (to be made of white wool) is the image of the fresco of Our Lady of Good Counsel, with the inscription, “Mater boni consilii [ora pro nobis]” meaning “Mother of Good Counsel, pray for us!” On the second segment is found the papal coat-of-arms, which includes the Triple Tiara and the Keys of Heaven, with the words of Leo XIII: “Fili, acquisce consiliis ejus!” (Child, listen to her counsels!).

BLESSING AND INVESTITURE WITH SCAPULAR OF OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL
(Formerly reserved to the Hermits of St. Augustine)
(Approved by the Congregation of Sacred Rites, December 21st, 1893)

The one who is to receive the scapular is kneeling. The priest, vested in surplice and white stole, says:

Priest: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you.

Priest: Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, who by your incarnation dwelt among men as the Angel of Great Counsel and the Wonderful Counsellor; be pleased to bless + this scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel. May all who are to wear this emblem be empowered by you to follow right counsel and so come to enjoy the good things of eternity. We ask this of you who live and reign forever and ever.
All: Amen.

Then he sprinkles the scapular with holy water, and invests the person with it, saying:

Priest: Take, dear brother (sister) + this emblem of the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Good Counsel; and by her inspiration may you always do whatever is pleasing to God, and so deserve to be numbered among His elect; through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

The priest continues:
Priest: Pray for us, O Mother of Good Counsel.
All: That we may be worthy of Christ’s promise.

Priest: Let us pray. God, who gave us the Mother of your beloved Son as our Mother, and made her beautiful image renowned by a wondrous apparition; grant, we pray, that we may ever follow her admonitions, and so be disposed to pass our lives in accord with your divine heart, and come happily to our heavenly home; through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

Words of Good Counsel from Our Lady

The following words of Our Lady are those addressed to the Venerable Mary of Agreda:

“Hear me, and bend your ears to these counsels and doctrines of eternal life. If I desire that you follow me and imitate me in all the other virtues, then more especially do I make known and declare to you my desire to see thee follow me in the virtue of charity, for this is the end and the crowning glory of all other virtues. I desire that you exert your utmost powers to copy, in your soul, with the greatest perfection possible, my charity.

“In order to be sure that you love God perfectly and truly, search within yourself for the following signs and effects of that love: (1) whether your thoughts and meditations dwell continually on God, whether His commands and counsel find in you no repugnance or remissness; (2) whether you fear to offend Him; (3) whether you immediately seek to appease Him after having offended Him, (4) whether you grieve to see Him offended and rejoice to see Him served by all creatures; (5) whether you desire and are delighted to speak continually of His love; (6) whether you delight in the memory of His presence; (7) whether you grieve at your forgetfulness of Him and at His absence from your thoughts; (8) whether you love what He loves, and abhor what He abhors; (9) whether you seek to draw all men towards His friendship and grace; (10) whether you pray with confidence; (11) whether you receive his benefits with gratitude; (12) whether you do not waste them, but rather put them to good use for his honor and glory; (13) whether you strive to extinguish in yourself all the movements of the passions, which delay or hinder you in loving aspirations and in works of virtue.

All these and many more are the signs of greater or less charity in the soul. When charity is ardent and strong, it will be especially careful not to suffer the forces of the soul to remain idle, nor to consent to any blemish―because it will immediately consume and wipe it out. It will not rest until it can taste the highest Good of its love. For without it, this love droops, is wounded and dies. It thirsts after that wine which inebriates the heart, causing a forgetfulness of all that is corruptible and passing.

“And as charity is the mother and the root of all virtue, its fruitfulness will immediately show itself as soon as it has found a place in the soul; it will fill it and adorn it with the habits of the other virtues, and engender them one after another by establishing the practice of them. The soul that is in charity not only feels the effects of charity in itself, but through charity it is secure of being loved by God; through this divine love, it enjoys the reciprocal effect of God’s indwelling, so that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost will come and live in it as their temple, and this is a blessing which no words and no example can properly express in this mortal life.

“The right order of this virtue is to love God above all the creatures, then to love oneself, and him who is nearest to oneself, namely, our neighbor. God must be loved with the whole understanding, without deceit, with the whole will, without reserve or division, with the whole mind, without forgetfulness, without diminution, without negligence or remissness.

“The motive of charity in loving God is none else than God Himself; for He must be loved for his own sake, being the highest Good and most perfect goodness and holiness. Loving God for such motives causes the creature to love itself and the neighbor and itself―for both belong to one and the same God, from whom they derive their origin, their life and activity. He that loves God truly for Himself will also love all that is of God and all that in some way participates in his goodness. Therefore charity looks upon the neighbor as a work and a participation of God and makes no distinction between friend or enemy. Charity looks only upon that which is of God and which pertains to Him in others, no matter whether the neighbor is friendly or hostile, a benefactor or a persecutor.

“All other kinds of love, such as loving creatures for less exalted motives, hoping for some kind of reward, advantage or return, or loving them under cover of disorderly concupiscence, or with a mere human and natural love, even if it should spring from naturally virtuous and well ordered motives, are not infused charity.

“Love no creatures except for God, and for what you see in them as coming from God and belonging to Him, in the same manner as a bride loves all the servants and connections of the house of her bridegroom, because they are his. Forget to love anything not referable to God, or not lovable on His account, nor love in any other way except as I have explained to you.

“You will also know whether you love with pure charity, by your behavior towards friends and enemies, the naturally agreeable and disagreeable, the polite and the impolite, those that possess or do not possess natural advantages. All this sort of distinction does not come from pure charity, but from the natural inclinations and passions of the appetites, which you must govern, extinguish and eradicate by means of this sublime virtue.”

Meditation

Love is an excellent thing, a very great blessing, indeed. It makes every difficulty easy, and bears all wrongs with equanimity.
For it bears a burden without being weighted and renders sweet all that is bitter.
The noble love of Jesus spurs to great deeds and excites longing for that which is more perfect. Love tends upward; it will not be held down by anything low.
Love wishes to be free and estranged from all worldly affections, lest its inward sight be obstructed, lest it be entangled in any temporal interest and overcome by adversity.
Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger or higher or wider; nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller, and nothing better in heaven or on earth, for love is born of God and cannot rest except in God, Who is above all created things.
One who is in love flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free, not bound.
He gives all for all and possesses all in all, because he rests in the one sovereign Good, Who is above all things, and from Whom every good flows and proceeds. He does not look to the gift but turns himself above all gifts to the Giver.
Love often knows no limits but overflows all bounds.
Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of troubles, attempts more than it is able, and does not plead impossibility, because it believes that it may and can do all things.
For this reason, it is able to do all, performing and effecting much where he who does not love fails and falls.
Love is watchful. Sleeping, it does not slumber.
Wearied, it is not tired.
Pressed, it is not straitened.
Alarmed, it is not confused, but like a living flame, a burning torch, it forces its way upward and passes unharmed through every obstacle.
Love is swift, sincere, kind, pleasant, and delightful. Love is strong, patient and faithful, prudent, long-suffering, and manly.
Love is never self-seeking, for in whatever a person seeks himself there he falls from love.
Love is circumspect, humble, and upright.
It is neither soft nor light, nor intent upon vain things.
It is sober and chaste, firm and quiet, guarded in all the senses.
If a man loves, he will know the sound of this voice.

1 Our Father and 3 Haily Marys

Final Prayer

Most Glorious Virgin, chosen by the Eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, thou who art the treasurer of Divine graces, and the advocate of sinners, I, thy most unworthy servant, have recourse to thee; be thou pleased to be my guide and counselor in this vale of tears.

Obtain for me through the Most Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it.

In like manner, obtain for Holy Mother the Church victory over her enemies, and the spread of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the whole earth. Amen.