FAMILY EVANGELIZATION

Journeying with St. Paul and the Scripture

NOVENA IN HONOR TO ST. PAUL

January 16-24

How to use the Novena.

1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross.

2. All will together say the Opening Prayer.
3. Everyone may seat, as one reads the READING for the DAY.
4. A short period of prayerful reflection is observed.
5. The Reflection is read.
6. A leader may lead the INOVCATION. Followed by the silent mentioning of
intention.
7. All recites the Concluding Prayer.
8. Prayer to St. Paul the Apostle, For Peace and for the Nation is recited together.
9. Pray one (1) our Father, one (1) Hail Mary and one (1) Glory be.
10. Conclude with the sign of the Cross.

________________________

Leader: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

OPENING PRAYER:
ALL: Praise to you, O God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and Father of us all,
who is the Source of every being and of every blessing we have received.
May we who honor and revere St. Paul your Apostle,
share his zeal in spreading the Good News
especially through the witness of our life
lived in faith and love.
Grant us patient endurance and courage
to face and overcome all trials and difficulties we encounter everyday.
Like St. Paul, may we have sure hope and confidence
that nothing – neither hardship, nor distress,
nor persecution, nor danger, nor things present,
nor things to come – can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amen.

ALL SEATED.
SCRIPTURE READING
- Pause for a brief moment of silence.
REFLECTION

INVOCATION
O St. Paul the Apostle, pray for us and help us obtain the grace we ask for…
(express your petition).

CONCLUDING PRAYER
God, our Father, we offer you our supplications,
intercession, and thanksgiving.
In your great mercy, forgive all our failings and sins.
May your Spirit who empowered your Apostle Paul
to share in the mission of your Son Jesus Christ,
make us hunger and thirst for holiness
as we carry out our particular mission in life.
Tear down all walls of mistrust that divide us,
so that we may be united in your love
and truly long to be one with you in your kingdom.
Grant this, through Christ our Lord.
AMEN.

Prayer to St. Paul the Apostle

Holy Apostle who, with your teachings and with your charity,
has taught the entire world, look kindly upon us, your children and disciples.

We expect everything from your prayers to the Divine Master

and to Mary, Queen of the Apostles.
Grant, teacher of the Gentiles,
that we may live by faith and be saved by hope,
and that charity alone reign in us.
Obtain for us docile correspondence to the divine grace,
so that it may not remain unfruitful in us.
Grant that we may ever better know you,
love you, and imitate you;
that we may be living members of the Church,
the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ
raise up many and holy apostles.
May the warm breath of true charity permeate the entire world.
Grant that all may know and glorify God
and the Divine Master, Way and Truth and Life.

And, Lord Jesus, You know we have no faith in our own powers.
In Your mercy grant that we may be defended against all adversity,
through the powerful intercession of St. Paul,
our teacher and father.
AMEN.

Prayer to Obtain Patience

Glorious St. Paul,

from a persecutor of Christianity
you became a very ardent and zealous apostle,
and suffered imprisonment,
scourging, stoning, shipwreck,
and endured persecutions of every kind,
in order to make the Savior Jesus Christ
known to the farthest bounds of the world.
In the end you shed your blood to the last drop.
Obtain for us the grace to accept the sufferings,
afflictions and misfortunes of the present life
as favors of the divine mercy,
so that the changing circumstances of our earthly existence
may not make us grow cold in the service of God,
but may make us ever more faithful and more fervent.
AMEN.

Prayer for our Nation

Saint Paul, teacher of the Gentiles,
watch over with love, this nation and its people.
Your heart expanded so as to welcome and enfold all peoples
in the loving embrace of peace.
Now, from heaven, may the charity of Christ urge you
to enlighten everyone with the light of the Gospel,
and to establish the kingdom of love.
Inspire vocations, sustain those working for the Gospel,
render all hearts docile to the Divine Master.
May this nation ever more find in Christ the Way and the Truth and the Life.
May its light shine before the world,
and may it always seek the kingdom of God and his justice.
Holy Apostle, enlighten, comfort and bless us all.
AMEN.

Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and 1 Glory be….

Leader: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS
 FIRST DAY
“The one who is righteous will live by faith”

Reader: A reading from the ACTS OF THE APOSTLES [ 22:6-8, 10]

“While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light
from heaven suddenly shone about me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to
me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then
he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.’ …I asked, ‘What am
I to do, Lord? The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told
everything that has been assigned to you to do.’

REFLECTION
After his conversion, the Apostle Paul grew steadily stronger in his faith in God
and preached it with fervor and irresistible zeal. He testified: “Five times I have
received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods.
Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was
adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, In danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger
from my own people. Danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the
wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters”. In spite of all this, he
never stopped, not even in the face of his executioner.

SECOND DAY
“We boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.”

SCRIPTURE:
Reader: A reading from the Letter of Paul to the ROMANS [8:24-25]
For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for
what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

REFLECTION
Amid all obstacles, St. Paul rejoiced greatly: “I can do all things through him
who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). By this, he teaches us how to avoid the dangers of
despair and presumption. He advises us, in our afflictions, never to lose hope, for little
sufferings assure us of great glory in heaven. But being sinners, we should never trust
in our own strength alone; rather, we should rely on God’s mercy and humbly
acknowledge our shortcoming and inconstancy.

THIRD DAY
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love...”
SCRIPTURE:
Reader: A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the CORINTHIANS [13:1-3]
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a
noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic prophetic powers, and
understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if
I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

REFLECTION
It is impossible to describe the great love of the Apostle Paul. In his passionate
love for Jesus, he exclaimed, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me”
(Gal 2:20) Paul’s heart was so inflamed and transformed by the love of Jesus Christ, that
St. John Chrysostom did not hesitate to affirm that the heart of the Apostle Paul was the
heart of Christ.
St. Paul laid the greatest stress on the necessity of love. True love moves out of
self-preoccupation and reaches out to others. How conscious are we of our
connectedness with others and of the obligation this entails?

FOURTH DAY
“We are determined to share with you
not only the gospel of God but also our own selves.”
SCRIPTURE:
Reader: A Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians [13:4-8]
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in
wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things. Love never ends.

REFLECTION
The Apostle Paul excelled not only in loving God, but also in loving his neighbor.
He was always despised, threatened, persecuted by enemies, but nothing could stop
him; his love was boundless. He wrote: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold
fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in
showing honor… Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them… do not
be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:9-10, 14, 21).
If we are members of the same body, we cannot but wish each other and treat
each other well. How do we show our concern for others? Are we ready to help and
forgive others?

FIFTH DAY
“I am the least of the apostles.”
SCRIPTURE:
Reader: A Reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians [12:19-10]
 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in
weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of
Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weakness, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am
strong.

REFLECTION
St. Paul is the model of humility. He manifested this virtue not only in his
writings, but more so in his life. Among his own co-workers he appeared modest and
unassuming, for even when bidding or exhorting them to do good for the salvation of
peoples, he always did so with humility. Paul rightly asked, “What do you have that
you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?”

SIXTH DAY
“I have learned to be content with whatever I have.”
SCRIPTURE:
Reader: A Reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians [9:6-8]
The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the
one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you
have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by
always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.

REFLECTION
An excessive desire for riches can put our soul in danger of eternal ruin, for
whoever is extremely attached to riches and other things of this world cannot love and
comprehend the things of God. Let us ask God, through the intercession of St. Paul, for
the grace of contentment. Then let us practice charity, avoid wasteful spending, and be
the Lord’s instrument in providing for the needy.
St. Paul exhorts us. “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil.
4:6) Do we strive first for the kingdom of God? Do we truly believe that God provides
for all our needs?

SEVENTH DAY
“Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became
your father through the gospel.”
SCRIPTURE:
Reader: A Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans [8:28-30]
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are
called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large
family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he
also justified he also glorified.
The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the
one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you
have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by
always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.

REFLECTION
St. Paul is our father, since he begot us in the Gospel of Christ. He addresses us
today with the very words he once spoke to the Christians of Galatia. “May little
children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.”
(Gal. 4-19) Amazing have been his labors in the vineyard of the Lord, bearing the fruit
of conversion of hearts. St. Paul was indeed a great apostle of Christ! We are much
indebted to him.
Let us be grateful to St. Paul, ask his help, and imitate him; met us read his letters
and propagate our devotion to him. Let us stay close to him; he will set our hearts
burning with the love of our Savior, and will guard us from all dangers of body and
spirit. How do we show out devotion to St. Paul?

EIGHT DAY
“Woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!”
SCRIPTURE:
Reader: A Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians [9:22-23]
To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all
things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the
gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Pause for a brief moment of silence.

REFLECTION
Saint Paul’s zeal drove him to reach out to all peoples either with his word or
with his writings. Even from prison Paul preached the Gospel: “I suffer hardship, even
to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained” (2
Timothy 2:9)
Are we full of zeal for our salvation and the salvation of others? Let us ask
ourselves often: What would St. Paul do if he were in my place?

NINTH DAY
 “What am I to do, Lord?”
SCRIPTURE:
Reader: A Reading from the letter of Paul to Philemon [2:5-8]
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the
form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but
emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to
the point of death – even death on a cross.

REFLECTION
St. Paul’s life is a shining example of obedience to the will of God which became
manifest to him in many ways. Paul never hesitated to do the will of God, even though
he had to revise his own personal plans and give up things and relationships that he
used to value. Not even persecution and sufferings could make him draw back from
carrying out God’s will.
How is our obedience? Are we always ready to do the will of God? Let us
imitate St. Paul in his prompt and constant obedience, and say with him: “Lord, what
do you want me to do?”

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