Use this simple novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help to ask Mary for help with your personal struggles or the struggles of anyone you would like to pray for. And learn the history of the image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
I am sure you’ve seen the image above at one point or another. But do you know the history behind it? This image is of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. I, like you, have seen this image several times, but I did not know the history of it until I researched it for this post.
Our Mother Mary is dear to my heart, and I hope she is dear to yours as well. If she is not, I urge you to continue reading anyways. You may just change your mind! I hope you enjoy this novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
What is a novena?
The word “novena” comes from novem, which is Latin for “nine.” Essentially, a novena is a prayer that is said over the course of nine days, usually for a special petition. The novena reflects the nine days that the disciples prayed in the upper room between Christ’s Ascension and Pentecost.
Do novenas work?
Just like with any prayer, God will decide whether or not it will “work.” There are some prayers that are answered right away. And there are some prayers said with good intentions, but for whatever reason are not answered by God, or at least not answered in the way we intended. God is mysterious. There are many things He does that don’t make sense to us. But when we go to Heaven, we can ask Him all of our questions!
However, there is something to be said about persistent prayer. There is a difference between praying once for something on a whim, and devoting a number of days (in this case, nine days) to pray for a specific intention. Just don’t mistaken the novena for a magical cure to all of your problems. Some people pray for years before their prayer is answered. St. Monica prayed 17 years for for the conversion of her son, St. Augustine. So don’t give up!
Why pray to Mary and not directly to God?
This novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help is a wonderful prayer to use when praying to our Mother. But why pray to Mary and not directly to God? Well, we certainly can pray directly to God, and we should! However, we should not discount prayer to Mary. Jesus, who is God, honors His mother Mary. And as the new Eve, Mary is not only the mother of Jesus.; she is also the mother of all mankind. So, if we are to follow the fourth commandment, we need to honor Mother Mary as Christ honors her. And what better way to honor our Mother than to spend time with her in prayer!
In praying to Mary we are not treating her like a diety or demi-god. We ask our friends and family all the time to pray for us. Why shouldn’t we ask those in heaven to pray for us? The souls in heaven are closer to God than the souls of any of our earthly friends. And Mary is the closest to God, sitting at her Son’s right hand in Heaven. So if you ask your friends to pray for you, you should certainly ask Mary, who is blessed among women, to pray for you.
Who is Our Mother of Perpetual Help?
Our Mother of Perpetual Help, or more properly Our Lady of Perpetual Help, is one of many titles of Mother Mary. This specific name was revealed to a 6-year-old girl in Rome by Mary herself and is based on the Byzantine image pictured above. Many miracles are associated with this image of Our Lady.
The image depicts Our Lady holding the child Jesus with Saints Michael and Gabriel on either side holding the instruments of Jesus’s Passion. St. Michael, on the left, holds the lance and the sponge. And St. Gabriel, on the right, holds the cross and the nails. The story behind the image is that Jesus as a child had a vision of these angels carrying the instruments of His Passion, and that He was filled with fear and ran to His mother’s arms for comfort, so quickly that his sandal fell off.
A Brief History of the Image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
We do not know the origin of the image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. However, we do know that many miracles are associated with the image. In the 15th century, a merchant, who had heard of these miracles, stole the image from Crete to bring to Rome. Unfortunately, he became very ill after reaching Rome. Before he died, he entrusted the image to his caretaker.
After the merchant’s death, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a 6-year-old girl in the family. Mary told the girl that she wanted the image to be placed in the church of St. Matthew under the name “Our Lady of Perpetual Help.” Of course, the image is known under many similar names, including “Our Mother of Perpetual Help” and “Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.” The family honored Mary’s wishes, and the image was enshrined in St. Matthew’s church in 1499.
When Napoleon’s army destroyed the church in 1798, the image was moved to a private chapel where it remained until the Order of the Redemptorists built a new church in the same place as St. Matthew’s church. They named the new church after St. Alphonsus Ligouri, their founder. The image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help has been enshrined in the church of St. Alphonsus Ligouri since 1866. The feast day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is June 27.
How do you pray the novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help?
This novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, or Our Lady of Perpetual Help, is simple to say. Just say the following prayer for nine consecutive days:
O Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke Thy most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying. O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let Thy name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on Thee, for, in all my temptations, in all my needs, I shall never cease to call on Thee, ever repeating Thy sacred name, Mary, Mary. O what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion fill my soul when I utter Thy sacred name, or even only think of Thee. I thank God for having given Thee, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering Thy name; let my hope for Thee prompt me ever to hail Thee, Mother of Perpetual Help.
This prayer may also be said as a single prayer instead of a nine-day novena.
Conclusion
If you would like to deepen your relationship with Mother Mary, praying this Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help is a great way to do so! Ask Mary for her help in whatever areas you struggle in. Ask her for her guidance, and pray to her with persistence. Mary loves you as a mother loves her children, because Mary is your mother.
Just as the child Jesus ran to Mary for comfort when St. Michael and St. Gabriel gave Him a glimpse into His Passion, so we should run to Mary for comfort in the midst of our burdens. Run to Mary with all of your troubles and fears, and seek the warm comfort of her heavenly arms!
What is your favorite title for Mary, and why? Let me know in the comment below!
SOURCES
“Who is Our Mother of Perpetual Help?”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13uWNJA2xWc&t=282s
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=1410
https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-story-behind-the-image-of-our-lady-of-perpetual-help/
Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help:
http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/olph-text.htm
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