A brief Novena of Love,meditating on the writings of the Servant of God Sister Benigna Consolata in union with St. Francis de Sales, Founder of the Visitation Order to which the Servant of God Sr Benigna belonged:
How to Pray Novena of Love:
Meditate on the text of each day, drawn from the writings of St. Francis de Sales, and the words of the Sacred Heart to Sister to Sr Benigna Consolata.
Recite the following prayer each day, which is also taken from the writings of the Servant of God:
ACT OF TRUE LOVE of Servant of God Sister Benigna Consolata Ferrero.
Jesus, Love of God infinite love, kindness without limits, I ,a miserable nothing who honors your matchless mercy, I offer myself, give myself, consecrate myself and abandon myself forever to the love of your loving and most tender heart.
O Jesus, how is it possible that the fire does not burn and does not consume this little straw.May your ardent charity consume my poor little heart that yearns to be all yours. Jesus, be my Jesus! Jesus, be my Jesus! Jesus, be my Jesus!
Day One- KINDNESS AND Mercy of the Heart of Jesus
St. Francis de Sales: God wants your misery on the throne of His mercy, and your impotence,to thirst for all his power.
From Sr. Benigna’s writings: “To say Jesus and say Mercy is the same;to say Jesus and say goodness is the very same thing;to say Jesus and say Compassion is all one;to say Jesus is saying Tenderness. “
Day Two- Filial Trust in God
You ask me dear children, if a soul can respond to God trustingly knowing his own misery.
Answer: The soul knowing his own misery not only can have great confidence in God,but it will be impossible to achieve true confidence if you lack the knowledge of one’sown misery;because knowledge and confession of this misery introduces one to the presence of God.St. Francis de SalesFrom Sr. Benigna: “If you want to please me, trust me;if you want to please more, trust more;
if you want to please immensely, boundlessly trust; never will your trust equal the extent of my Heart’s desires.If an act of trust so pleases Me, it is because it honors my most dear attributes:. Goodness and Mercy “Day Three- Love of God and the Interior LifeThe love of our Lord must, above all earthly pleasures,the incomparable and inexpressible force to recreate the human heart,not only more than anything else, but also that nothing else can satisfy you completely -only the love of God quenches.
St. Francis de Sales“My Benigna, what I say is for the good of souls. Write that the furnace of love is the Divine furnace, where I purify, perfect and form my Saints. To bend the iron, put it on the fire and when it is hot and scorched give to him all the ways that he wants; so in the fire of my love souls lend themselves to all forms of holiness. There are austere sanctities, and they honor me with their austerities; there are also softer sanctities, more accessible, and they honor me with their softness. ‘My Jesus, which of them are more acceptable to You?
Oh! My Benigna, there is more delight where I find more love. I prefer less austerity and more charity, rather than more austerity and less charity. I prefer a heart that palpitates only for me, rather than a macerated body , in which, there is still a little self-love. “
DAY Four- MORTIFICATION AND SACRIFICE
No doubt, to cure prickly heat a bath is not required,but only to purify the blood; and concerning our vices,
while it is good to mortify the body,the main thing is always to purify the heart.
St. Francis de Sales.
From Sr Benigna’s writings: “When Love encounters a faithful soul, humble, obedient and mortified,it is seized in a particular way and reaches the high degree of perfection,as long as this soul is faithful to follow his impulses. “
Day Five – PURITY
The purity of intention is essentially required
not only to receive the sacraments, but for all that we want and do.
St. Francis de Sales.
Sr Benigna: “The more a soul cherishes purity of heart,
the more reputable it becomes to relate with God …
God deals with the pure of heart, as a mother with her little son … “
Day Six- OBEDIENCE
Obedience has a high price when it is accompanied by charity,
and united together are valued also as other virtues, without which they are nothing.
If you do not have these two virtues, you have nothing
If you possess all the others, you have power.
St. Francis de Sales.
DAY Seven – HUMILITY
Humility is not only charitable, but also sweet.
Charity is humility that looks to the outside, and humility is hidden charity.
Humility lifts us to the highest degree of perfection when we do not do our own will.
The humble fulfill the virtue of justice.
St. Francis de Sales.
Sr Benigna: “There is no way that more directly or more safely,
or faster and more gently brings us to God than humility.
studying this humility in the Gospel:I learn humility in my life,
and deepen it in the Eucharist.
If you are seeking humility go to to these three sources and always you shall find it”
DAY – 8THE SACRED HEART
men committed all their efforts
the corruption of the times;
but theREMEDY to cut short the evil of sick society
It could only come from my divine HEART ”
9th. DAY – A VISITATION
The Visitation was founded “to give God, prayer Daughters as interiors, which are found worthy to serve his infinite majesty and worship him in spirit and truth. Leaving large orders already established in the Church, to honor our Lord with great virtues and impressive works, I want my daughters have no other ideal than that of glorifying him with their lowliness. ”
St. Francis de Sales.
“My Benigna, there is an inner life apostolate,
immolation of hidden life: the Visitation.
I’m doing a mass recruitment and call for souls to fight for love.
The most generous are the ones that occupy the front line … “