I. SALUTATION
We greet you O Mary. Behold, here we are before you, as children before their mother. We know that you listen to us and answer us. We rejoice with you O Mary, because the Lord, our Savior, is with you.

II. ACT OF CONTRITION
O Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man who created and redeemed us, we kneel in the presence of Your divine majesty overcome with grief for having offended You, my God, so deserving of all our love. We believe in You and we trust in Your infinite mercy. You are our Lord and our God whom we love above all things. With the help of Your divine grace, we firmly resolve to confess our sins and try our best to avoid the path of transgressions again. We beseech that through Your passion, death and resurrection, You will forgive us.

During this novena Mass to Mary, Your mother, Our Lady of the Annunciation, help us to know You and love You better. Inspired by her faithfulness to Your will, let us also become faithful to Your commandments so that we may be found worthy of Your heavenly kingdom.

III. SUPPLICATION
Our Lady of the Annunciation, chosen by God, the Most High, to be the most pure Mother of God, we rejoice at the sublime gift bestowed on you as the bearer of God Incarnate in your womb. What a blessed trust and what a secure refuge! The Mother of God is our Mother. The Mother of the One in Whom alone we hope and Whom alone we fear.

O Blessed Lady, you are the Mother of Salvation and those who are saved. You are the Mother of Justification and those who are justified. Inspire us with your ardent faith in God so that our steadfast belief in Him will lead us to eternal life. Enliven our dampened spirit by your consoling hope for the Church so that we will continuously experience hope given by Christ to the whole human race in the mystery of incarnation. Let us imitate your generous submission to God in the work of redemption so that we will become generous Christians ready to cooperate.

O Mother, filled with confidence in your faith, hope and generosity, we entrust ourselves entirely to you that we may never be the slave of the devil’s pride through sin, but may always live a humble and pure life.

Through your intercession, we consecrate ourselves to Your Divine Son Jesus.

IV. REFLECTION (See reflection of the day)

V. REFLECTION PRAYER (See reflection prayer of the day)

VI. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

Presider: The eternal Father sent His Angel Gabriel to bring to Mary the good news of our salvation. Let us turn to God and pray with confidence and let our response be:

Lord, fill our hearts with Your love.

1. You chose the Virgin Mary as the Mother of Your Son. Have mercy on all who look for Your gift of salvation. We pray.

2. You sent Your Angel Gabriel to give Mary the message of peace and joy. Give to the whole world the joy of salvation and your gift of true peace. We pray.

3. Mary gave her consent. The Holy Spirit overshadowed her, and Your Word dwelt among us. Touch our hearts that we may welcome Christ as Mary did. We pray.

4. Look with love on the humble, and fill the hungry with Your gifts. Uplift the downcast, help those in need, strengthen the sick, and comfort the dying. We pray.

5. Lord our God, You alone work wonders and with You all things are possible. Give us the fullness of salvation when You raise the dead on the last day. We pray.

6. In the silence of our hearts, let us pray for our personal intentions. (pause) We pray.

Presider: Lord our God, You have made the Virgin Mary the model of all who welcome and live Your Word. Open our hearts to receive It with joy. By the power of Your Spirit grant that we may also become a dwelling place in which Your Word of salvation is fulfilled. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

VII. MEMORARE
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in Your mercy, hear and answer us. Amen.

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REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS FOR THE DAY

First Day: Mary, Full of Grace

In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
The Angel came to her and said, Rejoice Full of Grace. (Luke 1:26-28)

Reflection:

In Luke’s gospel, the first words that Mary hears are “Rejoice, full of grace.” Mary, in this passage, is not addressed by name but by the phrase “full of grace” meaning favored, chosen, beloved one. She is more than her name, even more than her person. She is our Mother in the order of grace because God freely chose her, a person, to be the Mother of God. She is the highly favored daughter of God, full of grace.

Mary was associated with her Son by the free decision of the Father. The Father did not need her at all but He wants everything to be as rich and full as possible. It is His love of all goodness and good order that leads Him to do everything this way. It is His love for us, His creation, that the Father bestows upon His highly favored daughter all the graces to become the Mother of all.

Just like Mary, we, too, are favored sons and daughters of God, full of grace and recipient of God’s goodness. As we reflect on the many facets of our lives, we see the marks of love, the signs of goodness and the indications of grace. There are gifts of compassion, the undeserved blessings and signs of hope that we have to be thankful for.

We need a grateful heart to be able to appreciate what has been given to us. That sense of gratitude has to become a way of life in which blessings are counted, life’s gifts and events are celebrated and the giver is thanked. God deserves no less than our grateful heart, for placing so much even in undeserving hands.

Prayer

Almighty Father, all powerful and ever-living God, we thank You for bestowing upon Your highly favored daughter all the graces to be Your Son’s Mother and to be the Mother of all. We thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to be our redeemer and savior. Thank You for giving us the breath of life and the splendor of Your worldly creations.

We thank You Father, our Lord and our God, for Your infinite kindness and mercy. How good You are to us, your children. With Your Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and with Mother Mary, our intercessor, You deserve nothing but praise and worship. To You, we owe everything and anything we have in life. We acknowledge humbly that without You, we are nothing. Receive our gratitude and our undying adoration and devotion, dear Father.

We will try to reciprocate Your loving kindness by obeying Your commandments, by loving our neighbors and by earnestly endeavoring to become more like Your Son. We shall continuously affirm Your lordship and celebrate Your goodness and kindness all the days of our life. Amen.

Second Day: Mary, Cause of Our Joy
Rejoice! The Lord is with you. (Luke I:28)

Reflection:

“Rejoice!” This is the key word by which the prophets announced the future messianic joy – the coming of Jesus, the Redeemer. “Cry out with joy, O daughter of Zion; Rejoice and exult with all your heart” (Zeph. 3:14). The same words are addressed to Mary at the Annunciation when the Angel Gabriel first said to her: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28). Mary echoed these joyful words too when she herself said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk 1:46).

God chose Mary in order to make Himself a man. The mere thought, therefore, of Mary, the Mother of God has caused faithful Christians to exult in joy. The sorrow brought into the world by Eve’s disobedience has been changed into joy by Mary’s obedience. Having given her consent to become the Mother of God, she became the cause of our joy, for she cooperated in the work of redemption. Because of her cooperation in the Incarnation of the Word, she brought forth the fruit of her womb, Jesus. Her Son Jesus, the fruit and gift of Mary, redeemed us from sin and hell, reconciled us with God and opened for us a pathway to heaven. 

In today’s world, so many people seek for joy in the wrong places. So many seek their joy and happiness in material things. Authentic joy (which is one of the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit), is “the feeling aroused by the expectation or possession of some good.”* This is the true spiritual joy, which is possessed by angels and human beings – the expectation of our union with the Father in heaven – which Mary has won through her fidelity to the divine plan.

Prayer

Lord God, You were pleased to bring joy to the world through the incarnation of Your Son. You sacrificed Your Son in order to save our souls and enjoy life everlasting. Grant that we, who honor His Mother, the cause of our joy, may always walk in the way of Your commandments with our hearts set on true and lasting joy. Moreover, grant us the grace to share that very joy found deep in the words and actions of Mary to everyone who desires to obtain favors from You. Show us that joy is meant to be ours at all times – even in our deepest suffering – for You have given Mary the power of helping the miserable. 

Father of mercy and God of all consolation, grant in Your loving kindness that we who joyfully venerate Mary, Your Son’s most pure Mother, as our comforter, may deserve to enjoy the unending happiness of heaven with her and Jesus, Who live and reign forever. Amen.

Third Day: Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted
Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. (Luke I:29)

Reflection: 

The life of our Blessed Mother was an example of strength, mercy and compassion as she bore so much pain and suffering as the Mother of Jesus.

Her heart was pierced with a sword of grief when Simeon foretold the death and the desolation of her Divine Son. So was the sorrow she endured on their flight to Egypt where they felt threatened and unwanted. Mary and Joseph, being parents, suffered so much the loss of Jesus in the temple.

Mary’s heart bled with anguish as she witnessed her Son tortured and made to carry His heavy Cross to Calvary. She also stood at the foot of the Cross, her heart crushed as she agonized watching her Son suffer and die, and as she cradled Him when He was brought down from the Cross. As Mary watched her dead Son being placed in the sepulcher, the placing of the rock before the entrance was like the thrusting of another sword into her grieving heart.

As Mary bore all her sorrows and wept silently, her faith never wavered. Great was her sorrow but greater were her compassion and hope for the Resurrection.

Prayer

Our dear Father in heaven, You gave us Your own Mother to be our mother also. Through her, who has a mother’s awareness of all the struggles between good and evil, between light and darkness, hear the plea of Your children wearied by life and overcome by grief. Today, we unite our hearts with hers, torn by sorrows and tragedies of the present world. We share her sorrow over the sufferings of brothers and sisters in war-torn countries, the death of loved ones, the misery and horrors of prison life, the destruction of family and life, the evils of violence and terrorism and the immeasurable poverty and injustices against society.
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*Modern Catholic Dictionary by Father John A. Hardon, S.J.

With the help of our Mother of the Word Incarnate, grant us Your mercy and consolation to lighten the burden and give comfort and strength to all who are suffering now and in pain.

Dear Lord, we ask Your Blessed Mother to teach us to be compassionate. Help Your children, with the power of the Holy Spirit, conquer the menace of evil and sin in all their manifestations.

Through the intercession of the Our Lady of the Annunciation, we ask You to help us to welcome the Word to the world that the world itself might be reborn. Through her, Your reign has dawned, a reign of compassion and mercy, born from the depths of the Word made flesh. Amen.

Fourth Day: Mary, Queen of Peace
But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you (Luke I:30)

Reflection:

Truly, with the intercession of our Lady, we must not be afraid for the “Lord is with us…” It is only God who can give peace that the world cannot give.

Mary is our symbol of peace: in most of her apparitions, the visionaries are children. Our Lady loves children because it is in the heart of a child where one can find not only true love but also true peace. Mary said to the three children of Fatima that the world be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart for humanity to be granted an era of peace.

In 1917, Pope Benedict XV appealed to the whole world to turn to Mary, Queen of peace. 

In Lourdes, our Lady made repeated calls to peace because she knows that the more penance we do, the more fully we show God that we are truly sorry for having offended Him, and thus make peace with our Creator.

Indeed, through the years, Mary’s apparitions everywhere are a call for repentance and prayers for the peace of the world.

Prayer

Loving Father, through our Mother, the Lady of the Annunciation, teach us how to be calm and serene so as to feel Your presence here today as we pray for our needs and desire for we know not how to ask Your Son for them.

Almighty Father, with Mary, the Queen of Peace and through her intercession, may You grant us the tranquility in our heart as You did grant unto her in the Annunciation.

Father, may the Blessed Virgin assist us especially in this Novena so that we may pray sincerely enough, and that, if it is Your will, we may obtain through her the favor that we desire. Amen.

Fifth Day: Mary, Mother of Social Justice
You shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. (Luke I:31-32)

Reflection:

The Virgin Mary’s role was given a particular attention by Pope John Paul II – Mary, the Mother of Social Justice. Social Justice asks us to be fair with one another no matter what is our status in life, age, occupation, educational attainment, political conviction and gender.

In an age of self-glory, materialism and marketing personality, Mary identifies herself as an Anawim, belonging to the poor ones of the Lord. She is a handmaid of the lowly ones through whom God will do wondrous things. The life of Mary echoes the conviction of Judith in the Old Testament: “God is a God of the poor, a God of those who are in need, helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the meek and protector of the forsaken, the Savior of those without hope” (Judith 9:11).

Honoring Mary need not dismiss our hunger and thirst for justice. Rather, keeping Mary’s example in our heart, we are challenged to make the cries of the poor, oppressed, needy and hopeless our own.

Our true devotion to Mary should lead us not only to Jesus but to one another in a just and authentic relationship.

Prayer

Almighty Father You gave us Mary, the mother of our Savior to be our model. She inspires us to constantly reach out to one another. We are called to anticipate the needs of those around us, perceive the cry of their heart, share their fears and their brokenness and give hope to the hopeless and forsaken.

Teach us Lord how, when and where we must reach out to those in want and in pain. May our hearts be filled with Your love, ever yearning to serve You through others – without counting the cost. This we ask in Jesus name through the intercession of the Our Lady of the Annunciation. Amen.

Sixth Day: Mary, Mother of Light
The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High
will overshadow you. (Luke 1:35)

Reflection:
It was a blessed moment when the Word that was with God from the beginning became flesh through Mary, brought about by the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High, and made Jesus our brother, and she our mother. Mary indeed is the Mother of Light because her Son Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12).

She is the prophet that bears this Word of hope to those who are in need and in the bondage of sin. Mary embodies a spring of hope as shown by her expectant waiting for the Lord’s promise that one day, a Messiah, a great King, would come to her and her people. She is the beacon of light that shows mankind the way to her Son Jesus so that whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness.

We are also being called to make God a reality to His people by bringing the Good News to those who are tired of carrying heavy load, to bring hope to the world that is in desperate need of salvation. Like Mary, the model of hope which does not disappoint, let us fortify our soul with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we too will always be ready as we wait for the coming of His Son Jesus Christ. Let us come to her as our mother to ask for her succor in our struggle against the powers of darkness in our journey through life.

Prayer

Father, true to Your promise, You sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to call us out of darkness into Your own wonderful Light. Help us to remember this whenever we are beset with life’s perils and miseries. Fill us with hope to entrust everything in You who make everything possible.

As we journey through life, give us the inspiration that the sufferings that we encounter in this world will surely come to an end when Your Kingdom comes. Anoint us with Your Spirit so that we may become credible bearers of the Good News to our brothers and sisters who are lonely and brokenhearted. 

Strengthen and encourage us with Your love and mercy when we are at the verge of quitting as we wait for the eternal life which we long for. We ask this through Christ our Lord, and the intercession of the Our Lady of the Annunciation, the Mother of Light. Amen.

Seventh Day: Mary, Help of Christians
Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child, and she is now on her sixth month.  With God nothing is impossible” (Luke I:36-37)

Reflection:

We want to be united with the Blessed Mother because we desire that her bond of unity with God would also be ours.
She first journeyed after the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel revealed to her that her cousin Elizabeth was six-month pregnant. She herself hurriedly decided and made that quick journey with outpouring love to the house of her cousin Elizabeth to share that heavenly blessing.

This was a fulfillment of a duty to be with others in their need. Without doubt, the visit was because of her charity, humility and obedience to the Spirit of God.

The Virgin Mary is a model of love for others. Her all embracing love for her Son Jesus Christ refelcted her love for relatives, neighbors, the poor, the sinners, the abandoned and all people who come to her for help.
Our Virgin Mother’s heart bleeds as she sees family members in disunity. How many homes have black sheep? How many families are tortured with the carelessness of a son or daughter who insists in doing evil things? Peace is disappearing everywhere when love and respect for her Son Jesus Christ are no longer known.

Our Mother Mary witnesses all these miseries all over the world. She does not waiver in her love for us because of her Son Jesus. Great is her desire for all Christians to be closer and united to Him.

Prayer

God, our Father, we come to You with confidence that You will enlighten us with Your grace and love.
Today as we worry of the world’s miseries, where love is disappearing among families and neighbors, where we find disunity everywhere, where love and respect for Your Son Jesus Christ are no longer seen, we implore the intercession of our Blessed Mother so that we may find light and power in You.

Loving God, we ask You to enlighten the abandoned, the handicapped, those deprived of true love from a father and a mother. With Your mercy, may we find peace, hope and unity.

We ask You to help us to be like Mary who does not forget her children, always caring, helping and watching over us. With You we hope to be relieved from our burdens and sufferings. Please help us Your children to experience the love and unity You want in every home. May we also be a model of kindness by showing us the way to establish good relationship with our neighbor, which is an excellent way of promoting unity in the oneness of heart.

O Eternal Father, we praise and thank You for the graces You bestowed upon us, especially the Blessed Virgin Mother. Trusting in Your love and mercy, we hope to obtain the favor we earnestly ask through her, the grace to love and die in Your love. Amen.

Eighth Day: Mary, handmaid of the Lord
Then Mary said “I am the Handmaid of the Lord” (Luke I:38)

Reflection:

When the Blessed Virgin accepted the message from the Angel Gabriel that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ, she already made a commitment to serve God. Accepting her role to become the mother of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin selflessly gave her consent to become part of the redemptive plan of God. Her total self-giving to God was her response to the divine call.

Uttering the words “I am the Handmaid of the Lord” is the Blessed Mother’s act of humility and love of service to God that we as His creation must imitate. The openness and generosity of the Blessed Mother show her faithfulness to God.

After hearing the message from the Angel Gabriel that her cousin Elizabeth had conceived in her old age, she set out in haste with delight in her heart to visit and care for her cousin. Knowing the condition of Elizabeth, the Blessed Mother stayed with her and untiringly offered her time, strength and unconditional love.

In the entire life of Jesus, Mary was always present and available in the service of her Son. Till the very end at the foot of the cross of Jesus, she lived and shared her maternal life with Him.

Prayer

O God, our loving Father, You infused into our hearts the gifts of service, charity and vocation. We come to You in humility. Grant us the spirit of divine love so that that we may imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary. Teach us how to genuinely serve, unconditionally respond, and lovingly care for our family and brethren. May we have an open heart and mind so that we may understand that we are Your creation. Help us to respond to Your call so that we may become worthy instruments of Your divine work.

Father God, we know that even before we heed Your call, You have already planned all things for us. Help us to understand that You are above all else in our lives, Give us a heart that always desires to love, care, and serve. All these we pray through the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord and through the intercession of the Our lady of the Annunciation. Amen.

Ninth Day – Mary, Woman of Faith
“Lord let it be done to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38)

Reflection:
Faith is an unquestioned belief that does not require proof. Mary’s faith is so great that she did not question or doubted God’s act when she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and bore Jesus Christ, our Savior. She placed her complete trust and confidence in the Father. Mary walked through all the events of Jesus’ life, seeing Him, touching Him, and loving Him. Her faith is so impressive being obedient to the will and salvific plan of God.

The words in the Gospel “Blessed is she who believed” are especially directed towards Mary. She is portrayed as a model of believers since she accepted the Angel’s word despite its human impossibility. She is a faithful instrument in making the Scripture, the Word of God, come alive for us. Mary’s faith is worthy of emulation. This unwavering faith empowers Mary to be the model and Mother of the Church. While on earth, she is God’s model of how a person should live.

Prayer
Almighty Father, we are Your children. We call You by name and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, Your Son. Give us the grace to have and live the faith of Mary so we may become worthy of the eternal life You promised. Father, let us fill our hearts with faith to be able to accept Your will for us without reservations. Help us remove the doubts and perplexities that plague our minds to face the difficulties and uncertainties of life. Let us not waver in our faith.

Father, call us Your children. Comfort us and give us mercy. As we proclaim the Virgin Mary, to be the Mother of Christ and the Mother of the Church, may our communion with her Son bring us to salvation. All praise and glory ever be Yours. Amen.