Given the
critical phase that the beatification process of Archbishop Óscar A. Romero of El Salvador is passing
through, Super Martyrio offers this private novena for the successful
conclusion of the process. This is an
enhanced version of the Novena to the Magi in anticipation of the Epiphany that
is proper to the season. As calendared,
it begins on the Feast of St. Thomas Becket, the last bishop killed at the
altar before Abp. Romero (in 1170) and concludes the day the Three Kings are
celebrated in Latin America.
Please
join us in prayer and kindly forward this prayer request to your contacts.
DAY 1: Monday, December 29, 2014
Memory
of Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr
Novena prayer: “O
holy Magi! You were living in continual expectation of the rising of the Star
of Jacob, which would announce the birth of the true Sun of justice; obtain for
us an increase of faith and charity, and the grace to live in continual hope of
beholding one day the light of heavenly glory and eternal joy. Glory be to the
Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world without end.”
Reflection: “[T]he Epiphany is guiding us with the star of the Magi, with the
perspective of a clarity that comes from God in order to save people. As we search for liberation we cannot enclose
ourselves within earthly and temporal limitations. The true liberation that the Church proclaims
and with which she accompanies the liberating efforts of humanity places these
efforts in a global context and orients them toward salvation.” —Archbishop Romero, January 7, 1979
Romero Beatification Prayer: “Oh!
Jesus, Eternal Shepherd, You have made Archbishop Oscar Romero a living example
of faith and charity, and have granted him the grace to die at the foot of the
altar in a supreme act of love for You. Grant us, if it is Your will, the grace
of his beatification. May we follow his example of love for Your Church, for
Your Word and the Eucharist; and may we love You in the poorest and the
neediest. We ask this through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of
Peace. Amen.”
DAY 2: Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Memory of St. Anysia of Greece, helper of the poor and martyr
Novena prayer: “O
holy Magi! who at the first appearance of the wondrous star left your native
country to go and seek the newborn King of the Jews; obtain for us the grace of
corresponding with alacrity to every divine inspiration. Glory be to the Father
and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and
ever shall be, world without end.”
Reflection: “It
is no longer just the dromedaries from Midian and Ephah, no longer just the
people from Sheba, but now it is whole continents: the people from Latin America, Africa and
Asia. From all lands people come
together in this unity of faith in Christ.”
—Archbishop Romero, January 8, 1978
Romero Beatification Prayer
DAY 3: Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Memory of Saint Sylvester
I, Pope
Novena prayer: “O
holy Magi! who regarded neither the severity of the season, nor the
inconveniences of the journey that you might find the newborn Messiah; obtain for
us the grace not to allow ourselves to be discouraged by any of the
difficulties which may meet us on the way of salvation. Glory be to the Father
and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and
ever shall be, world without end.”
Reflection: “As
the Kings from the East followed their star and found Jesus who filled their
hearts with great happiness, so too we, in these hours of uncertainty, shadows
and darkness, must continue to follow our star, the star of faith. It is our fidelity to this faith that will
enlighten all people.” —Archbishop
Romero, January 8, 1978
Romero Beatification Prayer
DAY 4: Thursday, January 1, 2015
New Year's Day
Novena prayer: “O
holy Magi, who, when deserted by the star in the city of Jerusalem, sought
humbly, and without human respect, from the rulers of the Church, the place
where you might discover the object of your journey; obtain for us grace to
have recourse, in faith and humility, in all our doubts and perplexities to the
counsel of our superiors, who hold the place of God on earth. Glory be to the
Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world without end.”
Reflection: “The
Church declares that people can be happy only when, like the Magi, they adore
the one true God: when they have freed themselves from false idolatries and
come with a pure Christian faith to adore the Christ that we must all adore
with more integrity.” —Archbishop
Romero, January 7, 1979
Romero Beatification Prayer
DAY 5: Friday, January 2, 2015
Memory of St. Basil the
Great and St. Gregory of Nazianzus
Novena prayer: “O
holy Magi, who were gladdened by the reappearance of the star which led you to
Bethlehem; obtain for us from God the grace, that, remaining always faithful to
Him in afflictions, we may be consoled in time by His grace, and in eternity by
His glory. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it
was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.”
Reflection: “That
which like the sun comes now and illuminates and guides the steps of the Magi
and the steps of all people is faith; faith that is rooted in the heart, faith
that gives us joy as a result of knowing Christ. Christ never fails because in
every crisis and even in failure our joy remains since we have placed our trust
in the One who can save us.” —Archbishop
Romero, January 6, 1980
Romero Beatification Prayer
DAY 6: Saturday, January 3, 2015
Memory of the Holy Name of
Jesus
Novena prayer: “O
holy Magi, who, entering full of faith into the stable of Bethlehem, prostrated
yourselves on the earth, to adore the newborn King of the Jews, though he was
surrounded only by signs of poverty and weakness; obtain from the Lord for us a
lively faith in the real presence of Jesus in the blessed Sacrament, the true
spirit of poverty, and a Christ-like charity for the poor and suffering. Glory
be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the
beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.”
Reflection: “We
can see that the Magi, with the symbolic gifts of incense, gold and myrrh,
bring the pain and sorrows and the concerns of their people to beg salvation
from the only one who can give it. So it
is in our own history. Each Sunday when
I speak of the specific events of the week, I am only a poor adorer of the
Lord, telling him: Lord, I bring you
what the people produce, what the interaction of these people of El Salvador,
rich and poor, rulers and ruled, bring forth.” —Archbishop Romero, January 7, 1979
Romero Beatification Prayer
DAY 7: Sunday, January 4, 2015
Feast of the Epiphany of
the Lord
Novena prayer: “O
holy Magi, who offered to Jesus Christ gold, incense, and myrrh, thereby
recognizing Him to be at once King, God, and Man; obtain from the Lord for us
the grace never to present ourselves before Him with empty hands; but that we
may continually offer to Him the gold of charity, the incense of prayer, and
the myrrh of penance and mortification. Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.”
Reflection: “Th[e] kingdom of God certainly has no need of our
material goods but we recognize that God, who is the origin of our coffee
crops, our canals, our cotton, our wealth and all the wealth of the world, has
a right to all of these things. So we
generously offer these things to God.
Perhaps it is better to say that we offer all of this to God in the same
way that the Three Kings placed gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh before
the child Jesus. Everything that the
world produces belongs to God.” —Archbishop
Romero, January 8, 1978
Romero Beatification Prayer
DAY 8: Monday, January 5, 2015
Memory of St. John Neumann
Novena prayer: “O
holy Magi, who, when warned by an angel not to return to Herd, traveled back to
your country be another road; obtain for us from the Lord, the grace that,
after having found Him in true repentance, we may avoid all danger of losing
Him again. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it
was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.”
Reflection: “The
Vatican Council states that each person has a depth to his/her being, their
conscience, which is like a secret room where God descends to speak with
individuals and where these individuals then decide their destiny. Let us go
down, like the Magi, to the depths of our being and find Christ there in our
hearts! Let us not look for him outside
of ourselves but let us look for him within ourselves. In this way we will find that we are able to
speak about the role that we are to undertake during this historic time in El
Salvador. We have much to give because
God is with each one of us.” —Archbishop
Romero, January 6, 1980
Romero Beatification Prayer
DAY 9: Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Three Kings Day in Latin
America
Novena prayer: “O
holy Magi, who were first among the Gentiles called to the knowledge of Jesus
Christ, and who persevered in the faith till your deaths, obtain for us of the
Lord the grace of living always in conformity to our baptismal vows, ever
leading to a life of faith; that like you we may attain to the beatific vision
of that God Who now is the object of our faith. Glory be to the Father and to
the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever
shall be, world without end.”
Reflection: “[T]he Magi ... are the first persons in a long processional line and we,
gathered here in the Cathedral or in our communities where we are reflecting
together on this message … we continue the process, we are the magi today, the
magi of 1980. The Magi of twenty
centuries ago were the first ones who received this knowledge of Christ: blessed are the people, blessed the women and
men who find this revelation of Jesus!”
—Archbishop Romero, January 6, 1980
Romero Beatification Prayer
More spirituality from Archbishop Romero:
