Week 7

Theme
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

Let us pray for our political and government authority that they would use the authority granted to them by God for protecting and fostering the common good of man, both body and soul.

Opening Prayer
Diocese of Bismarck Novena Prayer

Most Holy Father in Heaven,
We pray, through the intercession of
Blesseds John Paul II and John XXIII,
that we would follow their example
by living our Catholic Faith with joy, hope, and confidence.
Grant us the courage to denounce the evils of our time,
including the culture of death, moral relativism,
and all that keeps us from loving You
and sharing the Gospel with our neighbor.
We pray that You, Father, would use us,
the people of the Diocese of Bismarck,
as an instrument of Your love and light to all people.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Meditation
“The world will never be the dwelling place of peace, till peace has found a home in the heart of each and every man, till every man preserves in himself the order ordained by God to be preserved. That is why St. Augustine asks the question: "Does your mind desire the strength to gain the mastery over your passions? Let it submit to a greater power, and it will conquer all beneath it. And peace will be in you—true, sure, most ordered peace. What is that order? God as ruler of the mind; the mind as ruler of the body. Nothing could be more orderly." [165]

Let us, then, pray with all fervor for this peace which our divine Redeemer came to bring us. May He banish from the souls of men whatever might endanger peace. May He transform all men into witnesses of truth, justice and brotherly love. May He illumine with His light the minds of rulers, so that, besides caring for the proper material welfare of their peoples, they may also guarantee them the fairest gift of peace. [171]

Finally, may Christ inflame the desires of all men to break through the barriers which divide them, to strengthen the bonds of mutual love, to learn to understand one another, and to pardon those who have done them wrong. Through His power and inspiration may all peoples welcome each other to their hearts as brothers, and may the peace they long for ever flower and ever reign among them.” [171]

This excerpt was taken from Pope John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris published on April 11, 1963.

Concluding Prayer
Chaplet of the Divine Mercy