DAY 2: The Import of the Angel's Salutation
Approved by Leo the XIII with the LITANY OF LORETO 16 MARCH TO 24 MARCH; March 17: GOAL -- Are you able pray the Angelus at 6AM, 12, 6PM daily?
NOTES IN FOOTNOTES1
PREFACE — Rules for the Proper Observance of Novenas
By St. Alphonsus Liguori
1. THE soul must be in the state of grace; for the devotion of a sinful heart pleases neither God nor the saints.
2. We must persevere, that is, the prayers for each day of the novena must never be omitted.
3. If possible, we should visit a church every day, and there implore the favor we desire.
4. Every day we ought to perform certain specified acts of exterior self-denial and interior mortification, in order to prepare us thereby for the reception of grace.
5. It is most important that we receive holy communion when making a novena. Therefore prepare yourself well for it.
6. After obtaining the desired grace for which the novena was made, do not omit to return thanks to God and to the saint through whose intercession your prayers were heard.
PREPARATORY PRAYER FOR DAYS 1-9 of this NOVENA2 with AUDIO BY MEMBER OF CHILDREN’S ROSARY, AMELIA.3
MY QUEEN, my Mother, remember I am thine own. Keep me, guard me, as thy property and possession!
Indulgence. 40 days, every time. (Pius IX, August 5, 1851.)
DAY 2: MEDITATION
"HAIL, full of grace!" Mary was greeted as full of grace by the Giver of grace Himself. The angel's salutation meant:
"The grace of God has preserved thee from all sin. Neither the stain of original sin, nor the guilt of actual sin, ever obscured the mirror of thy soul. By the special favor of God the most sublime virtues were infused into thy soul."
"The Lord is with thee." From all eternity the Lord was with Mary. He was with her not only as He is with His whole creation, but He was with her in a special manner. The eternal Father was with her from all eternity as with His beloved Daughter. The divine Son was with her from all eternity as with His chosen Mother. The Holy Ghost was with her from all eternity as with His beloved Spouse. This intimate union never was disrupted. Therefore Mary is "Blessed among women," and ever was, and ever shall be the beloved of the Lord.
PRACTICE:
CONSIDER how Mary receives the angel's message. She is troubled, she is disturbed at the praise, at the reverence of the angel. What an example of humility! Let us imitate her in this virtue by the acknowledgment before God of our weakness, our unworthiness, our nothingness, and by ordering our whole being accordingly. Humility renders us pleasing in the sight of God and makes us susceptible of His grace.
Hence St. Augustine writes:
"God resists the proud and gives His grace to the humble. What a terrible punishment for the proud, what a splendid reward for the humble! The proud man resembles a rock, the humble man a beautiful valley. The grace of God descends from heaven like a gentle rain. It can not penetrate the rock of pride, and hence the proud man loses God's grace and love. But in the valley of humility the waters of divine grace can diffuse themselves and fructify the soul of the humble man, so that it may bring forth fruit unto eternal life."
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH: THE ANGELUS
LEADER: The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
ALL: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.
LEADER: Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
R. Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
ALL: Hail Mary...
LEADER: And the Word was made Flesh:
R. And dwelt among us. (Bow / Curtsey)
ALL: Hail Mary...
LEADER: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
R. that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
ALL: POUR forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we unto whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may, by His passion and cross, be brought to the glory of the resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pray the Litany of Loreto: https://www.vatican.va/special/rosary/documents/litanie-lauretane_en.html
See our video here or in the Footnotes:4
Prayer
Prayer
O MARY, holiest Virgin, who, when the archangel Gabriel hailed thee in thy annunciation, and thou wast raised by God above all choirs of the angels, didst confess thyself "the handmaid of the Lord"; do thou obtain for me true humility and a truly angelic purity, and so to live on earth as ever to be worthy of the blessings of God.
Hail Mary
OR
IF TIME PERMITS PRAY THE DECADE ROSARY: THE FIRST JOYFUL MYSTERY
Ejaculation
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me!
Indulgence. 50 days, once a day. (Leo XIII, March 20, 1894.)
LEARN MORE HERE: THE ROSARY HOUR PODCAST NEWSLETTER
During Lent, we invite you to listen to our continued “Conference on Suffering” with Fr. Anthony Gramlich (MIC), Fr. Elias Mary Mills (FI), and Dr. Blythe Kaufman here:
FOOTNOTES5
On the Manner of Reading the Meditations and Observing the Practices
HOLY SCRIPTURE says,
"Before prayer prepare thy soul; and be not as a man that tempteth God" (Eccles. xviii. 23).
Therefore place yourself in the presence of God, invoke the assistance of the Holy Ghost, and make a most sincere act of contrition for your sins. Offer up to God your will, your intellect, and your memory, so that your prayer may be pleasing to God and serve to promote your spiritual welfare.
Then read the meditation slowly, reflecting on each point of the thought or mystery treated, and consider what you can learn from it, and for what grace you ought to implore God. This is the principal object to be attained by mental prayer.
Never rise from your prayer without having formed some special resolution for practical observance. The practices at the end of each consideration in the following novenas will aid you to do so.
Finally, ask for grace to carry out effectively your good purposes, and thank God for enlightening your mind during the meditation.
COMPILED BY: REV. BONAVENTURE HAMMER, O.F.M.
Visit childrensrosary.org for more information. Join this prayer group movement on RADIO MARIA USA for a HOLY HOUR with Zosia and Dr. Kaufman ON APRIL 12, 2025, 4PM EST.
