DAY 3: The Effect of the Angel's Salutation
Approved by Leo the XIII with the LITANY OF LORETO 16 MARCH TO 24 MARCH; March 18. Try praying the Angelus at 6AM, 12, 6PM throughout this novena.
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 3: MEDITATION
THE effect of the angel's salutation on Mary was striking. Imbued with sentiments quite different from ours, she was troubled at the praise addressed to her. Meanwhile she is silent and considers within herself what might be the meaning of these words. And now the angel calls her by name, saying, "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father: and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke i. 30-33).
PRACTICE
LET us admire the prudence shining forth in Mary. After hearing the angel's words of praise she was silent and thought within herself what kind of a salutation this was. She is very careful and prudent. On this her conduct St. Thomas Aquinas remarks: "Mary did not refuse to believe, nor did she receive the message with credulity. She avoided Eve's gullibility and the distrust of Zachary the high priest." And St. Bernard writes: "Mary preferred to remain silent in humility, rather than to speak inconsiderately." Let us strive always to speak and act with deliberation. Our conversation ought always to be judicious; for often a word spoken in-consider-
ately causes bitter regret. St. Thomas Aquinas observes: "Song was given to a number of creatures, but human beings alone were endowed with the faculty of speech, to indicate that in speaking we should use our reason." And St. Chrysostom says: "Let us always guard our tongue; not that it should always be silent, but that it should speak at the proper time."
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
I REJOICE with thee, O Virgin ever blessed, because by thy humble word of consent thou didst draw down from the bosom of the eternal Father the divine Word into thy own pure bosom. O draw, then, ever my heart to God; and with God bring grace into my heart that I may ever sincerely bless thy word of consent, so mighty and so efficacious.
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.
