More Prayers

Chemist Board Exam Blog Series Part Eight

More Prayers

Sharing the same home could really make friends bond together. Back in Manila, my friends and I considered Pius XII Catholic Center to be our temporary home. In there, we discovered a new side of ourselves that is rarely explored –us being more religious than we look. Nothing is sweeter than home!

For personal reasons, I never planned to share my pilgrimage and set of prayers to my friends. “They may not find it significant.”, I thought. However, I was surprised one night when Gleenece, Jeb, and Marvin invited me to prayer. Well, I thought that it would only entail the Holy Rosary. So, I decided to go with them, the Holy Rosary was part of my prayer routine after all.

In our four years of being friend, we rarely discuss religion in our group. But during that night, they revealed a religious side of themselves. They introduced me to a new prayer: The Novena to St Jude Thaddeus. Wow! I saw that prayer in Sto. Rosario Church but I didn’t bother saying it, I already have a set of prayer and it was enough.

I didn’t know that they were also desperate to pass the Board Exam as I was! They chose to pray to St. Jude Thaddeus, the Patron of Hopeless and Impossible Cases. His title is very prestigious, I must say. He is the perfect choice for our group. So, without any second thoughts, I joined them in their prayer.

The Novena to St. Jude went this way:

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus,the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficultcases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.

Intercede with God for me that He may bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receivethe consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, andsufferings, particularly -(make your request here) - and that I may praiseGod with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to beever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you asmy special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen

May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen.

May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen

St. Jude, pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen.

Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity.

Pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary

This prayer has to be said six times a day for nine consecutive days. And I would like to suggest that you shouldn’t pray it six times in a row. Try to break it to pieces by praying a set of two during breakfast, lunch, and then dinner. That way, you can avoid mental lapses which could eventually lead to confusion. Really, we have experienced those symptoms.

After the novena, we prayed the Holy Rosary. It was for the first time that I prayed intimately with them. This made me very happy.

After a night of prayer with yellow lights coming from the lamp shade of the room, we had a short conversation. I found out that they also performed a pilgrimage! That surprised me. They weren’t the type to do that. All of us were really desperate!

They told me that they went to eight Churches in Metro Cebu. The churches were (in the words of Gleenece): 1. Lapulapu, 2. St. Joseph-Mandaue, 3.Adoration Convent- Banilad, 4. Carmelites, 5. Redemptorist, 6. Guadalupe, 7. Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, 8. Basilica del Sto. Niño.

I was really glad that they visited the Churches is Metro Cebu while I visited those in Cebu South. “God will really grant our request at this rate.”, I thought.