Novena in Honor of Blessed James Alberione
Nov. 17
The greatest of saints today would stay by the microphone in order to proclaim their message of truth, justice and peace. It is impossible not to think of the command of Jesus Christ, “Preach the Gospel to all creation.” The love for the Gospel is the sign and characteristic of persons whom God designates for great enterprises. --ALBERIONE
Introduction
Today we begin the novena in honor of Blessed James Alberione, whom John Paul II called “the first apostle of the new evangelization.” In gratitude we thank the Lord for raising him up—for our sake and that of our world. We thank him for having answered the Master’s call, as the first Apostles did. In this Morning Prayer, we ask him to help us open ourselves to the Spirit, who continually evangelizes us and draws us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, the Apostle of the Father.
* Christian Prayer, p. 623,
* Liturgy of the Pauline Family, p. 179
* The following text: In John Paul II’s words, Blessed James Alberione is “the first apostle of the new evangelization.” Not only because he used modern media to proclaim the Gospel, but because, like Paul at the dawn of Christianity, he heralded in his person and his message the central call of the Gospel: total configuration with Christ the Master, a personal, life-changing, lifelong encounter with Christ. His reference was always the Gospel and he insisted that everyone of us read it in order to live it—a novelty at the turn of the last century. His lodestar was the primacy of Christ. His journey was a personal relationship with Christ and a burning desire that the whole world would join him on that journey.
This is the meaning of the new evangelization, outlined in the lineamenta for next year’s Synod of Bishops. With this novena, we are in a way initiating our own community’s preparation for that event. We entrust to Primo Maestro our own desire to witness to the saving love and truth of Jesus Christ with what the lineamenta calls new “ardour, methods, and expression.”
Yes, in the words of our founder that we just read, “The love for the Gospel is the sign and characteristic of persons whom God designates for great enterprises.”
Canticle of Zechariah
Antiphon: LPF, p. 184
Concluding Prayer: LPF, p. 183
Nov. 18—Dedication of the Churches of
Jesus Christ has taught us not to wait for people, but to go in search of them. Like the Master, the apostle should spread the divine word in cities, villages and homes, even the remotest ones. The press, the cinema, the radio and the television constitute today the most urgent, the fastest and the most efficacious work of the Catholic apostolate. --ALBERIONE
Christian Prayer, p. 1346
LPF, p. 180
Lineamenta: The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith, n. 6:
“The new evangelization is a frame of mind, a courageous manner of acting and Christianity’s capacity to know how to read and interpret the new situations in human history which, in recent decades, have become the places to proclaim and witness to the Gospel….These sectors concern society, cultures, economics, civic life, and religion….
“…Our third great sector…[is] the means of social communications, which, while today providing great possibilities for the Church, also represents one of her greatest challenges….In this sector, the new evangelization means that Christians need to show boldness in these ‘new aeropaghi,’ where they live everyday, and find the means and approaches to ensure that the Church’s patrimony in education and knowledge, safeguarded by the Christian tradition, has a part to play in these ultra-modern places.”
Canticle of Zechariah
Antiphon: LPF, p. 184
Concluding Prayer: LPF, p. 183
Nov. 19
The machine, the microphone, the screen are our pulpit; the press, the production room, the screening hall and the transmission center are like our church. The temptations are many, but we shall make ours the words of Paul, “I do all things for the Gospel." --ALBERIONE
Christian Prayer, p. 655
Liturgy of the Pauline Family, p. 180
Lineamenta, n. 6:
“The first sector calling for the new evangelization is culture. In our times we find ourselves in an era of a profound secularism….in which God is completely or partially left out of life and human consciousness…. [This] can be seen in the daily lives of many Christians, who are oftentimes influenced, if not completely conditioned, by the culture of images with its models and opposing forces. Temptations to superficiality and self-centredness, arising from a predominating hedonistic and consumer-oriented mentality, are not easily overcome. The “death of God” announced decades ago by so many intellectuals has given way to an unproductive cult of the individual….
“At the same time, some regions of the world are showing signs of a promising religious reawakening.”
Canticle of Zechariah
Antiphon: LPF, p. 184
Concluding Prayer: LPF, p. 183
Nov. 20—Solemnity of Christ the King
Christian Prayer, p. 523
Let there be the persuasion that in these forms of apostolate a greater spirit of sacrifice and a more profound piety are required. Saints are needed, who lead us in these ways. Prayer before all, above all, the life of all. To leave out prayer in order to do more work is a ruinous way out. --ALBERIONE
Christian Prayer, p. 524
Liturgy of the Pauline Family, p. 180
Lineamenta, n. 15, 22:
“The agent for transmitting the faith is the entire Church which manifests itself in the local Churches, where proclamation, transmission and the lived experience of the Gospel are realized…. The Spirit gathers believers into communities that fervently live their faith, a faith which is nourished through listening to the teaching of the apostles, through the Eucharist and through the communities’ life of unselfish service to proclaiming the
“The new evangelization, then, which is primarily a task to be done and a spiritual challenge, is the responsibility of all Christians who are in serious pursuit of holiness.”
Canticle of Zechariah
Antiphon: LPF, p. 184
Intercessions
Add the following:
“In thanksgiving for the life of Sr. Mary Aparecida on this, her anniversary. May she rest in the kingdom of light and peace.”
Concluding Prayer: LPF, p. 183
Nov. 21—Presentation of Mary (optional memorial)
Christian Prayer, p. 686
We should always lead people to paradise, but we have to lead there not those who lived ten centuries ago, but those who live today. In order to do good today, we have to take the world and the people as they are today. Stretch forward. Always keep in mind what is wanting in us. There is no time to congratulate ourselves on the past.--ALBERIONE
Christian Prayer, p. 690
Liturgy of the Pauline Family, p. 180
Lineamenta, n. 13, 23:
“The synod fathers gave particular attention to proclaiming the Word of God to future generations. ‘Often we encounter in them a spontaneous openness to hearing the Word of God and a sincere desire to know Jesus....Concern for young people calls for courage and clarity in the message we proclaim…witnesses and teachers who can walk with them,.…[and] approaches to Christian initiation which, through listening to the Word, celebrating the Eucharist and the communal living of love and fellowship, will lead to a growth in faith.’”
“The first evangelization began on the day of Pentecost, when the Apostles, gathered together in prayer with the Mother of Christ, received the Holy Spirit. In this way, Mary, who according to the words of the
Canticle of Zechariah
Antiphon: LPF, p. 184
Concluding Prayer: LPF, p. 183
Nov. 22—St. Cecilia (Memorial)
The apostle is one who carries God in one’s soul and radiates him around oneself. The apostle is a saint who accumulates divine treasures and shares the surplus with others. Sanctity is the stubbornness in fulfilling the will of God, always, in spite of any difficulty whatever.--ALBERIONE
Christian Prayer, p. 706
Liturgy of the Pauline Family, p. 181
Lineamenta, n. 7:
“Reread the present moment in light of the Christian gift of hope. Relearning the meaning of hope leads Christians to discover what they can offer in their world of encounters, experiences and dialoguing with others, what they can share in the process and how they can better express this hope which leads to perseverance. The new sectors which call us into dialogue require turning a critical eye towards our manner of life, our thinking, our values and our means of communication. At the same time, the occasion must also serve as a self-evaluation of Christianity today, which must repeatedly learn to understand itself, beginning from its roots.”
Canticle of Zechariah
Antiphon: LPF, p. 184
Concluding Prayer: LPF, p. 183
Nov. 23
God himself works for those who work for him. We must therefore be always disposed to do everything as if everything depended on us, and to pray as if everything depended on him. Our prayer is not genuine if our hands do not agree wit it. Hence: pray and work. Every action of ours should proceed from prayer.--ALBERIONE
Christian Prayer, p. 723
Liturgy of the Pauline Family, p. 181
Lineamenta, n. 11:
“
Canticle of Zechariah
Antiphon: LPF, p. 184
Concluding Prayer: LPF, p. 183
Nov. 24
Let us make ourselves the pen and the mouth of God, for Jesus Christ, our Master. The whole man in Jesus Christ, for a total love of God: intelligence, will, heart, physical forces. All: nature, grace, vocation and apostolate. A cart that runs on four wheels: sanctity, study, apostolate and poverty.--ALBERIONE
Nov. 25
If
Use as an introduction to prayer: Liturgy of the Pauline Family, p. 182
Christian Prayer, p. 758
Lineamenta, nn. 6, 13:
Through migration “our societies are experiencing an unprecedented encounter and mixing of cultures….In such a situation, the new evangelization can provide the opportunity no longer to perceive the Church's mission as a north-south or west-east dynamic but one which transcends the geographic confines of past missionary activity. Today, all five continents are fields of missionary activity. We must also seek to understand the sectors and places in life where faith is absent, not simply as a result of drifting from the faith but from never having encountered it. Transcending the geographic confines of former missionary activity means having the capacity to raise the question of God at every moment in the encounters created by the mixing and rebuilding of the fabric of society….”
“Migrants must not simply be evangelized but be trained themselves to be evangelizing agents.”
Canticle of Zechariah
Antiphon: LPF, p. 184
Concluding Prayer: LPF, p. 183
Response: Blessed by the Lord our God.
Blessed be the Lord our God, for our sister, the printed word, food for the intellect and light for the soul. R
We pray to you, Lord, for all the journalists of the world, cartoon and poster designers, publicity artists. R
Fill with the light of your wisdom writers, printers, distributors, and readers; keep them in your love and at the humble service of truth. R.
Praise be to you, O Lord, for our brother Cinema and his dynamic story-telling. He has the fascinating power of dialogue, drama, music and visual. R.
Guide, O Lord, producers, directors, actors and audiences towards all that is true and good, all that celebrated life and love of God. R.
Blessed be the Lord our God for our sister Radio who walks on the wings of the wine and makes the earth seem small. R.
We pray for all radio stations and transmitters; may this gift of God and work of humans be used for the freedom and growth and brotherhood of all your children. R.
Praise be to you, O Lord, for Television. May this pulpit in the heart of every home not disturb but increase harmony in family and prepare a people guided by Gospel values. R.
Praise be to you, Lord God, for email and internet, CD, FAX, cell-phone, social media and all the powerful means for the service of communication in the world and your Kingdom. May they sing your praise and glory. Amen. R.
To the Trinity
Most holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we thank you in union with the whole Church and in Jesus Master the Way, the Truth and the Life for the gift of sanctity, light and grace bestowed on your faithful servant James Alberione, the untiring apostle of the Gospel to the whole world. Grant that we may follow his example with complete fidelity to his spirit. May he be a guide and protector of all those who work for the coming of the
Responsory
Liturgist: Jesus Master, we praise and thank you for the gift of James Alberione,
Response: our father and model in sanctity and apostolate. Amen.
