POWERFUL NOVENA TO THE RISEN LORD: DAY 3 (FOR LOVE & UNITY AMONG FAMILIES)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

Opening Prayer:
God our Father, We come before You on this third day of our novena, grateful for the gift of Your Son’s Resurrection, Which fills us with hope and joy. Open our hearts to Your Word, That we may be transformed by Your grace and drawn closer to You each day. Bless our time of prayer, and may it bear fruit in our lives as we journey through the celebration of Easter (pause and pray for hope in times of uncertainty and add your private intention). We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scriptural Reading & Meditation
(Scripture Reading: Luke 24:13-35)

Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. … And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, … but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. … He asked them, ‘What are you discussing as you walk along?’ … They stopped, looking downcast. … One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, ‘Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?’ … And he replied to them, ‘What sort of things?’ … They said to him, ‘The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, … how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. … But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. … Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning … and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. … Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.’ … And he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! … Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ … Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. … As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. … But they urged him, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.’ … So he went in to stay with them. … And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. … With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. … Then they said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?’ … So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them … who were saying, ‘The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!’ … Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The Gospel of the Lord…

Short Meditation
In the Gospel of Luke, we encounter the disciples on the road to Emmaus, grieving over the death of Jesus. As they walk, Jesus Himself draws near and walks with them, but they do not recognize Him. He listens to their sorrow and then opens the Scriptures to them, explaining how all that had happened was foretold in the prophets. When they reach Emmaus, the disciples invite Jesus to stay with them. At the table, Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them. At that moment, their eyes are opened, and they recognize Him. This passage reminds us of the presence of the risen Christ in our midst, especially in the breaking of the bread. As we meditate on this passage, let us open our hearts to encounter Jesus in the Scriptures and the Eucharist, and may our eyes be opened to recognize Him in our midst.

Pause for a moment…

Litany of the Risen Lord
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Risen Lord, who conquered sin and death, (Repeat “have mercy on us” for all the invocations.)
Risen Lord, who appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden,
Risen Lord, who walked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus,
Risen Lord, who showed Your wounds to Thomas,
Risen Lord, who appeared to Peter by the sea,
Risen Lord, who commissioned Your disciples to proclaim the Gospel,
Risen Lord, who ascended into Heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father,

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us

Risen Lord, hear our prayer.
Risen Lord, graciously hear us.

Let us Pray
O God, who by the Resurrection of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, has brought joy to the whole world, grant, we beseech You, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Concluding Prayer
Lord Jesus, You walked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, opening their minds to understand the Scriptures and revealing Yourself to them in the breaking of the bread. Open our hearts to Your presence in our lives, And deepen our understanding of Your Word. May we encounter You anew each day, and may Your Resurrection fill us with hope and joy. We ask this through You, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Blessing+
May the power of the risen Lord dispel the evil of darkness and sin in our lives, and may every dead aspect of our lives be brought back to new life in Christ. Amen. And may Almighty God bless us + the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Great job praying Day 3! Click here for Day 4 Prayers

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