# My God, do not forget me
*2008-07-24*

> Bill Young leads a session of prayer focusing on God's mercy and the seventh day of a novena to Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

## A Prayer for Divine Mercy

I want to begin today with a beautiful prayer titled 'My God, Do Not Forget Me.' It is a plea for God's constancy in our lives, even when we falter. The prayer asks: 'My God, do not forget me when I forget you. Do not abandon me, oh Lord, when I abandon you. Do not go far from me when I go far from you.'

It is a request for a watchful heart, a just heart, and a courageous heart that can resist adversity and disordered passions. We ask for the will to seek Him, the wisdom to find Him, and the grace to live a life that pleases Him, trusting that at the end of our lives, we shall be united with Him.

## Foundations of Faith

Before moving into the novena, we center ourselves in the tradition of the Church. We begin in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, calling upon the Lord to make haste to help us. We ground our prayer in the Glory Be and the Apostles' Creed, affirming our belief in God the Father Almighty, Jesus Christ His only Son, and the Holy Spirit, as well as the communion of saints and the resurrection of the body.

## Honoring Saint Anne

As we continue the novena to the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we turn specifically to Saint Anne. We admire the greatness of her vocation and the graces the Lord bestowed upon her as the mother of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. We ask for her intercession to live in an attitude of humble openness and gratitude, allowing ourselves to be loved by God and loving our brothers and sisters in return.

## Intercessions for Virtue and Sacrifice

Through Saint Anne, we seek several specific graces for our own spiritual journeys. We pray for the grace of continued acceptance in the face of life's trials, and for a spirit of ceaseless prayer and sacrifice so that our requests may be more readily heard by God.

We also ask for a charity similar to hers, a steadfast trust in the favors of heaven, and a heart of gratitude for the blessings we have already received. Finally, we reflect on her courage in offering her daughter to the service of the temple, asking for the strength to obey God's holy will in all things.

*By seeking the intercession of Saint Anne and trusting in God's mercy, we can cultivate a holy and righteous life until the end of our days.*