# Novena to merciful love: day 2
*2015-01-21*

> Bill Young leads the second day of the Novena to Merciful Love by Mother Speranza, focusing on the nature of God as the Lord of Heaven and Earth.

## Opening prayers

We begin day number two of the Novena to Merciful Love from God and His Son, Jesus. We acknowledge the great love and mercy He gives to each of us. We open our time in prayer with the Sign of the Cross, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed.

## Introduction and petition

In this introductory prayer, we acknowledge the disgrace of our many offenses, yet we recognize that Jesus, with the heart of a Father, has not only forgiven us but invites us to ask for what we need. Full of confidence, we turn to His merciful love, asking for the grace to transform our behavior so that we may bear witness to our faith through our words, live according to His precepts, and burn in the fire of His love.

## Meditation on the Our Father

Today we meditate on the words 'Our Father, who art in heaven.' While God is everywhere as the Lord of heaven and earth, contemplating heaven moves us to love Him with more adoration. As pilgrims in this life, we are called to keep our thoughts fixed on the things of heaven.

## A plea for mercy

In this time of turbulence, we turn to Jesus and ask that His goodness triumph in love and mercy. Even if we are unworthy, we ask Him to graciously hear our desires if it serves His glory and the good of our souls. We place ourselves in His hands, trusting Him to do as He pleases. We specifically ask for the graces desired in this novena and pray for all the listeners of this podcast, that their prayers and wishes may come true.

## Confession and trust

We recognize that Jesus helps the fallen to rise again and sets the prisoner free; He does not reject anyone who is afflicted. We come to Him because we need to speak about the salvation of our souls and accept His counsel. We admit that our sins frighten us and that we are ashamed of our ingratitude and lack of trust. Fearing that we have misspent the time given to us to do good, we turn to the Lord who has the words of eternal life.

## Concluding prayers

We conclude this day of the novena by praying three Our Fathers, three Hail Marys, and three Glory Bes.

*By fixing our thoughts on the things of heaven, we can more fully trust in the merciful love of Jesus to transform our lives.*