# Fifth Day of the Novena to Merciful Love
*2016-02-06*

> Bill Young reflects on the martyrdom of St. Paul Miki and his companions and leads the fifth day of the novena to Merciful Love, offering prayers, the Our Father, and personal petitions.

## Feast of St. Paul Miki and Companions

Today is the feast of St. Paul Miki and his 26 companions, who were martyred in Japan on February 5, 1597. They were arrested during a period of severe persecution, forced to march 600 miles, and then executed on a hill where they were hung upside down. St. Paul Miki forgave his persecutors and asked Jesus for their forgiveness before they were killed with lances. We pray for the Church in East Asia—Japan, China, and elsewhere—especially for any Christians suffering persecution.

## Opening Prayer and the Our Father

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

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

## The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

## Meditation on the Words of the Our Father

My Jesus, my sorrow is great because I have often offended You. Yet, with a father’s heart, You forgive me and invite me to ask. I turn to Your merciful love, seeking the grace to change my behavior, to bear witness to my faith through my works, and to build the fire of Your love within me.

We ask that God’s will be done in all creatures, accomplished through fortitude, purity, and perfection, as we strive to fulfill His will in whatever way He reveals to us.

## Personal Petition and Closing Prayer

Lord, in this turbulent time, grant me clemency and mercy. Forgive my faults, hear my prayers, and grant the desires that serve Your glory and the good of my soul. I place myself in Your hands.

I pray for the blessing of my family—my wife, my son, my mother‑in‑law, my sisters and their children—that we may all grow closer to Christ through Mary and the saints.

Jesus, give me a lively faith. Grant that I may observe Your commandments faithfully, with a heart full of love and charity, walking the path of Your precepts. May I taste the sweetness of Your Spirit, hunger for Your holy will, and offer humble service that is pleasing to You. May the Father’s wisdom and the Holy Spirit’s love bless me, now and forever.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.

*May the merciful love of Christ transform our hearts and strengthen us to bear witness to the faith, especially in times of persecution.*