Category Archives: Blessed Virgin Mary

 The Surrender Novena: O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!

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The Sacred Heart Novena begins today and I had the sudden inspiration to remind my readers of the Surrender Novena. It can be said along with another Sacred Heart Novena you are doing, but I highly recommend that you make a habit of saying it often. I have this taped to my laptop:

Catholic Exchange has an excellent piece on the Surrender Novena, The Surrender Novena: Let Jesus Take Care of Everything.

It is a Sacred Heart Devotion. Take a look at this image that is on the cover of the novena trifold cartd I use.:

The Surrender Novena grande

It’s quite easy and given the source, Servant of God, Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo, the confessor of St. Padre Pio, no less) it is powerful and is a must to be added to your spiritual toolkit. Here is the novena in full (read the article anyway; oh, and don’t forget to say the prayer to Mary everyday which is listed at the end):

The Surrender Novena

Day 1

Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (say 10 times)

Day 2

Surrender to me does not mean to fret, to be upset, or to lose hope, nor does it mean offering to me a worried prayer asking me to follow you and change your worry into prayer. It is against this surrender, deeply against it, to worry, to be nervous and to desire to think about the consequences of anything.

It is like the confusion that children feel when they ask their mother to see to their needs, and then try to take care of those needs for themselves so that their childlike efforts get in their mother’s way. Surrender means to placidly close the eyes of the soul, to turn away from thoughts of tribulation and to put yourself in my care, so that only I act, saying, “You take care of it.”

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (say 10 times)

Day 3

How many things I do when the soul, in so much spiritual and material need, turns to me, looks at me and says to me, “You take care of it,” then closes its eyes and rests. In pain you pray for me to act, but that I act in the way you want. You do not turn to me, instead, you want me to adapt to your ideas. You are not sick people who ask the doctor to cure you, but rather sick people who tell the doctor how to. So do not act this way, but pray as I taught you in the Our Father: “Hallowed be thy Name,” that is, be glorified in my need. “Thy kingdom come,” that is, let all that is in us and in the world be in accord with your kingdom. “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven,” that is, in our need, decide as you see fit for our temporal and eternal life. If you say to me truly: “Thy will be done,” which is the same as saying: “You take care of it,” I will intervene with all my omnipotence, and I will resolve the most difficult situations.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (say 10 times)

Day 4

You see evil growing instead of weakening? Do not worry. Close your eyes and say to me with faith: “Thy will be done, You take care of it.” I say to you that I will take care of it, and that I will intervene as does a doctor and I will accomplish miracles when they are needed. Do you see that the sick person is getting worse? Do not be upset, but close your eyes and say, “You take care of it.” I say to you that I will take care of it, and that there is no medicine more powerful than my loving intervention. By my love, I promise this to you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (say 10 times)

Day 5

And when I must lead you on a path different from the one you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in my arms; I will let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep in their mother’s arms, on the other bank of the river. What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, your thoughts and worry, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (say 10 times)

Day 6

You are sleepless; you want to judge everything, direct everything and see to everything and you surrender to human strength, or worse—to men themselves, trusting in their intervention—this is what hinders my words and my views. Oh, how much I wish from you this surrender, to help you; and how I suffer when I see you so agitated! Satan tries to do exactly this: to agitate you and to remove you from my protection and to throw you into the jaws of human initiative. So, trust only in me, rest in me, surrender to me in everything.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (say 10 times)

Day 7

I perform miracles in proportion to your full surrender to me and to your not thinking of yourselves. I sow treasure troves of graces when you are in the deepest poverty. No person of reason, no thinker, has ever performed miracles, not even among the saints. He does divine works whosoever surrenders to God. So don’t think about it any more, because your mind is acute and for you it is very hard to see evil and to trust in me and to not think of yourself. Do this for all your needs, do this, all of you, and you will see great continual silent miracles. I will take care of things, I promise this to you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (say 10 times)

Day 8

Close your eyes and let yourself be carried away on the flowing current of my grace; close your eyes and do not think of the present, turning your thoughts away from the future just as you would from temptation. Repose in me, believing in my goodness, and I promise you by my love that if you say, “You take care of it,” I will take care of it all; I will console you, liberate you and guide you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (say 10 times)

Day 9

Pray always in readiness to surrender, and you will receive from it great peace and great rewards, even when I confer on you the grace of immolation, of repentance, and of love. Then what does suffering matter? It seems impossible to you? Close your eyes and say with all your soul, “Jesus, you take care of it.” Do not be afraid, I will take care of things and you will bless my name by humbling yourself. A thousand prayers cannot equal one single act of surrender, remember this well. There is no novena more effective than this.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (say 10 times)

Mother, I am yours now and forever.

Through you and with you

I always want to belong

completely to Jesus.

NOTE: Parts of this post were taken from an earlier post on this Novena.

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My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Fortitude

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The fifth of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit is “Fortitude.”

According to Catholic Answers::

Fortitude denotes a firmness of mind in doing good and in avoiding evil, particularly when it is difficult or dangerous to do so, and the confidence to overcome all obstacles, even deadly ones, by virtue of the assurance of everlasting life.

“Firmness of mind” recalls the “singleness of purpose” that people in recovery are supposed to have with regard to pursuing sobriety.  Maintaining this fortitude “when it is difficult or dangerous” implies courage. “Courage” recalls the Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. 

With the  “courage to change the things I can,” we come to the moral dimensions of “doing good and in avoiding evil;” we all inherently know what this is as the natural law of knowing good versus evil is written in the hearts of all people. The corruption of our wills by our addiction and the sines committed as a consequence certainly make it difficult to discern the difference. All the more reason to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit; doing so clears the way for our ability to better choose good over evil. And as I mentioned in “Counsel…”

developing a relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary (the one and only Spouse of the Holy Spirit) 

…can only help this along.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Counsel

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The fourth of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit is “Counsel.”

According to Catholic Answers::

Counsel allows a man to be directed by God in matters necessary for his salvation.

I mentioned in the post on Knowledge:

If you look over the list of the seven gifts, you can conclude that all depend upon and work with each other. All the more reason for us to draw closer to the Holy Spirit. We ask for the “wisdom to know” about things we have to deal with and the things of the spirit: the moral and ethical decisions that confront us. Stick close to the Sacraments as they enliven the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within you.

It appears to me that “Wisdom” and “Knowledge” (as well as “Understanding” contribute to “Counsel.” Once you have cultivated those first three, Counsel seems to naturally follow.

We are all “Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny,” and we need not go it alone. While the fellowship of a Twelve Step movement may appeal to some, it isn’t all there is. Cultivating a relationship with the Holy Spirit isn’t something we should only pay attention to in the latter part of the Easter season. It should be an ongoing, daily thing (I’m also speaking to myself on this!) Walking with the Church in the liturgical year, confessing your sins regularly (at least once a month) and most definitely developing a relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary (the one and only Spouse of the Holy Spirit.) 

When I decided to write this series of posts of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, I wasn’t aware that I’d be developing the idea that the gifts aren’t necessarily separate things, but are a contiguous whole. Perhaps “as if” there is “one gift” but it has seven interdependent components, all contributing to the whole. 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

EWTN Homily for Our Lady of Fatima, 2025

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Today was the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. I’m a little remiss in not posting this before (the day is almost over,) but better late than never. I had intended to go to Confression followed by Mass for this holyday, but a dead car battery altered my plans and so I watched the Daily Mass for today on EWTN instead.

I enjoyed the homily by Fr. Mark Mary. I am sharing the direct link to the EWTN OnDemand service; please watch it. It sums up the Message of Fatima as regards to prayer, penance, reparation. That’s a little ‘simplistic’ summary of it, so I encourage you to watch it (even if you’re not watching it on the Fatima feast day.) It is a very good thing for Sober Catholics to take a listen to.

Readings and homily: Fr. Mark for Our Lady of Fatima (Optional Memorial)

If you are interested in everything I’ve posted on Fatima, please vist the Fatima Post Archive. Thank you!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Annunciation Novena begins March 16th!

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The Feast of the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to Our Lady is coming upmon March 25th. That means the Novena starts on March 16th! I found three nice ones for you to pick from (the last one is a link to a downloadable PDF file):

Annunciation Novena courtesy of Pray More Novenas 

The Annunciation Novena courtesy of EWTN

Annunciation Novena (PDF download) courtesy of USCCB

 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Announcing the Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery!!!

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Ash Wednesday is this March 5th and on that day begins the “Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery!”

I’ve written about it before: Reminder post, and for the details on how to pray it and who might be interested, (and it’s NOT just for alcoholics and addicts, but for anyone with persistent character defects they hope to be rid of) just scan the QR code…

…or go to the special page I’ve set up: Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery Page 

Please share the Page and the graphic! Thank you!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Reminder about the Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery (begins Ash Wednesday!)

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A while back, I announced an idea. I’m reminding you of it today because Lent is coming up, and there’s a Lenten observance you may be interested in: “A Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery.”

Lent begins on March 5th this year. Last year, I prayed two successful Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novenas. I did some calculations with a calendar and discovered that starting with Ash Wednesday as the first day, the 54th and final day would be:

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY!!!!!

I don’t think that’s a coincidence. The very Sunday when the floodgates of God’s unfathomable ocean of Mercy open up and spill out over every sinner who in humility begs for forgiveness is the very day the completion of the Miraculous 54-day Rosary Novena ends! 

Think about that. Are you still trapped in the miseries of alcoholism and drug addiction? Or, do you know someone who is? This may be the perfect time for deliverance from that slavery. And it may not even be for alcoholics and drug addicts. Sex and porn addicts, as well as anyone who can’t break masturbation, take comfort! Your deliverance may be at hand! You will be beseeching the Blessed Virgin Mary, the very Mother of Purity, for her intercession to liberate you from lust! How can she not help you?

So, get the word out. Start preparing. Get in the spirit by ramping up your own Rosary devotion. (Need help? There’s this book: The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts.) Start working on your examination of conscience. We’re supposed to do that every evening before bedtime (just a review of our day and where we might have offended God or not done His will; but we do a more detailed one just before going to confession. Here’s a great guide to Confession, complete with an Examen.) If you are a Twelve-Stepper, now’s a good time to do (or repeat) your 4th Step Inventory and find someone to do the 5th Step with.) Try doing the 10th Step throughout your day.

To sum it all up, this Lent of 2025 could be the season when you finally become free of your deepest, darkest character defects. I have loads of things wrong with me, and so I will definitely be doing it.

So, what are the basics of this novena, and is it truly miraculous? I think it is, at least in the sense that practitioners have reported they’ve gotten their petitions answered. (Obviously, the petitions have to be reasonable and subject to God’s Will for you.)

The Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena originated in the late 19th century in Naples, Italy, when a young girl suffering from an illness thought to be incurable prayed to Our Lady for help. Mary appeared to her and promised her healing if she prayed three novenas. The girl did so, and was miraculously healed. In a later apparition, Mary specified that the full prayer should have 3 novenas in petition, and 3 novenas in thanksgiving.

How to pray the Novena:

The novena consists of five decades of the Rosary (one set of mysteries) each day for twenty-seven consecutive days in petition; then immediately five decades each day for an additional twenty-seven consecutive days in thanksgiving, regardless of whether or not the request has been granted yet. (This is where faith comes in; you’re thanking the Blessed Virgin and God for granting the request without first waiting for it to be granted. That’s gratitude, too.) 

The first day of the novena always begins with the Joyful Mysteries (regardless of what day of the week the novena is started); the second day, the Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed; and the third day of the novena, the Glorious Mysteries are prayed. The fourth day of the novena starts all over with the Joyful, etc., and continues on in that sequence (Joyful-Sorrowful-Glorious) throughout the 54 days of the novena. The Luminous Mysteries aren’t included only because they did not exist when Our Lady taught this novena to the girl. 

There are special additional prayers to begin and conclude it during all the days of petition and thanksgiving, as well as at the end of each decade. Please visit these sites for information on how to pray the Miraculous 54-Day Rosary Novena:

How to Pray the 54-Day Rosary Novena courtesy of Hallow

FIFTY-FOUR DAY NOVENA (This is a downloadable PDF file; it also has more prayers than the previous two links. 

Is this novena truly miraculous? I believe so. I think you do have to follow the format provided by the instructions I linked to; I’ve said 54-day rosary novenas in the past without the special prayers, and the results were not what I hoped for. Faith abides. If you are sincere, and if the petitions are in accordance with God’s will for you, then there should be some positive result. A full healing? Perhaps! Just increased strength and determination to recover? Possibly? Doors opened for you to be admitted to a treatment facility? Maybe! How the petitions are answered is up to God, but they could very well include a complete remission of your urges to drink, drug, lust, and whatnot.

It is said that the only prayers that God is guaranteed to answer positively are those for a soul’s salvation, since He desires that all be saved. (Even though not all are.) So perhaps connect your recovery to your salvation?

Let this upcoming Divine Mercy Sunday be the best yet! May the ocean of mercy pour down upon you and completely wash away your sins and leave you renewed, refreshed, and forgiven! 

Please read these posts on Divine Mercy Sunday:

Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy Sunday: A great day for those who’ve really messed things up

Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy Sunday

Donations to support my work are appreciated.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

(Future St.) Bartolo Longo and the Luminous Mysteries

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I am personally intrigued by one of the Church’a newest saints. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that Blessed Bartolo Longo will be canonized (no date set, yet.) He was a satanist, turned Catholic, and not only that, spread devotion to the Rosary so much that Pope St. John Paul II referred to him as the “Apostle of the Rosary.” He also developed a new devotional practice called “The Fifteen Saturdays of the Holy Rosary.”

I looked up information on him today and found this tidbit:

From Bartolo Longo — School of Faith: (Emphasis is mine.)

Bartolo Longo had the habit of meditating on the whole life of Jesus and His teachings, not limiting his meditation in the Rosary to the 15 mysteries…Hmm… sound familiar….And this practice of Bl. Bartolo inspired St. John Paul II to add the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary. Regarding the influence of Bl. Bartolo, JPII, in his letter on the Rosary writes:

In the spiritual journey of the Rosary, based on the constant contemplation – in Mary’s company – of the face of Christ, this demanding ideal of being conformed to him is pursued through an association which could be described in terms of friendship. We are thereby enabled to enter naturally into Christ’s life and as it were to share his deepest feelings. In this regard Blessed Bartolo Longo has written: “Just as two friends, frequently in each other’s company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding conversation with Jesus and Mary, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, (that is, in friendship with them) we can become, to the extent of our openness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection”. Rosarium 15

Who said personal relationships end with death? Bl. Bartolo’s pious devotion to the Rosary and his meditations on the life of Christ “in Mary’s company” influenced a future Pope to transform one of the most fundamental Catholic devotions. 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Novena to Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto

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February 20th is the Feast Day for Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the seers who witnessed the Apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, Portugal in 1917.

A novena to them begins today, the 11th (or, if you are reading this on the 12th, you can begin it then – it will end right on their feast day.)

Youy can find the Novena at: Novena to Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto at Pray More Novenas

Why are they important to us Sober Catholics? If you read about them (Fatima post archive) and The Three Fatima Seers (for the latter link, please scroll way down untill you get to the parts about Sts. Francisco and Jacinta.) You will learn that they were deeply affected by the vision of Hell and that many sinners go there because of sins of impurity (sexual sins in addition to immodest dress.) They were also dedicated to offering up their prayers and sufferings in reparation for the sins of those on the path to Hell.

Given the fluid and imperfect morality of many in early recovery (understandable in light of all of the ‘new feelings’ and ‘new emotions’ to cope with) as well as impure behavior during the period of active addiction, it may be good idea for us to add these saints to our repertiore of heavenly friends. Not just for ourselves, but for others still suffering.

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I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

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Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady  of  Lourdes, commemorating the first apparition Our Lady to a young sheperdess, St. Bernadette Soubirous, in this date in Lourdes, France, 1858. You can learn all about it here: The official website of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes as well as: Lourdes Sanctuary.

Given the significance of this Apparition to us alcoholics and addicts (recovered or not) I wrote an entire chapter on it in  “The Sober Catholic Way.” 

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From Chapter XVI: “Live the Message of Lourdes:”

How is the Apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes related to the Sober Catholic Way? We are sick people, regardless of the length of our sobriety. Our Lady of Lourdes is our special channel of healing graces. Jesus is the Divine Physician and He works through His Mother at Lourdes.

Furthermore, Our Lady told Bernadette several times about the need for penance. This strikes at the heart of who we are. For we have hurt and damaged others through the sins we committed against them during our active years of addiction. Penance is something we desperately need.

Therefore:

We should also willingly “take up our Crosses” and accept those trials, troubles, and tribulations that come into our lives every day and offer them up in reparation for our sins and those of others.

You could rephrase a part of that in Twelve Step language as a type of ‘making amends.’

And one last thing: it’s OUR FEAST DAY, TOO!!

Pope St. John Paul II had declared February 11th as the “World Day of the Sick,” a special day for healing Masses and prayers for anyone suffering from any illness, malady, or disability. It’s our feast day!

Donations to support my work are appreciated!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)