3rd Day novena of the Black Nazarene

Day 3
Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane

Contrition
Leader:
In the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

People:
Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man,
I am heartily sorry for having sinned You and my neighbor.
You are my Lord and my Brother whom I love above all things.
Come and help me, not to sin again,
and led me into a new life.
I trust in Your loving forgiveness.

Opening Prayer
People:
Lord Jesus of Nazareth,
Your cross proclaims the wonder of Your love.
Teach us to reflect on Your suffering,
death and resurrection,
in order to have an unfailing faith in Your goodness that has no end.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit
forever and ever. Amen.

Reflection: [Mt. 26, 36-68]

But Jesus was silent.
Then the high priest said to him:
“I order you to tell us, under oath, before the living God,
whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus said to him in reply,
“You have said so.
But I tell you: From now on, you will see
‘the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power’
and ‘coming on the clouds of heaven."

Then the high priest tore his robes and said,
“He has blasphemed! What further need have we of witnesses?
You have now heard the blasphemy;
what is your opinion?”

They said in reply, “He deserves to die!”
Then they spat in his face and struck him,
while some slapped him , saying , “Prophesy for us, Messiah:
who is it that struck you?”

See the humility of the Nazarene,
as His holiness and divinity are trampled upon by the people
He has chosen to be His own.
He could have called down His angels
and sent fire to destroy them.
Nothing is impossible with God.
But he chose to suffer in obedience to the will of the Father.

[Short Silence]

Intercession:
Let us come before our loving Lord with full trust,
and ask Him for strength to hold on to our faith
in the midst of present danger and fear.

Response:
* (R) Lord Jesus of Nazareth, strengthen our faith in You.

Lord Jesus, You experienced suffering and death for our sake,
give strength to all who are suffering. (R)

Through Your victory on the cross,
listen to the prayer of those who weep; fill them with joy. (R)

Grant that we may unite ourselves to Your pain
by facing up to our responsibilities in life. (R)

Help us live the Good News so that,
through our word and deed,
we may reflect Your goodness to all. (R)

[Pause for Personal Intentions]

Lord God, our Father, lead us to the many beautiful lessons
that the cross of Jesus teaches.
Teach us and our families to bear our cross
so that we may be united with the suffering of Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives forever and ever. Amen.

LITANY
Response
(R) Have mercy and save us.

Blood of Christ, the only Son of the Father. (R)
Blood of Christ of the old and everlasting covenant. (R)
Blood of Christ that washes away my sins and the sins of the world. (R)
Blood of Christ that formed like sweat and fell to the ground at Gethsemane. (R)
Blood of Christ that flowed out while You were scourged at the pillar. (R)
Blood of Christ that covered Your face at the crowning of thorns. (R)
Blood of Christ, scorned by the people on the road of Jerusalem. (R)
Blood of Christ, emptying itself at the crucifixion. (R)
Blood of Christ, source of our salvation. (R)
Blood of Christ, river of mercy and forgiveness. (R)
Blood of Christ, that won over violence and injustice. (R)
Blood of Christ, refuge of the abused and the downtrodden. (R)
Blood of Christ, strength of those who suffer. (R)
Blood of Christ, consolation of lonely souls. (R)
Blood of Christ, hope of sinners. (R)
Blood of Christ, that makes strong the weak and the afflicted. (R)
Blood of Christ that leads the poor souls into heaven. (R)

Concluding Prayer:
People:
Lord God, our Father, You willed that Your Son, Jesus,
died on the cross for the sins of the world.
Grant us the grace to be one with His suffering
so that we may be worthy to hope for a new life.
Help us to walk the way of Your commandments
and to serve You in our neighbors.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.