One of a series of ongoing novenas
for peace and justice by the Oscar
Romero Catholic Worker Community of Oklahoma City is the
following “Our Lady of Good Counsel and Matthew Talbot” novena. Details about this and other novenas are available at
http://www.justpeace.org/novenaofnovenas.htm#July_25_-_August_2).
July 25 - August
2
”Our Lady of Good Counsel and Matthew Talbot”
”Our Lady of Good Counsel and Matthew Talbot”
God, come to my assistance. Lord, make
haste to help me.
+ Let us pray together in peace, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, help the
helpless, strengthen the fearful, comfort the sorrowful, bring justice to the
poor, peace to all nations, and solidarity among all peoples.
Give us strength to stand against the
demonic powers which prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Open our
eyes to see the beauty, joy, redemption, and goodness which comes through
obedience to your Son our Lord. Teach us to be a refuge of hope for all who are
oppressed by injustice and violence.
Most
Glorious Virgin Mary, you were chosen by the eternal Counsel to be
the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh. You know that our thoughts on earth
are sometimes full of fear and uncertainty. Send us the gift of counsel to teach
us how to discern God's will and to guide us in all we do.
Matthew
Talbot, you were born into poverty, among a marginalized people, and
you went right to the edge as an alcoholic. In these times, the strong prey upon
the weak and violence, despair, alienation and oppression rule the hearts of
many. We pray that your example of solidarity with the poor will inspire us to
follow your path and open our hearts, minds, and homes to welcome those who are
in need. Intercede before the Throne of Grace for all who are bound in addiction
to money, power, violence, illicit sex, drugs, or alcohol.
Lord, in your servant, Matt Talbot you
have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction, of devotion to
duty, and of lifelong reverence of the Holy Sacrament. May his life of prayer
and penance give us courage to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps
of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ
Our Lord. Amen."
Thoughts for the journey.
See how Our Lady carefully guides the steps of her Son. What advice did
she give to the servants at the wedding at Cana? "Do whatever he tells you!"
What does Jesus tell us to do? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the
homeless, challenge unjust structures, speak out against oppression and
hypocrisy, love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
Matthew Talbot was born in a slum in
Dublin, Ireland in 1856, and died in the same town in 1925. His journey led into
the dark depths of alcoholism. But by the grace of God, he experienced a true
and lasting religious conversion, and spent his life among the poor, practicing
evangelical poverty, working at labor jobs and giving most of his money as alms
to the poor and for the benefit of missions.
He helped people find sobriety. His life
was an evangelical witness to the power of the Gospel to transform the most
alienated & to bring new life to community in the midst of despair.
He reminds us of the
precarious place of those we push to the edge. Often they fall off, into the
abyss. They are all around us, but we don't notice them because they are really
good at hiding from us. In their experience, to be noticed is to be abused,
hurt, wounded. Their defenders are few, their enemies are many.
Through the example of Our Lady of Good
Counsel and Matthew Talbot, we can learn to open our eyes and hearts to see the
poor who are among us, and stop doing harm to them.
