Opening Prayer
Glory Be …
Scripture
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)
Intercession
Loving God, as Thomas was adopted through Jesus Christ in his baptism, open me to pursue the baptismal call in my life, to seek holiness, and to strive toward union with You.
Concluding Prayer
Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.
Pray that all respond to the baptismal call of vocation, whatever their vocation may be.
If we all seek holiness and union with the Lord, then any task, no matter how small, becomes a vocation in Christ.
Todd, how wonderful that you are posting this novena. St. Tommy Aq Boy is my guy–patron saint of teachers, and one of the most brilliant minds God ever created. I have a holy card with his face looking right at me on the bulletin board wall next to my desk. I have a copy of the prayer you posted a few weeks ago (Grant me…a mind to know you…) taped to my office door. And how fortuitous (thanks, Holy Spirit) that you start this now. I’m getting to show off my knowledge on Jeopardy–but as the Bible says, and St. Tommy Aq reinforces–the Lord values wisdom above knowledge. Wisdom tells me that I am blessed beyond measure right now….and it’s humbling when a community of people unite to share something positive. I’ll be stopping by early for the next 9 days!