2024 NOVENA FOR THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF MARY

With Mary, let us walk together as Church on the path of synodality.

Introduction

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. 1 Jn 1:7

Dear Sisters and all the Spiritual Family of Saint Marie Rivier,

We are journeying in a synodal Church, a Church that is discovering the beauty of living in communion. We are living a time when the Holy Spirit wants to lead us along the path of peace, light and the simplicity of the Gospel. With Jesus Christ, joy is always born and reborn (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 1). Let us walk together with the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me Jn 14:6.

The novena in preparation for our Feast day on November 21, invites us to walk together as Church, with Mary, on the path of synodality. Mary, woman of prayer and listening, filled with the Holy Spirit, woman of communion, discernment and decision, woman of commitment, Mother of the Church. The humble Virgin Mary is the inspiration and the guardian of our religious family. … In the mystery of her Presentation in the Temple, she is the model of our consecration C11.

In these new times, we are called to build together communities that are synodal, with Mary, Mother of God, Mother of the Church and our Mother. She is always with us on our synodal journey, helping us to live a greater participation of all through communal discernment.

Pope Francis teaches that "walking together is constitutes the journey of the Church; it is the code that allows us to interpret reality with the eyes and heart of God; the condition for following the Lord Jesus and for being servants of life in our wounded times. The breath and rhythm of the synod reveal who we are and the dynamism of communion that inspires our decisions. Only in this way can we truly renew our pastoral ministry and adapt it to the Church's mission in today's world; only in this way can we face up to the complexity of our times, full of gratitude for the road we have travelled and determined to pursue it with parrhèsia ".

The lived and enduring experience of synodality is for the People of God a source of the joy promised by Jesus, a leaven of new life, a springboard for a new phase of missionary commitment.

May Mary, Mother of God and of the Church, who "was with the disciples to invoke the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14), and who thus made possible the missionary explosion that occurred at Pentecost", accompany the synodal pilgrimage of the People of God, by indicating its goal and by teaching the beautiful, tender and strong style of this new stage of evangelization" (International Theological Commission, Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church, nº 120-121).

In communion with my Councillors, I wish you a fervent novena and a wonderful feast of the Presentation of Mary.

Sr. Maria dos Anjos Alves, p.m.

Superior general

presentation of mary

Day 1 Mary and the Holy Spirit

The Virgin Mary walks in the presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells in her. He is her constant companion. She is a synodal woman, because she walks with the Spirit through listening and prayer. Thanks to Him, throughout her life, she lives in profound communion with her people. Her participation in the life of her milieu characterizes her and bears fruit. In this way, she fulfilled her mission to the full, a mission that continues today, as she has become, by God's grace, our Mother, our Model and the Mother of the Church.

Day 2 Mary: Woman of Prayer and Listening

"Mary appears in the Gospels as a silent woman who often doesn't understand everything that's happening around her, but who ponders every word and event in her heart." (Pope Francis, May 10, 2017)

Day 3 Mary: Woman of Interiority

"The Spirit places Mary in communion with the whole of the Trinitarian life. According to John Damascene, "the Father predestined her, but the Spirit visited her, purified her and made her holy, and so to speak permeated her". Mary was progressively transformed by the Spirit. He rested so deeply within her that he permeated her whole being." (Sr. Shalini Mulackal, p.7-8)

Day 4 Mary: Woman of Communion

Mary lives in communion with her people and is well integrated into her milieu. When she and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple, she was respecting the Law, demonstrating that she was taking part in what was expected of her: presenting her first-born to the priest to consecrate him to the Lord.

Day 5 Mary: Woman of the Visitation

"Mary is deeply rooted in the community of God's people" (Timothy Radcliffe, OP). She thinks back on the events that have marked her past and, with a joyful impulse, reaches out to her cousin, offering her help. She feels co-responsible with her Son for all humanity, including the well-being of her beloved cousin.

Day 6 Mary: Woman of Discernment and Decision

"The Virgin Mary is a Master of Discernment: she speaks little, listens much, and treasures everything in her heart (cf. Lk 2:19). And the few times she does speak, she leaves a mark." (Pope Francis, January 4, 2023)

Day 7 Mary: Woman of Commitment

Mary, a woman of discernment and decision, follows her Son to the cross. She pursues her mission and commits herself to the work of the Spirit to the very end. Hope is the driving force behind her spiritual life.

Day 8 Mary: Mother of the Church

"In the Cenacle, the 11 apostles, a few women and Mary, who accompanied them, remembered Jesus and his words, deeds and promises, until the mystery of the Cenacle was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit transformed the apostles into burning witnesses and messengers of Jesus Christ". (With Mary in the Upper Room, Sr Nathalie Albert, NDDC)

Day 9 Mary: our Model

Mary, who came to the Temple that day, is our model of consecration. At a very young age, she showed great courage and boundless love by climbing the steps of the Temple to consecrate her life to the Lord. She is an example of hope.