Most holy Apostle, Saint Jude Thaddeus, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered thy beloved Master into the hands of His enemies has caused thee to be forgotten by many, but the Church honours and invokes thee universally as the patron of hopeless cases and of things despaired of.
Pray for me who am so miserable; make use, I implore thee, of that particular privilege accorded to thee to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolations and succour of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (here make your request), and that I may bless God with thee and all the elect forever. I promise thee, O blessed Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favour, and I will never cease to honour thee as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to thee. Amen.
St. Jude Thaddeus, pray for us, and for all who invoke thy aid.
Reflection: Look, I am doing something new, now it emerges; can you not see it? Yes, I am making a road in the desert and rivers in wastelands (Isaiah 43:19).
Prayer:
O Holy St. Jude! Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor for all who invoke you, special patron in time of need; to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart, and humbly beg you, to whom God has given such great power, to come to my assistance; help me now in my urgent need and grant my earnest petition. I will never forget the graces and favours you obtain for me and I will do my utmost to spread devotion to you. Amen.
Litany and the Novena Prayer…
Reflection: I know well the plans I have in mind for you – oracle of the Lord – plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope. When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you (Jeremiah 29:11-12).
Prayer:
O St. Jude Thaddeus, relative of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, glorious Apostle and Martyr, beloved of the Most Holy Trinity, rich in virtue and glorious in miracles, speedy advocate of those who invoke thee and trust in thee, O great patron and faithful helper in difficult situations! I too, in my misery come to thee. From the depths of my heart I call upon thee to hasten to my aid. On thee has God bestowed the privilege of assisting those who have almost despaired of all aid. look down then upon me. Come, O come to my aid, great and holy Apostle, that I may sing God’s praises and thine, and proclaim thy goodness and thy power. Amen. St. Jude, help of the Helpless, aid us in our distress. Blessed Apostle, with confidence we invoke thee. Litany and the Novena Prayer…
Day Four – Remember the Deeds of the Lord
Reflection: Lord, I have heard of your fame, I stand in awe at your deeds. Do them again in our days, in our days make them known…(Habakkuk 3:2; see also, Psalm 44).
Prayer:
Glorious Apostle, Saint Jude Thaddeus, I praise God for all the graces He has bestowed upon you, granting you the privilege of bringing help to those in despair. Intercede for me in my great need (now mention your petition) through your merits and prayers may I receive the consolation of divine help in my necessity so that I may praise the mercy of God on earth and bless Him eternally with you and all the elect in heaven. Ever mindful of your favour I will honour you as my heavenly patron, and encourage devotion to you in what way I can. Therefore, with confidence I invoke your aid: helper when hope is fading, help me in my distress. Amen.
Litany and the Novena Prayer…
Reflection: Thus says the Lord: in a time of favour I answer you, on the day of salvation I help you; I form you and set you as a covenant for the people, to restore the land and allot the devastated heritages (Isaiah 49:8)
Prayer:
Glorious Apostle, Saint Jude Thaddeus, true relative of Jesus and Mary, I salute thee through the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This this heart I praise and thank God for all the graces He has bestowed upon thee. Humbly prostrate before thee, I implore thee through this heart to look down upon me with compassion. Oh, despise not my poor prayer; let not my trust be confounded! To thee God has granted the privilege of aiding mankind in the most desperate case. Oh, come to my aid, that I may praise the mercies of God! All my life I will be grateful to thee and will be thy faithful client until I can thank thee in heaven.
Reflection: The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish… If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. (2 Peter 3:9; Habakkuk 2:2-3; see also, John 11).
(At the end of the reflection, any of the prayers as in the previous days may be taken as-well-as the litany and the Novena Prayer…)
Reflection: The angel then said, ‘Daniel, do not be afraid: from that first day when, the better to understand, you resolved to mortify yourself before God, your words have been heard; and your words are the reason why I have come. The Prince of the kingdom of Persia has been resisting me for twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the Chief Princes, came to my assistance. I have left him confronting the kings of Persia and have come to tell you what will happen to your people in the final days. For here is a new vision about those days (Daniel 10:12-14).
Reflection: On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until he establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62: 6-7; see also Exodus 17:8-13).
Reflection: And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us (1 john 5:14; see also, Matthew 6:9-10; 26:39-42).
