First, Be Reconciled

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

O God, in St. Rita you gave the world a model of patience in suffering and love toward enemies, and you answered her prayers in cases thought impossible. As I begin this novena, look upon my own difficult situation. Through her intercession, give me her peace, her forgiveness, and her unshaken trust in you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pause in silence, and bring to mind the intention you are praying for.

In the app, your own saved intention rests here during the silence. The narration stays the same for everyone.

leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

St. Rita is remembered above all as a peacemaker who reconciled bitter enemies, even within her own family. Jesus teaches that reconciliation comes before sacrifice - that a heart at war cannot rest before God. Before we ask for our needs, Rita invites us to lay down our grievances.

Lord, before I ask anything of you, you ask me to make peace. Soften the resentments I have carried and give me the will to be reconciled. Through the intercession of St. Rita, peacemaker of Cascia, help me to release what I have held against others, so that I may come to you with an undivided heart. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

St. Rita, advocate of impossible and desperate cases, you bore deep wounds of heart and body and never lost your peace. Take my intention, which seems beyond hope, and lay it before God. Obtain for me the grace to forgive, the patience to endure, and the faith to trust that nothing is impossible for him. Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.