Near the Brokenhearted

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.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

St. Rita knew profound grief - the loss of her husband and both her sons. Yet Scripture promises that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. God does not stand at a distance from our pain; he draws closest precisely when our hearts are breaking.

Lord, you are near to the brokenhearted and you save those crushed in spirit. Draw near to me in my own sorrow, for you have not forgotten me. Through the intercession of St. Rita, who buried those she loved and kept her faith, bind up my wounds and let me feel how close you are. 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.