The message of Walsingham is centred upon the Annunciation and as part of a community dedicated to Our Lady of Walsingham in a particular way, the Annunciation therefore forms a central part of our spirituality. As we journey towards the great Feast of the Annunciation it is an opportunity to ask for the grace to give our own fiat, our own yes, in imitation of Our Lady’s. The novena for the Annunciation is the perfect opportunity to seek these graces as outlined below. And not only for ourselves, but also on behalf of all those who do not believe which was an important aspect of the visions at Fatima.
The importance of giving our yes goes back to the core of our identity as men and women created in the image and likeness of God, to fully and freely assent to his love and live in it always. That is the ultimate yes, and all the little and large ‘no’s we utter take us out of this eternal commune of love. The times we utter a ‘no’ are times where we are actually being untrue to a fundamental component of who we are made to become.
That is why Mary is so important to have as a model of what it is to live in that fullness of life which Christ offers to us each day. But how do we get to this point? To give our yes in each and every moment sounds all very well, but in the nitty gritty of daily life it can be such a challenge to give our own yes. Tensions within a family, that overbearing manager at work, the death of a loved one, illness, the loss of a job...from the bigger crosses to the little splinters life presents us with, giving our yes can be a great challenge! And yet this is the only way in which we can experience what try and authentic joy is.
It is only by giving our full and total yes to God that we can live in the authentic joy and peace God desires for us, as Pope St John Paul II wrote: “that joy and true peace which all ardently hope for, even in our times, only springs forth in full acceptance of the divine will.” Firstly, let us remember not to conflate joy and happiness. Happiness is simply a feeling, like pleasure, and therefore it is transient. On the other hand, joy is a grace and one of the fruits of the Spirit. The consequence of this is that it is not something which can be taken away by circumstances but, in a mysterious manner, can endure even amidst times of difficulty and suffering.
Joy comes from a place of freedom where, like Mary, we can place ourselves wholly into his hands, trusting in his timing, his providence and his goodness which can permeate even the most insurmountable and debilitating of circumstances. We see this reflected in Mary at the Annunciation, she could have protested that it was better for God to wait until she was married for the Word to become Flesh in her, it was a bit inconvenient to decide to do it now when it could become such a scandal. Surely that would damage his plan? Another time may be better. And for goodness’ sake, of all times to call for a census when heavily pregnant! Talk about bad timing… Hence why Mary was chosen to be the Mother of God and not us! She was able to receive everything from God’s hand as willed by Him.
There is a valuable, if challenging lesson contained within this. Are we able to accept the reality of our situation in life as coming from God’s hand? To accept that he can work in and with all things, people, places and situations. This is a challenge as we all hold within us an ideal which can oftentimes be very far removed from the reality of our life! That is not to say we should do away with our ideals, but to remember that our life is primarily one of growth in faith, hope and charity and that all else is ultimately secondary to this.
This may not be immediately apparent. Mary was not omniscient, all-knowing as God is, she was not able to see clearly God’s wider plan and vision, but she trusted. Remember that it wasn’t until she was later with Elizabeth, that she sang her song of praise and thanksgiving in the Magnificat. We can only trust when we have that deeper certitude that God truly is a God for us all-loving and can unfailingly write straight on the crooked lines of our life.
Therefore, another attribute of joy that we can learn from the Annunciation is that it can also take time for it to reach its flowering and maturity. I It is like the seed in the Gospel of Mark sown by the farmer: “night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how,” (Mark 4:27). Joy can take time to come to its full fruition and oftentimes appears unlooked for.
Finally, it is important to also consider how we must live our life with intentionality and an awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit resting over each moment. Mary at the Annunciation models this so beautifully, she was able to receive the message from the Angel as truly being that of God and to dynamically grasp the opportunity presented in this moment. It should cause us to reflect on how aware we are of God’s voice seeking us out in every moment. Or are we just on autopilot and allowing ourselves to be carried along by the current of life? It can be challenging to live with that greater degree of intentionality and responsiveness rather than just reactiveness. And yet this is the only way to truly grasp the height, the depth, the breadth of God’s love which is with us in each moment.
So let us pray for one another as we journey through this novena and pray for the grace to imitate Mary at the Annunciation with a greater depth and fervour in our daily lives. May Mary, through her prayers and example, draw us closer to her Son who longs to be born into our lives anew in each moment and thereby give us the joy which we were created for.
16th March - Novena Day 1: For Growth in Faith
Welcome to the first day of our novena to Our Lady of Walsingham, it is a great joy to be journeying together to the Feast of Annunciation on the 25th March. We unite ourselves in prayer with all others joining in with this novena which we offer especially for the reconversion of this nation, for those who have fallen away from the faith and all those particular intentions we carry in our hearts.
REFLECTION
Today we pray for a growth in faith. As Christians we are called to look at the world from a different perspective, to see life with a broader vision, that is, through the eyes of faith. It is remembering that faith is not a matter of feeling. It is something deeper than our senses, emotions and even thoughts. It is a firm certainty in God’s love and His promises, though we may feel fear, doubts and anxieties, we still turn to Him in trust and surrender, even as Mary did from the time she gave her ‘yes’ at the Annunciation, to that ‘yes’ at the foot of the Cross.
PRAYER
Let us turn in prayer to Our Lady of Walsingham. Mother Mary, we ask for your intercession for us, for the grace to walk by faith and not by sight. To persevere in our respective callings especially when in the midst of darkness and sorrow, recognising that God’s love can be found in all things if we have the eyes to see. We ask for your intercession, heavenly mother, for a transformation in the way we see the world. To see others and ourselves through God’s eyes, having faith in His infinite love for us in all our poverty and weakness, and so come to the fullness of life which can only be found in and through faith. And now in a moment of silence we place before you our intentions….
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
O Mary, teach us always to say yes to the Lord
every moment of our life.
O Mary, teach us always to give thanks to the Lord
every moment of our life.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
All you saints and martyrs of this nation, pray for us. Amen.
17th March -
Novena Day 2: For Growth in Obedience
REFLECTION
Oftentimes, we may think of obedience as something more reserved for religious who take a vow promising this. However, obedience to God, to the Church and to those in legitimate authority over us is important. There are also particular obediences found in each state of life. Married couples to their spouses, children and work commitments, a priest to his Bishop and parish, a religious to their superior and rule of life, to give some brief examples.
Mary never disobeyed God, not in thought, word or deed but was wholly and totally available to Him in every moment. As she said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord,” the servant of the Lord. She was able to offer herself completely in obedience because she had a heart ready and willing to be formed by the action of the Holy Spirit in every circumstance. Obedience is one of the hardest things for us to live well, as it often involves going against our natural likes and inclinations. But the grace is there and waiting for us, a grace God earnestly desires to give us all. Each of us is presented with so many opportunities each day to be obedient to the voice of God, to give up our will in exchange for doing and living in His. It can take time and patience to discern what this is in our daily lives. But the more we pray and ask for grace, the clearer it will become.
PRAYER
And so, we turn to you, Our Lady of Walsingham, to ask for an increase in the virtue of obedience. We pray that you may intercede for us that we may have a greater willingness to be taught and formed by the Holy Spirit in each moment, along with the grace to correspond at an ever deeper level to the Father’s will. We ask for hearts and minds which are humble, ready and willing to be formed and shaped by the Father’s loving hand, so that in imitation of you, Our Blessed Mother, we can declare in joy and sorrow: ‘Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word!’
One Our Father, one Hail Mary & one Glory Be.
O Mary, teach us always to say yes to the Lord
every moment of our life.
O Mary, teach us always to give thanks to the Lord
every moment of our life.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
All saints and martyrs of Britain, pray for us. Amen.
18th March - Novena Day 3: For Growth in Humility
REFLECTION
Today we pray for an increase in the grace of humility. St Bernard says that humility is “the foundation and guardian of all the virtues,” and time and time again the saints and the Church declare that humility is to be the bedrock and cornerstone on which we build our spiritual lives. Humility means to see ourselves as God sees us, that is, with unconditional love and kindness. True humility does not fill us with sadness, misery or despair, but rather causes us to rejoice in our nothingness, our poverty and littleness recognising that God in His mercy will lift us up and do all things for us. As Mary rejoices in her Magnificat, “He looks on His servant in her lowliness…the Almighty works marvels for me…He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly.” Humility enables us to step back and give God the freedom to work in our lives as and when He wills.
PRAYER
Our Lady of Walsingham, we ask that today and always you may clothe us in humility, the virtue through which you became Mother of God. Mother of Jesus and of us all, bring us to union with Christ who was truly humble of heart. Let our lives be lived in union with Him and with you, ready to accept the daily crosses of life which are meant to draw us closer to God. In our families and communities may we come to better imitate the Holy Family in their humility, recognising that when we are weak, then we are strong. We ask for a greater understanding of our own nothingness, that each day He may increase and we decrease so that we may learn to be truly emptied of our own selves in order to be filled with all the fullness of God. We now pause for a moment in silence to surrender our particular intentions for this novena into your hands…
One Our Father, one Hail Mary & one Glory Be.
O Mary, teach us always to say yes to the Lord
every moment of our life.
O Mary, teach us always to give thanks to the Lord
every moment of our life.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
All saints and martyrs of England, pray for us. Amen.
19th March - Novena Day 4: For Growth in Detachment
REFLECTION
On this 4th day of our novena to Our Lady of Walsingham, we reflect on and pray for a growth in detachment. In our communities’ Book of Life it says that “the spirit of detachment…is one of the characteristics of the anawim of the Lord. The anawim of the Old Testament were the poor of every sort who depended totally on God for whatever they needed… So we trust in God’s love for us, revealed in whatever He sends from moment to moment. In times of suffering, the anawim remained faithful and awaited the good things of the Lord to fill their emptiness… They delighted in the Lord because they were rooted in Him.” All that we have and are comes from God, there is nothing we have that has not already been given to us as St Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians chapter 6.
PRAYER
Mary Our Mother, we ask your intercession that we may be granted a spirit of greater detachment. Help us to become evermore surrendered to the will of the Father and so to stand before Him with hands open, ready to surrender our own wants and preferences so that He may be able to give us what He desires as He knows what we need. We ask for a discerning heart, to see more clearly the things in our life which hold us back from a deeper relationship with Christ and that which draws us closer to Him. May we learn more in each moment to seek God’s will and not our own so we too can say with you, ‘Fiat, your will be done in me!’ We now pause for a moment in silence to surrender our particular intentions for this novena into your hands…
One Our Father, one Hail Mary & one Glory Be.
O Mary, teach us always to say yes to the Lord
every moment of our life.
O Mary, teach us always to give thanks to the Lord
every moment of our life.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
All saints and martyrs of this nation, pray for us. Amen.
20th March - Novena Day 5: To Give Our Fiat More Totally and Freely
REFLECTION
Throughout this time of novena, we have reflected a great deal on what it means to give our ‘yes’ to God. Mary models for us how to give our own yes more totally and freely. This is something which does not take place overnight. We can only give a ‘yes’ to God in the larger things in life if we have already given our ‘yes’ in the smaller things. Be it holding back a sharp word, a small act of sacrifice and denial, setting aside those few minutes for prayer when we would prefer to be elsewhere…All of this builds up an interior disposition so that, day by day, we can grow towards giving a freer and more total yes. And in all this to also have patience with ourselves for those times when we fall and to remember that God is infinite in His mercy and forgiveness.
PRAYER
Mary, our mother, sister and guide, we ask today for an increase in grace to give our own fiat, our yes, to the will of God in all circumstances. As we journey deeper into the mystery of God’s will and His love for us, we ask for the grace to stay faithful to our yes to Him; and to time and again, repeat our ‘fiat,’ not just for ourselves, but for all those who fail to give praise and glory to the Trinity. Our Lady of Walsingham, intercede for us, that our wills, minds and hearts may become increasingly united and transformed into that of your Son, so we can declare our own ‘Fiat’ to the Father’s Will. We now have a moment of silent prayer, giving to Our Lord those intentions we carry in our hearts…
One Our Father, one Hail Mary & one Glory Be.
O Mary, teach us always to say yes to the Lord
every moment of our life.
O Mary, teach us always to give thanks to the Lord
every moment of our life.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
All saints and martyrs of this nation, pray for us. Amen.
21st March - Novena Day 6: For Growth in a Spirit of Thanksgiving
REFLECTION
Today, on our 6th day of this novena to Our Lady of Walsingham, we pray for a growth in a spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude. This is a disposition which takes time to cultivate, especially in today’s world which seems to constantly be searching for more and more, not taking time to be and savour what we have been given already. Our Lady of Walsingham shows us that in order to live joy authentically, we must first have hearts which can sing a song of thanksgiving for all God has done, the ups and downs, the joys and sorrows, the twists and turns, recognising God turns everything to our good. As we learn to do this more and more each day, we too can enter into the song of the Magnificat with Mary, knowing that God has done all things for us and His goodness is without end.
PRAYER
Our Lady of Walsingham, today we ask for your prayers for us for an increase in a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving. We pray for fresh eyes, minds and hearts to perceive and give thanks to the Father for the gift hidden in every moment and circumstance. We ask that our lives would be transformed evermore into a constant song of thanksgiving to the Lord for all that He has done for us and for all that He is. We now have a moment of silent prayer, giving to Our Lord those intentions we carry in our hearts…
One Our Father, one Hail Mary & one Glory Be.
O Mary, teach us always to say yes to the Lord
every moment of our life.
O Mary, teach us always to give thanks to the Lord
every moment of our life.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
All saints and martyrs of this nation, pray for us. Amen.
22nd March - Novena Day 7: For An Increase in Joy
REFLECTION
As we have said many times throughout this novena to Our Lady of Walsingham, the message of Walsingham is all about joy! This is why Our Lady asked for a replica of the Holy House to be built there, because she desires us to share in that joy, that fullness of joy only God can give. Pope Francis talks in His exhortation ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ that the mark of a Christian ought to be joy – for “with Christ – joy is constantly born anew.” But joy cannot be forced or obtained through sheer willpower and gritted teeth. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit, something freely given when we have reached the point of surrender and thanksgiving. When we, like Mary, can stand before God in simplicity with empty hands and allow God to fill us in His time, recognising that He knows our times and seasons better than we know ourselves. As C.S. Lewis’s wonderful book is titled, it is allowing ourselves to be ‘Surprised by Joy!’ So often this grace appears in the depths of our hearts unlooked for, when we have united ourselves more deeply to God’s will. So let us pray for the graces to do what we can to cultivate this spirit of joy, utilising what we have reflected on over the past 30 days, all for God’s greater glory.
PRAYER
Mother Mary, we ask today and for each day for an increase in joy. Pray that the Holy Spirit may open up our hearts, minds and eyes to a greater sensitivity and awareness of those moments of joy God places in our lives, recognising that it is a gift to all those who seek His will. We ask for the grace to see the beauty of God’s call and of His will unfolding in each moment, and to respond to this with the same joy you experienced at the moment of the Annunciation. Help us today and always, to be eager and ready to respond to the call of the Spirit, and to be evermore open to the joy He brings. We now surrender to God our Father all the intentions we carry with us, especially for those areas of our life in which we need to encounter the joy of the Holy Spirit….
One Our Father, one Hail Mary & one Glory Be.
O Mary, teach us always to say yes to the Lord
every moment of our life.
O Mary, teach us always to give thanks to the Lord
every moment of our life.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
All saints and martyrs of this nation, pray for us. Amen.
23th March - Novena Day 8: To Live Vocationally
REFLECTION
Mary is our vocational model. Vocation is more than just our state in life, that is, being a husband, wife, priest, nun and so forth, it is recognising that we are ‘called by name,’ chosen by God to show forth His love in the world in a totally unique and unrepeatable way. This is the preciousness, the gift of our life. This living in a vocational manner comes to greater fruition when we see, at an ever-deeper level, that our life is a response to the love of God which He pours out upon us always. It is not necessarily about what we do for Him, it is all about what He does for us. Mary recognised her uniqueness and her value as God’s beloved daughter, that was at the heart of her identity and enabled her to give that resounding ‘yes’ in those moments when it was asked of her.
PRAYER
So we pray today for the grace to live our lives vocationally, to recognise that we are called and chosen by God, unique and precious in His eyes. Like you Mother Mary we seek, to live in response to the love we have received, to better respond to our call to union with God and for growth in those promises made at our baptism. We pray that in each moment we would be ready to respond with generosity to the Father’s call, however it comes and wherever it leads. We also ask for your intercession for each one of us, for our families, our friends, our coworkers, our communities…We pray for a strengthening of our vocations and for theirs as we draw ever closer to God through your Immaculate Heart. We now give to you our particular intentions for which we ask you to pray….
One Our Father, one Hail Mary & one Glory Be.
O Mary, teach us always to say yes to the Lord
every moment of our life.
O Mary, teach us always to give thanks to the Lord
every moment of our life.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
All saints and martyrs of this nation, pray for us. Amen.
24th March - Novena Day 9: For the Word to Become Flesh in us
How incredible to now be almost at the end of our novena to Our Lady of Walsingham. We are all so grateful to you for joining us in this journey or prayer and reflection discovering more the message of Walsingham and the way in which we can live out its message.
REFLECTION
So, at the heart of Walsingham is the message of the joy of the Incarnation, this veneration and celebration of the Word Made Flesh. The more we surrender, the more that the Word will be made flesh in each aspect of our lives, so that more and more we take on the sentiments and the attitudes of Christ. As it says in our communities’ Book of Life: “Our life is to be, “another humanity for Him [Christ], in which He can renew His whole Mystery.” This incarnational journey will hasten the coming of God’s Kingdom in our land and throughout the world.” We are called to bring Him to each and every aspect of our lives, in imitation of Mary to be ‘God bearers’ in our own way.
PRAYER
As we end our novena to Our Lady of Walsingham we pray that the graces received may be planted deep within us and bear fruit. May we grow in interior freedom and so create that space for the Word to become flesh, to become incarnate, in each aspect of our existence, that each one of us may bring Christ to those whom we encounter. May our heart, mind and will be evangelised, purified, transformed and liberated to live totally immersed in and for God alone, and so become, like Our Lady, a dwelling fit for the Trinity.
One Our Father, one Hail Mary, one Glory Be.
O Mary, teach us always to say yes to the Lord
every moment of our life.
O Mary, teach us always to give thanks to the Lord
every moment of our life.
Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.
All you saints and martyrs of this nation, pray for us. Amen.
