Feast of Mother Clelia, November 20 | “Hope is born of love…” 

This year’s Novena for the Feast of Blessed Clelia Merloni is an invitation to walk, day after day, a path of hope, trust, and surrender to the Heart of Jesus. Inspired by the words of Pope Francis and the maternal and faith-filled writings of Blessed Clelia, we are called to renew our hope in the midst of trials, to strengthen charity, and to grow in fidelity to the love of Christ. May this novena help us to open our hearts to grace, to welcome forgiveness, and to radiate the merciful love of the Heart of Jesus in the world, just as Mother Clelia lived it with humility, trust, and tenderness.

Day 1: November 11 – Hope Born of Love

From Pope Francis:
Hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus upon the cross: “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life” (Rom 5:19). That life becomes manifest in our own life of faith, which begins with Baptism, develops in openness to God’s grace and is enlivened by a hope constantly renewed and confirmed by the working of the Holy Spirit (Spes non Confundit, 3).

Words of Blessed Clelia:
Listen daughter, if you sometimes find yourself so troubled and disturbed that you cannot find peace, turn immediately to prayer and persevere in it, in imitation of Jesus Christ our Lord, who prayed three times in the garden, to show us that prayer [must] always be our recourse and refuge. Thus, dearest daughter, as much as you feel saddened and faint-hearted, you must not distance yourself from prayer until… your will is conformed to God’s and consequently, is fervent and peaceful and at the same time entirely quickened and undaunted in order to accept and embrace what you formerly feared and abhorred. (Mp., pp. 14-15)

Pause for Reflection

Prayer:
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.

Pause

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Day 2: November 12 – Perseverance That Generates Hope

From Pope Francis:
Saint Paul is a realist. He knows that life has its joys and sorrows, that love is tested amid trials, and that hope can falter in the face of suffering. Even so, he can write: “We boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Rom 5:3-4). (Spes non Confundit, 4).

Words of Blessed Clelia:
Don’t work feebly to acquire perfection; put all the ardor and noble enthusiasm of which you are capable into it. Carry the torch of holy love into all the corners and hidden places of your soul so that nothing will remain there that does not lead to the glory and honor of God. Apply the generous and constant effort of your will to this work. Forget the little bit of good you might have done in your past life, and strive for that holiness you haven’t yet acquired. Don’t be afraid of trials. Throw yourself full force into the loving arms of Jesus, and with Him you’ll be able to take giant steps along the way of perfection.
(Mg., II, p. 180)

Pause for Reflection

Prayer:
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.

Pause

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Day 3: November 13 – Hope, the Virtue That Guides the Heart

From Pope Francis:
Hope, together with faith and charity, makes up the triptych of the “theological virtues” that express the heart of the Christian life (cf. 1 Cor 13:13; 1 Thess 1:3). In their inseparable unity, hope is the virtue that, so to speak, gives inward direction and purpose to the life of believers. For this reason, the Apostle Paul encourages us to “rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, and persevere in prayer” (Rom 12:12). Surely we need to “abound in hope” (cf. Rom 15:13), so that we may bear credible and attractive witness to the faith and love that dwell in our hearts; that our faith may be joyful and our charity enthusiastic; and that each of us may be able to offer a smile, a small gesture of friendship, a kind look, a ready ear, a good deed, in the knowledge that, in the Spirit of Jesus, these can become, for those who receive them, rich seeds of hope (Spes non Confundit, 18).

Words of Blessed Clelia:
Let us try to believe him with living faith so that, filled with so much love and gratitude for our divine Redeemer, we can fruitfully proclaim Him, and impress upon others the same sentiments that penetrate our being… (Mg., I, pp.135-136)

Pause for Reflection

Prayer:
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.

Pause

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Day 4: November 14 – Hope in the Resurrection

From Pope Francis:
The death and resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our faith and the basis of our hope. Saint Paul states this succinctly by the use of four verbs: “I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the twelve” ( 1 Cor 15:3-5). Christ died, was buried, was raised and appeared. For our sake, Jesus experienced the drama of death. The Father’s love raised him in the power of the Spirit, and made of his humanity the first fruits of our eternal salvation. Christian hope consists precisely in this: that in facing death, which appears to be the end of everything, we have the certainty that, thanks to the grace of Christ imparted to us in Baptism, “life is changed, not ended”, forever. Buried with Christ in Baptism, we receive in his resurrection the gift of a new life that breaks down the walls of death, making it a passage to eternity (Spes nos Confundit, 20).

Words of Blessed Clelia:
Courage, then, and hope! After Calvary comes the resurrection, and in the resurrection the exhilaration of peace and victory. We need to obtain it; we all need to meet again in heaven. It is my wish, it is what I look forward to; Jesus knows how to make it come true. (MG II p. 71, Book 10, Letter 43)

Pause for Reflection

Prayer:
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.

Pause

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Day 5: November 15 – The Anchor of Hope

From Pope Francis:
In our journey towards the Jubilee, let us return to Scripture and realize that it speaks to us in these words: “May we who have taken refuge in him be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered” (Heb 6:18-20). Those words are a forceful encouragement for us never to lose the hope we have been given, to hold fast to that hope and to find in God our refuge and our strength.
The image of the anchor is eloquent; it helps us to recognize the stability and security that is ours amid the troubled waters of this life, provided we entrust ourselves to the Lord Jesus. The storms that buffet us will never prevail, for we are firmly anchored in the hope born of grace, which enables us to live in Christ and to overcome sin, fear and death. This hope, which transcends life’s fleeting pleasures and the achievement of our immediate goals, makes us rise above our trials and difficulties, and inspires us to keep pressing forward, never losing sight of the grandeur of the heavenly goal to which we have been called (Spes nos Confundit, 25).

Words of Blessed Clelia:
When God is the object of your undertakings, and when you try to do as much as you can, you must not torture yourself or be disturbed in any way. Have you understood, my daughter? Take care to preserve peace and tranquility of heart. Let the waves roar and pound against your boat and don’t be afraid; because God is there and thus, safety and holiness are too. (Mp., p. 120)

Pause for Reflection

Prayer:
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.

Pause

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Day 6: November 16 – Hope That Blooms in Pain 

From Pope Francis:
“Jesus wants to open our hearts to hope, to remove our anxiety and fear before the pain of the world. And so, he tells us that even as the sun grows dark and everything around us seems to be falling, he himself is drawing near. Amid the groans of our painful history, a future of salvation is beginning to blossom. Tomorrow’s hope flowers amid today’s pain. Indeed, God’s salvation is not only a future promise, but is even now at work within our wounded history… the kingdom of God is blossoming like the tender leaves of the tree and guiding history to its goal, to the final encounter with the Lord, the King of the universe who will definitively set us free.” – From his Homily on the World Day of the Poor, on November 14, 2021

Words of Blessed Clelia:
When God holds our hand, what does it matter that the way is dark? And if instead of finding you are better, you may feel at times that you have grown slack and it would seem to you that you are running backwards as shrimp do, don’t be discouraged; turn your glance to Jesus and, say with all your heart: “My God have mercy on me!” And then move on. – (Letters, Book 6, Ch.13)

Pause for Reflection

Prayer:
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.

Pause

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Day 7: November 17 – The Future Has a Name: Hope

From Pope Francis:
To Christians, the future does have a name, and its name is Hope. Feeling hopeful does not mean to be optimistically naïve and ignore the tragedy humanity is facing. Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn’t lock itself into darkness, that doesn’t dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow. 

Words of Blessed Clelia:
In whatever state of soul…you find yourself, remember that you live in God, who is infinitely good. Unite yourself to Him…; remember that He is offering you His hope and His grace here below, with the promise of His reward in the future life; He is only waiting for a word from your heart to protect and defend you; [thus] drive from your mind the discouraging thoughts that assail you. (Mg., I, p. 2 )

Pause for Reflection

Prayer:
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.

Pause

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Day 8: November 18 – God Walks With Us Always

From Pope Francis:
We have all had difficult moments in life, dark moments in which we walked in sadness, pensive, without horizons, with only a wall before us. And Jesus is always beside us to give us hope, to warm our hearts and to say: “Go ahead, I am with you. Go ahead”. The secret…is simply this: despite appearances to the contrary, we continue to be loved and God will never stop loving us. God will walk with us always, always, even in the most painful moments, even in the worst moments, even in moments of defeat. That is where the Lord is. And this is our hope. Let us go forward with this hope! Because he is beside us and walks with us. Always! – General Audience – May 24, 2017

Words of Blessed Clelia:
Ah, daughter, we need only God. He alone knows the secret to relieving our downcast hearts, and in Him alone we will always find the true comfort for our ills…often repeat that fiat that spreads calm even over the most tremendous pains and you will see that your anxiety, bit by bit, will bring resignation. Be strong. Be attached to Jesus. (MH II p.72, Book 8, Letter 10)

Pause for Reflection

Prayer:
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.

Pause

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Day 9: November 19 – Hope, Gift of God’s Mercy

From Pope Francis:
Hope is a gift of God. We must ask for it. It is placed deep within each human heart in order to shed light on this life, so often troubled and clouded by so many situations that bring sadness and pain. We need to nourish the roots of our hope so that they can bear fruit; primarily, the certainty of God’s closeness and compassion, despite whatever evil we have done. There is no corner of our heart that cannot be touched by God’s love. Whenever someone makes a mistake, the Father’s mercy is all the more present, awakening repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation and peace. – November 16, 2016, Vatican City

Words of Blessed Clelia:
Now, oh daughter, don’t you feel loved by God? Why, then, aren’t you always happy since you see how well protected you are by His divine heart? True, you offended Him, you disobeyed Him but in spite of all this, He loves you and has completely forgiven you… (Mg., App., p. 21-22)

Pause for Reflection

Prayer:
I praise You, O Merciful Father, for you have revealed to little ones the infinite treasures of the Heart of Your Son. Through the intercession of Blessed Clelia Merloni, who was confident in the Heart of Jesus, zealous in charity, patient in adversity, and heroic in forgiveness, I pray that I may obtain the grace I now ask of you.

Pause

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.