Novena to St. Pius X - Day 1
Loyal Disciple of the Master
The Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau chose St. Pius X as their patron saint and we have done the same for this newsletter and media project. Throughout his life, and particularly during his papacy, St. Pius X was a bold defender of the Church and her traditions; opposing modernist ideologies and promoting scholastic theology. Join us in praying this novena as we ask for St. Pius X’s intercession.
This novena comes from a booklet written by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik in 1954.
Loyal Disciple of The Master
Reflection
In the address to a crowd of half a milÂlion faithful assembled in St. Peter's Square to witness the canonization of St. Pius X, Pope Pius XII said: "This hour of splendid triumph fills our heart with joy. And God, Who lifts up the lowly, has arranged and, as it were, hastened it in order to set His seal on the marvelous elevation of His faithful servant Pius X, to the supreme glory of the altars . . . This wonderful eveÂning the endearing name of Pius X, proÂnounced in most diverse accents, spans the whole earth. Its sound is an enduring testiÂmony to the fruitful presence of Christ in His Church, for it evokes everywhere asÂpirations to sanctity, great graces of faith, of purity, of devotion to the Holy Eucharist. God, Who rewards with liberality, bears witness to His servant's lofty sanctity in exalting him. It was this sanctity, even more than the supreme office he held, that made Pius X an outstanding hero of the Church, and as such he is today the Saint raised up by Providence for our times ...
"The well-spring of the legislative work of Pius X is to be looked for above all in his personal sanctity, in his profound perÂsonal conviction that the reality of God, which he experienced in a life of constant union, is the source and basis of all order, all justice, all law on earth ...
"Sanctity, which was the inspiration and directing force of the undertakings of Pius X, is still more clearly discernible in his personal life. Before applying it to others, he put into practice in his own life his proÂgram of unifying all things in Christ. First as a humble parish priest, then as Bishop, and finally as Supreme Pontiff he was intiÂmately convinced that the sanctity to which God called him was priestly sanctity. For what sanctity is more pleasing to God in a priest of the new law than that which beÂlongs to him as representative of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Who left to His Church in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass a memorial for all time and a perÂpetual renovation of His sacrifice on the cross, until He shall come for the Last Judgement : and Who in the Sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist has given Himself as the food of the soul : 'He who eats this bread shall live forever.' "
+Pope Pius XII, May 29, 1954.
Prayer
Saint Pius, loyal disciple of the MasÂter, pray for me that I may imitate you in your devoted love for Jesus Christ. May I live my life according to the teaching and example of the Son of God, who said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
May the spirit and life of Jesus flood my soul, and penetrate and possess my whole being so completely that all my life may be a radiant reflection of His, just as yours ever was. Pray for me to the Holy· Spirit, that He may form me by grace into "Another Christ." Pray that Jesus may shine through me and be so in me that I may spread His fragrance everywhere, and every soul I come in contact with may feel His presence in my soul.
And since it is especially through the Sacrament of the Altar that I become like Jesus, give me a tender devotion to the Holy Eucharist. I wish to reÂceive my Jesus frequently - as you have ever urged the faithful to do
so that from this intimate union I may draw the divine light and moral strength I need to fashion my life according to the divine Will. Thus may I come to live by Jesus, as you lived by Him in your lifetime.
Through this divine life which I share in Holy Communion, I hope to be protected from mortal sin, purified of venial sins and failings, and encourÂaged by divine love and grace, reach true holiness. Amen.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.
Saint Pius, loyal disciple of the MasÂter, pray for us.