PRAYERS TO OUR LADY

Prayer To Our Lady Of Perpetual Help For the Conversion Of A Non-Catholic

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Trusting in thy goodness, O sweet Lady of Perpetual Help, because thou art the Mother of mercy and the refuge of sinners, we beseech thee to look with pitying eyes upon those who are living outside the pale of the one true Church.

So many non-Catholics possessed of kind hearts, with a charity for God’s poor, are honestly seeking religious truth, but with difficulty, because they are blinded by misinformation and inherited prejudice.

These souls, O Mother of Perpetual Help, are destitute of the knowledge of the one true Faith, yet they must be dear to thee as they are to the adorable Son Jesus, because he wanted them redeemed by His Precious Blood.

We plead with thee, O Mary, for the conversion of all those who walk in the darkness of error and sin. Virgin Mother, as thou art called “The Seat of Wisdom,” enlighten the minds of our separated brethren, that they may discover the consoling truths of our holy faith, and having discovered them, willingly accept and believe in them.

O Mary, grant us this wonderful favor, that all immortal souls ransomed by the Blood of thy dying Son, may soon be united to us by the bonds of divine charity, so that there may be but one fold and one Shepherd. Amen

Why is Jesus’ shoe falling off in the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help?

The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, however, shows Jesus in the midst of a sweetly childlike response to fear. The icon tells us this through the quietly dangling shoe on Jesus’ foot. In icons, falling shoes indicate that their wearer is experiencing intense fear or grief.

Jesus, then, has seen something which distressed Him and has run to His beloved Mother for comfort. Perched in her arms, He is clinging with both hands to her fingers and looking back over His shoulder.

Following His gaze, we see why He is frightened.

In the corners of the icon, the archangels Michael and Gabriel hover, holding the instruments of Our Lord’s Passion. Michael, on the left, bears the spear, the wine-soaked sponge, and the crown of thorns. Gabriel, on the right, holds the cross and the nails.

The Child Jesus knows that these instruments are a necessary part of His mission in the world. Nonetheless, His human nature shrinks from the realities of His Passion, and He flies to His Mother in such anguish that His shoe comes off.

Jesus set the example of rushing to His Blessed Mother for succor. In any distress, no matter how big or how miniscule, turn your prayers to His Mother.

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Permalink Reply by Gloria on January 12, 2023 at 8:36pm

† Blessed and exalted be the Precious Blood of Jesus and in the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with love and reparation. Fiat ! Hail Mary. Amen. †

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Permalink Reply by Judy Muller on January 13, 2023 at 5:56am