Novena | San Lorenzo

San Lorenzo Ruiz Novena

Novena to San Lorenzo Ruiz De Manila

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You,
and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven
and the pains of hell, but most of all, because they offend You, my God,
who art all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve with the help of your grace,

to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. AMEN.

Let us Pray:
O God, our loving Father: Your Son Jesus Christ delivered himself in sacrifice to You for the love of men. Inspire us to love You with all our heart to the point of sacrifices. Your providential hand led your servants San Lorenzo and Companions to the land of Japan to imitate the sacrifice of Christ and to proclaim the Gospel of truth and the message of salvation. We humbly beseech You, through the intercession of these Holy martyrs, that we be given the grace of remaining faithful to You always as they did and that the light of the Gospel illumine all corners of our Christian motherland and of all countries near and far. We ask you this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Silently mention the special favor you ask for through this novena)
One "Our Father…"
Ten "Hail Mary's…"
One "Glory be…"

ACT OF CONTRITION

PRAYER FOR THE SICK

Beloved Saints Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and Martyr Companions, to you do we come for help. Help us to have the same faith and love that you had for God. We call upon you today on behalf of ________________________
our ailing beloved ones. By your prayers and intercession, obtain for them, not only comfort and peace for their souls, but also vigor, strength and health for their bodies. We place our entire confidence in you because we know that God loves you and that you care for us. We earnestly pray that our sick ones be purified and revitalized in every cell, tissue, nerve and organ, so that the bodily limbs may function effectively again. Through your powerful intercession, help our sick to receive the grace of God's miraculous compassion, so that they will be completely whole again, and thereby be able to continue serving God faithfully in this life to the best of their strength and to attain the salvation to which you arrived. AMEN.

PRAYER IN TIME OF ADVERSITY

Beloved Saints Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and Companion Martyrs: You who experienced the supreme sacrifice of martyrdom for the proclamation of the Christian faith, inspire us with your strength and firmness of conviction to withstand the adversities of our lives and the difficulties of our existence. Teach us with your marvelous example and saintly wisdom to turn trials into blessings, by showing us the glory that comes from discovering the redemptive power of God's love. When times are full of grief, when moments are suffused with worry, let us feel your presence in our midst, so that we will be aware that you are by our side, strengthening us and interceding for us before Almighty God that we may have patience in our sufferings and consolation in our hardships. Help us realize that only in knowing our weakness can we be strong, only undergoing sadness can we find real happiness, and only passing through trials and distress can we find peace, encouragement and spiritual joy. AMEN.

LORENZO RUIZ UNA NAMING MARTIR

Lorenzo Ruiz una naming martir
Totoong kay rami ng pagtutunggali
Sa buong buhay mo
Halos di mawari,
makailang ulit muntik na mag-api
Ngunit nakaraos ng maluwalhati.
Pananampalataya di mo itinatwa
Nanindigan kang Kristyano sa diwa
At napatunayang kahit sa gawa
Mga naghihirap sa'yo ay namangha.
Ng ika' pinilit na iyong talikdan
Pananampalatayang iyong kinagisnan
Buong tatag man din na 'yong tinuran
Ako ay Kristyano at handang mamatay
Libu-libong buhay kung may'ron man ako
Sa Panginoong Diyos ay ihahandog ko.

SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA
First Filipino Martyr and Saint Canonized in Rome by Pope John Paul II

San Lorenzo Ruiz is the first Filipino Saint and martyr. He was a layman, married, and had 3 children. He was born circa 1600 in Binondo, Manila, and he was educated in Dominican schools. In his younger years, San Lorenzo served at the convent of Binondo church as a sacristan. Not only did he learn Spanish there but also catechism. After several years, San Lorenzo Ruiz earned the title of "escribano" or notary. He became an active member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, an organization devoted to the Blessed Virgin.

In 1636, he was falsely accused of murder and sought asylum on board a ship with three Dominican priests, Saint Antonio Gonzalez, Saint Guillermo Courtet, and Saint Miguel de Aozaraza, a Japanese priest, Saint Vicente Shiwozuka de la Cruz, and a layman named Saint Lazaro of Kyoto, a leper. The boat landed at Okinawa and the group was arrested on basis of their Christian religion.

At that time, there was a wide scale persecution of Christians. All those who professed faith in God and served as missionaries were jailed and even put to death. Their lives were to be spared if they would renounce their Christians faith. But thousands of those Christians chose death rather than renouncing their belief in God. And San Lorenzo Ruiz was among those who underwent excruciating forms of persecution. On September 27, 1637, he was hung upside down from the gallows with his body falling into a pit. After two days of agony, he died of bleeding and suffocation. His body along with other martyrs were set on fire and the ashes carried out of the Nagasaki Bay and thrown into the sea near the little island of Io-Juma, to prevent their veneration by the Christians.

When the San Lorenzo was being interrogated and asked whether to grant him life if he renounced his faith, he replied with these noble words: “I am a Christian, and this I profess until the hour of my death and for God I shall give my life…and had I many thousands of lives, I shall offer them for Him. And so, do with me as you please.”

San Lorenzo Ruiz was proclaimed "Blessed" in February 1981 at Luneta, together with 16 other companions, in connection with Pope John Paul II's papal visit to the Philippines. He was canonized and declared a "Saint" on October 18, 1987 in Rome.