In casting myself at thy feet, O loving Mother, to ask thee: (here mention your request), I cannot help remembering that thou camest on the mountain of La Salette, first of all, to remind me of my Christian duties. Therefore, there is no surer way for me to have my petition granted, than to return to the friendship of Jesus, by a sincere confession, and to endeavor with my whole strength to overcome my besetting sin. O Virgin Reconciler of sinners, obtain for me this most precious of all graces, for, with it all the rest shall be added unto me. The numberless miracles obtained by those who invoke thee under the title of Our Lady of La Salette, fill my heart with hope that my petition shall prove as fortunate as those addressed to thee, by so many other suppliants. Vouchsafe, O Mother, during each day of my novena, to instill into my heart some of the teaching of thy merciful Apparition.

Practice--Consecrate yourself to Our Lady of La Salette.

O sorrowful Mother, why those tears shed in the wild solitude, on the rock which thou madest for a while thy earthly throne?

My child, happy would I be, if my grief should inspire you with a heart-felt sorrow for your sins, and with a firm resolution to lead a better life! The land of your heart, as the Prophet says, is made desolate, because of your love for the world and its empty pleasures, because of your forgetfulness to meditate upon the most important truths of faith, i.e., your last end, together with the dreadful consequences, both here and hereafter, of your thoughtlessness. Retire into solitude and there my Son will speak to your heart, and will breathe into your soul the proper means of securing your salvation.

O Mother, the motives that urge me to mingle my tears with thine are innumerable. I will not resist Jesus' call any longer. Henceforth, with thy powerful aid, my thoughts, words and actions shall correspond to the wishes of the Divine Heart of Jesus.

Practice--Recite ten Hail Marys and ten invocations to Our Lady of La Salette to ask for a deep hatred of sin.

What, O Mother, is the meaning of the bright cross which shines upon thy breast? Why this stream of tears trickling down thy heavenly face and rolling over the golden cross on which they are burnt away as on a fire of Love?

My child, was your soul never defiled by a mortal sin? Did you never scoff at my Son, thus crucifying anew your Saviour and your God? Is not the cross, that sacred emblem of salvation, scornfully banished from all the places where it used once to stand in honor? Such iniquities should be washed away by tears of blood! Strive, therefore, to appease my Son's wrath and to mitigate His vengeance. Stand in fear that the Sacred Blood which once flowed on Calvary, should now fall revengefully upon your head, and the heads of those you hold dearest in this world! Dread that you should be deserted by God! Contemplate Jesus on His Cross. Humbly adore Him and pour forth your most heart-felt thanks at His feet. Remember that, with Him, there is a remedy for every evil. There is no virtue but finds in Him a perfect model. Bear His cross on your breast, but chiefly in your heart. And in return, heaven shall be your reward.

Practice--Kneel before a crucifix and say an act of contrition for your sins.

The witnesses of thy Apparition, O sweet Mother, vie with each other in telling me of the extreme simplicity of thy dress, and the modesty of thy looks. What a lesson for my pride and vanity, to behold thee clothed with a common gown, a simple neckerchief, a humble apron, and a cap completely covering thy ears and thy hair. Who could but admire thy carefulness in concealing thy angelic face from the eyes of the small boy? No sorrowful Mother, thou couldst not more forcibly reprove pride, luxuriousness and sensuality, the allurements of which make numberless victims, both in this world and in the next. Help me, O Mother, to fly from the world and its distractions; to lead an interior life in order to become like Saint Paul, "the good odor of Christ unto God." Help me to understand better that, to keep my heart pure, I must endeavor to be humble, to love mortification and to shun the sinful pleasures of the world.

Practice--Recite the Litany of Our Lady of La Salette.

The flood of thy tears at La Salette, O sorrowful Mother, ceased only with thy words, as the little shepherdess said. And it was noticed that thou didst weep more abundantly, while speaking of our greatest sins, i. e., blasphemy, profanation of the Lord's day, violation of the laws of fast and abstinence, rebellion against God and His Church, indifference in regard to thy supernatural warnings, and ingratitude for thy gifts and thy love. Let thy tear-be- dewed face always be before my eyes, that it may soften my heart, and impart to it the grace of a true repentance! And to prove that I am heartily sorry for my sins, I will, from this day, spare no effort to combat the great crimes with which thou didst reproach us in thy Apparition.

Practice--Recite an act of reparation for the sins of mankind.

O Jesus, my Saviour and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy Name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the Holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; sheld them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy Name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Ghost world without end. Amen.

Do you pray well, my child? . . . You should pray morning and evening. You know what my Son says about prayer in His Gospel: "We ought always to pray, and not to faint," i. e., not to be faint-hearted in prayer. "For without me," that is, without my grace, "you can do nothing" meritorious for heaven. Remember that grace is granted only through prayer. "But," says my Son, "if you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you." Ask, therefore, with a pure and righteous heart, confidently, submissively, perseveringly, "and you shall receive". Prayer is the key of the heavenly treasures. The cry of your misery goest up to God, and mercy descends forthwith. If, then, you wish to be a saint, be a lover of prayer. I myself pray incessantly for you in heaven. --O sweet Mother, help me to understand the deep meaning of these few words! I will never forget that prayer is a necessity for the human heart, and the happiness of life.

Practice--Examine yourself to see how you say your daily prayers.

Who would imagine, O loving Mother, that man is so wicked and so careless about his own welfare, as to turn into a deadly poison for his soul what God, in His infinite mercy, intended for his salvation, and for his greatest happiness. And yet, this is exactly what we learn from one of thy maternal reproaches: "They go to Mass," sayest thou, "only to scoff at religion!"

Alas! how many Catholics are there, who keep entirely away from the church? And if they do go, their evil dispositions make them all the more guilty. How many poor sinners are there, who, instead of going to the sacred fountains of the Sacraments to quench the fire of their unruly passions, scornfully disdain these divine gifts and sacrilegiously profane them! Would to God that, with thy all powerful help, I should never defile my soul with a sacrilege! My confessions shall always be as sincere as I would have them when my last day comes. Henceforth my respectful behavior in assisting, at Mass, will prove my tender love and my profound esteem for this holy Sacrifice.

Practice--Attend Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion.

O loving Mother, how vividly real do the secrets of thy maternal heart appear in thy merciful Apparition! How greatly they increase and strengthen my confidence in thee! O amiable Mother, how mercifully thou bearest the rebukes encountered in thy endeavors to bring back to God the hearts of thy erring children. One may remain deaf to the call of thy love and engaging goodness; but he will yield to thy tears. For the tears of a mother go straight to the heart and melt it. But, as regards those whose hardened hearts despise even thy tears, thou hast awful threats and terrible chastisements in store for them. Yet, even then, how much like those of a mother are thy reproofs and punishments! With one hand thou strikest, while with the other thou upholdest. Even when we go astray, thy watchful and maternal eyes follow us in the minutest details of life, to detect the slightest good sentiments of our hearts, in order to reward them. Who would not strive to inflame every heart with love and respect for thee?

Practice--Speak to one of your friends and acquaintances of Our Lady of La Salette.

The days of my novena have come to an end, and I have hardly begun to meditate upon the teachings of thy Apparition. How solacing for our wearied hearts to contemplate thee and to pour forth our humble prayers at thy feet! Hours spent with thee are but as instants which pass with a flight as rapid as that of the lightning-flash. But, as thou didst once say to the shepherds enraptured by thy sight: "Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people"; so now thou addressest me with the same warning: Well, my child, you will make my teachings known to all my people. Love rejoices to express itself by sacrifices and devotedness. Teach, then, all those about you the necessity of serving God. Make known to them the religious observances, and the delight found in the service of God. And, to fulfill this sacred duty, meditate upon the teachings of my Apparition. O my child, let your heart be inflamed like that of your Mother with the fire of holy zeal for God's glory! Remember that by edifying your fellow-creatures, and procuring their salvation, you secure your own. Yes! heaven is the prize!

Practice--Make the Stations of the Cross for the Souls in Purgatory.

Our Lady of La Salette, Mother of God,
pray for us.

Our Lady of La Salette, Queen and Mother of men,
pray for us.

Our Lady of La Salette, Messenger of Divine Mercy,
pray for us.

Our Lady of La Salette, all-powerful suppliant,
pray for us.

Thou who restrainest the arm of the Lord angered against us,
pray for us.

Thou who sheddest so many tears on account of our sins and misfortunes,
pray for us.

Thou who carest so much for us, in spite of all our ingratitude,
pray for us.

Thou who dost so lovingly invite us to have recourse to thee,
pray for us.

Thou who dost reproach us with our violation of Sunday and with blasphemy,
pray for us.

Thou who dost complain so sorrowfully of the profanation of holy things,
pray for us.

Thou who dost so strongly recommend prayer, and especially morning and evening prayer,
pray for us.

Thou who dost condemn so severely our lusts and the shameful pleasures of the world,
pray for us.

Thou who dost remind us so touchingly of the Passion of Jesus,
pray for us.

Thou whose apparition is a source of salvation for poor sinners,
pray for us.

Thou who dost invite so pressingly the just to redouble their fervor,
pray for us.

Thou whose prophetic menaces have so justly alarmed the world,
pray for us.

Thou who dost promise so many blessings if we become converted,
pray for us.

Thou who didst cause to spring up at thy feet a fountain of miraculous water,
pray for us.

Thou who, after the example of Jesus, dost heal every infirmity,
pray for us.

Thou who dost desire to be honored and invoked throughout the world,
pray for us.

Thou who didst cause so many works of reparation to be undertaken and to prosper,
pray for us.

Our Lady of La Salette, living example of charity,
pray for us.

Victim of penance and expiation,
pray for us.

Model of modesty and simplicity,
pray for us.

Standard of obedience and submission,
pray for us.

Source of burning zeal and of the apostleship,
pray for us.

Loving Mother of the poor and of children,
pray for us.

Light of the blind and of the ignorant,
pray for us.

Consolation of the sick and of the afflicted,
pray for us.

Hope of the despairing,
pray for us.

Help of the Church militant,
pray for us.

Advocate of the Church suffering,
pray for us.

Glory of the Church triumphant,
pray for us.

By thy bitter complaints of men's sinfulness,
render us docile to the law of thy Divine Son, O Mary!

By thy abundant tears,
obtain for us the grace to weep over our sins, O Mary!

By thy motherly sufferings,
obtain for us resignation in all trials, O Mary!

By thy apparitions and thy miracles,
revive the faith of thy people, O Mary!

By the mysterious looks towards Rome,
make us more and more devoted to the Holy See, O Mary!

By thy incomparable tenderness,
make us love thee more and more, O Mary!

By thy ravishing beauty,
make us sigh after heaven, O Mary!

By thy new assumption,
draw us after thee, O Mary!



Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, who, in Thy infinite mercy, didst send to us on the mountain of La Salette Thy ever glorious Mother in order to remind us of our Christian duties, grant that, moved by her tears and docile to her warnings, we may appease in this life Thy just anger by a sincere repentance, and that we may merit by our good works the grace to enjoy Thee eternally in heaven. Thou who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.