Love of

God

Brotherly
Love

Novena to Saint
Anthony Mary
Zaccaria
Wisdom
Faith
Piety

Perfection

Steadfast
Prayer

Holiness
Divine
Knowledge

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible
with Revised New Testament 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian
Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the
copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American
Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in
writing from the copyright owner.

Nihil Obstat: Fr. Gabriel M. Patil, CRSP, Provincial Superior

Imprimatur: Fr. Giovanni M. Villa, CRSP, Superior General

Rome, Nov 15, 2008

Solemnity of Mother of Divine Providence

The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official declaration that a book
or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error.
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-1-60743-276-0

Copyright 2009, Barnabite Fathers

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NOVENA to
St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
FEAST DAY
July 5

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At the school of Nazareth every family learns to be a

workshop of love, unity and openness to life
(Holy Father John Paul II, 28 December 2003)

I dedicate this novena booklet to my friends Greg, Mary,

and their children; Elizabeth Peter and Matthew.
May they continue to grow in holiness as a family patterned after
the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Foreword
In the first half of the fifteenth century in Italy shone the luminous figure
of Anthony Mary Zaccaria. This young saint, full of passion for Gods love, was
a great reformer of religious customs of the clergy and the Christian people.
Above all, he was the founder of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul (Barnabites), the
Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, and the Laity of St. Paul.

Anthony Mary Zaccaria, born in Cremona, Italy in 1502, was a student and
graduate in medicine from the University of Padua; a doctor of body and soul
in his native city; a fervent catechist and a zealous priest in Milan and elsewhere.
For a decade his apostolate was characterized by an intense devotion to the Most
Blessed Sacrament of the altar (he was the promoter of the Forty Hours Devotion),
and by a passionate love of the cross and the crucified Christ (he instituted the
ringing of bells on Friday afternoon to commemorate Christs death). Anthony
Mary was guided by an extraordinary zeal of St. Paul, chosen by him to be his
master and model on earth, and his special patron in heaven.

Exhausted from his pastoral work, Anthony Mary died at only 36 years old,
leaving behind admirable examples of penance and of spirituality.

In the novena here presented, his ascetic-mystic thought continuously
emerges. This thought can be found in his six Sermons and eleven Letters, which
remained as his testament and a mirror of his soul and his missionary call: in
these writings resounds an unceasing appeal against vices, and toward holiness.

Cardinal Ratzinger wrote: I have to say that the image of this saint is dear
to me because he is one of the great figures of Catholic reform an authentic
man of God and of the Church, a man burning with zeal, a demanding forger of
consciences, a true leader able to convert and lead others to good.

Like all the saints, Zaccaria is a figure of permanent relevance: an encounter
with him symbolizes an invitation to return to a charism of a unique vocation, a
return desired by the Second Vatican Council, as an indispensable element of true
renewal. The Church venerates the saints and honors their images. Celebrating
their names and their memory, she proclaims Christs marvels in his servants and
proposes to the faithful examples to imitate (Sacrosantum Concilium, 11).

The saints manifest the face and the presence of God in the world. They
contribute to the spiritual life of the Church on earth, and form with us one
mystical body. As friends and coheirs of Christ, they intercede for us. As our
brothers and benefactors, they teach us the way to reach heaven. (Lumen Gentium,
49-50)

Anthony Mary Zaccaria merits to be known and followed in his teachings: he
counts among the category of priests, who in the course of centuries, have left a
splendid example of holiness. As a spiritual master, he continues to spread and
proclaim the Word of God and to teach the sublime wisdom of Jesus Christ
(Liturgy of July 5)

Bishop Andrea M. Erba, CRSP

Bishop Emeritus of Velletri-Segni,

Rome, 15 November 2008

Solemnity of Mother of Divine Providence

Opening Prayer
(for each day)
Gracious Father,
fount of holiness,
with hearts full of confidence
and loving obedience to your will,
we pray, together with
St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria,
for the grace of a life of virtue,
in imitation of Christ, your Son.

Incline our hearts

to the promptings of the Holy Spirit,
so that He may guide us
and keep us in the path that leads to you.
And by His help may we become
genuine disciples of your
immeasurable goodness
and unfathomable love for all.

This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Closing Prayer
(for each day)
St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria,
continue your work as doctor and priest
by obtaining from God healing
from my physical and moral sickness,
so that free from all evil and sin,
I may love the Lord with joy,
fulfill with fidelity my duties,
work generously for the good of my brothers and sisters,
and for my sanctification.
I also beg of you to secure for me
the special favor I seek in this novena
(State your intention here.)
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Day 1 for FAITH

It is necessary that you always trust in Gods help and come to
know by experience that you are never to be without it.
(St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Constitutions XVII)

(Opening Prayer, page 4)

First Reading
From the letter of St. Paul to the Romans (1:8-12)
I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,
because your faith is heralded throughout the world. God
is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in proclaiming
the gospel of his Son, that I remember you constantly, always asking in my prayers that
somehow by Gods will I may at last find my way clear to come to you. For I long to see
you, that I may share with you some spiritual gift so that you may be strengthened, that is,
that you and I may be mutually encouraged by one anothers faith, yours and mine.

Second Reading
From the letter of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria to the Reverend Father Bartolomeo Ferrari (Letter VI)
Dearly beloved in Christ, why do you entertain any doubts? Havent you experienced in
this undertaking that you never lacked the necessary means to help those in need? Nothing
is more certain and reliable than experience. Those who love you do not possess the wealth
either of a Paul or of a Magdalene; they do, however, trust in the One who enriched them both.
Thus as a result of both your faith and theirs God will provide for any person under your care.
You can be sure that, before you speak and in the very moment of speaking, Jesus Crucified
will anticipate and accompany, not only every word of yours, but your every holy intention.
Dont you see that He Himself has opened the doors for you with His own hands? Who,
then, will hinder you from entering the hearts of people and from changing them so
completely as to renew them and beautify them with holy virtues? Nobody, of course
neither the devil nor any other creature.

Invocations
St. Anthony, precursor of Catholic reformPray for us.
St. Anthony, faithful administrator of the divine mysteriesPray for us.
St. Anthony, priest solicitous in making gain in othersPray for us.

Prayer
Christ, our Savior, you endowed St. Anthony Mary with the light and flame of a solid faith.
Increase our faith, so that we may learn to love the living true God. We ask this through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father Hail Mary Glory be
(Closing Prayer, page 4)

Day 2 for STEADFAST PRAYER

You will never make any progress if you do not arrive at
taking the utmost delight in prayer.

(St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Constitutions XII)

(Opening Prayer, page 4)

First Reading
From the letter of St. Paul to the Colossians (3:2, 5-6)
Pray perseveringly, be attentive to prayer, and pray in a spirit
of thanksgiving. Be prudent in dealing with outsiders; make
the most of every opportunity. Let your speech be always gracious and in good taste, and
strive to respond properly to all who address you.

Second Reading
From the letter of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria to Carlo Magni (Letter III)
Enter into conversation with Jesus Crucified as familiarly as you would with me and
discuss with Him all or just a few of your problems, according to the time at your
disposal. Chat with Him and ask His advice on all your affairs, whatever they may be,
whether spiritual or temporal, whether for yourself or for other people. If you practice
this way of prayer, I can assure you that little by little you will derive from it both great
spiritual profit and an ever-greater love relationship with Christ. I am not going to add
anything else, for I want experience to speak for itself.

Invocations
Saint Anthony, Man ever absorbed in prayerPray for us.
Saint Anthony, Imitator and Missionary of the Crucified LordPray for us.
Saint Anthony, Ardent adorer and promoter of the EucharistPray for us.

Prayer
Christ Redeemer, you found Saint Anthony Mary in steadfast, compassionate and loving
conversation with you, the suffering One. Grant that through his intercession we may
make progress on the way of the Cross toward the glory of the resurrection. We ask this
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father Hail Mary Glory be
(Closing Prayer, page 4)

Day 3 for Piety

Do not be afraid nor faint-hearted because of want of exterior
compunction and devotion -- as they call it -- for God is with
you more truly and more lovingly than with those who enjoy
consolations of the heart.
(St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Constitutions XII)

(Opening Prayer, page 4)

First Reading
From the first letter of St. Paul to Timothy (4:4-10)
Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be
rejected when received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the invocation of God
in prayer. If you will give these instructions to the brothers, you will be a good minister
of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching you have
followed. Avoid profane and silly myths. Train yourself for devotion; for, while physical
training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise
of life both for the present and for the future. This saying is trustworthy and deserves full
acceptance. For this we toil and struggle, because we have set our hope on the living God,
who is the savior of all, especially of those who believe.

Second Reading
From the twelfth chapter of the Constitutions by St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
God very often takes away exterior fervor and devotion for various reasons, namely: that
man may understand that this is not within his own power, but Gods gift, and thus he may
humble himself more and more; that man may learn how to progress interiorly by himself,
and to find out and painfully see that it is his own fault if he loses fervor and devotion.
Hence, realize that, if someone loses fervor for being deprived of exterior fervor, you cannot
conclude that he never had true fervor, but simply he is spiritually inconstant.
And so be assured that if you apply yourselves to true devotion (which is readiness for
service in obedience to Gods will) instead of seeking sensible sweetness, you will become
once and for all so fervent as to be unable to limit yourselves in the things that are pleasing
to God.

Invocations
Saint Anthony, Man divine and holyPray for us.
Saint Anthony, Man resolute in actingPray for us.
Saint Anthony, Man relentless against lukewarmnessPray for us.

Prayer
Christ Priest, you granted Saint Anthony Mary an angelic piety for the Eucharist and made
him its ardent adorer and untiring apostle, grant that we too, pure of heart, could taste the
ineffable gift of God. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father Hail Mary Glory be
(Closing Prayer, page 4)
7

Day 4 for Divine Knowledge

Man first leaves aside the exterior world and enters his own
interior world, and only then from there he ascends to the
knowledge of God.
(St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria , Sermon II)

(Opening Prayer, page 4)

First Reading
From the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians (1:15-19)
I, hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love for
all the holy ones, do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and
revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe.

Second Reading
From the fourth sermon of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
If eloquence does not seem to you to be a great quality, knowledge certainly is such an
excellent thing that everybody wishes to have it. You have been taught by Adam how great
is its value when, for the pleasure of becoming like God in the knowledge of good and evil,
he disobeyed the commandment of the Lord God. But no matter how excellent quality
knowledge is, it, too, is of very small advantage.
I am not telling you of this regarding only the knowledge of worldly things, but even more
regarding the knowledge of Gods secrets, like having the prophetic gift, and knowledge of
supernatural things by the prophetic light, as proven by that most evil prophet, Balaam,
by his own ruin (Num 31:8). And with far greater reason I affirm the uselessness of the
knowledge of things that God alone knows, and we too come to know by faith even that
faith which empowers man to work miracles.

Invocations
Saint Anthony, Prudent in discernmentPray for us.
Saint Anthony, Adorned with all virtuesPray for us.
Saint Anthony Mary, pride of great teachersPray for us.

Prayer
Christ Teacher, you enriched with divine knowledge St. Anthony Mary to make him father
and guide of souls toward perfection, teach us how to announce the spiritual vivacity and
the living spirit everywhere. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father Hail Mary Glory be
(Closing Prayer, page 4)

Day 5 For Wisdom

O Wisdom above all wisdom! O inaccessible Light! You turn
the learned into ignorant, and those who see into blind; and,
on the contrary, you turn the ignorant into learned.

(St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Sermon I)

(Opening Prayer, page 4)

First Reading
From the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (2:6-15)
We do speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but
not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who
are coming to nothing. No, we speak of Gods secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been
hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of
this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him but God has revealed it to us by his
Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the
thoughts of a man except the mans spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the
thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but
the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is
what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit,
expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

Second Reading
From the first sermon of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria

God knew how to arrange creatures in that admirable order that you see. Notice that,
in his Providence, God leads man, created free, in such a way as to force and compel him
to enter that order; yet without forcing or compelling him to do so.

O Wisdom above all wisdom! O inaccessible Light! You turn the learned
into ignorant, and those who see into blind; and, on the contrary, you turn the
ignorant into learned, and the peasants and the fishermen into scholars and teachers.

Therefore, my friends, how can you believe that God, the very apex of wisdom, may
have been wanting in resourcefulness and unable to accomplish His work? Dont believe
that. In fact, Gods wisdom reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other and
orders all things well.

Invocations
Saint Anthony, enlightened by the sublime science of Jesus ChristPray for us.
Saint Anthony, Man inspired by the sublime wisdom of GodPray for us.
Saint Anthony, wise educator of the people of GodPray for us.

Prayer
All powerful Father, you sent your Son so that through Him we might call ourselves your
children, and truly to be such. Grant to us the gift of wisdom to know the mystery of your
will. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father Hail Mary Glory be
(Closing Prayer, page 4)
9

Day 6 for Perfection

Strive continuously to increase what you have begun in yourself
and in others because the heights of perfection are limitless.
(St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Sermon XVIII)

(Opening Prayer, page 4)

First Reading
From the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
(13:10-11)
I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may
not have to be harsh in my use of authoritythe authority
the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you
down. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God
of love and peace will be with you.

Second Reading
From the sixth sermon of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
Choose what is good and leave out what is bad. But which is the good side of created
things? It is their perfection, while their imperfection is the bad side. Therefore, draw near
to their perfection and withdraw from their imperfection.
Look, my friends: if you wish to know God, there is a way, the way of separation as
spiritual writers call it. It consists in taking into consideration all created things with their
perfections and in distinguishing God from them and all their imperfections, so as to say:
God is neither this nor that, but something far more excellent. God is not prudent; He is
Prudence itself. God is not a particular and limited good; He is the Good, universal and
infinite. God is not just one perfection, He is perfection itself without any imperfection. He
is the all good, the all wise, the all powerful, the all perfect, etc.

Invocations
Saint Anthony, magnanimous hero, you have fought without pay the good fightPray for us.
Saint Anthony, exultant champion, you have quickly finished the racePray for us.
Saint Anthony, blessed servant, you have remained faithful unto deathPray for us.

Prayer
Christ, Head of the Church, you called St. Anthony Mary to fight lukewarmness, this
pestiferous and great enemy of you Crucified, grant to the Church not small saints but
big ones to reach the fullness of perfection. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father Hail Mary Glory be
(Closing Prayer, page 4)

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Day 7 for Love of God

What is necessary, yes, I emphasize, necessary, is to have love
the love of God, the love that makes you pleasing to Him
(St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Sermon IV)

(Opening Prayer, page 4)

First Reading
From the letter of St. Paul to the Romans (Rom 8: 28, 35-39)
We know that all things work for good for those who love
God, who are called according to his purpose.
What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written: For your sake we are being
slain all the day; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am
convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things,
nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to
separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Second Reading
From the fourth sermon of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
Consider what a great love is demanded of us: a love that can be none other but the love
of God.
If eloquence does not profit, if knowledge is of no benefit, if prophecy is of little worth,
if working miracles does not make anyone pleasing to God, and if even almsgiving and
martyrdom are of no avail without love; if it has been necessary, or most convenient, for
the Son of God to come down on earth to show the way of charity and the love of God; if
it is necessary for anyone who wants to live in union with Christ to suffer tribulations and
adversities according to what Christ, the only teacher, has taught by words and actions;
and if no one can go through these difficulties, carrying this load without love, for love
alone lightens the load, then the love of God is necessary. Yes, without Gods love nothing
can be accomplished, whereas everything depends on this love.

Invocations
Saint Anthony, True friend of GodPray for us.
Saint Anthony, True lover of ChristPray for us.
Saint Anthony, Friend and herald of the Holy SpiritPray for us.

Prayer
All merciful Father, you so loved the world that you gave your only-begotten Son for the
forgiveness of sin, through His Holy Blood sanctify us in love. We ask this through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Our Father Hail Mary Glory be
(Closing Prayer, page 4)
11

Day 8 for Brotherly Love

Let us run like madmen not only toward God but also toward
our neighbors, who alone can be the recipients of what we
cannot give to God, since He has no need of our goods.
(St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria , Letter II)

(Opening Prayer, page 4)

First Reading
From the letter of St. Paul to the Romans (13:8-10)
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one
who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments,
You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,
and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, (namely)
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

Second Reading
From the fourth sermon of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
You wish to know how to acquire the love of God as well as to find out whether it is in you?
One and the same things help you acquire, expand, and increase it more and more, and
reveals it as well when it is present. Can you guess what it is? It is love of your neighbor.
God is a long way from our direct experience; God is spirit; God works in an invisible
fashion. Thus, His spiritual activity cannot be seen except with the eyes of the mind
and of the spirit, which in most people are blind, and in all are wavering and no longer
accustomed to seeing. But man is approachable, man is body; and when we do something
to him, the deed is seen. Now, since He has no need of our things, whereas man does, God
has set man as a testing ground for us. In fact, if you have a friend very dear to you, you
will also hold dear those things he loves and cherishes. Therefore, since God holds man in
great esteem, as He has shown, you would show meanness and indeed little love for God,
if you did not think very highly of what He bought at a great price.

Invocations
Saint Anthony, man gentle and humanePray for us.
Saint Anthony, man burning with charityPray for us.
Saint Anthony, man ruthless against vicesPray for us.

Prayer
Eternal Father, you love everyone and want everyone to be saved, grant that we may find
you and love you in our brothers and sisters, so that they too may find you in us. We ask
this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Father Hail Mary Glory be
(Closing Prayer, page 4)

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Day 9 for Holiness

I know the summit of perfection Jesus Crucified wants you to
reach; the abundant graces He wishes to give you; the fruits
He wants to gather in you; and the peak of holiness to which
He wants to lead you.
(St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Letter XI)

(Opening Prayer, page 4)

First Reading
From the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians
(4:2-4, 7-8)
You know the instructions we gave you in the Lord Jesus. It is Gods will that you grow in
holiness: that you abstain from immorality, each of you guarding his member in sanctity
and honor God has not called us to immorality but to holiness; hence, whoever rejects
these instructions rejects, not man, but God who sends his Holy Spirit upon you.

Second Reading
From the letter of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria to the honorable Bernardo Omodei and Madonna
Laura (Rossi) (Letter XI)
Anyone willing to become a spiritual person begins a series of surgical operations in his
soul. One day he removes this, another day he removes that, and relentlessly proceeds until
he lays aside his old self. What I do say is: I would like you to be intent on doing more
every day and on eliminating every day even licit sensual inclinations. All this is, indeed,
for the sake of the willingness to grow in perfection, of diminishing imperfections, and of
avoiding the danger of falling prey to lukewarmness.
Do not think that my love for you or the good qualities you are endowed with,
may have me desire that you be just little saints. No, I greatly desire that you
become great saints, since you are well equipped to reach this goal, if you will
it. All that is required is that you really mean to develop and give back to Jesus
Crucified, in a more refined form, the good qualities and graces He has given you.

Invocations
Saint Anthony, angel in flesh and bonesPray for us.
Saint Anthony, youth grown as a lilyPray for us.
Saint Anthony, rich man stripped of everythingPray for us.

Prayer
Holy Father, you predestined us to be holy and without blame in your presence, enlighten
our hearts so that we may know the hope of our vocation. We ask this through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Our Father Hail Mary Glory be
(Closing Prayer, page 4)

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