A Novena for Twins

So it's that time again! Last year, I posted a novena for those praying for twins.... but there was a twist. It's really a novena to the Twin Hearts. And even if you didn't get a chance to join along with me last year - you should consider giving it a try this year. I'm posting a new take on the novena this year, but feel free to use the version from last year if you prefer it. The novena starts today... and it's simple to follow along with... so will you pray with me?

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a movable feast on the liturgical calendar, which means that it depends on the date of Easter Sunday each year. The only constant is that it is always celebrated 19 days after Pentecost Sunday. That means for 2015, we'll celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12th. The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrated on the Saturday after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. So for 2015, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on June 13th. (Sidenote: If you happen to find this novena at some other point in the year than the lead up to the Feast Days discussed above - no need to wait - go ahead and start praying it! This is a novena that can be prayed any time of the year!)

It would be difficult to meditate on the Sacred Heart of Jesus without also thinking about the woman who conceived hope for all of mankind, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It took an Immaculate Heart to do that. And that's just what God gave the Blessed Virgin Mary! So because of this beautiful Divine reality that we understand through Jesus and Mary - Jesus through Mary - meditating on the Twin Hearts seems meant for those with a special devotion to twins. Doesn't it? You will literally be praying two novenas concurrently... but starting with Christ. It's a beautiful double helix of a prayer...with the humanity of Jesus and Mary being intertwined with the divinity of the Triune God.

The truth about praying for twins is that it's not always going to manifest in birthing newborn twins biologically. A girl can hope though. This girl certainly does. While talking about herself in the third person I might add! More importantly - a prayer for twins is a sign of being open to God's will. Let it be done unto me doubly! Let me be the exhausted handmaid of the Lord! Step back for a moment and think about that. When we pray to both Hearts, we're asking Mary to understand our longing in a special way... but we're also asking Jesus for mercy. We're asking for Mary to pray for us and for Jesus to heal and soothe our hearts. So it seems a perfect pairing for those who have a special call on their hearts for twins to pray to these Two and to ask for intercession for the longing in our hearts. Join me in praying this year, and maybe next year, there will have been answers revealed in your life that will make this particular novena seem obviously fruitful. Don't mind me while I daydream about the answer being actual, tangible, crying newborn twins. I'll just be over here in crazy-town dreaming my big dreams..... conceiving hope however I can. :) 

Send me a message if you are praying with me and I'll include you in my novena! Also, don't forget to pray for our Adopt-a-Blogger this month (because every infertile girl could use a set of twins, amirite?!)  ;) And if twins aren't on your heart - pray for the intentions of the twin hearts involved in your marriage. And if you aren't married yet, pray for the twin heart that hasn't been sacramentally joined to yours yet. 

It takes about 10 minutes per night and here's the plan:

The first day, you will pray one decade of a rosary and then say the prayer to the Twin Hearts. This prayer will be prayed each of the 10 days of this novena, with the addition of your intentions at the end of it. Be specific. Ask God what's on your heart. Give Him your pain. Once you've finished with your intentions, you will begin to pray the Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This prayer will be prayed for 9 days. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on 6/12, you will end the Sacred Heart novena with the first decade of a Divine Mercy Chaplet.

On the second day of prayer, you incorporate the second novena. You begin the same, but you end it differently: Pray your decade of the rosary, then praying the prayer to the Twin Hearts, then add your intentions, then pray the Sacred Heart Novena, and then you will begin the second novena. Do this by praying another decade of the rosary, then pray the Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

On the last day of praying (the 10th day), You are praying a decade of the rosary, the prayer to the Twin Hearts, then adding your intentions, then praying the Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and then you will end with the Regina Coeli (which can be found about half way down the page on that link). 

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If you prefer to have a hard copy of the instructions, here's a free printable of this novena. Hover over the top right corner and click on the right button to "pop out". From there, you can download, print, or save it. Feel free to post this wherever you tweet, post photos, share, or like things!