St. Clare's Relic

The transport strike didn’t stop me from going to my Ob gyne today but before that, I went to the small chapel inside Megamall to pray and touch the relic of St. Clare.  When I heard that St. Clare's relic is in the country, I was really hoping that I would be able to see it. St. Clare is the Patron Saint of Obando where childless couple dance in the hope that their petition will be granted. She also has a monastery in Katipunan where people offer her eggs in exchange for a good weather. I was really thrilled to learn that her relic is here in the Philippines for two months, by the way she came all the way from Italy. My mom is named after her and she told me that she prayed to St. Clare for a good husband and she gave her my dad. So here I am praying for St. Clare's intercession and hopefully she will answer our petition right away. I also bought her 9 day novena prayer, for those of you interested, let me share her novena prayer:

Novena of Saint Clare of Assisi:

1st Day: O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise your Holy Name and the wonders of grace you have worked in your servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favors we beg in this novena, above all, the grace to live and die as she did in your most holy love. Amen

               O Seraphic Saint Clare, first disciple of the Poor Man of Assisi, who has abandoned all riches and honors for a life of sacrifice and of highest poverty, obtain for us from God the grace we ask( mention petition/s here) and that we too may always submit to the Divine Will and live confidently in the providence of our Heavenly Father. Amen.

               Pray for us, Saint Clare! That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

2nd Day: O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise your Holy Name and the wonders of grace you have worked in your servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favors we beg in this novena, above all, the grace to live and die as she did in your most holy love. Amen

               O Seraphic Saint Clare who, though living separated from the world, have not forgotten the poor and the afflicted but have even become a mother to them, sacrificing for them your riches and working for them innumerable miracles, obtain from God for us the grace we implore(mention petition/s here). We also ask you to give us Christian charity towards our brethren in all their spiritual and temporal needs. Amen.

               Pray for us, Saint Clare! That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

3rd Day: O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise your Holy Name and the wonders of grace you have worked in your servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favors we beg in this novena, above all, the grace to live and die as she did in your most holy love. Amen

               O Seraphic Saint Clare, light of your country you who delivered Assisi from barbarous invaders, obtain from God for us the grace we implore (mention petition/s here), that of overcoming all attacks of the world against faith and morals we may as well preserve in our families true Christian peace with a holy fear of God, and a devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Amen.

               Pray for us, Saint Clare! That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

4th Day: O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise your Holy Name and the wonders of grace you have worked in your servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favors we beg in this novena, above all, the grace to live and die as she did in your most holy love. Amen

               Blessed Saint Clare, whose very name means light, may you illumine the darkness of our minds and hearts so that we might see what God wishes us to do, and perform it with a willing and joyful heart. Before your birth, a heavenly voice foretold that you would be a light illuminating the world. Be a light to us amidst the sorrows and anxieties of this earthly life, and lead us into the eternal light of our home in heaven. Amen.

               Pray for us, Saint Clare! That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

5th Day: O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise your Holy Name and the wonders of grace you have worked in your servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favors we beg in this novena, above all, the grace to live and die as she did in your most holy love. Amen

               O Seraphic Saint Clare, whose virginal heart was great enough to love the whole world, take our petitions into your pure hands and present them to God. Pray for us that we may one day enter joyously before the throne of God. Let the light of your perfect purity consume the shadows of sin and corruption that darkens the world. Intercede by your innocence for our youth. Safeguard the peace of our homes and the unity of our family. Plead with your chaste love for all in peril. Amen.

               Pray for us, Saint Clare! That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

6th Day: O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise your Holy Name and the wonders of grace you have worked in your servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favors we beg in this novena, above all, the grace to live and die as she did in your most holy love. Amen

               Generous St. Clare, who left wealth and pleasure and all earthly goods to become the first spiritual daughter of Saint Francis and to serve God in the cloister, help us to commit our lives to God without limit or measure so that he may live in us and shine forth from us to all whose lives we touch. You, who loved souls so much as to make your life a continual sacrifice for them, obtain for us the graces we now implore and win for us the strength to praise God in suffering as well as in joy. Amen.

               Pray for us, Saint Clare! That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

7th Day: O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise your Holy Name and the wonders of grace you have worked in your servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favors we beg in this novena, above all, the grace to live and die as she did in your most holy love. Amen

               Faithful St. Clare, loyal daughter of the Church, friend and confidante of popes, intercede for the holy Church and look graciously from heaven on our Holy Father. Enlighten us to remove from our souls all that hinders the progress of the Church on earth. Grant that we may share your great love for the Church and spread his kingdom on earth by a holy life. You, who worked miracles in the presence of the popes on earth, obtain for us the graces we need, now that you stand in the presence of the most high God in heaven. Amen.

               Pray for us, Saint Clare! That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

8th Day: O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise your Holy Name and the wonders of grace you have worked in your servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favors we beg in this novena, above all, the grace to live and die as she did in your most holy love. Amen

               Valiant Saint Clare, who fearlessly stood alone against the barbarous soldiers, trusting in the Blessed Sacrament as your only protection, enkindle in us a tender love for Jesus Christ; help us to live Eucharistic lives, You who saved your city of Assisi from plunder and ruin, protect our city and archdiocese, plead for our country and the suffering world. A voice from the Sacred Host rewarded your trust with a promise, "I will always take care of you". Glorius Saint Clare, from your high place in heaven, take care of us now in our earthly needs and guide us by your light to heaven. Amen.          

               Pray for us, Saint Clare! That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

9th Day: O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise your Holy Name and the wonders of grace you have worked in your servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favors we beg in this novena, above all, the grace to live and die as she did in your most holy love. Amen

               Gracious Saint Clare, who fulfilled your womanhood by a life of love in prayers and penance, help us to fulfill our destiny that we may one day greet you in heaven. You, who were consoled at your death by a vision of Christ and his Mother, obtain for us the grace that we may die under the special protection of God, and enter into the life and bliss you now enjoy. Have pity on us, who struggle, on us who mourn, and win for us the favors of God so that after this life, we may come home to him who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen

               Pray for us, Saint Clare! That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

For those of you who may want to see her relic, I heard that she will be at St. Clare's monastery in Katipunan on April 23, 2012. Call the church just to be sure.  St. Clare is only here for two months and she's been going around the country so this may be your once in a lifetime chance to touch her. I'll share the novena for the Infant Jesus (Sto.Nino) here tomorrow.

Back to my doctor's appointment, I was scheduled to have my Tvs today and I was really praying that increasing my Ovamit's usage will result to more maturing follicles. My ultrasound shows that I have 3 dominant follicles, yahoo!  One on the right which measures, 1.23 x 1.38 x 1.12 cm (1.09 cc). and two on the left, the largest is 1.79 x 1.58 x 1.65cm (2.28 cc), the 2nd largest follicle measures 1.13 x 1.04 cm. I excitedly showed the result to my OB and she said we can't proceed with IUI. I was so disappointed but she explained that by injecting Pregnyl, only one of the follicles will burst, the two will shrink. And I have three follicles it will be a waste if we proceed with IUI. So she suggested that this cycle we'll go back to basics, timed BD. Who am I to argue, she knows what she's talking about and I should just trust her. Not proceeding with IUI also saves me around Php14,000 so I shouldn't feel bad.

I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying hard for a miracle.