All you need is love

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; For Love is strong as Death, longing is fierce as Sheol. Its arrows are arrows of fire, flames of the divine. Deep waters cannot quench love, nor rivers sweep it away. Were one to offer all the wealth of his house for love, he would be utterly despised.
Song of Solomon 8: 6-7



When a child is born with special needs, nothing much changes, except for the need of a little more love and acceptance of a few more challenges, but that same commitment is made when any child is born, regardless of special needs.

Today we celebrate the feast day of Saint Andrew, Apostle and Martyr. As Our Blessed Mother Mary always leads us to Jesus, Saint Andrew brought others to Jesus. Andrew told his brother Simon, We have found the Messiah, the Christ, and he brought him to Jesus.
John 1:41-42

A novena is normally a nine day prayer. The term is sometimes used for any prayer that is repeated over a series of days. "The Christmas Novena" or the "Christmas Anticipation Prayer," is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle until Christmas. The first Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew. The novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in the honor of the birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times, all at once; or divide up the recitation as necessary, perhaps five times at each meal. Prayed as a family, the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is a very good way to help focus the attention of your children on the Advent season. It is a great gift to give our families, the message of "All you need is love."

Saint Andrew Christmas Novena
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

When Jesus called Andrew and his brother Simon Peter, he said to them, Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 They immediately dropped their fishing nets and followed Him.

Saint Andrew was crucified on a cross shaped as an X because he said he was unworthy to die the way Jesus died. To lay down his life for the Lord was an act of TRUE LOVE.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13

Saint Andrew led others to Jesus and he gave his life for Jesus. Let us be LOVE to our families and our friends and all those who we encounter. Let us follow Jesus with His love. May we offer our lives to Jesus in all we do and in all we say. Let us say Yes to Jesus the way Andrew, Simon and Our Blessed Mother Mary did. All we need is love, a love like their love. Let us call on their intercession for our needs.