Does anyone know of the authenticity of this novena. It was given to me by a lady when I was at Adoration about a month ago and I gave a copy to my mother who has been saying it since. However Mum says she feel uncomfortable about the reflection on day 7 and I said I would ask here for anyone elses knowledge of the Novena.
There is very little to help one way or the other online.
web27.streamhoster.com/broadcastviewer/marytv/Website/Novena-of-surrender-to-the-will-of-God.pdf
I am not sure I understand your request. Don Ruotolo was a priest in the south of Italy who remains known today…I dare say more so in the south than in the north. He was an author of a number of writings that still circulate. It is alleged he was the recipient of mystical graces, not unlike various other persons in Italy who were his contemporaries; some are known, and even popular, outside of Italy and others not so much or even at all. His tomb is something of a place of pilgrimage. There are various pious groups who are praying and promoting his cause for beatification and, if I remember, he has received the title “Servant of God”. I am not aware of the current progress of his cause.
As far as the novena being “authentic”, well it is a composition by someone. I am confident that what you have is a translation that is using very small extracts from his writings. Any imprimatur or nihil obstat would be with the original and rarely, for something like this, also with any translation. And neither the imprimatur or the nihil obstat are an endorsement of authenticity of any heavenly origin…they merely assert that there is nothing contrary to faith and/or morals.
I think, frankly, this prayer is expressing certain thoughts that have not been rendered well into English from the source language – which may even be in dialect actually, as I reflect on it. I am not a devotee of Don Ruotolo and I do not know either the original of this novena or, assuredly, the source writings it is drawn from to compare the original to this translation for faithfulness. It seems to me it is drawn from Don Ruotolo’s devotional writings and, evidently, from the communications he is alleged to have received. He is known for his spirituality of surrender to God.
Obviously the vast majority of literature by and about Don Ruotolo is in Italian and I am surprised that this even exists in English, frankly. There are a couple of passages that give one pause for how they are formulated, I agree. If your mother finds she is uncomfortable, she should set it aside for something else. There are no shortage of those whose cause for beatification and canonisation is being pursued, with devotional literature by and about them quite available.
