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Novena to the Holy Spirit
In honour
of the year of the Holy Spirit declared by our pontiff in preparation for the
Great Jubilee of the Millennium, we present this novena to the Holy
Spirit.
Day 1
Holy Spirit, Lord of Light
From thy clear celestial height,
Thy pure beaming radiance give.
Meditation
We shall strive during this novena to obtain an increase of the seven gifts
of the Holy Spirit, over and above the special favors we shall ask from the
Divine Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are permanent super-natural
dispositions given to us with grace, to make the soul attentive and responsive
to the movements of the Third Person of the Adorable Trinity. Very
appropriately have they been compared to the sails of a ship which, when spread,
carry the craft swiftly and smoothly over its course. When the inspirations of
the Holy Spirit find the gifts spread like sails in the soul, they waft it
safely over the sea of life to the haven of eternal happiness. Those Christians
who through indolence allow the gifts to lie dormant, are like ships dismantled,
whose sails lie in the bottom of the boat, useless. Who has not felt many a
time, even immediately after coming from the sacred tribunal of Penance, the
necessity of some such impelling power? Therefore, let us beseech the Holy
Spirit for an increase of these necessary gifts.
Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water
and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness of all sins, vouchsafe to
send forth from heaven upon us thy seven fold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
of Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear.
Amen
Glory Be...
Day 2
Holy Spirit, Lord of Light
From thy clear celestial height,
Thy pure beaming
radiance give.
Meditation
We shall strive during this novena to obtain an increase of the seven gifts
of the Holy Spirit, over and above the special favors we shall ask from the
Divine Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are permanent super-natural
dispositions given to us with grace, to make the soul attentive and responsive
to the movements of the Third Person of the Adorable Trinity. Very
appropriately have they been compared to the sails of a ship which, when spread,
carry the craft swiftly and smoothly over its course. When the inspirations of
the Holy Spirit find the gifts spread like sails in the soul, they waft it
safely over the sea of life to the haven of eternal happiness. Those Christians
who through indolence allow the gifts to lie dormant, are like ships dismantled,
whose sails lie in the bottom of the boat, useless. Who has not felt many a
time, even immediately after coming from the sacred tribunal of Penance, the
necessity of some such impelling power? Therefore, let us beseech the Holy
Spirit for an increase of these necessary gifts.
Prayer
Almighty and eternal
God, who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast
given us forgiveness of all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us
thy seven fold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of
Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and of Piety, and fill us with
the Spirit of Holy Fear.
Amen
Glory Be...
Day 3
Come thou father of the poor,
Come with treasures which endure,
Come thou light of all that live.
Meditation
We shall strive during this novena to obtain an increase of the seven gifts
of the Holy Spirit, over and above the special favors we shall ask from the
Divine Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are permanent super-natural
dispositions given to us with grace, to make the soul attentive and responsive
to the movements of the Third Person of the Adorable Trinity. Very
appropriately have they been compared to the sails of a ship which, when spread,
carry the craft swiftly and smoothly over its course. When the inspirations of
the Holy Spirit find the gifts spread like sails in the soul, they waft it
safely over the sea of life to the haven of eternal happiness. Those Christians
who through indolence allow the gifts to lie dormant, are like ships dismantled,
whose sails lie in the bottom of the boat, useless. Who has not felt many a
time, even immediately after coming from the sacred tribunal of Penance, the
necessity of some such impelling power? Therefore, let us beseech the Holy
Spirit for an increase of these necessary gifts.
Prayer
Come, O blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart, incline it to a true
faith in Thee, to a holy love of Thee, my God and of all my fellow creatures for
Thy sake.
Amen
Glory Be...
Day 4
Thou in toil art comfort sweet,
Pleasant coolness in the heat,
Solace in the midst of woe.
Meditation
Knowledge, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, directs the soul to judge of things,
both human and divine, according to supernatural common sense and not according
to the standards of the worldly-wise. Even with supernatural faith in our soul
to elevate our reason, how often we detect ourselves talking of temporal gain
and loss, success and failure, suffering and pleasure, purely and simply
according to the principles of the worldly-minded! We fail to pierce the
veil of the natural and see in suffering a blessing from God. We have come to
think it folly to season our pleasures with a pinch of the pepper and salt of
mortification; for example: to determine that we will not remain out later than
a certain reasonable hour, when we go out for an evening of innocent pleasure.
In this age of doubt, materialism, pleasure-seeking, what shall we say of
the necessity of this gift to enable us to distinguish good from evil, innocent
pleasure from tainted joy, truth from falsehood, the real good from the apparent
good among all the things around us? Let us therefore, pray earnestly for this
gift.
Prayer
Come, O blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the
will of the Father; show me the nothingness of the earthly things, that I may
realize their vanity and use them only for thy glory and my own salvation,
looking ever beyond them to thee and thy eternal rewards
Amen
Glory Be...
Day 5
Light immortal, light divine,
Visit thou these hearts of thine,
And our inmost being fill.
Meditation
Fortitude is a gift of the Holy Spirit strengthening the soul against all
natural fear and supporting it to the end in the performance of duty. Daily the
soul, in the state of grace must go forth to fight the good fight of Christ; to
do its duty, which, because it is duty, will always be difficult. The virtue
of fortitude leads us into the battle, but we need special encouragement from
the Spirit of God, to enable us to persevere in good, in spite of unforeseen
difficulties, hardships, and the grind of routine. That encouragement the Holy
Ghost imparts to us through the gift of Fortitude. Moreover, whilst we are not
called upon to face the roaring lion in the Roman arena like the first
Christians, we are bound every day of our lives to fight the roaring lion within
us, to struggle against our besetting temptation. God has armed us with the gift
of Fortitude for that purpose. Let us therefore pray for that gift to enable
us to fight perseveringly the good fight of Jesus Christ until it please our
divine Leader to call us from the battlefield of life to enjoy the eternal
reward of heaven
Prayer
Come, O blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble
and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give
me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome
and separated from thee, my God and greatest Good
Amen
Glory Be...
Day 6
If Thou take Thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay;
All his good is
turned to ill.
Meditation
The gift of Counsel is a disposition in the soul through which the Holy
Spirit prompts us to choose to do the better of two good actions. It is the
elder sister of the supernatural gift prudence. Prudence teaches us the A,B,C,
of Christian life, the gift of Counsel trains us in the fine arts of Christian
perfection. As this gift gains greater influence over our actions, the soul
begins to realize more and more the full meaning of the words of Saint Paul:
"All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient." (I Cor. VI. 12)
This gift can never be developed in the Christian soul which stops short of
only mortal sin in its use and abuse of liberty. Such a rule of conduct will not
keep us long from mortal sin, and when mortal sin enters the soul, grace and all
the supernatural gifts depart. Because my use of the things of this world may
give my neighbor a pretext for abusing them, it is often expedient for me to
hearken to the counsel of my divine Guide and refrain from licit pleasures and
actions. Above all, as Catholics, we should be as shining lights to our
neighbors, going before them in the path of virtue. To do so, we need the gift
of Counsel, and therefore, let us pray for it.
Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may
always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away
from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to
that goal of eternal life for which I long
Amen
Glory Be...
Day 7
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Thy
dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away.
Meditation
Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps the Christian, in the
state of grace, to grasp according to his mental capacity, the meaning of the
truths of our holy religion. Perhaps, to many of us, the articles of the creed
are but dry disconnected truths. God gives us the gift of Understanding to
enable us to penetrate the truths of our holy religion in a manner that will
enable us to live them. Many Catholics find the Catholic newspapers flat and
unsavory. On Sundays they would like to hear the Priest speak of the topics of
the times rather than give catechetical instructions. That is because they are
imbued with the spirit of the age. They have never become accustomed to thinking
seriously of religious subjects. They have no religious, no Catholic, no
supernatural ideals. Perhaps one of the reasons why we do not duplicate the
majestic cathedrals of Europe is, because we do not live the religious mysteries
and ideals which inspired those monuments of faith. We need an increase of
the gift of Understanding to make our religion real and living. Therefore let us
pray fervently for that intention.
Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may
know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see
the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision
of thee and the Father and the Son
Amen
Glory Be...
Day 8
Bend the stubborn heart and will,
Melt the frozen, warm the
chill,
Guide the steps that go astray.
Meditation
Wisdom is that gift of the Holy Spirit whereby the Divine Spirit raises up
our intellect and our heart to rest in God alone. Knowledge tells us the value
of earthly things, and how we can enjoy them licitly without offending God; but
Wisdom gives us courage to trample under foot wealth, honor and pleasure, if
these things,--I will not say, impede our salvation,-- but even cast so much as
a shadow between us and our God. You may be inclined to think that the gift
of Wisdom is only for Saints. You are right when you say this gift is only for
the Saints, but you are wrong if you think that you are not destined to be a
Saint. We must all aspire to sanctity. Why not aim high? God will reward the
effort. Let us begin today by trying to make an act of thanksgiving for every
little cross that falls on us.
Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of
heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love
them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Show me
the way by which I may be able to attain them and possess them for ever
Amen
Glory Be...
Day 9
Thou on those who evermore,
Thee confess and Thee adore,
In Thy seven fold gift descend.
Give them comfort when they die,
Give them life with Thee on
high,
Give them joys which never end.
Meditation
The first great novena in honor of the Holy Spirit was crowned with an
abundant outpouring of the Divine Spirit upon the Apostles. It enkindled within
their bosom a zeal that knew not fear of starvation or death, that defied the
sword and the cross, that braved storms at sea and bloody persecutions on land,
for the propagation of the faith of Jesus Christ. Before we close the
novena, let us beg the Holy Spirit to fill the world with zeal for the triumph
of honesty and purity over deceit and sensuality. Let us pray that the
Divine Spirit may fill many of our young men and women with zeal for the
propagation of the faith, with courage to sacrifice the comforts of home and the
company of parents, to labor in the service of Christ and the Church. Let us
pray that he may pour out an abundance of the apostolic spirit upon our priests,
missionaries and nuns. Let us pray that he may draw the hearts of heretics
and pagans to the one true fold of Jesus Christ, so that from every quarter of
the earth the cry will ascend heavenward: Praised be the holy and adorable
Trinity; to it be honor and glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer
Holy, Divine Spirit, by the infinite merits of the passion and death of
Jesus Christ, deign to pour abroad thy most ardent and omnipotent charity into
all hearts, so that there may be one fold and one shepherd in the whole world;
and that we may all come to sing thy divine praises in heaven forever
Amen
Glory Be...
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