Novena to the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, “the Lord and giver of life”, is one of the three persons in the Trinity. Christians believe in One God who is Triune (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit). In the same way that we can address God the Father, or Jesus the Son, we can and should address the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit was sent to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. But before receiving Him, the apostles had spent 9 days in prayer! This was the first novena!
Each year, Christians have the habit of praying a novena to the Holy Spirit between the feast of Ascension and Pentecost, so as to prepare themselves, once again, to receive the Holy Spirit. But nothing stops us from praying a novena to the Holy Spirit at any other time in the year.
A Novena for the Fruits of the Holy Spirit
Let the fruits of the Holy Spirit grow during your nine days of prayer so that you can taste their sweetness at the end!
Everyday you begin the novena with the following prayer:
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate. Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By Your love, we are protected from evil.”
Everyday you end the novena with the following prayer:
"Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord, Amen."
Day 1 - Charity
"We ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Charity within us. The great charity of all the host of Saints is only made possible by your power, Oh Divine Spirit. Increase in me, the virtue of charity that I may love as God loves with the selflessness of the Saints. Amen."
Day 2 - Joy
"We ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Joy within us. All of the Saints are marked with an uncompromisable Joy in times of trial, difficulty and pain. Give us, Oh Holy Spirit, the Joy that surpasses all understanding that we may live as a witness to Your love and fidelity! Amen."
Day 3 - Peace
"We ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Peace within us. The Saints were tempted, attacked and accused by the devil who is the destroyer of peace. When we are accused by the devil, come to our aid as our Advocate and give us Peace that lasts through all trials! Amen."
Day 4 - Patience
"We ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Patience within us. Oh Holy Spirit, you give lavishly to those who ask. Please give us the patience of the Saints who are now with you in heaven. Help us to endure everything with an eternal patience that is only possible with your help. Amen."
Day 5 - Kindness
"We ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Kindness within us. Jesus approached sinners with immense kindness. Holy Paraclete, please treat us humble sinners with the same kindness and give us the ability to treat all others with that kindness as well. Amen."
Day 6 - Faithfulness
"We ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Faithfulness within us. You, oh Lord, are ever faithful. You are faithful until the end. Though we are weak and distracted, please give us the grace to be faithful to You as you are to us! Amen."
Day 7 - Gentleness
"We ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Gentleness within us. Despite the gravity of our sins, oh Lord you treat us with Gentleness. Dear Holy Spirit, give us your power to treat all in our lives with the Gentleness of the Saints. Amen."
Day 8 - Self-Control
"We ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Self-Control within us. Your Martyrs had the overwhelming self-control to go joyfully to a painful death without shrinking from the opportunity to join You in heaven. Give us this self-control to have command over our emotions and desires that we may serve You more fully. Amen."
Day 9 - Goodness
"We ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Goodness within us. We want to be like your Saints in heaven. Holy Spirit, renew us by your power with your Goodness that we may bring the Good News to the world. Amen."
A Novena for Christian Unity
In a world that is ever changing and where we may feel more and more alone, join us for Chritian unity, where we come together as brothers and sisters in Christ, asking the Holy Spirit to fill us and give us the gifts necessary to proclaim his victory.
Come discover the Holy Spirit as well as different Christian traditions with an Anglican priest “Nicky Gumble” who created the Alpha Course, the Orthodox Archbishop of London, another Anglican priest and a Irish Dominican priest from Trinidad and Tobago. For nine days, each will give a 5 minute podcast on the Holy Spirit. After each podcast you will also receive a prayer and a song.
Unity for Pentecost 2020
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
In the Old Testament, before the birth of Christ, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are listed in the book of Isaiah. These gifts help you to share in the very life of God.
“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked." (Isaiah 11:2-4)
Share Your Gifts with Hozana
Hozana can help each Christian, and especially you, to rediscover the joy of persevering in prayer and being faithful in your engagement. Hozana allows you to discover hundreds of spiritual propositions of immense wealth and to choose those that can nourish you the most. Create a prayer corner with your favourite prayer groups and learn more about the Holy Spirit. You could join 7 Sundays with the Holy Spirit and be prepared to receive him powerfully in your life. Look at how the Holy Spirit transformed lives in the Bible and see how he can transform yours with Ruah - Breathe in the Holy Spirit!
