Novena to the Holy Ghost
Friday after Ascension Day
(May 6 – May 14)
First day
The Novena to the Holy Ghost precedes
the Feast of Pentecost. It is one of the oldest novenas since it was first made
at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to
Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Ghost on the first Pentecost. It is
still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the
Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and
strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian. To encourage devotion to
the Holy Spirit, Holy Mother Church has enriched this novena with an indulgence
of ten years on any day of the novena with a plenary indulgence if one
participates in at least five exercises and moreover go to confession, receive
Holy Communion and pray for the proper intentions. Accompanying each day is the
Act of Consecration to the Holy Ghost and the Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the
Holy Ghost.
Those who make a private novena in honor
of the Sanctifier either before Pentecost or at any other time of the year, may
gain an Indulgence of 7 years once on any day of their novena. A Plenary
Indulgence under the usual conditions at the close of the novena; but if a
public novena is held, this indulgence is available only to those who are
lawfully hindered from taking part in the same.
First Day
Holy Spirit! Lord of Light!
From Thy clear celestial height.
Thy pure beaming radiance give!
The Holy Ghost
Only one thing is important – eternal
salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared – sin. Sin is the result
of ignorance, weakness, and indifference. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of
Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the
mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure
our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for “The Spirit
helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the
Spirit Himself asketh for us.”
Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, Who hast
vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given us
forgiveness of all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from Heaven upon us Thy
sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel
and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit
of Holy Fear. Amen.
Our Father
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in
Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil. Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is
with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour
of death. Amen.
Glory be to the Father (7x)
Glory be, to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall
be, world without end. Amen.
ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY GHOST
On my knees before the great
multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal
Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of
Your justice, and the might of Your love. You are the Strength and Light of my
soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by
unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the
smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light, and listen to Your voice, and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your
compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus
and looking at His Five Wounds, and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring
His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of
my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give
me grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always
and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.”
Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before
ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work
in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy
Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your
love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of
this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of
Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the
Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and
gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and
that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation,
the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in
the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of
God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a
loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark
me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all
things with Your Spirit. Amen.
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