Novena to the Holy Spirit
One of my favorite novenas (9 days of prayer before an event) is the one I pray before Pentecost! An internet search will find you many different Novenas to the Holy Spirit. I find it beautiful that the body of the faithful can be so filled with grace and inspiration that we never tire of moving with the Holy Spirit in prayer; what better way to practice “letting go and letting God!”
I have often prayed the novena to the Holy Spirit for those on my prayer list even while I am praying for help for my own heart & soul, mind & attitude. It can be a very effective preparation for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it would be good to pause, to consider the power of this prayer, of prayer in general, of the resurrection, and the work of the Holy Spirit in our church and our world!
Any time of year is a good time to pray a Novena, particularly the Novena to the Holy Spirit, but there are times when it can be particularly helpful. We might pray this Novena the nine days before any public sacrament such as confirmation or baptism or before or during special seasons of the church such as the Baptism of Jesus, Easter or Pentecost.
Imagine the outpouring when we:
witness to the power of the Holy Spirit in our every day lives
unite in prayer for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on our world
gather in unanimous and fervent prayer across all time zones
Imagine our world transformed!
Since we all have different needs in our life of faith, schedule demands, and places in our journeys, I mention a few novenas here. Pick the one that suits you best or find another one online!
Catholic Culture - a relatively basic novena easy on the schedule (generally a novena is accompanied by at least an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be, though this page does not mention it)
Novena on EWTN - praying for an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit (my fav)
Burning Bush Pentecost Novena - 9 days in adoration and intercession (circa 2004)
Exerpt from the Burning Bush website
“Oh, if only…unanimous and fervent prayers could be raised to Heaven in every part of Christendom, as they were one in the Cenacle [upper room] of Jerusalem for a rekindling of the Divine Spirit” Blessed Elena Guerra.