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FIRST DAY
(Friday
after Ascension or Friday of 6th Week of Easter)
Holy
Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height,
Your pure beaming radiance give!
The Holy Spirit
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 Spirit 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 helps our infirmity. We know not what we should
pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asks for us."
Prayer
Almighty
and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by
water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all
sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your
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 and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES.
Act of Consecration,
Prayer for the Seven Gifts
SECOND DAY
(Saturday of 6th Week of Easter)
Come.
Father of the poor. Come, treasures which endure; Come,
Light of all that live!
The Gift of Fear
The gift
of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes
us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a
fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from
sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our
heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of
wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in
any way separate us from God. "They that fear the Lord will
prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their
souls."
Prayer
Come, O
blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that
I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help
me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me
worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty
in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever
Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen.
Our
Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES.
Act of Consecration,
Prayer for the Seven Gifts
THIRD DAY
(7th Sunday of Easter or transferred Ascension)
Thou,
of all consolers best, Visiting the troubled breast, Dost
refreshing peace bestow.
The Gift of Piety
The gift
of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as
our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect
for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well
as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed
Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our
parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is
filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his
religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service.
Where there is love, there is no labor.
Prayer
Come, O
Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein
such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in
His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all
legitimate authority. Amen.
Our
Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES.
Act of Consecration,
Prayer for the Seven Gifts
FOURTH DAY
(Monday, 7th Week of Easter)
Thou in
toil art comfort sweet, Pleasant coolness in the heat,
solace in the midst of woe.
The Gift of
Fortitude
By the
gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural
fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty.
Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which
move it to under take without hesitancy the most arduous
tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect,
and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even
lifelong tribulation. "He that shall persevere unto the end,
he shall be saved."
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 you, my God and greatest good. Amen.
Our
Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES.
Act of Consecration,
Prayer for the Seven Gifts
FIFTH DAY
(Tuesday, 7th Week of Easter)
Light
immortal! Light Divine! Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,
And our inmost being fill!
The Gift of
Knowledge
The gift
of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at
their true worth--in their relation to God. Knowledge
unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness,
and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the
service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in
adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every
circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first
things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all
else. "Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesses
it."
Prayer
Come, O
Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive
the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly
things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only
for your glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond
them to you, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.
Our
Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES.
Act of Consecration,
Prayer for the Seven Gifts
SIXTH DAY
(Wednesday, 7th Week of Easter)
If Thou
take Thy grace away, nothing pure in man will stay, All his
good is turn'd to ill.
The Gift of
Understanding
Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps us to
grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion BY
faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to
appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the
inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be
quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile
and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears
eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to
"walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing
in the knowledge of God."
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.
Our
Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES.
Act of Consecration,
Prayer for the Seven Gifts
SEVENTH
DAY (Thursday, 7th Week of Easter)
Heal
our wounds--our strength renews; On our dryness pour Thy
dew, Wash the stains of guilt away.
The Gift of Counsel
The gift
of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence,
enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done,
especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the
principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the
innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of
our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and
Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a
priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. "Above all
these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct your
way in truth."
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.
Our
Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES.
Act of Consecration,
Prayer for the Seven Gifts
EIGHTH DAY
(Friday, 7th Week of
Easter)
Bend
the stubborn heart and will, melt the frozen warm the chill.
Guide the steps that go astray!
The Gift of Wisdom
Embodying all the
other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues,
Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom it is
written "all good things came to me with her, and
innumerable riches through her hands." It is the gift of
Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects
charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest
degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish
things divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys
lose their savor, whilst the Cross of Christ yields a divine
sweetness according to the words of the Savior: "Take up thy
cross and follow me, for my yoke is sweet and my burden
light.
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. Help me to attain
them and possess them for ever. Amen.
Our
Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES.
Act of Consecration,
Prayer for the Seven Gifts
NINTH DAY
(Saturday, Vigil of Pentecost)
Thou, on those who evermore Thee confess and Thee Adore, in
Thy sevenfold gift, Descend; Give Them Comfort when they
die; Give them Life with Thee on high; Give them joys which
never end. Amen
The Fruits of the
Holy Spirit
The gifts
of the Holy Spirit perfect the supernatural virtues by
enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine
inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God
under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our service becomes
more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more
perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy
and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more
attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater
efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.
Prayer
Come, O
Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy
charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith,
mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the
service of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy
inspiration may merit to be united eternally with Thee in
the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.
Our
Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN
TIMES.
Act of Consecration,
Prayer for the Seven Gifts |
A
novena is made up of nine days of prayers for a special cause.
The Novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the most ancient of all
Novenas. It was the first one ever prayed. It recalls
the period of nine days where Jesus sent his apostles back to
Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This
wonderful Novena is addressed to the Holy Spirit and can be a
powerful way for us to prepare to receive the light, strength and
courage we need.