In two recent conversations I learned that two of my friends from church are also praying novena during this time, but they are praying different ones.
Have any of you been praying this novena, or a different novena that you might want to tell us about in the comments?
I was pretty much given my marching orders by one of our priests who told me to meditate on the 7 gifts and to meditate on the Holy Spirit, and also to do some reading to better understand and appreciate the relationship between Our Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit.
Part of my studies led to an appreciation of the Holy Spirit being brought to us by Jesus, that by his leaving in his redemptive act, we have the great and awesome gift of the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I came to a deeper appreciation of this by reading On the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World (Amazon) or vatican.va online reading, by Blessed John Paul II.
He explains that in the Last Supper Discourse, and specifically John 16:7, that it is Jesus's departure through the cross that has the power of the Redemption---and this also means a new presence of the Spirit of God in creation: the new beginning of God's self-communication to man in the Holy Spirit.
| 7 | Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. |
 |
| Jesus Christ, Pantocrator, The Lord Almighty |
Here is the passage from Colossians that Scott Hahn tells us in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is an ancient hymn extolling Christ's deity and supremacy over creation.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. ~ Colossians 1:15-20
Three verses preceding this are a prayer Paul and Timothy were making for the Colossians, but I would suggest we all pray this for each other while we pray our novenas.
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long-suffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ~ Colossians 1:9-12
Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who has promised us the Holy Spirit, Alleluia.
I clicked on the link for the Novena - what beautiful prayers! I particularly loved the Consecration to the Holy Spirit on this link. I've done Novenas for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit before but it was not the one you have linked. The older prayers like the Novena you are doing seem more reverential to me for some reason. I think it's the wording of the prayers that I like so much. They sure knew how to write them in 1911!
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to get the Ignatius Study Bible for a while now. It's available on the Kindle for a good price but I think that I might want this one in real book form.
Great post, Colleen!
Thank you Mary for reading and commenting. I was over on your blog and saw you have another version of the Pentecost novena available.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you the Ignatius Study Bible is better as real book purchase. I've only recently downloaded the kindle app and I think it is good for books that you read once or twice but for ones you study or meditate on, and especially books you might bring into Adoration or to pray with in a church in front of the tabernacle, a real book is best! Plus there is something peaceful and calming about holding a real book that seems to be missing from reading an electronic format, but maybe that is because my husband is anti-gadget and his glances are disrupting the calm? (joke) I notice the same thing with handwriting. When I handwrite into a notebook, journal it seems more calming than typing into electronic journal, not sure if that is because of work/stress association for my history with computers?