Parish Novena to the Holy Spirit
Day One
Before a journey begins it is always good to have
done some preparation. Where are we going? How will we get there? Who will we
meet? The ultimate destination of our ‘virtual’ pilgrimage over these next few
days is to come ever closer to the heart of God. The map we will be using is not a piece of
paper with lines and squiggles or a GPS screen with a soul-less voice saying ‘Turn
left; In another 100yards you will have reached your destination’. No. Our
map will be following the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that reveal something about
God’s mission for us. It is this same Holy Spirit who will be our companion on
the road.
‘Are we there yet?’ This is a familiar
question that most parents and grandparents have heard, as well as the timeless
comment, ‘How much longer?’ Our prayer journey with the Holy Spirit will
take nine days. The Latin word for the number 9 is ‘Novem’. Hence
in the days of ancient Rome the Ninth Month was November. In the context
of the Church, the term Novena is used to denote a nine day period of prayer,
asking God for a particular spiritual favour and petitioning His help, if it is
His will. Our Novena is asking God to help us, as disciples, during this global
pandemic. We are imploring the Lord for the courage and strength to witness to
Him, as a parish family which is part of the One Church, in the unpredictable
near future – whatever that may look
like!
Our preparation for the pilgrimage is almost
complete. We know how long it will take, we know our intention is to pray for
the faith and witness of our parish family and so all that is left to do is
welcome our companion on the road, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not a ‘what’ but a ‘who’.
He is one of the persons of the Holy Trinity and as Catholics we have all
encountered him. He is our constant companion in life, though we may not be
always fully aware of his presence.
The early Church Father, St. Irenaeus, explained
that without the Holy Spirit we could not begin to truly know who Jesus
is.
‘...It
is impossible to see God’s Son without the Spirit, and no one can approach the
Father without the Son, for the knowledge of the Father is the Son, and the
knowledge of God’s Son is obtained through the Holy Spirit.’
(St. Irenaeus)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church further
unpacks and clarifies St. Irenaeus’ teaching:
‘This
knowledge of faith is possible only in the Holy Spirit: to be in touch with
Christ, we first must have been touched by the Holy Spirit.’
(CCC #683)
Let’s just pause and think about that comment. ‘...To
be in touch with Christ, we first must have been touched by the Holy Spirit.’
If you believe in Jesus, no matter how strong or weak you think your faith is;
if you recognise Christ as the Son of God no matter how illogical it may seem;
if you daily struggle to know, love and serve the Lord and find him difficult
to follow yet still deep down within you believe in him, then brothers and
sisters rejoice because you are blessed! You are blessed because you are in the
presence of the Holy Spirit at this very moment! The Spirit has indeed blessed
and touched you. That belief in Jesus, that trust, that recognition, that deep
down conviction no matter how unsure or fragile in Our Lord it may be, has only
come about because of the power of the Holy Spirit. You already know our
travelling companion on this novena pilgrimage, let’s now continue to deepen
and foster our relationship with him further.
The itinerary for each day of our journey will be:
•
A reflection on one of the Gifts of the Holy
Spirit.
•
The recitation of the words from the hymn Veni
Creator Spiritus.
•
And finally the Prayer to the Holy Spirit.
We are now
ready to set off on our pilgrimage. Let us begin with praying the Veni
Creator Spiritus. This is an ancient hymn that is sung at Pentecost,
Ordinations and other important moments in the life of the Church where the
Spirit is called upon to help, assist, inspire, encourage and strengthen.
Veni
Creator Spiritus
Come,
Holy Spirit, Creator come,
From
your bright heavenly throne!
Come,
take possession of our souls,
And
make them all your own.
You
who are called the Paraclete,
Best
gift of God above,
The
living spring, the living fire,
Sweet
unction, and true love!
You
who are sevenfold in your grace,
Finger
of God's right hand,
His
promise, teaching little ones
To
speak and understand!
O
guide our minds with your blessed light,
With
love our hearts inflame,
And
with your strength which never decays
Confirm
our mortal frame.
Far
from us drive our hellish foe
True
peace unto us bring,
And
through all perils guide us safe
Beneath
your sacred wing.
Through
you may we the Father know,
Through
you the eternal Son
And
you the Spirit of them both
Thrice-blessed
three in one.
All
glory to the Father be,
And
to the risen Son;
The
same to you, O Paraclete,
While
endless ages run.
Amen.
Finally in a few moments of silence let us listen.
How is God calling me to live out my faith each and everyday? What are the
changes I need to make in how I think, act and speak? What are the strengths
and gifts I need to build upon and share? What is God asking of me for the
future? No matter how strong or weak my faith in Jesus is, I still possess it
because of the Holy Spirit. Let us thank the Holy Spirit for this blessing of
faith.
Come, Holy Spirit
Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
V. Send forth your
Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And you shall renew
the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who taught the
hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift
of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise and ever rejoice in his
consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
God Bless and keep praying.
We continue our journey to Pentecost tomorrow.
Fr. O’Brien
