Novena to the Holy Spirit in preparation for the feast of Pentecost
From the Friday after Ascension Day until the Saturday before Pentecost, the whole Church prays and awaits the coming of the Holy Spirit, like the apostles gathered in the Upper Room with Mary.
Each day, take a few minutes to read the meditation, invoke the Holy Spirit and entrust your intention.
Daily prayer (to be repeated daily)
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send your Spirit, Lord,
and a new creation will be made,
and you will renew the face of the earth.
O God, who has instructed the hearts of the faithful
by the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant us, by that same Spirit,
to taste what is good
and to rejoice always in its consolations.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Day 1: Come, Spirit of Light
Intention: To discern God's will in my life
Lord, in a world where voices multiply, enlighten my heart.
Come Spirit of Light, dispel my fears, my doubts, my illusions.
Give me the inner clarity to see where you are calling me.
Be my compass in choices, my star in the night.
Day 2: Come, Spirit of strength
Intention: to face a trial or a cross
When my strength leaves me, when I feel weak,
Come, Spirit of courage and peace.
Support me in visible and invisible struggles.
Make me strong and faithful in storms.
Day 3: Come, Spirit of Peace
Intention: For reconciliation in my family or circle
Holy Spirit, silence in me quarrels and grudges.
Lay your silence where there is noise, your forgiveness where there are wounds.
Be the breath that soothes, the breath that gathers.
Day 4: Come, Spirit of holiness
Intention: To grow in the inner life and in prayer
Come and dwell in my heart, O Spirit of God.
Make me a living shrine.
Teach me to love God in secret, to live by his presence every day.
Day 5: Come, Spirit of mercy
Intention: For those who are far from God
Spirit of love, breathe on those who have forgotten you, on those who doubt, on those who feel unworthy.
Remind them that they are loved, called, saved.
Awaken in them a thirst for what is essential.
Day 6: Come, Spirit of joy
Intention: For the discouraged or tried
Come and remind me that nothing can tear me away from the love of Christ.
Make your joy spring forth, even in the midst of tears.
Be my inner music, louder than my complaints.
Day 7: Come, Spirit of fire
Intention: to renew the missionary impulse in the Church
Holy Spirit, set your Church ablaze.
Spread your fire over priests, consecrated persons, the laity.
Make us bold witnesses, capable of announcing Jesus to the world.
Day 8: Come, Spirit of Truth
Intention: For those seeking meaning in their lives
You alone know the human heart.
You alone can satisfy the thirst for truth.
Speak to the heart of those who grope, of those who seek, of those who cry out in silence.
Day 9: Come, Spirit of unity
Intention: For unity among Christians, in the Church and in the world
Spirit of unity, gather together what is scattered.
Heal the divisions, tear down the walls.
Make us one body, one heart, one people in Christ.
