Novena to the Holy Spirit

First Day
Importance of the Gifts

All notes and prayers are excerpts from Favorite Novenas to the Holy Spirit, published by Catholic Book Publishing Co.
We shall strive during this Novena to obtain an increase of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, over and above the special favors we shall ask from the Divine Spirit. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are supernatural dispositions given to us with grace, to make the soul attentive and responsive to the movements of the Third Person of the Adorable Trinity.

Prayer:Almighty and eternal God, You have regenerated us by water and the Holy Spirit, and have given us forgiveness of all sins. Be pleased 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 of Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen. Recite 7 times the Glory be to the Father.

Second Day

The Gift of Holy Fear

The irreligious man often fears that there may possibly be a God and a time of retribution. O what a base fear; a fear that he tries to bury in oblivion by leading a riotous, sinful life. The Gift of Holy Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us above all things to offend Him.

Prayer:

Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set You,my Lord and God, before my face for ever; and shun all things that can offend You, so that I may be made worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in the heaven of heavens, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God forever and ever. Amen.

Recite 7 times the Glory be to the Father.

Third Day

The Gift of Piety

The Gift of Piety is the Gift through which the Holy Spirit calls to the service of God and man, the mistress of virtues, charity. It prompts us to love God not because of His majesty, but because He is our Father. It makes us love whatever is near and dear to our Divine Savior, beginning with His Immaculate Mother and going down the scale to the most abandoned on earth and in purgatory.

Prayer:

Come, O blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart, incline it to a true faith in You, to a holy love of You, my God, and of all my fellow creatures for Your sake. Amen.

Recite 7 times the Glory be to the Father.

Fourth Day

The Gift of Knowledge

Knowledge, as a Gift of the Holy Spirit, directs the soul to judge of things, both human and Divine, according to supernatural common sense and not according to the standards of the worldly-wise.

In this age of doubt, materialism, pleasure-seeking, what shall we say of the necessity of this Gift to enable us to distinguish good from evil, innocent pleasure from tainted joy, truth from falsehood, the real good from the apparent good among all the things around us? Let us, therefore, pray earnestly for this Gift.

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 Your eternal rewards. Amen.

Recite 7 times the Glory be to the Father.

Fifth Day

The Gift of Fortitude

Fortitude is the Gift of the Holy Spirit strengthening the soul against all natural fear and supporting it to the end in the performance of duty. Daily the soul, in the state of grace, must go forth to fight the good fight of Christ; to do its duty, which, because it is duty, will always be difficult.

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. May I never be overcome and separated from You, my God and greatest Good. Amen.

Recite 7 times the Glory be to the Father.

Seventh Day

The Gift of Understanding

Understanding, as a Gift of the Holy Spirit, helps the Christian, in the state of grace, to grasp according to his mental capacity, the meaning of the truths of our holy religion. Perhaps, to many of us, the articles of the Creed are but dry disconnected truths. God gives us the Gift of Understanding to enable us to penetrate the truths of our holy religion in a manner that will enable us to live them.

Prayer:

Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten my mind, that I may know and believe all the Mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Your Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of You and the Father and the Son. Amen.

Recite 7 times the Glory be to the Father.

Eighth Day

The Gift of Wisdom

Wisdom is that Gift of the Holy Spirit whereby the Divine Spirit raises up our intellect and our heart to rest in God alone. Knowledge tells us the value of earthly things, and how we can enjoy them licitly without offending God; but Wisdom mounts high above them.

Wisdom is that blossom of all the other Gifts. The latter lead us up, step by step, to the throne of God: Wisdom bids us sit down on His footstool and judge all earthly things from that sublime height.

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. Show me the way by which I may be able to attain them and possess them forever. Amen.

Recite 7 times the Glory be to the Father.

Ninth Day

Zeal for the Glory of God

and the Propagation of the Faith

The first great Novena in honor the Holy Spirit was crowned with an abundant outpouring of the Divine Spirit upon the Apostles. It enkindled within their bosom a zeal that knew not fear of starvation or death, that defied the sword and the cross, that braved storms at sea and bloody persecutions on land. for the propagation of the Faith of Jesus Christ.

Before we close this Novena, let us beg the Holy Spirit to pour out an abundance of the apostolic spirit upon our priests, missionaries, and nuns.

Prayer:

Holy, Divine Spirit, by the infinite merits of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, deign to pour abroad Your most ardent and omnipotent charity into all hearts, so that there may be on e Fold and one Shepherd in the whole world; and that we may all come to sing Your Divine praises in heaven forever. Amen.

Recite 7 times the Glory be to the Father.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS