Pentecost Novena
Do you know the first novena ever prayed is the Pentecost Novena (also know as the Novena to the Holy Spirit)? This novena starts Friday after Ascension Thursday until Saturday, the Vigil of Pentecost. It commemorates the nine days between the Ascension of Our Lord and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. During this time, Our Lady and the apostles prayed in the upper room for the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, the Paraclete:
When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus… (Acts 1:13-14)
Mary is with the apostles in the upper room. She provides a model of prayer and encourages the apostles to wait and pray for coming of the Holy Spirit. This novena asks for the Holy Spirit’s seven gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. With Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, let us prepare our hearts to receive with ardent love the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit!
Novena prayers below are adapted from Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts, EWTN.
Daily Novena Prayer
To be prayed daily along with each day’s meditation.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, promised to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your apostles and disciples, be pleased to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul the work of Your grace and Your love.
Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom, that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal;
the Spirit of Understanding, to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth;
the Spirit of Counsel, that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven;
the Spirit of Fortitude, that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation;
the Spirit of Knowledge, that I may know God and know myself in Him and grow perfect in the science of the Saints;
the Spirit of Piety, that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable;
and the Spirit of Fear of the Lord, that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to offend Him.
Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.
Novena Daily Meditations
Click on the images below to pray the daily meditation for each day.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Novena Daily Meditations
Click on the buttons to be taken to the daily meditation for each day.
Daily Reflections
Novena Day 1
The Holy Spirit. Only one thing is important — eternal salvation. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Love, of Strength, and of Light. 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 too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes” (Romans 8:26).
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your divine love.  Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.  O God, who has taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may always be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord.
 Amen.
Novena Day 2
The gift of Fear of the Lord fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread offending Him by sin. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from anything 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.” – Sirach 2:20 (DRB)
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.
Amen.
Novena Day 3
The gift of Piety moves our hearts to love, worship, and reverence God as our loving Father because we are His children and to grow in our love and respect for others, seeing them as our brothers and sisters, members of God’s family. The gift of Piety also fosters a generous and childlike love, so that a person wants to please God, even if it means making sacrifices. It is also a loving obedience toward the teachings and commandments, respecting them as expressions of God’s love for us. Acts of piety also include honoring our Blessed Mother and the saints, kissing the Bible and Crucifix, reverently entering a church. Piety helps us offer our work and service with love and joy. St. Teresa of Calcutta always taught her sisters to treat those they cared for as though they were caring for Jesus Himself, and to do so with a joyful heart and with a smile. Where there is love, there is no labor.
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle in me a love for God as my most loving Father, that I may seek to do His Will, to worship and serve Him alone, and also to love and respect the Church, the family of God.
Amen.
Novena Day 4
The gift of Fortitude strengthens the soul against natural fear. Fortitude empowers the soul to endure difficulties for the sake of heaven, strengthening our will with a firmness to choose good and resist evil. Fortitude gives unshakable confidence in God and courage to endure patiently the trials of life and to persevere joyfully in the midst of suffering. “The one that perseveres to the end will be saved.” -Matthew 24:13
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 my enemies, that I may never be overcome & separated from You, my God & greatest Good.
Amen