| | NOVENAS - ETYM. LATIN NOVEM, NINE, 9 |
Even though Novenas are very popular to Catholics, you may have seen a few Novenas come through your mailbox like the Novena to St. Theresa. They are a traditional Catholic method of prayer. They are a series of prayers that are recited for 9 days straight or 9 hours straight. A novena is offered as a sacrifice to God because it is a sign of devotion. And during this prayer devotion, the person saying the novena asks a specific request or intention.
Nine days of public or private prayer for some special occasion or intention. Its origin goes back to the 9 days that the Disciples and Mary spent together in prayer between Ascension and Pentecost Sunday.
Absolutely! One New Year's Eve I chose to stay home and recite 3 novenas. Using what I knew about Feng Shui and the importance of "clearing" on holidays because of the heightened energy, I chose New Year's Eve as the time to let go of old energy and call in new energy.
I prayed three novenas starting at 3:00 p.m., and ending my final prayer at Midnight. The 3:00 p.m. hour also has powerful significance because it was the hour that Jesus died on the Cross. The Bible says Jesus died in the 9th hour. Jewish hours began at 6:00 a.m., therefore 3:00 p.m., was the 9th hour. [Matthew 27:45-46 and Mark 15:33-34] There's the number 9 again, meaning Novena. New Year's Eve was awesome because while I was reciting my final prayers, I could hear fireworks going off outside. It was awe-inspiring! What a way to start the New Year, with a bang!
When I choose to do a 9 HOUR novena, I prepare my home accordingly in order to keep me in a focused state for 9 hours and I let close friends and family know that I will not be answering the phone or returning phone calls during that time. Then I turn OFF my phone. I begin the 9 HOUR Novena by reciting the prayer (Novena) of my choice. Between each time that I say the prayer, I do laundry, clean closets, drawers, the refrigerator, take a long bath, etc. I also set my alarm to go off at every hour (on the hour) in order to stop and pray the novena at the top of each hour. During my "moving meditation" of clearing and cleaning, I do everything I can to stay focused on my intentions that I AM requesting during the novena.
First, recognize and meditate on why you "chose" to skip an hour, and then re-start back to hour one.
Here's what my schedule might look like during the 9 HOUR novena:
- 6:00 AM - Recite the Novena.
[In between each hour, I spend the time cleaning and organizing, while continuing to meditate on my prayer intention.]
- 7:00 AM - Recite the Novena.
- 8:00 AM - Recite the Novena.
- 9:00 AM - Recite the Novena.
- 10:00 AM - Recite the Novena.
- 11:00 AM - Recite the Novena.
- 12:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
- 1:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
- 2:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
- 3:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
This looks like 10 hours but remember, an hour is an hour and not a number on the clock. So 6:00 - 7:00 is one full hour . . 7:00 - 8:00 is another full hour . . etc.
Sometimes, due to scheduling, it is simply not possible to do a 9 HOUR Novena. I believe it is your intention and sincerity that matters most. Believe me, God knows your heart, intention and sincerity. Set your alarm to go off at the same hour each day for 9 days in order to stop and pray the novena.
First, recognize and meditate on why you "chose" to skip a day and then re-start back to day one.
Here's what my schedule might look like during the 9 DAY Novena:
- Sunday - 3:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
[Each day, as much as possible, maintain the thoughts of your chosen Novena and your prayer request.]
- Monday - 3:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
- Tuesday - 3:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
- Wednesday - 3:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
- Thursday - 3:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
- Friday - 3:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
- Saturday - 3:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
- Sunday - 3:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
- Monday - 3:00 PM - Recite the Novena.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is one of my favorite 9 day novenas. In St. Louis at the Carmelite Monastery there is a 9 day novena every July for 9 days at 7 p.m. to pray the Novena of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It's absolutely incredible and people come from all over to pray. You don't have to go to a formal 9 day novena to pray one. You can choose one below and pray it on your own for 9 days or 9 hours.
When choosing a Novena below, there may be one that asks you to publish it after praying the Novena. For instance, the Infant Baby Jesus of Prague Novena asks you to tell everyone about it, while the St. Jude Novena will ask you to publish it. You can simply respond to this website with a note of gratitude to any Novena that asks for a publication. Or better yet, you can tell your friends and send them a link to the novena web page on this site that has the Novena. I publish all Novena's and notes of gratitude on the Prayer List page.
Enjoy your novenas! And I can tell you this. When you pray your intention or request, they really work!
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