Novena to the Holy Spirit- Second Day

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Acts of Virtue

V. I believe in Thee, O my God,
R. Because Thou art the Eternal Truth.

V. I hope in Thee, O my God,
R. Because Thou art infinitely merciful, faithful and almighty.

V. With my whole heart I love Thee, O my God, and am sorry for having offended Thee,
R. Because Thou art ineffably good and lovable.

V. Out of love for me Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament.
R. Therefore I long for Thee, O my dearest Jesus.

V. Send me from the Father the Holy Spirit with His seven gifts
R. That I may glorify God in all things. Amen.


Preparatory Prayer

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.

V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shall renew the face of the earth.


Let us pray

O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit didst instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant us by the same Holy Spirit to love and relish what is right and just and always to enjoy His comforts. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

O Holy Spirit, thou Spirit of light and love, I consecrate to Thee my understanding, my heart and my will, my whole being for time and eternity. Enlighten my mind to understand the truths of religion and make my understanding to be always submissive to Thy heavenly inspirations and to the teaching of the Catholic Church whose infallible guide Thou art. Inflame my heart with love of God and of my neighbor. Grant that my will be ever conformed to the divine will and that my whole life be in accord with the teaching of our Lord and Savior to Whom with the Father and Thee be honor and glory forever. Amen.


CENACLE NOVENA PRAYER

O Holy Spirit Who art the Love of the Father and the Son, and Who through the love of us didst form the Heart of Jesus in the womb of Mary, Thy Immaculate spouse, bestow uponus Thy sevenfold gifts and twelve fruits in memory of Thy descent upon the Apostles and Mary in the Cenacle, and grant that all men may be united with Thee and amongst themselves in charity and peace.
Come, Holy Ghost fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
                                                                                                     (300 days each time)

O Holy Spirit, Consoler and Paraclete, sent from the Father and the Son as the seal of their love for me, I humbly beseech Thee to enlighten and strengthen me to bear the burdens of this day, that I may repair by my devotion and resignation the slights and neglect by which I have grieved Thee from childhood. May my heart become Thy pleasing temple.
O Holy Spirit, sweet Guest of my soul, remain with me and make me ever remain with Thee.
                                                                                                       (300 days each time) 

O Holy Spirit, Lord of the Harvest, look with compassion upon the people still left without a shepherd to lead them to the Father. Before Thee the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace, may the darkness of sin and night of heathenism vanish and may the Heart of Jesus reign in the hearts of men.
O Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth, come into our hearts; shed the brightness of Thy light on all nations that they may be one in Faith and pleasing to Thee. Amen
                                                                                                        (100days once a day)

M E D I T A T I O N

WHEN administering Confirmation, the Bishop with great solemnity calls down upon the one to be confirmed the sevenfold Holy Spirit. Also in the hymn of Pentecost there is mention of the Spirit sevenfold in His gifts.

The source for this doctrine of the seven gifts is the scriptural text in Isaias wherein the prophet proclaims that the Holy Spirit will descend in a sevenfold manner upon the coming Savior. According to the expressed will of Christ, His faithful, like branches of a vine, were to have life through Him; so this sevenfold heavenly gift, which would be given to those faithful, who are in union with Christ, their Head. The fullness of the Holy Spirit dwelt in Christ. In the hearts of the faithful, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are developed according to the providential designs of God and our cooperation with grace.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are therefore supernatural and impart such docility to our faculties that they promotly comply with the inspirations of grace. These gifts are developed through fervent prayer and mortification. The more pride, vanity, obstinacy and other passions in the soul are conquered, the more we follow with docility the inspirations of grace. Since the gifts of the Holy Spirit are so very important for the development of our interior life, we shall consider them in succession during the days of this Novena. May God the Holy Spirit give us the right understanding and a great desire for His seven gifts.

The Gift of the Fear of the Lord

The soul, which through mortification and prayer has opened itself to the Holy Spirit, is filled with that reverence and fear of the Lord which makes it recoil from the least offence of the Holy Spirit. Under the influence of the Divine Spirit, an instinct, so to say, is evolved in the soul which from afar already scents the danger of sin and therefore avoids everything which in any way could lead to sin.

This fear of the Lord avoids an excessive familiarity or presumption witn God. St. Therese of Avila speaks often in her writings of the "Majesty of God." This great Spanish mystic, inspired with the fear of God, was overwhelmed by the powerful and infinited Majesty of God. The liturgy of the church cultivates in us this fear of the lord by daily recalling to our mind the Majesty of God in the Gloria and Preface of the Mass. Filled with the fear of the Lord, the soul is not tempted to forget the infinite distance between God and itself.

E X A M P L E

The Holy Spirit fills the heart of man with the gift of the fear of the Lord. St. Francis Borgia had been a duke, and for many years was attached to the court of the Emperor Charles V. The chief aim he had proposed to himself was to win the favor of the Empress Isabella; he was, in fact, a great favorite with her. Now it happened that the Empress was suddenly attacked by a fatal malady, and died in the bloom of her youth. Francis Borgia was commissioned by the Emperor to conduct the remains of his imperial consort to Granada, where she was to be interned. On the arrival of the funeral cortege in Granada, the coffin was opened according to the prescribed usage, in order that the body might be seen by the officials, and identified as that of the late Empress. But what a sight met their view! The countenance of the deceased, formerly so fair, was disfigured beyond recognition, and a horrible effluvium pervaded the vault, rendering it almost impossible for the bystanders to remain there.


At that moment Francis' soul was illumined by a ray of the grace of the Holy Spirit. He said to himself: "Oh how speedily beauty, power and happiness vanish at a breath! What have I now for all the years that I served  my sovereign? Never again, will I serve a created being whom death can take from me. Henceforth, I will devote myself to the service of God alone." The next night he spent in prayer, and later on he entered the society of Jesus. After a time he was elected General of the Order. He died in the year 1572.

A P P L I C A T I O N

Consider sin as the greatest evil; for "sin brings distress to nations" as the Holy Spirit Himself warns us. Do not only avoid mortal sin, but also flee all deliberate venial sin, for it gradually leads to mortal sin. Avoid also deiberate occasions of sin, for "he who loves danger will perish in it". Pray much to the Holy Spirit for a delicate conscience.

PRACTICE: Keep your conscience in good order by daily making an examination of conscience.

Prayer for the Second Day

O Holy Spirit, Thou light of all that live, teach me to lead, with Jesus, a hidden life spent for God alone and to use creatures only according to His will. Let the beauty of God blind me to the beauty of the world and let the light of God blind my eyes to the light of the earth. Take away from my soul all dross and purify it by Thy heavenly grace, that, cleansed from all iniquity, my soul may rejoice in Thee, and detached from all vanities of the world, I may serve and love Thee, Who with the Father and the Son art one God. Amen.

Closing Prayer

O Holy Spirit, Creator, be propitious to the Catholic Church and by Thy heavenly power, make it strong and secure against the attacks of its enemies and renew in charity the spirit of Thy servants, whom Thou hast anointed, that they may glorify Thee and the Father and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

O Holy Spirit, Spirit of truth, come into our hearts; shed the brightness of Thy light on all nations that they may be one in faith and pleasing to Thee. Amen.



Our Father...


Hail Mary...


Glory be to the Father...

- - -

O Paraclete Divine, Thou art called the "Forgotten Paraclete" for so few there are who invoke Thy divine intercession. Forgive me, dear Paraclete, for I too have ugratefully neglected Thee.

O Holy Paraclete. Spirit of adoption of the Father, I believe that Thou hast made me a Child of God in the Sacrament of Baptism. Guide Thou my poor prayers for without Thee I know not how or what I should pray to obtain my desire. O Paraclete Divine, Spirit of Fortitude, Thou hast strengthened me in Holy Confirmation. I hope in Thy aid, and entrust my petition to Thee. Do not forsake me, dear Paraclete Divine!

O Spirit of Love! Thou dwellest in my heart by sanctifying grace as the most precious gift that Jesus has given to me from the Father. may I love Thee in every beat of my heart and renew my petition together with Thee and in union with those who have joined in this prayer. In reparaton for my neglect, I shall do all in my power to spread devotion to Thee. O Mother Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit and my Patron, keep me near to my Paraclete. Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.