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
The Gift of Counsel
What we admire in the great saints of God is not only their heroic strength and perseverance in doing good, but also the instinctive certainty with which they went the way prescribed for them by God. This is the fruit of the Gift of Counsel. This gift is all-important for our interior life and is too little appreciated- We often consider it only necessary on days of important decisions as for choice of a vocation, etc., to deligently pray to the Holy Spirit. It is true that in these decisive moments we must pray especially for this Gift, because we then stand in such great need of it.
We too easily overlook the fact that the daily influence of the Gift of Counselbreally makes the lives of the Saints possible. A saintly life does not only consist in performing extraordinary deeds, but much more in the performing of the common everyday tasks in the most perfect manner. For this needed a supernatural facility to always see, at every moment, what is the most perfect, most pleasing to God. A saintly life is nothing more than doing that which God demands of us at every moment of the day."Lord! What wilt Thou have me do?" (Acts 9:6), thus the soul inquires with the Apostles, not only in decisive hour, but so to say every day and every hour anew. And as to Saul before Damascus, the answer came from heaven, so also to the mortified and cleansed from all self-seeking, and through prayer made receptive, the interior answer comes from God, from the Holy Spirit of Counsel. Through this comes the security of the saints in their deeds.
E X A M P L E
It has been said of St. Thomas Aquinas that he summed up in his person all the science of his age. He has enlightened the Church more than all other doctors by his teachings. St. Louis, king of France, held him in such esteem, that he constantly consulted him on important matters of State.
A great testimony to his resolution as counselor was the resolution of the University of Paris to refer to his decision a delicate question about the Holy Eucharist. Saint Thomas, after fervent prayer, wrote his answer in the form of a treatise; his decision was accepted by the university afterwards by the whole Church.
The saint received from our Lord's own lips a formal approval of what he had set down. Appearing in a vision, the Saviour said to him: "Thou hast written well of the Sacrament of My Body."; and almost immediately afterwards, Thomas passed into ecstasy and remained so long raised from the ground that there was time enough to summon many brethren to behold the spectacle. Of the noble character of St. Thomas we may consider two virtues, which may be of great profit to us, his spirit of prayer and his humility. He was ever wont to declare that he learned more at the foot of the crucifix than from books.
The prudence of the saints by which they knew to draw eternal merits from fleeting moments, is but the natural sequence of the Gift of the holy Spirit, to Whose counsel they have listened in the simplicity of their hearts. To symbolize this we often see St. Thomas pictured with a Dove speaking to his ear.
A great testimony to his resolution as counselor was the resolution of the University of Paris to refer to his decision a delicate question about the Holy Eucharist. Saint Thomas, after fervent prayer, wrote his answer in the form of a treatise; his decision was accepted by the university afterwards by the whole Church.
The saint received from our Lord's own lips a formal approval of what he had set down. Appearing in a vision, the Saviour said to him: "Thou hast written well of the Sacrament of My Body."; and almost immediately afterwards, Thomas passed into ecstasy and remained so long raised from the ground that there was time enough to summon many brethren to behold the spectacle. Of the noble character of St. Thomas we may consider two virtues, which may be of great profit to us, his spirit of prayer and his humility. He was ever wont to declare that he learned more at the foot of the crucifix than from books.
The prudence of the saints by which they knew to draw eternal merits from fleeting moments, is but the natural sequence of the Gift of the holy Spirit, to Whose counsel they have listened in the simplicity of their hearts. To symbolize this we often see St. Thomas pictured with a Dove speaking to his ear.
A P P L I C A T I O N
How important it is for us, that in all things we first look to the will of God which must be the guide of all our thoughts and actions? Likewise, we must endeavor to walk in the presence of God. If we, as it were, live under the eyes of the omniscient God, it will not be hard for us, through frequent raising of our hearts to Him, to ascertain His most holy will.
In order to practice the presence of God, we must also be recollected. If we give ourselves up to work and labors in such a manner that we become slaves of our actions, then we can never attain to the spirit of true recollection, for "the kingdom of God is within us!"
PRACTICE: Frequently recall that you are a temple of the Holy Spirit Who dwells in you and Whom Jesus brings to you in a special manner in each Holy Communion. The Tabernacle of the Holy Eucharist should remind you of the tabernacle that you yourself are.
Prayer for the Sixth Day
O Holy Spirit, Who didst form the sacred humanity of Jesus out of the purest body of His Blessed Mother, help me to receive Jesus in Holy Communion with that love and fervor with which His Blessed Mother received Him. Make my soul long to receive Him in the mystery of the altar and be thou with me when I approach the sacred table. O sanctifier of souls, have mercy on my poor soul and prepare it as a worthy dwelling place of Jesus. 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.
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