The novena is an experience of common and spiritually enriching prayer, normally practiced within the Catholic Church. There are some essential directives to remember, but there is no one "right" way to say a novena.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: The Basics of the Novena
Step 1. What is a novena
It is a traditional form of Catholic prayer. The practitioner recites a specific prayer or series of certain prayers with a particular purpose or request in mind. This practice lasts for nine days or nine hours.
Step 2. What a novena is not
A novena is not a magic formula. In other words, reciting a novena does not guarantee a miracle will come true, and the simple words of the novena you have chosen have no power in themselves. It is the act of devotion that you demonstrate by reciting a novena that has a spiritual significance.
- The Catholic catechism warns against acts of superstition. When a practice or display of such a practice is believed in some way to be magical, the individual who considers it magical is only seeing its outward appearance, not its deeper spiritual meaning. Novenas are one of those acts that have deep spiritual significance but are commonly treated as a superstition.
- When you say your novena, do it with faith in God, believing that God will give you the right answer in the right way. Don't recite a novena in hopes of manipulating God for an answer.
Step 3. The story of the novena
After Jesus ascended to heaven, Mary, the apostles, and other devoted disciples prayed constantly for nine days until Pentecost Sunday. Catholics looked to this example, and hence the practice of reciting nine-day novenas.
The word "novena" comes from the Latin word for "nine", hence the consecutive repetition of nine prayers
Step 4. Ask yourself why you want to say a novena
As noted earlier, a novena is not a magic formula that will answer all your needs and desires. Nonetheless, there can be spiritual benefits from reciting a novena, which should not be underestimated.
- Novenas, like all prayers, are a way of praising God.
- The novena structure also provides a unique channel for expressing strong spiritual desires, needs or feelings.
- Novenas recited in the family of the Church keep the individual believer in connection with the Christian community.
Step 5. The four basic categories
Many novenas can be classified into one or more of four categories: lament, preparation, simple prayer, and indulgence. Some novenas may fall into more than one category.
- Novenas in the category of lament are pronounced before a burial or for similar periods of pain. Prayers are often said for the sake of the departed individual (when appropriate) or for the comfort of the bereaved.
- The novenas of preparation are pronounced before a holiday of the Church, a sacrament or a similar spiritual event. The aim is to prepare the soul for the meaning of that day.
- Novenas in the category of simple prayer, also known as a "petition", are among the most common. These prayers are supplications to God in the request for intervention, signs or other kind of help.
- The novenas of indulgence are those that are recited for the remission of sins. In other words, these prayers are recited as an act of penance for past wrongdoing. Usually, these novenas are made together with the sacrament of confession and during church attendance.
Step 6. Establish your purpose
As noted earlier, novenas are prayers that are said with a specific purpose in mind. Before starting it, have a clear idea of the purpose for which you intend to play it.
- Your purpose may be sincere prayer for direction when you find yourself at a crossroads in life, or it may be something simple, such as an expression of great joy or pain.
- Regardless of what your purpose is, you will need to keep it in the center of your thoughts during the novena period, even when you are not actively praying.
Step 7. Consider adding other spiritual practices to your novena
Since novenas are an act of devotion, reciting them while practicing other significant spiritual acts of sacrifice and devotion can further emphasize the seriousness of your purpose. For example, consider fasting or meditating during the novena period.
Step 8. Keep your commitment
Having decided to start reciting a novena, strictly follow this decision. While there are no punishments for half-quitting, ending the practice can be of spiritual benefit, regardless of whether your original request was answered by the end of the novena period.
There is a debate as to whether or not you should start over if you miss a day or hour of the novena. Tradition dictates that you should meditate on the reason for your interruption and then start over. However, if the reason was inevitable - such as a sudden and terrible illness - the need to start over may not be so clear. Either way, it's a matter of conscience, so it's a decision you have to make, based on your specific circumstances
Method 2 of 3: The Novena Structures
Step 1. Say the nine-day ordinary novena
The most traditional way to recite a novena is to say it at least once a day for nine days.
- Choose a time of day to say the novena. You should pray at the same time every day. For example, if you pray at 9:00 am on the first day, you should pray at 9:00 am on the other days as well.
- Recite the novena once a day for nine consecutive days.
- When you are not actively reciting it, you should try to reflect and meditate on the purpose you have chosen.
- Since this practice takes place over the course of nine days, some distraction is to be expected. You should try to minimize this distraction as much as possible.
Step 2. Use a nine hour frame
A shorter, more focused alternative is to recite a novena once an hour over the course of nine hours.
- Prepare accordingly. Let your friends and family know that you will not be available for the next nine hours, then turn off your phone and any other potential distractions.
- Choose the time to start. Remember that you will need a full nine hours, and they should be consecutive.
- Recite the novena you have chosen at the beginning of each hour.
- In between prayers, spend time meditating on your chosen purpose. You can do other activities, like cleaning the house or going for a walk, but they should allow you to reflect on your purpose instead of distracting yourself from it.
Step 3. Also choose a prayer
There is a variety of different novenas with different prayers that you can use. Some novenas will require you to say the same prayer each time, while others will require you to vary it. While most novenas use formal prayers, you can also recite informal ones, if that means more to you in relation to the circumstances.
- The only limitation is that your prayer must be "oral". You don't need to say it aloud for it to be an oral prayer. It is simply a prayer that actually uses words to turn to God.
- The prayers of your novena can be addressed to God or to one of the Saints.
Step 4. Determine whether to pray privately or publicly
Novenas are often recited alone and in private. But if a particular purpose is for a larger group of people, they might choose to recite the novena together.
Public novenas are usually organized by a church. They can be recited for specific purposes or in preparation for specific holidays. Your church may ask you to be present in the building during the period that the novena is recited daily, or more simply to do it at home during a certain time to maintain a spiritual unity with the congregation, even if its members are physically separated
Method 3 of 3: Examples
Step 1. Say the Novena to the Sacred Heart
This novena can be pronounced in any consecutive nine-day series, but more often it is begun at the beginning of the Feast of Corpus Christi and concluded on the Feast of the Sacred Heart.
-
You will say the same prayer once a day:
“Most holy heart of Jesus, source of all good, I adore you, I love you, I thank you and, repentant of my sins, I present to you this poor heart of mine. Make him humble, patient, pure and in all conformity with your wishes. Protect me in dangers, console me in afflictions, grant me health of body and soul, help in my spiritual and material needs, your blessing in all my works and the grace of a holy death”
Step 2. Use the Novena to the Infant Jesus of Prague
This novena can be recited for nine consecutive days, but more commonly over the course of nine consecutive hours during a single day.
-
You will say the same prayer every hour:
- "O Jesus, who said 'ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you', through the intercession of Mary, your Most Holy Mother, I knock, I seek and ask that my prayer be answered".
- Take a break and say your goals.
- "O Jesus, who said 'whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will grant you', through the intercession of Mary, your Most Holy Mother, humbly and urgently I ask the Father in your name that my prayer be fulfilled ".
- Take a break and say your goals.
- "O Jesus, you said 'Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away', through the intercession of Mary, your Most Holy Mother, I trust that my prayer will be answered".
- Take a break and say your goals.
