What is a Novena?
A novena is a form of Catholic prayer. A novena is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The word novena is taken from “novem,” the Latin word for nine. Novenas are most often prayed by members of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as by Anglicans, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and Lutherans. A novena is made up of nine days of prayer and meditation usually to ask God for special prayer requests or petitions. Novenas are often used to ask specific saints to pray for us. The Saint Jude Novena, for example, is prayed to ask Saint Jude to intercede on behalf of a request that seems especially dire.
Novenas are an ancient tradition that goes back to the days of the Apostles. Jesus told His disciples to pray together after His ascension into heaven, so they went to an upper room along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, (Acts 1:14) and joined constantly in prayer for nine days. These nine days of constant prayer by the Apostles at the direction of Jesus led up to Pentecost. This is when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples as “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:1-4). This pattern of 9 days of prayer is the basis the novenas we pray today.
Thus, the novena is an imitation of the Lord’s command to the Apostles when they prayed for 9 days in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
How do I pray a Novena?
During a novena, the devotees make petitions, implore favors, or obtain graces by worshiping Jesus Christ, and asking for intercessions of the Virgin Mary or the saints of the faith. Individuals may express love and honor by kneeling, burning candles or placing flowers before for the person represented by a statue. In some Christian communities, the popularity of novenas has waned, in others such as in Africa, Latin America and the Philippines, novena traditions are popular and include devotional rituals such as congregational prayers, statue decoration, hymn singing with music, as well as community fiesta events over beverages, refreshments or processions.
All you need to do is to say the daily prayers with a sincere heart. It is not necessary to pray at the same time every day (although you can), or to fast, or to pray the rosary in addition to the novena; however, you can still do all of these things in addition to praying, but they are not required. Some novenas are longer (e.g. the 30-day St. Joseph Novena or the 54-day Rosary novena), but traditionally they are nine days.
The prayers used in the novena are often derived from devotional prayer books, or consist of the recitation of the rosary (a “rosary novena”), or of short prayers through the day. Novena prayers are customarily printed in small booklets, and the novena is often dedicated to a specific angel, saint, a specific Marian title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or it invokes one of the personages of the Holy Trinity.
Understand what a novena is not.
A novena is not a magic spell. In other words, praying a novena does not guarantee that a miracle will occur, and the mere words of your chosen novena do not hold any set power alone. It is the act of devotion you display by praying a novena that has spiritual significance.
Understand what a novena is. Trust God. When you pray your novena, say the prayers with faith in God and trust that God will give you the right answer in the right way. Do not pray a novena in the hopes of manipulating God into an answer. Ask yourself why you want to pray a novena.
As noted already, a novena is not a magic spell that will answer all your needs and wants. Nonetheless, there are spiritual benefits that can be derived from reciting a novena, and these benefits should not be overlooked.
Praise God. Novenas, like all prayers, are a means of praising God.
Express. The novena structure also provides a unique channel to express strong spiritual wants, needs, or sentiments.
Connect. Novenas spoken as a Church family also keep the individual believer connected to the Christian community.
Nonetheless, Jesus reminds us in the Gospel to be persistent in prayer and a novena is a great aid in doing just that!
Frequently asked questions
What if I miss a day?
That’s okay, it happens! If you a miss a day, you can do one of a few things.
You can either: 1) skip the day you missed altogether, 2) say two of the daily prayers in one day to catch up, or 3) say the prayer of the day you missed and just be one day behind everybody else.
It’s up to you, and whatever you choose to do is okay. There are no “rules” and there are no “consequences.” God is forgiving and merciful!
Should I have the same intention for all 9 days or should I have a different intention for each day?
You can do either one. What matters most is how you come to the Lord with that intention — with a sincere heart that is open to God’s will.
