The Doctrine of the Catholic Church contemplates that the Saints and the Virgin Mary "do not cease to intercede for us before the Father" and that "their fraternal care is of great help for our sickness" (Lumen gentium 49).
Novenas help us in our prayer when they are properly evaluated in the context of sound doctrine.
In the Middle Ages, Spain and France introduced the "novena of preparation" for the Christmas. for remembering the nine months of Our Lady's pregnancy. In Spain, the Council of Toledo in 656 transferred the feast of the Annunciation to December 18 (within the ninth).
For this reason the novena took on a sense of anticipation and preparation for a feast.. The best models of preparation are Jesus and Mary, preparing for the birth. We prepare ourselves in this world for eternal life.
From the novena of preparation arose the custom, which began in France and Belgium, of doing novenas to the Virgin Mary and the saints for various intentions.
In the seventeenth century the Church formally granted the first indulgence to a novena in honor of St. Francis Xavier, awarded by Pope Alexander VII.
Today, the Church believes that the structure of the nine repetitions refers to the nine days between the Ascension y Pentecost. In the Bible, this period is, for Jesus« disciples and his mother, a time of waiting that they spend in prayer. »They all devoted themselves to prayer with one accord.” Acts 1: 14 at the end of which they received the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we too can to live the novena as a time of prayer in expectation of a grace.
The novena, from Latin "novem», nine.".
As explained in the teachings of the Catholic Church, the novena It is a series of nine. The sequence of nine may refer to consecutive days (e.g., the nine days leading up to a liturgical feast) or to nine specific days of the week or month (e.g., the first nine Fridays).
Some novenas have a long tradition associated with devotion to a saint or with entrusting a particular intention or grace to God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), to the Virgin Mary, the angels, and the saints.
The novena has a spiritual meaning. It is directly related to the act of devotion that is demonstrated by praying it. Like all prayers, these are a way of praising God. Mary encouraged the apostles to pray for nine days to receive the Holy Spirit. That act of the mother of Jesus teaches the faithful the importance of constancy of faith.
The novena is a privileged way of praying because allows us to take time for prayer, bringing quality to our engagement. In fact, when our prayer is accompanied by a deep desire to open our hearts to God in order to experience his real presence and place ourselves in his hands, the Lord can act and humbly make us understand his will.
There is no need to wait for a specific date to begin a novena: the best moment is undoubtedly when we feel the need or the desire to do it.. Every major prayer intention we have and every major discernment we have to make is a potential opportunity to begin a novena. The key is consistency.
The contents of each novena are different, but most of them offer at least one daily meditation, often written from a Bible passage or spiritual book, and a prayeroften addressed to God through the intercession of a saint.
It is also good to present our prayer by placing ourselves in the presence of the Lord with the sign of the cross and a word. And conclude it, for example, by reciting the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.
There are many and varied reasons to pray a novena. In addition to those that we can do at any time of the year according to the events that affect our life, the tradition proposes to pray a novena before the feast of a saint or a great Christian feast. In this case, the novena begins 8 days before, so that the last day falls on the date of the feast.
Among the novenas Some of the most common annual novenas include, for example, the Novena to St. Joseph, the Novena to the Immaculate Conception, the fasting novena for Lent, and the Novena to the Holy Spirit to prepare for Pentecost.
Remember
Be assured that the Lord answers all our prayers.
"When you ask me for something on my behalf, I will do it." John 14:14
The fruits of a novena sometimes take very concrete forms and sometimes they are not visible, but in any case the novena has an impact on us "everything contributes to the good of those who love God". Romans 8:28
In this life, we all go through difficulties. But the strength we Christians have is to know that Christ, being that he himself suffered, supports us in each of these trials: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Holy Family Novena of Pope Francis
The pope recommends a simple and effective way to offer a novena to the Holy Family by fervently praying the same prayer for nine consecutive days.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph
in you we contemplate
the splendor of true love,
to you, with confidence, we turn.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
also make our families
place of communion and cenacle of prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
that there will never again be episodes in families
of violence, closed-mindedness and division;
that whoever has been injured or scandalized
be soon comforted and healed.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
that the forthcoming Synod of Bishops
to raise everyone's awareness
of the sacred and inviolable character of the family,
of its beauty in God's plan.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
hear, receive our supplication, Amen!"
Discover more prayers for the family.
With the collaboration of:
Opusdei.org
Aleteia.org
Catholic.net
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