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The oldest novena is the prayer of the first disciples from the time Jesus ascended to his Father (40 days after Easter) to the feast of Pentecost. These nine days are a time for us to pray for the coming of the Spirit upon the Church and upon each of us. Each day of the novena you'll find a post with scripture and prayer for the day. There's a widget at the top of the sidebar with 17 musical selections for this Pentecost novena. (If you are just joining us, find the Novena series to date by clicking on the link at the top of the side bar.)
Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 5
From scripture:
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.
For whom, for what shall we pray?
• How has God's Spirit compelled
my heart, my mind, my imagination -
and how have I responded?
• How might I yield to, rather than resist,
the power of the Spirit in my life?
• How might I more freely trust God's Spirit
to lead me where I need to go?
What keeps me from that trust?
• If not "imprisonment and hardships,"
what have I to fear in the Spirit's leading me?
• What shall I pray for the Church today?
• The Gifts of the Holy Spirit (as they are named in the Rite of Confirmation) include: wisdom... the spirit of understanding and right judgment... courage... the spirit of knowledge and reverence... and the spirit of wonder and awe in God's presence... For which of the Spirit's gifts will I pray today?
• Choose one of the songs from the top of the sidebar and let it be part of today's prayer...
Let us pray:
Come, Holy Spirit of God!
Draw me out of myself, my comfort, my contentment
and lead me to where God's grace awaits...
Draw me out of my inertia, my laziness, my corner
and lead me along the path of God's desire for me...
Free me from the prison of my fears and mistrust
and with courage lead me by your light...
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your people
and kindle in us the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created
and you will renew the face of the earth.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
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