Pentecost Novena - First Day

Image by Down East Stained Glass

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 will find a post with a prayer for that day.

For your prayer, I've added at the top of the sidebar the beautiful Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit) from Taize. Here are the verses:

Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit, from heaven shine forth with your glorious light.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus…

Come, Father of the poor, come generous Spirit,
come light of our hearts.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus…

Come from the four winds, O Spirit, come breath of God;
disperse the shadows over us, renew and strengthen your people.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus...

Most kindly warming light:
enter the inmost depths of our hearts, for we are faithful to you;
without your presence we have nothing worthy, nothing pure.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus…

You are our only comforter, peace of the soul;
in the heat you shade us, in our labor you refresh us
and in trouble you are our strength.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus...

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit

From the scriptures:

Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labor,
she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
John 16:20-23

For whom, for what shall we pray?
- Who are the suffering for whom I want to pray?

- Who are the anguished?

- In whose peacefulness do I gratefully rejoice?

- How do I need the Holy Spirit in my life?

Let us pray:
Come, Holy Spirit of God!
Console the hearts of the anguished,
heal the suffering in their hour of pain,
and be the joy of those who have found your peace.

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...

Veni, Sancte Spiritus!
(see sidebar for music)
Novena 2009
-ConcordPastor