What is a Novena?
January 24th, 2007 by Richard
Novenas are very popular to Catholics. It is a traditional Catholic prayer method. A novena is when a series of prayers are given for nine days straight.The novena is offered as a sacrifice to God. God sees a novena as a sign of devotion especially when the person saying the novena asks for a specific reason.
Many people might think this is some kind of magic, but it isn’t. They are just there to help people talk to God. Novenas are usually very private, but sometimes at church.
Several novenas have been approved and Indulgenced by the Holy See. Novenas are created as preparation for feasts. In the early days, a novena was a prayer for the repose of the soul of a dead person.
Here’s How:
- Decide on an intention. You can decide a very specific intention or something general. Decide on something that is important to you or someone you care about. You can also pray for the intention of God.
- Look through these novenas to find one that you’d like to say.
- Say all of the prayers that are listed and required. Don’t forget to state your intention.
- Repeat step 3 for nine days straight or longer if the novena requires longer days.
You can say novenas as often as you’d like. You can say them for your intentions and others.
- Be thankful even if your intention hasn’t been answered immediately. God listens to all of our prayers even if He doesn’t respond as we like. You can repeat the novena again for that particular intention too.
Tips:
- Set a certain time everyday you want to say the novena so you won’t forget.
- Be open to hear God especially if it’s something you might not want to know or hear.
- Educate others about novenas and tell them how they help you.