Novena to the Holy Spirit

“Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, o Lord, and your faithful shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit was given to the disciples of Jesus, gathered in the Upper Room with the Blessed Virgin Mary, to empower them to be “witnesses… even to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) The Holy Spirit makes us holy. The Holy Spirit makes us one. The Holy Spirit sends us out to witness – by our words and our actions – to the saving power of Jesus Christ.

In this Novena to the Holy Spirit, we join in prayer for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our Archdiocese, in our parishes and prayer groups, in our families and in each of our lives. We are very much in need of the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit if we are to be effective witnesses of God’s inestimable love for the world.

The Opening Prayer and Closing Prayer for each day will be the same. The Closing Prayer was composed by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, in 1998.

Day 1 - Holy Spirit cleanse our Hearts

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, o Lord, and your faithful shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Father...

Scripture: Ezekiel 36:26-28
“I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes and decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”

(Pause to reflect on God’s Word)

Response
O God, may the power of the Holy Spirit be in us to cleanse our hearts from all impurities and to enable us to live a life of holiness.

Closing Prayer (see last tab)

Day 2 - Holy Spirit grant us Vision

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, o Lord, and your faithful shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Father...

Scripture: Joel 3:1-2
“I will pour out my spirit upon all humankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophecy, your old people shall dream dreams, your youth shall see visions. Even upon the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.”

(Pause to reflect on God’s Word)

Response
O God, pour out upon us the fullness of your Spirit so that we may have and live Your vision for our lives and for the world.

Closing Prayer (see last tab)

Day 3 - Holy Spirit help us love Jesus

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, o Lord, and your faithful shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Father...

Scripture: John 14:23-26
“Jesus said, ‘Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love; and we will come and make our dwelling with them. Whoever does not love me, does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I told you’.”

(Pause to reflect on God’s Word)

Response
O God, help us to love your word and to keep it always. Enlighten us by the Advocate, who proceeds from You, so that we are guided into all truth.

Closing Prayer (see last tab)

Day 4 - Holy Spirit empower Us

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, o Lord, and your faithful shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Father...

Scripture: Acts 1:4-5, 8
“While meeting with them, Jesus enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for ‘the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit… But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

(Pause to reflect on God’s Word)

Response
O God, immerse us in the Holy Spirit, that we may be empowered to witness to Your wisdom and Your goodness, wherever we go.

Closing Prayer (see last tab)

Day 5 - Holy Spirit enflame us with your Love

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, o Lord, and your faithful shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Father...

Scripture: Acts 2:1-4
“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, the disciples were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them.”

(Pause to reflect on God’s Word)

Response
O God, inflame us with the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can boldly proclaim the wonders You are accomplishing in our world today.

Closing Prayer (see last tab)

Day 6 - Holy Spirit renew our Lives

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, o Lord, and your faithful shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Father...

Scripture: Titus 3:3-8
“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another. But when the kindness and generous love of God our Savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of God’s mercy, God saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom God poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life. This saying is trustworthy.”

(Pause to reflect on God’s Word)

Response
O God, renew in us the graces of the Holy Spirit, Whom we received in Baptism and with Whom we were sealed in Confirmation, so that we might know all the joy of rebirth as Your children.

Closing Prayer (see last tab)

Day 7 - Holy Spirit refresh us with your Gifts

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, o Lord, and your faithful shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Father...

Scripture: 1Cor. 12:4-7, 11
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. One and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person.”

(Pause to reflect on God’s Word)

Response
O God, distribute afresh the gifts of the Spirit that You might be glorified, that the Body of Christ might be built up, that Your people might be one, that Your Kingdom be more completely established, that the world be evangelized.

Closing Prayer (see last tab)

Day 8 - Holy Spirit dwell in Us

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, o Lord, and your faithful shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Father...

Scripture: Romans 8:11
“If the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through the Spirit that dwells in you.”

(Pause to reflect on God’s Word)

Response
O God, dwell in us by the Holy Spirit so that we may always offer our lives to You confident that, living by Your Spirit, we may never be separated from You.

Closing Prayer (see last tab)

Day 9 - Holy Spirit fill Us with desire to know Your Will

Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful; and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit, o Lord, and your faithful shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Father...

Scripture: Romans 8:11
“We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we await for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.”

(Pause to reflect on God’s Word)

Response
O God, search our hearts. By the power of the Holy Spirit, help us in every weakness. Fill us with a desire to know Your will in every circumstance. Grant us the courage to act only according to Your ways.

Closing Prayer (see last tab)

Closing Prayer - A Prayer to the Holy Spirit

HOLY SPIRIT, most welcomed guest of our hearts, reveal to us the profound meaning of the Great Jubilee and prepare our hearts to celebrate it with faith, in the hope that does not disappoint, in the love that seeks nothing in return.

SPIRIT OF TRUTH, You who search the depths of God, memory and prophecy in the Church, lead humankind to recognize in Jesus of Nazareth the Lord of glory, the Savior of the world, the supreme fulfillment of history.

Come, Spirit of Love and Peace!

CREATOR SPIRIT, hidden builder of the Kingdom, by the power of your saints guide the Church to cross the threshold of the new millennium and to carry to the coming generations the light of the Word who brings salvation.

SPIRIT OF HOLINESS, divine breath which moves the universe, come and renew the face of the earth. Awaken in Christians a desire for full unity, that they may be for the world an effective sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of the unity of the whole human race.

Come, Spirit of Love and Peace!

SPIRIT OF COMMUNION, soul and strength of the Church, grant that the wealth of charisms and ministries may contribute to the unity of the Body of Christ; grant that laity, consecrated persons and ordained ministers may work in harmony to build the one Kingdom of God.

SPIRIT OF CONSOLATION, unfailing source of joy and peace, inspire solidarity with the poor, grant the sick the strength they need, pour out trust and hope upon those experiencing trials, awaken in all hearts a commitment to a better future.

Come, Spirit of Love and Peace!

SPIRIT OF WISDOM, inspiration of minds and hearts, direct science and technology to the service of life, justice and peace. Render fruitful our dialogue with the followers of other religions, lead the different cultures to appreciate the values of the Gospel.

SPIRIT OF LIFE, by whose power the Word was made flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the mother of attentive silence, make us docile to the promptings of Your love and every ready to accept the signs of the times which You place along the paths of history.

Come, Spirit of Love and Peace!

To You, SPIRIT OF LOVE, with the Almighty Father and the Only-Begotten Son, be praise, honor and glory, forever and ever. AMEN.

by Pope John Paul II - 1988