Prayers to the Holy Spirit

“But when He, the Spirit of Truth has come, He will teach you all truth… the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your mind whatever I have said to you.” (John 16:12-13,14,26)

Novena to the Holy Spirit
First Prayer
CONSIDERATION – We shall strive during this Novena to obtain an increase of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, over and above the special favors we shall ask from the Divine Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are permanent supernatural dispositions given to us with grace, to make the soul attentive and responsive to the movements of the Third Person of the Adorable Trinity. Very appropriately have they been compared with the sails of a ship which, when spread, carry the craft swiftly and smoothly over its course. When the inspirations of the Holy Spirit find the gifts spread like sails in the soul, they waft it safely over the sea of life to the haven of eternal happiness. Those Christians who through indolence allow the gifts to lie dormant, are like ships dismantled, whose sails lie in the bottom of the boat, useless. Who has not felt, many a time, even immediately coming from the sacred tribunal of penance, the necessity of some such impelling power? Therefore let us beseech the Holy Spirit for an increase of these necessary gifts.

LET US PRAY. Almighty and eternal God, You who have regenerated us by water and the Holy Spirit, and have given us forgiveness of all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us Your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and of Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen. Glory… Glory… Glory… Glory … Glory … Glory … Glory …

Second Prayer
The Gift of Holy Fear
CONSIDERATION – The irreligious man often fears that there may possibly be a God and a time for retribution. O what a base fear; a fear which he tries to bury in oblivion by leading a riotous, sinful life. With such fear, we are not concerned. The gift of Holy Fear fills us with sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread above all things to offend Him. It is fear like that of a dutiful son, who will shun certain company of whom he knows no evil, but with whom his parents do not wish him to associate. He simply respects his parents’ wishes. It is a fear which arises from reverence and submission toward those we love and esteem. It measures the malice of sin, not by the world’s standards, but by those of heaven. If it does not suggest very noble deeds in God’s service, at least it keeps us from going over into the enemy’s camp. For this reason, we poor sinners need the gift of Holy Fear. Let us therefore pray for it.

LET US PRAY. Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set You, my Lord and God, before my face forever; and shun all things that can offend You, so that I may be made worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in the heaven of heavens, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God, world without end. Amen. Glory… Glory… Glory… Glory … Glory … Glory … Glory …

Third Prayer
The Gift of Piety
CONSIDERATION – The gift of Piety is the gift through which the Holy Spirit calls to the service of God and man, the mistress of virtues, charity. It prompts us to love God not because of His majesty, but because He is our Father. It makes us love whatever is near and dear to our Divine Savior, beginning with His Immaculate Mother and going down the scale to the most abandoned soul on earth and in purgatory. The gift of Piety which bids us love our Father in heaven, stirs up our affections for our father and mother in the flesh, our own dear parents, for our fathers in God, the Pope, Bishops and Priests, for our home, our Church and our country. Pride and envy beget chauvinism, which is false patriotism and narrow-mindedness; the gift of Piety begets real patriotism. Let us, therefore, pray fervently for this beautiful gift.

LET US PRAY. Come, O blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart, incline it to a true faith in You, to a holy love of You, my God, and of all my fellow creatures for your sake. Amen. Glory… Glory… Glory… Glory … Glory … Glory … Glory …

Fourth Prayer
The Gift of Knowledge
CONSIDERATION – Knowledge as a gift of the Holy Spirit, directs the soul to judge of things both human and divine, according to supernatural common sense and not according to the standards of the worldly-wise. Even with supernatural faith in our soul to elevate our reason, how often we detect ourselves talking of temporal gain and loss, success and failure, suffering and pleasure, purely and simply, according to the principles of the worldly-minded! We fail to pierce the veil of the natural and see in suffering a blessing from God. We have come to think it folly to season our pleasures with a pinch of pepper and salt for mortification; for example: to determine that we will not remain out later that a certain reasonable hour, when we go out for an evening of innocent pleasure. In this age of doubt, materialism, pleasure-seeking, what shall we say of the necessity of this gift to enable us to distinguish good from evil, innocent pleasure from tainted joy, truth from falsehood, the real good from the apparent good among all the things around us? Let us, therefore, pray earnestly for this gift.

LET US PRAY. Come, O blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Your glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to You and Your eternal rewards. Amen. Glory… Glory… Glory… Glory … Glory … Glory … Glory …

Fifth Prayer
The Gift of Fortitude
CONSIDERATION – Fortitude is a gift of the Holy Spirit strengthening the soul against all natural fear and supporting it to the end in the performance of duty. Daily the soul, in the state of grace, must go forth to fight the good fight for Christ; to do its duty, which, because it is duty, will always be difficult. The virtue of Fortitude leads us into the battle, but we need special encouragement from the Spirit of God, to enable us to persevere in good, in spite of unforeseen difficulties, hardships and the grind of routine. That encouragement the Holy Spirit imparts to us through the gift of Fortitude. Moreover, while we are not called upon to face the roaring lions in the Roman arena like the first Christians, we are bound everyday of our lives to fight the roaring lion within us, to struggle against our besetting temptation. God has armed us with the gift of Fortitude for that purpose. Let us, therefore, pray for that gift to enable us to fight perseveringly the good fight of Jesus Christ until it please our Divine Leader to call us from the battlefield of life to enjoy the eternal reward of heaven.

LET US PRAY. Come, O blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from You, my God and greatest Good. Amen. Glory… Glory… Glory… Glory … Glory … Glory … Glory …

Sixth Prayer
The Gift of Counsel
CONSIDERATION – The gift of Counsel is a disposition in the soul through which the Holy Spirit prompts us to choose to do the better of two good actions. It is the elder sister of supernatural prudence. Prudence teaches us the A, B, C of Christian life; the gift of Counsel trains us in the fine arts of Christian perfection. As this gift gains greater influence over our actions, the soul begins to realize more and more the full meaning of the words of St. Paul: “All things are lawful to me, but not all things are expedient.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) The gift can never be developed in the Christian soul which stops short only of mortal sin in its use and abuse of liberty. Such a rule of conduct will not keep us long from mortal sin, and when mortal sin enters the soul, grace and all the supernatural gifts depart. Because my use of the things of this world may give my neighbor a pretext of abusing them, it is often expedient for me to hearken to the counsel of my Divine Guide and refrain from licit pleasures and actions. Above all, as Catholics, we should be as shining lights to our neighbors, going before them in the path of virtue. To do so, we need the gift of Counsel; therefore, let us pray for it.

LET US PRAY. Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Your holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Your commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long. Amen. Glory… Glory… Glory… Glory … Glory … Glory … Glory …

Seventh Prayer
The Gift of Understanding
CONSIDERATION – Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps the Christian, in the state of grace, to grasp according to his mental capacity, the meaning of the truths of our holy religion. Perhaps, to many of us, the articles of the Creed are but dry disconnected truths. God gives us the gift of Understanding to enable us to penetrate the truths of our holy religion in a manner that will enable us to live them. Many Catholics find the Catholic newspapers flat and unsavory. On Sundays they would like to hear the Priest speak of the topics of the times rather than give catechetical instructions. That is because they are imbued with the spirit of the age. They have never become accustomed to thinking seriously of religious subjects. They have no religious, no Catholic, no supernatural ideals. Perhaps one of the reasons why we do not duplicate the majestic cathedrals of Europe is because we do not live the religious mysteries and ideals which inspired those monuments of faith. We need an increase of the gifts of Understanding to make our religion something real and living. Therefore, let us pray fervently for that intention.

LET US PRAY. Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Your Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of You and the Father and the Son. Amen. Glory… Glory… Glory… Glory … Glory … Glory … Glory …

Eight Prayer
The Gift of Wisdom
CONSIDERATION – Wisdom is that gift of the Holy Spirit whereby the Divine Spirit raises up our intellect and our heart to rest in God alone. Knowledge tells us the value of earthly things, and how we can enjoy them licitly without offending God; but Wisdom mounts high above them. Wisdom is the blossom of all the other gifts. The latter lead us up, step by step, to the throne of God; Wisdom bids us sit down on his footstool and judge all earthly things from that sublime height. Wisdom gives us courage to trample underfoot wealth, honor and pleasure, if these things – I will not say, impede our salvation – but even cast so much as a shadow between us and our God. You may be inclined to think that the gift of Wisdom is only for saints. You are right when you say that this gift is only for the saints, but you are wrong if you think that you are not destined to be a saint. We must all aspire to sanctity. Why not aim high? God will reward the effort. Let us begin today by trying to make an act of thanksgiving for every little cross that falls on us.

LET US PRAY. Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Show me the way by which I may be able to attain them and possess them forever. Amen. Glory… Glory… Glory… Glory … Glory … Glory … Glory …

Ninth Prayer
Zeal for the Glory of God and the Propagation of the Faith
CONSIDERATION – The first great Novena in honor of the Holy Spirit was crowned with an abundant outpouring of the Divine Spirit upon the Apostles. It enkindled within their bosom a zeal that knew not fear of starvation or death; that defied the sword and the cross; that braved storms at sea and bloody persecutions on land, for the propagation of the faith of Jesus Christ. Before we close the Novena, let us beg the Holy Spirit to fill the world with zeal for the triumph of right over might, for the triumph of truth over error, for the triumph of honesty and purity over deceit and sensuality. Let us pray that the Divine Spirit may fill many of our young men and women with zeal for the propagation of the faith, with courage to sacrifice the comforts of home and the company of parents to labor in the service of Christ and the Church. Let us pray that He may pour out an abundance of the apostolic spirit upon our priests, missionaries and nuns. Let us pray that He may draw the hearts of heretics and pagans to the one true fold of Christ, so that from every quarter of the earth one cry will ascend heavenward: Praise be the holy and adorable Trinity; to It be glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.

LET US PRAY. Holy, Divine Spirit, by the infinite merits of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, deign to pour abroad Your most ardent and omnipotent charity into all hearts, so that there may be one Fold and one Shepherd in the whole world; and that we may all come to sing Your divine praises in heaven forever. Amen. Glory… Glory… Glory… Glory … Glory … Glory … Glory …

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit
O Holy Spirit, Divine Spirit of light and love, I consecrate to You my mind, heart and will, for time and eternity. May my mind be ever docile to Your divine inspirations, and to the teachings of the holy Catholic Church, whose infallible guide you are, my heart ever inflamed with the love of God and my neighbor; my will ever conformable to the divine will; and my whole life a faithful imitation of the life and virtues of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and You be honor and glory forever. Amen.