Novena of the Holy Family 2021
A novena is a prayer extended over nine days, inspired by the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. Jesus ascended into Heaven 40 days after his Resurrection, instructing his apostles,
“Not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the ‘promise of the Father.’” (Acts 1:4) Then, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles on the 50th day (Acts 2:1-4) after they “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer” for nine days. (Acts 1:14)
A novena is not about getting all the words exactly right, nor is there anything magical about the number nine (magical no, biblical yes). A novena’s power is in committing yourself to daily prayer. You might set a notification on your phone or make a calendar event to remind you to pray each day. If you pray a novena with others, especially family members, they can help encourage you and pray for you if you forget.
During the original Pentecost novena, the apostles trusted that Jesus would keep his word by sending the Spirit to renew the face of the earth. (Ps 104:30) If God is asking you to entrust a part of your life to him for renewal, then you should trust that he will also provide the grace to bring about renewal. God will provide the grace; all you need to provide is the space.
Here is a novena in honour of the Holy Family that can initiate a time of prayer for your family. Devote some time to reflect upon these titles of Joseph, Mary or Jesus, to read the Scripture passage and to respond to God in prayer.
