A novena is a series of prayers said over nine days in the Catholic tradition to deepen one’s spiritual connection with God. It can be done for oneself or others and is associated with the number nine. People pray to specific saints and can invent their own prayers. Novenas can be public or private and are said to ease the passage of souls through purgatory.
In the Roman Catholic tradition, a novena is a series of prayers that are said over the course of nine days. The goal of going through the series is to ask for grace and deepen one’s spiritual connection with God. Although the practice originated in the Catholic community, similar prayers are recited in other Christian sects as well.
A novena may be said for oneself, usually as a request for assistance in one form or another, or on behalf of someone else. A classic example is a prayer asking for the healing of a sick relative. In godly communities, people may say novenas for strangers or say, “I’ll make a novena for you” after hearing about someone else’s problems.
The term comes from the Latin word for “nine.” The number nine has classically been associated with pain in the Christian Church, and the first novena is believed to have been said by the Virgin Mary on behalf of her Son as she suffered on the cross. Several Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures also associated symbolic meaning with the number nine and praying in groups of nine, and this tradition may have been incorporated into the Christian faith by converts who clung to ancient beliefs.
Typically, people pray to specific saints when doing a novena. Someone who has lost something might pray to Saint Anthony, for example, asking for help in finding the item. People can also pray to the Virgin Mary or God. There are hundreds of novenas published in various collections of Catholic prayers and meditations, and people can also invent their own prayers. The prayer can be said at home or in church, and some people meditate on the rosary while reciting their novenas.
Some novenas are public, in which case the entire church prays together with the permission and guidance of the priest, while others are conducted for private purposes. People may use them as a simple form of prayer, but they may also say them during times of mourning or in preparation for a major holiday such as Easter. Novenas are said to ease the passage of souls through purgatory, and some people say them to obtain an indulgence, a forgiveness from sin. An indulgence can be said on behalf of someone who has died so that they don’t have to spend as much time in purgatory.
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