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julia s.
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What is the difference between praying novena to a saint or the Blessed Mother versus just praying to them?
For those who have done both do you get different results?
Do you have to know precisely what your praying for in order to do a novena? Sometimes I just want things to go better, but I can't find the right words and the part where it says to put your intentions can get sort of rambly... and sometimes over the course of nine days I think it changes a little too.
Thanks.
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Helen
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I'm not sure I exactly understand your question, so forgive me if I don't hit the target.
Well, a novena is a prayer that is offered to God for nine days, weeks, or months in a row. (I guess it is usually nine days in a row)
The first novena was prayed during the nine days between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday. The apostles grouped around the Blessed Virgin Mary prayerfully waited for the coming of the Advocate (the Holy Spirit.)
In this tradition, Catholics have developed many different novenas to commemorate the events in the life of the Church. I suppose the committment on the part of the novena differentiates it from simply praying for the intercession of a saint or the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are more temptations to not follow through on your promise to pray for nine days in a row and perhaps one wins more graces by making the offering and sticking to it. I think there must also be the grace from performing the prayer in the spirit of the First Novena.
I don't think rambly is a problem. It shows that one speaks to God from the heart.
Personally, I like to offer novenas in order to celebrate a special feast day or if I really have a deeply, heart felt request for the Lord.
Let me know if I answered your question. 
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SusanJ
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Novenas were a challenge for me, too!
One of the many things I love about the Catholic spiritual life is that there are so many ways to pray to fit the needs and opportunities of the moment. I definitely have some "freestyle" prayer in my life as well as more formal things like the Rosary (which I think has value just in getting through it, even if it's not particularly meditative or for a particular intention.)
I've used novenas in two ways:
--to pray in a very specific, intentional way
--to honor a particular saint or Our Lady
Examples:
--Our family prays a novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe whenever we have a crisis. This novena has gotten us three jobs and two babies, so far! We have sometimes accompanied this extra prayer with a small act of penance each day. I think an important part of this type of prayer is that it is limited. There are perpetual novenas out there, but I think there is value in praying for the nine days and then leaving it to God.
--I prayed a novena for the nine days leading up to the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. I have a special devotion to Our Lady under this title so the point was to make an extra effort to honor her. I did include an intention appropriate to the role of Our Lady of Sorrows in my life--there is always something to pray for!
Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions.
Susan
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julia s.
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| Posted: Sept 24 2007 at 9:37pm | IP Logged
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I think I understand. I guess I was thinking that a while back I said a Novena to Saint Jude and it was just this great result and I felt very close to him some how. So now I just talk to him in my prayers and thoughts sometimes, but not with the formula words that I used in the novena and I'm sure I could do with without conscious effort for nine days -- and I'm sure the thoughts could even been about the same needs (I'm not that complex).
So is there a difference between just praying your own prayer and praise to the saint as opposed to when it is more formal. If I had a pressing need and I just said my own prayers every night to Saint Jude or Mother Mary or if I use the exact same format of the novena.
Maybe I'm missing what a novena is. Is it the actual written prayer or is it just praying (and I understand the nine day/week/hour part)?
Is this one of those intention things? That the formality of the novena, thus the set forumula of words, marks your intention. Or will you get your prayers answered even if you are rambling about the same things in your prayers to the same saint or the Holy Mother?
Clear as mud, eh?
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chicken lady
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julia s. wrote:
Is it the actual written prayer or is it just praying (and I understand the nine day/week/hour part)?
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It is both Julia. Many of us use formal prayers, prewritten by much holier people than I to show reverence and clarity in our prayers. If one does this on their own words, imploring the Blessed Mother or a particular saint with reverence and love,than yes, our prayers are heard and answered.
I am not sure if this helps you or not. I remember years ago feeling similar to you. For me it was best to go seek spiritual direction. I also bought a book called a Treasury of Novenas. It is a common book in catholic book stores. For me using the formal novena helped me understand and approach prayer with more direction and not feel like I was rambling. Although I am certain you don't offend Our Mother with your sincere ramblings  at least I hope I don't
Great question, thanks for asking, I am certain others may feel confused and someone needs to risk asking.
I pray this helps, if not keep asking!!!!
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JennGM
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Interesting questions. I was pondering this a bit.
First of all, novenas aren't necessarily "more efficacious" than prayer. I do think they have multiple purposes or origins:
1) Like Helen mentioned, the 9 day novena is in imitation of the First Novena, the 9 days of prayer by BVM and Apostles between Ascension and Pentecost.
2) In praying many days in a row, we are also following the Gospel. "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you."...but we're being persistent, like the widow who keeps on clamouring until her case is heard, or the neighbor that keeps knocking for help and food even after his neighbor's house is locked up and in bed.
3) The "advantage" of pre-written novena prayers can be uniting more than one person in prayer. "Where two or three or gathered in my name..." Many times novenas are prayed by many people together, and it's beautiful to be united in prayer and spirit.
4) Before the indulgences were "revised" in 1968 to Enchiridion of Indulgences there was the Raccolta which had about 20+ indulgenced novenas, which would inspire the faithful to use those prayers instead of their own to receive the indulgence.
I'm not sure, maybe someone can correct me, but I think with the new laws formerly indulgenced prayers (with days and years type of partial indulgence) can still merit indulgences, but just the term "partial" without specific numbers.
Here's from the Enchiridion: Novena indulgences for Christmas and Pentecost novenas.
5) And like Molly said, there are some beautifully written prayers by saints and holy men and women which are inspiring to use, so that I don't get so rambly either.
But the bottom line is that God knows the prayers of your heart, and a personal devotion can be done whatever way you are comfortable.
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chicken lady
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| Posted: Sept 25 2007 at 8:59am | IP Logged
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Thanks Jenn, I know you would set all straight Well said!!!
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julia s.
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| Posted: Sept 25 2007 at 9:51pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for the explanations. They helped a lot. I am very tired and am about to fall over so I'm just going to leave it at
Thank you!
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julia
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Novenas v. prayer
