Recommitment Day Gathering

Praise God!

Special thanks to all who joined us for the Re-commitment Day gathering and also to those who joined us in prayers. Our Re-commitment day gathering on May 27th was a big blessing. Nearly 450 people came together at DVK hall to pray for a greater anointing of the Holy Spirit. The gathering began with Rosary requesting the special intercession of Mother Mary. It was followed by JY prayer with a wonderful time of Praise and Worship and sharing of the Word during which Fr. Joy Inchody, Service Team pastor, shared about the significance of the day of Pentecost and the importance of the virtue of Charity by stating examples from the history of Church. The music ministry was superb throughout the program. Mathew Joseph, Service Team animator spoke to the crowd about being ‘Joyful Missionaries’ during his session. He shared his experience and also invited three others on stage to share about their ministry experiences and initiatives that they have taken in the last few years. This was followed by a blessed time of adoration. Few of our brothers and sisters sacrificed their time and effort and moreover the Re-commitment day gathering to prepare food for all of us. The lunch time was an opportunity for people to meet each other. Post lunch, Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr. Divia Paul, Youth Director of Archdiocese of Bangalore and concelebrated by Fr. Joy. During the homily Fr. Divia Paul stressed on the point - "we do many things and we are also gathered here not because we love our Father God, but because our Father God is loving each one of us". After the Holy Mass, the re-commitment prayer was led by Fr Joy. All ministry core teams were anointed and priests also prayed for special anointing by laying hands on all the participants. The youth prayer card and June 2012 edition of the Jesus Youth Bangalore newsletter were released during the gathering. Intercession before the Blessed Sacrament that started on the previous day morning continued till the end of the gathering. Overall it was a great day for the Jesus Youth in Bangalore. May the almighty God give us the strength and grace to continue in the anointing and be joyful missionaries.

  

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 9

The novena in honour of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

The nine-day Novena to the Holy Spirit will be prayed collectively by Jesus Youth around the world in union with the Universal Church to invoke a renewed out pouring of the Holy Spirit. The traditional Novena has been modified to include special prayers for a ‘new anointing’ on the movement.

DAY NINE

1. Come Holy Spirit

Leader: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Community: Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

2. Introductory Prayer

Leader: O God, of old you instructed the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit. Give us this Holy Spirit; under His divine inspiration, may we have a sense of what is true and a taste for what is good, and always experience the fruit of His consolation. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.

Community: Amen.

3. Prayer

Leader and Community: God the Father, Creator and Protector of all, we praise you. God the Son, who incarnated as man to show the world the love of the Father, we worship you. Jesus, we thank you for sending your Holy Spirit upon us to prepare us to acknowledge and believe that you are our Saviour and Lord. O, Holy Spirit, who, since the creation of the Universe, has been continuously renewing the face of the earth with your presence, we glorify you. You, who descended upon our Holy Mother and the apostles who had been prayerfully waiting in the House of Sion, come and fill this community with your presence. Fill the hearts you created with your divine graces. Enable us to fill our bodies, your dwelling places, with holiness. O, Holy Spirit, fountain of holiness and love, come and purify us. Give us the grace to know and believe in the Father, the Son and their Spirit, you, the Holy Spirit. Amen.

4. Word of God – Acts 2:1-13

5. Short Reflection

6. Intercessions

Leader: Let us with joy and enthusiasm give thanks to the Holy Spirit for filling us with His gifts and fruits.

Community: We give you thanks.

1.    O, Holy Spirit, who descended as tongues of fire upon the Blessed Mother and the apostles who had assembled in prayer, and strengthened them,
Comm: We give you thanks.

2.    O, Holy Spirit, who appointed the apostles to carry the message of Salvation to the ends of the earth, and adorned them with your gifts and blessings,
Comm: We give you thanks.

3.     O, Holy Spirit, who inspired many to devote their time and abilities for the evangelization of India,
Comm: We give you thanks.

4.     O, Holy Spirit, who, by dwelling within the Church at all times, strengthens the Pope and the Bishops to lead the Church,
Comm: We give you thanks.

5.     O, Holy Spirit, who dwells within us and sanctifies us,Comm: We give you thanks.

7. Our Father

8. Prayer to Mary

Leader and Community: O Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, intercede for me to God the Father that I may be freed from my sins by the merits of the Precious Blood of your Divine Son, and that I may be filled with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Take away from me my sinful heart and give me the new heart that Almighty God promised through the prophet Ezekiel. “I will give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20). Holy and loving Mother, intercede for me that I may be filled with the love of the Holy Spirit. Help me to be filled with the spirit of repentance, to abandon my sinful ways and be transformed into a new individual by the power of the Precious Blood of Jesus.

9. Concluding Prayer

Leader: O God, give us the fruit of self-control. Help us to control our temper and tongue. Grant that we may never be swept in some moment of passion into doing or saying anything which would hurt others. Deliver our hearts from nursing thoughts that are bitter, unforgiving, jealous and unclean. Help us to achieve self-mastery over our emotions and impulses. Help us channel them into ways and means of true brotherly and sisterly love. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus.

Community : Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 8

The novena in honour of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

The nine-day Novena to the Holy Spirit will be prayed collectively by Jesus Youth around the world in union with the Universal Church to invoke a renewed out pouring of the Holy Spirit. The traditional Novena has been modified to include special prayers for a ‘new anointing’ on the movement.

DAY EIGHT

1. Come Holy Spirit

Leader: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Community: Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

2. Introductory Prayer

Leader: O God, of old you instructed the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit. Give us this Holy Spirit; under His divine inspiration, may we have a sense of what is true and a taste for what is good, and always experience the fruit of His consolation. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.
Community: Amen.

3. Prayer

Leader and Community: God the Father, Creator and Protector of all, we praise you. God the Son, who incarnated as man to show the world the love of the Father, we worship you. Jesus, we thank you for sending your Holy Spirit upon us to prepare us to acknowledge and believe that you are our Saviour and Lord. O, Holy Spirit, who, since the creation of the Universe, has been continuously renewing the face of the earth with your presence, we glorify you. You, who descended upon our Holy Mother and the apostles who had been prayerfully waiting in the House of Sion, come and fill this community with your presence. Fill the hearts you created with your divine graces. Enable us to fill our bodies, your dwelling places, with holiness. O, Holy Spirit, fountain of holiness and love, come and purify us. Give us the grace to know and believe in the Father, the Son and their Spirit, you, the Holy Spirit. Amen.

4. Word of God – Acts 2:37-47

5. Short Reflection

6. Intercessions

Leader: Let us pray to God who sent the Holy Spirit to the world to show the path of Salvation, to fill us with the gifts and fruits of the Spirit
Community: Lord, fill us with the gifts and fruits of the Spirit.

• That like the early Christian community we may, through our mutual sharing, recreate the Kingdom of God on earth,
  Comm: Lord, fill us with the gifts and fruits of the Spirit.

• O Jesus, who gave us your Mother to be our Mother and desired that we reach you through her,
  Comm: Lord, fill us with the gifts and fruits of the Spirit.

• That we may faithfully receive all the Sacraments you established so that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit and thus sanctify ourselves,
  Comm: Lord, fill us with the gifts and fruits of the Spirit.

• That we may imitate our Blessed Mother in humility and obedience and draw others to you,
  Comm: Lord, fill us with the gifts and fruits of the Spirit.
• That like the early Christian community, which in unity resembled the Holy Trinity, we may be strengthened in power and fellowship,
  Comm: Lord, fill us with the gifts and fruits of the Spirit.

7. Our Father

8. Prayer to Mary

Leader and Community: O Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, intercede for me to God the Father that I may be freed from my sins by the merits of the Precious Blood of your Divine Son, and that I may be filled with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Take away from me my sinful heart and give me the new heart that Almighty God promised through the prophet Ezekiel. “I will give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20). Holy and loving Mother, intercede for me that I may be filled with the love of the Holy Spirit. Help me to be filled with the spirit of repentance, to abandon my sinful ways and be transformed into a new individual by the power of the Precious Blood of Jesus.

9. Concluding Prayer

Leader: O God, give us the fruit of gentleness. Help us never to speak an angry or a cruel word, and never to do a hurting or a wounding deed. Grant that we may never find pleasure in anything that would hurt any person or animal. Help us to be as careful of the feelings of others as we would wish them to be of us. Make us gentle and thoughtful to those who are sick, sad, old or weak and easily hurt. This we ask for your love’s sake.
Community: Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 7

The novena in honour of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

The nine-day Novena to the Holy Spirit will be prayed collectively by Jesus Youth around the world in union with the Universal Church to invoke a renewed out pouring of the Holy Spirit. The traditional Novena has been modified to include special prayers for a ‘new anointing’ on the movement.

DAY SEVEN

1. Come Holy Spirit

Leader: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Community: Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

2. Introductory Prayer

Leader: O God, of old you instructed the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit. Give us this Holy Spirit; under His divine inspiration, may we have a sense of what is true and a taste for what is good, and always experience the fruit of His consolation. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.
Community: Amen.

3. Prayer

Leader and Community: God the Father, Creator and Protector of all, we praise you. God the Son, who incarnated as man to show the world the love of the Father, we worship you. Jesus, we thank you for sending your Holy Spirit upon us to prepare us to acknowledge and believe that you are our Saviour and Lord. O, Holy Spirit, who, since the creation of the Universe, has been continuously renewing the face of the earth with your presence, we glorify you. You, who descended upon our Holy Mother and the apostles who had been prayerfully waiting in the House of Sion, come and fill this community with your presence. Fill the hearts you created with your divine graces. Enable us to fill our bodies, your dwelling places, with holiness. O, Holy Spirit, fountain of holiness and love, come and purify us. Give us the grace to know and believe in the Father, the Son and their Spirit, you, the Holy Spirit. Amen.

4. Word of God – Galatians 5:22-26

5. Short Reflection

6. Intercessions

Leader: Let us pray to God, who fulfilled His promise to our forefathers, to bless us that we may abandon the actions of darkness, produce the fruits of light and live in the fear of God. The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by Sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. “They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls.”
Community: Bless us to live in the fear of God.

• O Messiah, who liberated us, through the body you received from the Holy Mother and by doing atonement for our sins, that we may be liberated from the bondage of sin,
  Comm: Bless us to live in the fear of God.

• That we may know the power of your Holy Resurrection and live faithfully, glorifying your life and death,
  Comm: Bless us to live in the fear of God.

• O Messiah, who appointed the Apostles to carry out the mission of the Good News and promised to be with them forever,
  Comm: Bless us to live in the fear of God.

• That we may love and value the Church you established to continue for ever your duty of Salvation,
  Comm: Bless us to live in the fear of God.

7. Our Father

8. Prayer to Mary

Leader and Community: O Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, intercede for me to God the Father that I may be freed from my sins by the merits of the Precious Blood of your Divine Son, and that I may be filled with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Take away from me my sinful heart and give me the new heart that Almighty God promised through the prophet Ezekiel. “I will give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20). Holy and loving Mother, intercede for me that I may be filled with the love of the Holy Spirit. Help me to be filled with the spirit of repentance, to abandon my sinful ways and be transformed into a new individual by the power of the Precious Blood of Jesus.

9. Concluding Prayer

Leader: O God, help us be faithful and true to ourselves, to others and to You. Grant that nothing may ever make us tell a lie of any kind, either by exaggeration or understatement or by unjustifiable mental restriction. Assist us in our weakness so that we may never grieve or disappoint those who love us and those we love. Help us to keep our promises and enable us to grow as trustworthy men and women in small things and great things alike. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Community: Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 6

The novena in honour of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

The nine-day Novena to the Holy Spirit will be prayed collectively by Jesus Youth around the world in union with the Universal Church to invoke a renewed out pouring of the Holy Spirit. The traditional Novena has been modified to include special prayers for a ‘new anointing’ on the movement.

DAY SIX

1. Come Holy Spirit

Leader: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Community: Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

2. Introductory Prayer

Leader: O God, of old you instructed the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit. Give us this Holy Spirit; under His divine inspiration, may we have a sense of what is true and a taste for what is good, and always experience the fruit of His consolation. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.
Community: Amen.

3. Prayer

Leader and Community: God the Father, Creator and Protector of all, we praise you. God the Son, who incarnated as man to show the world the love of the Father, we worship you. Jesus, we thank you for sending your Holy Spirit upon us to prepare us to acknowledge and believe that you are our Saviour and Lord. O, Holy Spirit, who, since the creation of the Universe, has been continuously renewing the face of the earth with your presence, we glorify you. You, who descended upon our Holy Mother and the apostles who had been prayerfully waiting in the House of Sion, come and fill this community with your presence. Fill the hearts you created with your divine graces. Enable us to fill our bodies, your dwelling places, with holiness. O, Holy Spirit, fountain of holiness and love, come and purify us. Give us the grace to know and believe in the Father, the Son and their Spirit, you, the Holy Spirit. Amen.

4. Word of God – Romans 8:26-30

5. Short Reflection

6. Intercessions

Leader: Let us pray to the Holy Spirit, who is always capable of giving us all that we need in abundance, praying, O, Life–Force of Devotion, come and fill us. The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect, for His sake, persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority - His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. “Where there is love, there is no labour”.
Community: O, Life–Force of Devotion, come and fill us.

• That we may rejoice in devotion to God and experience the sweetness of peace,
  Comm: O, Life–Force of Devotion, come and fill us.

• That we may be transformed into people who worship God in Spirit and Truth,
  Comm: O, Life–Force of Devotion, come and fill us.

• That we may obtain devotion to God, which is the source of all Wisdom, and the inspiration for us to perform all our actions according to the will of God,
  Comm: O, Life–Force of Devotion, come and fill us.

• That we may join in prayer with the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, strengthening us in all our weaknesses,
  Comm: O, Life–Force of Devotion, come and fill us.

7. Our Father

8. Prayer to Mary

Leader and Community: O Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, intercede for me to God the Father that I may be freed from my sins by the merits of the Precious Blood of your Divine Son, and that I may be filled with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Take away from me my sinful heart and give me the new heart that Almighty God promised through the prophet Ezekiel. “I will give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20). Holy and loving Mother, intercede for me that I may be filled with the love of the Holy Spirit. Help me to be filled with the spirit of repentance, to abandon my sinful ways and be transformed into a new individual by the power of the Precious Blood of Jesus.

9. Concluding Prayer

Leader: O God, give us the fruit of goodness. Help us to be a good example to others in everything we do and say, and never to do anything that would lead others astray. Keep our words honest, pure and sincere. Keep our actions fit for you to see. Keep all our thoughts clean and honest so that even the most secret of them would bear the full light of day. And in everything keep us from pride and from self-conceit, and help us to think, not of what we are, but of what we ought to be. Hear our prayer for Jesus’ sake.
Community: Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 5

The novena in honour of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

The nine-day Novena to the Holy Spirit will be prayed collectively by Jesus Youth around the world in union with the Universal Church to invoke a renewed out pouring of the Holy Spirit. The traditional Novena has been modified to include special prayers for a ‘new anointing’ on the movement.

DAY FIVE

1. Come Holy Spirit

Leader: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Community: Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

2. Introductory Prayer

Leader: O God, of old you instructed the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit. Give us this Holy Spirit; under His divine inspiration, may we have a sense of what is true and a taste for what is good, and always experience the fruit of His consolation. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.
Community: Amen.

3. Prayer

Leader and Community: God the Father, Creator and Protector of all, we praise you. God the Son, who incarnated as man to show the world the love of the Father, we worship you. Jesus, we thank you for sending your Holy Spirit upon us to prepare us to acknowledge and believe that you are our Saviour and Lord. O, Holy Spirit, who, since the creation of the Universe, has been continuously renewing the face of the earth with your presence, we glorify you. You, who descended upon our Holy Mother and the apostles who had been prayerfully waiting in the House of Sion, come and fill this community with your presence. Fill the hearts you created with your divine graces. Enable us to fill our bodies, your dwelling places, with holiness. O, Holy Spirit, fountain of holiness and love, come and purify us. Give us the grace to know and believe in the Father, the Son and their Spirit, you, the Holy Spirit. Amen.

4. Word of God – 1 Corinthians 14:1-5

5. Short Reflection

6. Intercessions

Leader: Let us pray with faith and devotion to the Holy Spirit, the giver of Knowledge, to bless us with the holy gift of Knowledge. The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate the true worth of created things in relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. “Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesses it.”
Community: Lord bless us with the holy gift of Knowledge.

• That like Jesus, who grew in holiness and wisdom, and in human and divine favour, we may grow in knowledge,
  Comm: Lord bless us with the holy gift of Knowledge.

• That we may be able to understand the falsehood of worldly pleasures,
  Comm: Lord bless us with the holy gift of Knowledge.

• That we may understand that our intellects and minds are your free gifts,
  Comm: Lord bless us with the holy gift of Knowledge.

• That we may listen to the voice of God and put it into practice in our lives,
  Comm: Lord bless us with the holy gift of Knowledge.

• That our lifestyle may be deep rooted in the Word of God,
  Comm: Lord bless us with the holy gift of Knowledge.

7. Our Father

8. Prayer to Mary

Leader and Community: O Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, intercede for me to God the Father that I may be freed from my sins by the merits of the Precious Blood of your Divine Son, and that I may be filled with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Take away from me my sinful heart and give me the new heart that Almighty God promised through the prophet Ezekiel. “I will give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20). Holy and loving Mother, intercede for me that I may be filled with the love of the Holy Spirit. Help me to be filled with the spirit of repentance, to abandon my sinful ways and be transformed into a new individual by the power of the Precious Blood of Jesus.

9. Concluding Prayer

Leader: O God, give us the fruit of kindness. Make us quick to see what we can do for others, and make us eager and willing to do it. Make us always obliging and always willing to lend a helping hand. Help us never to be mean, but always to be ready to share everything we have, even if we have not got very much. Help us never to speak unkind words and never to do cruel deeds. Help us to think the best of others, and always to be more willing to forgive than to condemn. Help us to be kind to others. Hear this prayer for Your love’s sake.
Community: Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 4

The novena in honour of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

The nine-day Novena to the Holy Spirit will be prayed collectively by Jesus Youth around the world in union with the Universal Church to invoke a renewed out pouring of the Holy Spirit. The traditional Novena has been modified to include special prayers for a ‘new anointing’ on the movement.

DAY FOUR

1. Come Holy Spirit

Leader: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Community: Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

2. Introductory Prayer

Leader: O God, of old you instructed the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit. Give us this Holy Spirit; under His divine inspiration, may we have a sense of what is true and a taste for what is good, and always experience the fruit of His consolation. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.
Community: Amen.

3. Prayer

Leader and Community: God the Father, Creator and Protector of all, we praise you. God the Son, who incarnated as man to show the world the love of the Father, we worship you. Jesus, we thank you for sending your Holy Spirit upon us to prepare us to acknowledge and believe that you are our Saviour and Lord. O, Holy Spirit, who, since the creation of the Universe, has been continuously renewing the face of the earth with your presence, we glorify you. You, who descended upon our Holy Mother and the apostles who had been prayerfully waiting in the House of Sion, come and fill this community with your presence. Fill the hearts you created with your divine graces. Enable us to fill our bodies, your dwelling places, with holiness. O, Holy Spirit, fountain of holiness and love, come and purify us. Give us the grace to know and believe in the Father, the Son and their Spirit, you, the Holy Spirit. Amen.

4. Word of God – Acts 4:23-31

5. Short Reflection

6. Intercessions

Leader: Let us offer ourselves entirely to the Holy Spirit, who leads us in our daily lives, and pray to Him with great keenness, to fill us with strength of Spirit. By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which moves it to undertake without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. “He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.”

Community: Fill us with strength of Spirit.

• O, Holy Spirit, who led the early Church in strength and fullness of grace, that we may boldly proclaim our faith in you,
  Comm: Fill us with strength of Spirit.

• O, Jesus, who warned us about the torments and persecutions that we may have to face in the world, that in the midst of difficulties and sufferings, we may not waver, but be strengthened in faith,
  Comm: Fill us with strength of Spirit.

• That in the midst of all the atrocities and persecutions that are occurring against Christians, we may persevere in faith,
  Comm: Fill us with strength of Spirit.

• That having received God’s call to be the prophets of the times, we may in our journey towards heaven, identify the evil around us and accept you, who are good and good alone,
  Comm: Fill us with strength of Spirit.

7. Our Father

8. Prayer to Mary

Leader and Community: O Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, intercede for me to God the Father that I may be freed from my sins by the merits of the Precious Blood of your Divine Son, and that I may be filled with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Take away from me my sinful heart and give me the new heart that Almighty God promised through the prophet Ezekiel. “I will give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20). Holy and loving Mother, intercede for me that I may be filled with the love of the Holy Spirit. Help me to be filled with the spirit of repentance, to abandon my sinful ways and be transformed into a new individual by the power of the Precious Blood of Jesus.

9. Concluding Prayer

Leader: O God, give us the fruit of patience. Help us to be patient at work and in our enterprises so that we will never give way but always hold on to the end. Help us to have patience with people, so that we may never lose our temper or grow irritable, or blaze into angry words. Help us to have patience when things are slow to come and slow to happen or when something takes a long time to do. Help us to remember that everything worth doing is hard to do and takes time; that everything worth getting is hard to get; that everything worth being is hard to be, but that the struggle and the effort are worthwhile in the end. This we ask in the name of Jesus.

Community: Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 3

The novena in honour of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

The nine-day Novena to the Holy Spirit will be prayed collectively by Jesus Youth around the world in union with the Universal Church to invoke a renewed out pouring of the Holy Spirit. The traditional Novena has been modified to include special prayers for a ‘new anointing’ on the movement.

DAY THREE 

1. Come Holy Spirit

Leader: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Community: Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

2. Introductory Prayer

Leader: O God, of old you instructed the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit. Give us this Holy Spirit; under His divine inspiration, may we have a sense of what is true and a taste for what is good, and always experience the fruit of His consolation. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.

Community: Amen.

3. Prayer

Leader and Community: God the Father, Creator and Protector of all, we praise you. God the Son, who incarnated as man to show the world the love of the Father, we worship you. Jesus, we thank you for sending your Holy Spirit upon us to prepare us to acknowledge and believe that you are our Saviour and Lord. O, Holy Spirit, who, since the creation of the Universe, has been continuously renewing the face of the earth with your presence, we glorify you. You, who descended upon our Holy Mother and the apostles who had been prayerfully waiting in the House of Sion, come and fill this community with your presence. Fill the hearts you created with your divine graces. Enable us to fill our bodies, your dwelling places, with holiness. O, Holy Spirit, fountain of holiness and love, come and purify us. Give us the grace to know and believe in the Father, the Son and their Spirit, you, the Holy Spirit. Amen.

4. Word of God – 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

5. Short Reflection

6. Intercessions

Leader: Let us all pray with love and happiness to the Lord to send his Spirit of Prudence upon us. The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must be done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. “Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth.”

Community: Lord, send your spirit of Prudence upon us.

• O, God, you created man in your image and likeness. That we may use all the intellect and strength that you have given us according to your will,
  Comm: Lord, send your spirit of Prudence upon us.

• O, God, you have adorned the Church with the gifts and blessings of the Spirit. That deep rooted in love, we may grow in holiness and build the Church,
  Comm: Lord, send your spirit of Prudence upon us.

• That we may seek and know your will in all the decisions and selections that we ought to make in our daily lives,
  Comm: Lord, send your spirit of Prudence upon us.

• That we who are like lambs sent out among wolves may, deepened in faith, be able to face the challenges of the present times with wisdom and discernment,
  Comm: Lord, send your spirit of Prudence upon us.

7. Our Father

8. Prayer to Mary

Leader and Community: O Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, intercede for me to God the Father that I may be freed from my sins by the merits of the Precious Blood of your Divine Son, and that I may be filled with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Take away from me my sinful heart and give me the new heart that Almighty God promised through the prophet Ezekiel. “I will give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20). Holy and loving Mother, intercede for me that I may be filled with the love of the Holy Spirit. Help me to be filled with the spirit of repentance, to abandon my sinful ways and be transformed into a new individual by the power of the Precious Blood of Jesus.

9. Concluding Prayer

Leader: O God, give us the fruit of peace. Help us to take things calmly. Help us not to worry but to take things as they come, a day at a time. Help us not to be nervous but to keep cool, when we have something difficult or important to do. Help us never to lose our temper, no matter how annoying things or people may be. Keep us calm and steady. This we ask for Jesus’ sake.

Community: Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit - Day 2

The novena in honour of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

The nine-day Novena to the Holy Spirit will be prayed collectively by Jesus Youth around the world in union with the Universal Church to invoke a renewed out pouring of the Holy Spirit. The traditional Novena has been modified to include special prayers for a ‘new anointing’ on the movement.

SECOND DAY

1. Come Holy Spirit

Leader: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Community: Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

2. Introductory Prayer

Leader: O God, of old you instructed the hearts of your faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit. Give us this Holy Spirit; under His divine inspiration, may we have a sense of what is true and a taste for what is good, and always experience the fruit of His consolation. This we ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.

Community: Amen.

3. Prayer

Leader and Community: God the Father, Creator and Protector of all, we praise you. God the Son, who incarnated as man to show the world the love of the Father, we worship you. Jesus, we thank you for sending your Holy Spirit upon us to prepare us to acknowledge and believe that you are our Saviour and Lord. O, Holy Spirit, who, since the creation of the Universe, has been continuously renewing the face of the earth with your presence, we glorify you. You, who descended upon our Holy Mother and the apostles who had been prayerfully waiting in the House of Sion, come and fill this community with your presence. Fill the hearts you created with your divine graces. Enable us to fill our bodies, your dwelling places, with holiness. O, Holy Spirit, fountain of holiness and love, come and purify us. Give us the grace to know and believe in the Father, the Son and their Spirit, you, the Holy Spirit. Amen.

4. Word of God – John 7:37-39

5. Short Reflection

6. Intercessions

Leader: Let us pray to the Lord, who has hidden his mysteries from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants. Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Ghost, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion. By faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life.

Community: Community: Lord, enlighten our minds.

1.     O, Jesus, you said “Streams of life giving water will pour out from him who believes in me.“
Comm: Community: Lord, enlighten our minds.

2.     O, God, Word made flesh and incarnated among us, may we meditate on your divine words and imitate them in our lives,
Comm: Community: Lord, enlighten our minds.

3.     O, Holy Spirit, giver of Wisdom, may we use all the virtues and abilities you have bestowed upon us for the good of man and glory of God.
Comm: Community: Lord, enlighten our minds.

4.     O, Holy Spirit, inventor of all scientific and technical knowledge, may whatever you reveal be used only for good.
Comm: Community: Lord, enlighten our minds.

5.     O, Holy Spirit, source of wisdom, enable us to discern the will of God in all our ministries activities 
Comm: Community: Lord, enlighten our minds.

7. Our Father

8. Prayer to Mary

Leader and Community: O Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, intercede for me to God the Father that I may be freed from my sins by the merits of the Precious Blood of your Divine Son, and that I may be filled with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Take away from me my sinful heart and give me the new heart that Almighty God promised through the prophet Ezekiel. “I will give them a new heart, and put a new spirit within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20). Holy and loving Mother, intercede for me that I may be filled with the love of the Holy Spirit. Help me to be filled with the spirit of repentance, to abandon my sinful ways and be transformed into a new individual by the power of the Precious Blood of Jesus.

9. Concluding Prayer

Leader: O God, give us the fruit of joy. Help us always to be happy and cheerful. Help us still to smile even when things go wrong. Help us always to look on the bright side of things, and to remember that even when things are at their worst, there is still something to be thankful for. Don’t let us grumble and complain, and don’t let us be pessimists and cynics. Make us spread joy and find happiness, not in doing what we want, but in doing what you want. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Community : Amen.