Q. I have been hearing a lot about different novenas recently. What is the difference between a novena and a regular prayer? What happens if I miss a day? Can I start a novena late if I only heard about it after it started?
A. Sometimes things are so common that we do not really think about how they work or why they work, like lights. Lights are everywhere but, if pressed, I could not explain to anyone how a light bulb works. That probably says more about my lack of scientific understanding (sorry to my mom, a longtime science teacher) than anything else, but I am sure there are examples that everyone could come up with.
I think that as Catholics we have a lot of examples of things we are very familiar with, but that we do not really understand how they “work.” I think novenas are one example. We are probably familiar with novenas as a concept. We may have even prayed one or two. But we might not know how they “work.”
The word novena comes from the Latin word for “nine.” Nine in this context refers to the nine days of prayer that are foundational to the concept of a novena. The first novena is widely considered to have been instituted by Christ Himself who asked the Apostles and Mary to pray in a particular way for nine days in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, following his Ascension.
The Catholic Encyclopedia identifies four broad categories of novenas; novenas of mourning, of preparation, of prayer, and the indulgenced novenas. These are not official categories, as novenas exist more in the realm of popular piety rather than official liturgical norms, but they are reflective of the width and breadth of the intentions behind novenas.
Novenas are primarily concerned with preparation for significant feasts. The Church always wants us to prepare for significant liturgical celebrations so that we are able to enter into them fully. That’s why we have two liturgical seasons all about preparing for significant celebrations of God’s love for us (Advent for Christmas and Lent for Easter). Novenas are like that, but on a smaller scale.
Many novenas are associated with an indulgence or a particular grace. While these are beautiful in their own way, like all practices of popular piety, we always need to be very careful to be sure that we do not accidently veer into superstition. Novenas are not magic. Their purpose, like all prayers, is to draw us deeper into relationship with God. Any special graces that may come are secondary, just as the miracles our Lord performed were secondary to His primary purpose of forgiving sins and preaching the Love and Truth of the Father.
If we want to participate in a novena, it is best that we commit to it and try to say the prayers for it each of the requisite days. This is because it will build within us a stronger habit of prayer and help us to choose prayer over the myriad distractions that we are faced with each day.
Building a strong habit of prayer and deepening our understanding of God’s love for us will do more for us than whatever specific we may have in praying the novena.
If a day of the novena is missed, my opinion is to simply continue on with it, perhaps saying the requisite prayer twice the following day. Again, it is about deepening our relationship with God, not checking every box to make God give us something.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
