novena of the holy spirit with texts of saint john eudes

“Novena” of the Holy Spirit

Unit of Eudist Spirituality

with texts of saint John Eudes

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INTRODUCTION The Unit of Eudist Spirituality of the website “CJM virtual” offers to you and to the all Congregation the following “Novena” of the Holy Spirit. In this “novena”, you will find some meditations of St. John Eu-des, witch can help us preparation for the feast of Pentecost. Instruction: Start with the prayer Veni Sancti Spirit (come Holy Spirit) to call the Holy Spirit and give yourself to is power in order to glorify God. Next, with the meditations and finally do a little prayer. You can recite a short prayer like an ejaculatory for to end our encounter. We hope this material to be a big utility for all the communi-ties inspired in the St John Eudes spirituality. Send you coments to our my box: [email protected]

Unit of Eudist Spirituality

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FIRST DAY DETACH FROM THE SPIRIT WORD

Start with the sign of the Cross, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit (Veni Sancte Spiritus) Come Holy Spirit, send us a ray of your light from Heaven. Come Father of the poor, come giver of all gifts, Come light of all hearts. Perfect consoler, sweet guest of our souls, most sweet help. In our tiredness, give us rest, in the heat give us shade, in our tears give us solace. Oh most blessed light; invade the hearts of all the faithful. Without your strength, nothing is good in us, nothing is without fault. Wash what is dirty, bathe what is arid, heal what is hurting. Make soft what is rigid, warm what is cold, straighten what is crooked. Give to all who trust in You, your holy gifts.

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Give virtue and all good. Give a holy death, give eternal joy. Amen.

MEDITATION DETACHMENT FROM THE WORLD AND FROM

WORLDLY THINGS. It is not enough for a Christian to be free from vice and to ab-hor every kind of sin. Beyond that, it i s necessary to work with diligence and resolution at the task of becoming per-fectly detached from the world and from the things of the world. When I say "the world," I mean the corrupt and disordered life led in the world, the dam-nable spirit that reigns over the world, the perverse sentiments and inclinations which men of the world follow, and the pernicious laws and maxims by which they govern their behavior. By the things of the world I mean everything that the world so highly values and loves and strives after, namely, the honors and prais-es of men, vain pleasures and satisfactions, wealth and tem-poral comforts, friendships and affections based on flesh and blood, on self-Iove and selfish interests. Consider the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, and you will see that He lived on earth in most perfect detachment, stripped of all things. Read His holy Gospel, listen to His words, and you will learn that "everyone of you that doth not renounce all that

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he possesseth, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14, 33). So, if you really desire to be a Christian and a disciple of Jesus Christ, and if you wish to continue and express i n yourself His holy life of detachment from everything. you must strive to achieve an absolute and universal detachment from the world and from worldly things. To do this, you should frequently reflect how the world always has been and always will be opposed to Christ, whom it has persecuted and crucified, and will persecute and crucify, even to the end of time. Consider that the sentiments and inclina-tions. the rules and maxims, the life and spirit of the world are so opposed to the sentiments and inclinations, the rules and maxims, the life and spirit of Jesus that it i s impossible for them to subsist together. Christ's sentiments and inclinations lead entirely to the glory of His Father and our sanctification, while those of the world lead only to sin and perdition. The laws and maxims of Jesus are very mild and holy and rea-sonable. The standards of the world are laws and maxims of hell, and are diabolical, tyrannical and finally unbearable. The life of Jesus is a holy life made beautiful by all kinds of vir-tues; the life of the world is a depraved life, full of disorder and of all sorts of vice. LET US PRAY: Spirit Divine of Jesus; I only love you.

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SECOND DAY THE JESUS SPIRIT

Start the same as above, like the first day: In the name of the Father…

Pray the Come Holy Spirt in the page 3rd.

MEDITATION THE JESUS SPIRIT

The spirit of Jesus is a spirit of light, of truth, of piety, of love, confidence, zeal and rev-erence for God and for all that belongs to God; the spirit of the world is a spirit of er-ror, of unbelief, of darkness, of suspicion, of dissatisfaction, of impiety, of irreverence and hardness of heart towards God and all the things of God. The spirit of Jesus is a spirit of humility, of modesty, of self-

distrust, of mortification and abnegation, of constancy and of firmness. But the spirit of the world is, by contrast, a spirit of pride, presumption, disordered self-love, fickleness and incon-stancy. The spirit of Jesus is a spirit of mercy, charity, patience, gentle-ness and of unity with others. But the spirit of the world is a spirit of vengeance, envy, impatience, anger, slander and disun-

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ion. Finally, the spirit of Jesus is the spirit of God, a holy and divine spirit, filled with every grace, virtue, and blessing. It is a spirit of peace and tranquility, which seeks nothing but the interests of God and of His greater glory. The spirit of the world, on the contrary, is the spirit of Satan, for it necessarily follows that, since Satan is the prince of this world, the world is animated and governed by his spirit-an earthly, carnal and animal Spirit; If, therefore, you desire to be a true Christian, that is, if you desire to belong perfectly to Je-sus Christ, to live His life, to be animated by His spirit and conduct yourself according to His maxims, it i s absolutely necessary for you to make up your mind to renounce the world entirely and bid it farewell forever. I do not mean that it is necessary for you to leave the world and shut yourself up between four walls, unless God calls you to do so. But I do say that you must try to live in the world as though you were not of the world, that is, you must make a public, generous and unwavering profession of living otherwise than as the world lives, and of rejecting its laws and maxims. And I tell you not to be ashamed but to enjoy holy pride in be-ing a Christian, in belonging to Jesus Christ, in preferring the saintly maxims and truths that He left you in His holy Gospel, to the pernicious maxims and falsehoods by which the world deceives its disciples. I urge you at least to have enough courage and resolution to make a clean break with the standards, sentiments and inclina-tions of the world, and to despise all its empty speeches and deceptive opinions, just as the world makes a show of impious

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temerity in despising the laws and maxims of Christianity. It is i n this alone that true courage and perfect generosity consist: for what the world calls courage and power of character are nothing but cowardice and pusillanimity. This, then, is what I mean by detachment from the world: renouncing the world, and living in the world as though not of it. LET US PRAY: Holy Spirit, form Jesus in my.

THIRD DAY WHAT DO WE NEED FOR THE COMING

OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Start with the sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit (Veni Sancte Spiritus)

MEDITATION: WE MUST BE DETACHED FROM THE HOLY AND DIVINE THINGS

The perfection of Christian detachment does not consist only in being detached from the world and from oneself. It obliges the soul to be, in a certain sense, detached even from God. Do you not know that when Our Lord was still on earth, He as-sured His apostles that it was expedient for Him to depart

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from them to go to the Father and send them His Holy Spirit? Why was this, if not because they were attached to the sensible consolation of the visible presence of His sacred humanity? Now this was an obstacle to the coming of the Holy Spirit. So necessary is it to be detached from all things, no matter how holy and divine they may be, if you would be animated by the spirit of Jesus, which is the spirit of Christianity. That is why I say you must be detached, in a certain sense, even from God, that is, from the delights and consolation that ordi-narily accompany God's grace and His love. You must be de-tached from the pious plans you have made for God's glory, from the desires you have for greater perfection and love for God, and even from the desire to be delivered from the prison of this body, to see God and to be united with Him perfectly, and to love Him purely, without interruption. When God allows you to feel the sweetness of His kindness in your devotions, you must be careful not to become attached to this consolation. You must humble yourself at once, consider-ing yourself Most unworthy of any consolation, and ready to be stripped of it, to assure Him that you desire to serve and love Him, not for the consolation that He gives, either in this world or in the next, but for love of Himself and merely to please Him. LET US PRAY: Divine Holy Spirit: That I love you waht you are.

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FOURTH DAY THE SECRET OF THE SECRETS



MEDITATION THE PRACTICE OF THE PRACTICES

There is hardly any act or virtuous practice possible in human and Christian daily life that does not find its counterpart among the actions of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth. And if you wish to sanctify your actions, you should offer them to Him in honor of and in union with His own. This spirit will inspire many other methods in your heart if you make a point of giving yourself to our Blessed Lord at the be-

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ginning of everything you do. For I beg you to note carefully that the one essential practice, the secret of secrets, the devotion of devotions, is to be at-tached to no one practice or exercise of devotion in particular, but to take care, in all your exercises and activities, to surren-der yourself to the holy spirit of Jesus, with humility, confi-dence and detachment from all things. When you are thus free from attachment to your own way of looking at things, or to your own devotions and tastes, He will have complete power and freedom to act in you according to His holy will and to arouse in your soul whatever dispositions and devout sentiments He desires, and to lead you by whatever paths He may choose. After you have given yourself to Him, you should progress and be faithful in cultivating the good sentiments and dispositions He will arouse in you, and in following His impulsions, inspira-tions, and guidance. LET US PRAY: Holy Spirit, I ask you to be my only devotion.

FIFTH DAY THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES US CRISTIANS

Star with the sign of the Cross, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.


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MEDITATION THE HOLY SPIRIT FORM JESUS WITH IN US

The Holy Spirit shared in making us Christians, since he formed in Mary's womb the one who is our Redeemer, our Ransomer and our Head. He animated Christ and guided him in all that he thought, said, did and suffered, even to sacrificing

himself on the cross, to make us Christians: He offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit (Heb 9, 14). Once Jesus had ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit came into the world to form and establish the Body of Christ which is the Church, and to apply to her the fruit of Christ's life and blood, of his passion and death. Without that, Christ's sufferings and death would have been in vain. Moreover, the Holy Spirit comes to us at the time of our Baptism to form Christ in us and incorporate us to him, to give us new birth and new life in him, to apply the effects of his blood and his death to us, to animate, inspire, lead and guide us in all we have to think about, say, do and suffer as true Chris-

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tians for love of God. For that very reason, no one can speak the name of Jesus properly and no one can have a single good thought except in the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12, 3). As a result, a Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit: Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? (1 Cor 6, 19) Because we are children of God and one with the Son of God, as members of the body belong to its head, it follows necessarily that we must be animated by the same spirit. That is why St. Paul says: Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts (Gal 4, 6) and Unless you possessed the Spirit of Jesus Christ, you would not belong to Christ (Rom 8, 9). LET US PRAY: Holy Spirit, I ask you to be my only devotion.

SIXTH DAY THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE SPIRIT OF OUR SPIRIT



MEDITATION THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ALWAYS WITH US

the Holy Spirit was given to us to be the mind of our mind, the heart of our heart, the soul of our soul, and to always be with and within us, not only as his temple, but as parts of his body, that is to say, parts of Christ's Body which is the Spirit's and must be animated by the Spirit, since the members and every part of body must be animated by the same spirit that animates

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the Head. What great and marvelous things were done by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to make Christians of us! How fitting it is to proclaim the marvels of being Christians! Oh blessed St. John, how right you are when, speaking for all Christians, you say: the world does not recognize us (1 John 3, 1). What obli-gations we have to bless and love the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for having called us and raised us to the dignity of Chris-tians! What kind of life must we lead? One that is all holy, di-

vine and spiritual because Our Lord tells us that what is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3, 6). Oh divine Spirit, I give myself totally to you. Possess and guide me in all things and make me live as a child of God, a member of Christ, a being born of you and belonging to you which must be possessed, animated and guided by you. This being so, who can conceive and properly express what really is the dignity of a Christian, who is a child of God, a member of Christ, animated by his Spirit? what obliga-

tions we have to God for this gift? how holy a life we must lead and how guilty is the person who sins grievously? Such a person chases the Holy Spirit out of his temple and turns it over to Satan. He crucifies and destroys Jesus in him-

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self, because he stifles Christ's Spirit who kept him spiritually alive and turns his life over to Satan, Christ's enemy. LET US PRAY: Holy Spirt, thanks for make me living temple of your love.

SEVENTH DAY

THE GREATEST WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Start with the sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.


MEDITATION THE FORMATION OF JESUS IN OUR HEART

The mystery of mysteries and the work of works is the for-mation of Jesus in us. St. Paul puts it in these words: My little

children, I must go through the pains of giv-ing birth to you all over again until Christ is formed in you (Gal 4, 19). It is the greatest mys-tery and the greatest work ever accomplished either in heaven or on earth by the most excel-

lent Beings in existence, namely: the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Holy Mother Church. It is the greatest act performed by the eternal Father in all that

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eternity during which he is continually occupied producing his Son within himself. And outside of himself, he accomplished nothing more astounding than when he formed the human na-ture of his Son in Mary's womb at the moment of his Incarna-tion. It surpasses all the works of the Son of God on earth, forming himself within his holy Mother and in his Eucharist. It is the noblest of all the works of the Holy Spirit who formed him in Mary's virginal womb. The Virgin Mother never did, nor will she ever do anything more worthy than when she cooperated in that divine and wonderful formation of Jesus in her womb. It is the greatest and holiest of all the works of the holy Church. She exercises no function more exalted than when she brings him forth in a sure and wondrous way, by the lips of her priests, in the Holy Eucharist, and forms him in the hearts of her children. Therefore, forming Jesus in us should be our wish, our con-cern and our chief occupation, that is to say, causing him to live and reign in us together with his spirit and devotion, his vir-tues and sentiments, his inclinations and dispositions. This should be the aim of all our acts of piety. God puts into our hands for us to work at continually this task. LET US PRAY: Holy Spirit spill your all gifts every day about us.

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EIGHTH DAY LET´S OUR ACTIONS IN THE SPIRIT OF JESUS

Start with the sing of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.


MEDITATION WHAT THAT’S MEAN MAKE THE ACTIONS IN THE

HOLY SPIRIT OF JESUS?

The way to begin and end each day well. Is most important for everyone to understand that not only religious but all Christians no matter what their state in life, are obliged, as members of Jesus Christ, to live the life of their Head, that is, a thoroughly holy life, and to perform all their actions, whether great or small, in a Christian manner. What do I mean when I say in a Chris-tian manner? I mean in a divine and holy manner, in the manner which characterized Jesus Christ in every-thing that He ,did. I mean with the spirit of Jesus Christ, with His holy and divine dispositions. You are obliged by countless reasons to act in this way, But I beg you to return often to the consideration of the fact that Jesus Christ is our Head and all of us are His members, and that our union with Him is much more perfect and intimate

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than that of the members of a natural body with their head, because the principle of this union is His grace. Hence you are obliged to do everything in Him and for Him; for Him because the members belong to Him, because every-thing in the members belongs to the Head; in Him, that is, in His spirit, dispositions and intentions, because the members must follow and imitate their Head, and must be animated only by His spirit, with no other dispositions and intentions but His. Now by all these little actions, if you would only set your mind on doing them well, you might give great glory to God and make rapid progress along the road of His love. By your ne-glect of these little things God is deprived of the glory you owe Him, and you lose the graces He would otherwise give you. LET US PRAY: Holy Spirit, rid of earthly things to love heavely things.

NINTH DAY THE SPIRIT OF MARTYRDOM



MEDITATION THE SPIRIT OF MARTYRDOM

What is the spirit of martyrdom? It is a spirit that has five ex-cellent attributes: It is the spirit of strength and constancy which fears only God

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and sin, and cannot be shaken or overthrown, either by prom-ises or threats, by persuasion or violence. It is the spirit of deepest humility, which feels only horror for the vain glory and publicity of the world, and loves contempt and humiliations.

It is the spirit of self-mistrust and of most firm confidence in Jesus Christ our Lord, our Strength, in whom all things can be done. It is the spirit of perfect detachment from the world and every-thing that is in the world. Those who are to sacrifice their lives to God must also sacrifice to Him all else besides. It is the spirit of most burning love for our Lord Jesus Christ, who leads those animated by this spirit to do all and suffer all for love of Him, who did and suffered all for them.

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LET US PRAY: Divine spirit of Lord, I give you all myself for to take possession of me and in all things do live as children of God and members of Christ as one who is born to you and you belong in fullness. Amen.

THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE ENUMERATED IN (IS 11:2)

Wisdom Understanding Counsel Fortitude Knowledge Piety Fear of the Lord

FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Charity Generosity Joy Gentleness Peace Faithfulness Patience Modesty Kindness Self-control Goodness Chastity

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How live and act the Holy Spirit over me?

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How can all of Them see the Holy Spirit working me?

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¡Holy Spirit:

Pray for us!

Director: P. Álvaro Duarte Torres CJM

Design and build: Hermes Flórez Pérez

Translator: Jorge Isaac Camas Molina

novena of the holy spirit with texts of saint john eudes

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