St Colette was an extraordinary woman and one of the few 14th century men and women for whom the work of the Holy Spirit was a daily reality. She ends nearly all her surviving letter by invoking the Holy Spirit on the recipient. Because the concept of a Novena - a prayer for nine days - is uniquely bound up with the Church's nine days of prayer before Pentecost, we thought that we might make a novena on the nine days before Colette's feast, using the prayers of her chaplet. For those who live nearby we will pray this Novena after daily Mass at 8.15 am.
THE COLETTE NOVENA
The Chaplet of St Colette
The hymn at the end of Holy Mass will be the beginning of the Novena prayers. We start by announcing the mystery and this is followed by a short reading from scripture. We then sing the Chaplet of St Colette, listen to a reading from her writings and say the final prayer together.
I
The Annunciation of the Lord
Luke 1:35-38
The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born of you will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."
Chaplet for the Joyful Mysteries
Blessed be the hour
in which our Lord Jesus Christ,
God and Man was born.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit
by whom he was conceived.
Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary
of whom the Incarnate Word was born.
May the Lord hear our prayers
through the intercession
of the glorious Virgin Mary
and in memory
of that most sacred hour
in which the Incarnate Word was born,
that all our desires may be accomplished
for your glory and our salvation.
O good Jesus!
O Jesus our Redeemer,
do not abandon us as our sins deserve,
but hear our humble prayer
and grant what we ask
through the intercession
of the most blessed Virgin Mary
and for the glory of your Holy Name.
Amen.
As God pleases*
As God wills x 10
Let us praise the Father in his mercy
and the Son by his passion
and the Holy Spirit
the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall!
From the Testament of St Colette
With all the angels praise God, glorify him, in him and through him, and through all his creatures in heaven and on earth: exalt him above all for his inestimable favour in creating man in the image of the Creator, and for the sovereign gift of the sacred Incarnation of our God, who is so good that, after having created all things for our sake, he himself became truly man and our loving Brother, so as to restore all by his glorious death and his passion.
Pause for silent prayer
Let us pray,
Father,
may the Spirit overshadow our hearts
and fill our lives with the presence
of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through the intercession of St Colette,
we place before you
all those who long to conceive new life.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen
II
The Birth of our Lord
Luke 2: 7
Mary gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Chaplet for the Joyful Mysteries (see above)
From the Testament of St Colette
O Holy Poverty, finery of our redemption, precious jewel, certain sign of salvation. It is to poverty that the King gives the Kingdom of Heaven, in full possession, lastingly and without end. After the example of Jesus Christ who had nowhere to lay his head.
Pause for silent prayer
Let us pray,
God our Father and King
We give you thanks
that your Son became one with our poverty.
Through the prayers of St Colette
we bring you all expectant mothers,
may the child they carry be surrounded
by love and come to the Kingdom of heaven
and unending joy
through Christ our Lord.
Amen
III
The Epiphany of Christ in his Baptism
Matt 3:16-17
When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and behold, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Chaplet for the Joyful Mysteries
From the Testament of St Colette
O infinite good! O Bounty without measure! O ingratitude which forgets so great a gift! Praise him, exalt him with full voice for the great gift received in holy Baptism, that of knowing complete innocence and becoming temples of the Blessed Holy Spirit
Pause for silent prayer
Let us pray,
Loving Father,
We give you thanks
for your wonderful generosity
in making us your beloved children.
Through the prayers of St Colette,
protect the life of every child
now in the womb.
Through Christ our Lord
Amen.
IV
The Passion of Christ
Jn 12: 24-28
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him. Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour; Father, glorify your name."
Chaplet for the Mysteries of the Cross
Blessed be the hour
in which our Lord Jesus Christ
is our Passover
Blessed be the Holy Spirit
given to us from the Cross
Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary
on whom the Incarnate Word bestows the Church
May the Lord hear our prayers
through the intercession
of the glorious Virgin Mary
and in memory
of that most sacred hour
in which we we behold Christ’s glory on the cross.
that all our desires may be accomplished
for your glory and our salvation.
O good Jesus!
O Jesus our Redeemer,
do not abandon us as our sins deserve,
but hear our humble prayer
and grant what we ask
through the intercession
of the most blessed Virgin Mary
and for the glory of your Holy Name.
Amen.
As God pleases*
As God wills x 10
Let us praise the Father in his mercy
and the Son by his passion
and the Holy Spirit
the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall!
From the Letters of St Colette
The straight and sound way which leads unfailingly without ever turning aside to the heavenly kingdom is one of tribulation and affliction, unjustly caused and borne with patience.
Take care to go from strength to strength in his most perfect love, remaining continually strong and virtuous in his most holy and worthy service. For to those who set out on this way is promised the kingdom.
Pause for silent prayer
Let us pray,
Father, glorify your name in our lives,
in all whom we know and love
and in every human situation
in our world.
through Christ our Lord.
Amen
V
The Crucifixion
Jn 19:28-30
After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the scripture), "I thirst." A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Chaplet for the Mysteries of the Cross
From a letter of St Colette
May your heart be filled with the blessed passion of our Blessed Saviour. bear his pains and feel them like a true child of his. Follow him wherever he goes with ardent desire and trust in his love. Praise and thank him often.
Pause for silent prayer
Let us pray,
Father of all good gifts,
you gave us your Holy Spirit
in the blood and water
flowing from your Son’s heart,
through the sacraments of the Church.
We praise and thank you
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
VI
The Laying in the tomb
Jn 19:40-41
They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid.
Chaplet for the Mysteries of the Cross
From the Testament of St Colette
The Lord most willingly deigned to let himself be shut away in a sepulchre of stone. And as it pleased him to be enclosed for forty hours, you have your holy enclosure to maintain, in which you may well live for forty years, more or less, and in which you will die. O how precious is your sepulchre, into which enter devout souls in order to obtain their salvation.
Pause for silent prayer
Let us pray,
Father of life,
The barren tomb, the place of death,
becomes the womb of eternal life.
Plant in our lives the beginning of
our resurrection in your Son
who lives and reigns forever and ever
Amen.
VII
The Resurrection
Luke 34:4b-8
Two men stood by them in dazzling apparel; and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise."
Chaplet for the Glorious Mysteries
Blessed be the hour
in which our Lord Jesus Christ,
King and Judge will come
Blessed be the Holy Spirit
who prepares our hearts for his reign
Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary
with whom the Incarnate Word will come again.
May the Lord hear our prayers
through the intercession
of the glorious Virgin Mary
in memory of that most sacred hour
in which heaven shall be opened to our eyes.
that all our desires may be accomplished
for your glory and our salvation.
O good Jesus!
O Jesus our Redeemer,
do not abandon us as our sins deserve,
but hear our humble prayer
and grant what we ask
through the intercession
of the most blessed Virgin Mary
and for the glory of your Holy Name.
Amen.
As God pleases*
As God wills x 10
Let us praise the Father in his mercy
and the Son by his passion
and the Holy Spirit
the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall!
From the Testament of St Colette
From the depths of this tomb, by carrying out the works required in accordance with our calling, our souls take flight, with the help of the three vows, soaring to the great celestial palace without difficulty, or hardly any, and without danger.
Such is the abundance and superabundance at the table of the wedding feast to which you now travel, that when a tiny part of the great and immeasurable joy and bounty of the Noble King and Spouse falls from it, it cannot but delight!
Pause for silent prayer
Let us pray,
Father of Light,
we give you glory and we praise you
that as the Paschal candle of Easter night
rises from the font,
so new life shines through us
showing the path to the kingdom of glory,
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
VIII
The Ascension of the Lord and his eternal Kingdom
Mk 16:17-19
He said, “These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.
Chaplet for the Glorious Mysteries
From a Letter of St Colette
Do nothing in the sight of his Sovereign Majesty and glorious presence which you would not do before anyone lesser or greater than you. Wherever we are, we are always present to him and he sees us clearly within and without and knows us better than we know ourselves.
Pause for silent prayer
Let us pray,
Father of heaven,
We bring to you all who are sick;
all who live without hope and in fear.
May the kingdom continued to be proclaimed
and your Son’s healing ministry
remain visible in the Church
through the prayers of St Colette.
You who live and reign forever and ever,
Amen.
IX
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
Luke 2: 16-21
This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day. And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'
Chaplet for the Glorious Mysteries
From a letter of St. Colette
The blessed Holy Spirit will watch over you and keep you in his grace and finally lead you to the glory of paradise. Amen.
Pause for silent prayer
Let us pray,
God our Father,
you gave St Colette to the Church
as a witness to the gospel way of life.
Renew our lives and our world
in the pattern of your love.
As we acknowledge:
that there is no crown without a victory,
and no victory without a fight,
grant us to grow in the gifts of the Spirit
through Christ our Lord
Amen.
