And eating together with them, [Jesus] commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard (saith he) by my mouth. (Acts of the Apostles 1:4)

Before Christ ascended into heaven, he commanded his Apostles to remain in the city of Jerusalem for the nine days until the feast of Pentecost, and there to await the descent of the Holy Spirit. With this, our Savior instituted the practice of the Christian Novena – nine days of prayer, especially in preparation for a solemn feast or in petition for some special grace.

Christ Jesus commanded this first novena both as a period of preparation (since the feast of Pentecost was approaching) and also as an act of petition (for the Apostles, together with Mary, were pleading for the Holy Spirit to come as their Advocate).

But what is the significance of a novena? Why nine days, rather than ten or forty or three?

The number nine

The number “nine” has a great symbolic richness. On the one hand, it is derived from the Trinitarian and Divine number “three” – being “three times three”. On the other hand, “nine” is a number of imperfection because it is one lacking from “ten”.

In the Scriptures, St. Jerome tells us, “the number nine is indicative of suffering and grief.” (Commentary in Ezekiel, vii.24) We recall that the good shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep to go after the one that was lost. Further, Abram was ninety-nine years old when circumcised and, entering into the covenant with God, received his new name of Abraham.

It is worth noting that, unlike the numbers “three” and “ten” (and “twelve”, etc.), the Jews did not have a great regard for the number “nine”. Indeed, the practice of a nine-day novena of prayers is not of Jewish origin.

The first Christian novenas

It seems that, although the first “novena” was carried out by the Apostles (together with the Blessed Virgin Mary) in an upper-room in Jerusalem during the nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost, the Christian faithful first began to keep “novenas” not in preparation for Pentecost, but rather before Christmas.

By the seventh century, particularly in Spain and France, the faithful kept of a nine-day novena of preparation before the Solemnity of Christmas. It is clear that these nine days of prayer were symbolic of the nine months, which our Savior spent in the womb of Mary his Mother.

Thus, we may well say that our Lord made a nine-month novena with Mary before coming forth from her most pure womb, and so likewise the Apostles made a nine-day novena with May before going forth to preach the Gospel throughout the whole world.

However, the general practice of novenas did not gain official approval by the Church (through the granting of indulgences) until the nineteenth century. Indeed, it is quite surprising that the practice of novenas did not gain greater popularity and official support earlier!

The novena to the Holy Spirit, for the feast of Pentecost

 “As has been said, the simplest explanation of the Christmas novena is the nine months of Christ in the womb. But for every novena of preparation, as also for every novena of prayer, not only the best explanation but also the best model and example was given by Christ Himself to the Church in the first Pentecost novena.

He Himself expressly exhorted the Apostles to make this preparation. And when the young Church had faithfully persevered for nine full days in it, the Holy Ghost came as the precious fruit of this first Christian novena for the feast of the establishment and foundation of the Church.