When you miss a day of a novena

Started by Josephine87, January 15, 2019, 10:50:36 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Josephine87

What do you do?  I'm always tempted to give up because it's not "perfect".  Do you just pray the previous day and current day's prayers?
"Begin again." -St. Teresa of Avila

"My present trial seems to me a somewhat painful one, and I have the humiliation of knowing how badly I bore it at first. I now want to accept and to carry this little cross joyfully, to carry it silently, with a smile in my heart and on my lips, in union with the Cross of Christ. My God, blessed be Thou; accept from me each day the embarrassment, inconvenience, and pain this misery causes me. May it become a prayer and an act of reparation." -Elisabeth Leseur

Stubborn

Take your best guess and start again from there.
Even after a long life of sin, if the Christian receives the Sacrament of the dying with the appropriate dispositions, he will go straight to heaven without having to go to purgatory. - Fr. M. Philipon; This sacrament prepares man for glory immediately, since it is given to those who are departing from this life. - St. Thomas Aquinas; It washes away the sins that remain to be atoned, and the vestiges of sin; it comforts and strengthens the soul of the sick person, arousing in him a great trust and confidence in the divine mercy. Thus strengthened, he bears the hardships and struggles of his illness more easily and resists the temptation of the devil and the heel of the deceiver more readily; and if it be advantageous to the welfare of his soul, he sometimes regains his bodily health. - Council of Trent

Archer

Don't treat Novena's like superstitions. Remember, God knows what we need before ask Him.

Probably just pick up where you left off and finish from there.
"All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man." - St. John Vianney

MundaCorMeum

It depends on the novena and how many days I miss.  If it's a novena that is tied to certain dates (i.e. the St. Andrew novena), and I only miss a day or two, I just keep going, without making up the prayers.  We do that one every year as a family, but I don't think we've ever gotten the 15 prayers in each day.  We just keep trucking along, knowing that no prayer is ever wasted.  If it's tied to a particular date, but is shorter, like the Pentecost novena, and I miss more than a day or 2, I just quit and try again next year  ;)  If it's not tied to a date....oh, who am I kidding!  I've never successfully completed a novena perfectly.  I just make a decision, purely based on emotion: am I going to muddle through this, or quit?  Then, I stick with that decision and run with it.  I'm sure there's a flow chart, buried deep in my missal, that would tell me how to proceed in each case of failure....


Currently, I am finishing up my Advent devotional book...that should tell you plenty about how good I am at novenas ;)

Non Nobis

#4
I have been inconsistent in how I handle missing a day of a novena.  Sometimes I've just let it go and gone on... and at other times I have said it twice twice later.  But I think one thing to remember is that whatever the merit of meeting the goal of "9 days in a row", the prayers you are saying are pleasing to God even one by one. Discipline is a way of showing our love, but God counts our effort too. Thinking "give it up because it's not going to 'work' now" is superstitious and missing the point of prayer. But it's also superstitious to think you absolutely MUST finish it. There is more than one way to pray.

If there is a definite date involved (not just 9 days) waiting until next year is certainly an option.

[Matthew 8:26]  And Jesus saith to them: Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? Then rising up he commanded the winds, and the sea, and there came a great calm.

[Job  38:1-5]  Then the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind, and said: [2] Who is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskillful words? [3] Gird up thy loins like a man: I will ask thee, and answer thou me. [4] Where wast thou when I laid up the foundations of the earth? tell me if thou hast understanding. [5] Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee! Save souls!

diaduit

My rule of thumb is if I miss a day due to genuine circumstances e.g unexpected visitors calling, unforeseen circumstances that take you away from your home and the time slips by and you forget, then I do an extra one the next day and count it as a novena.  But if I am on the sofa at 10 pm grumbling how tired I am but don't make an effort into getting it done then I don't count it as a full novena.
As a friend said to me once, God isn't peeping around a corner waiting to catch you out , if you slip up (I'm talking venial sin etc) He isn't shouting to Himself, ' hahaaaaa I got you there' triumphantly.

Josephine87

Thank you all for your helpful perspectives!
"Begin again." -St. Teresa of Avila

"My present trial seems to me a somewhat painful one, and I have the humiliation of knowing how badly I bore it at first. I now want to accept and to carry this little cross joyfully, to carry it silently, with a smile in my heart and on my lips, in union with the Cross of Christ. My God, blessed be Thou; accept from me each day the embarrassment, inconvenience, and pain this misery causes me. May it become a prayer and an act of reparation." -Elisabeth Leseur

serviam1996

Just say yesterday's prayer along with today's prayer. That's what I do in case I forget a day.

mikemac

Quote from: serviam1996 on February 09, 2019, 09:18:00 PM
Just say yesterday's prayer along with today's prayer. That's what I do in case I forget a day.

That's what I did a couple of days ago when I missed a day for the Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes.  I don't know if that's what we are suppose to do but it seems right.
Like John Vennari (RIP) said "Why not just do it?  What would it hurt?"
Consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (PETITION)
https://lifepetitions.com/petition/consecrate-russia-to-the-immaculate-heart-of-mary-petition

"We would be mistaken to think that Fatima's prophetic mission is complete." Benedict XVI May 13, 2010

"Tell people that God gives graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Tell them also to pray to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for peace, since God has entrusted it to Her." Saint Jacinta Marto

The real nature of hope is "despair, overcome."
Source

Xavier

Yes. We try to do the 9 days (or hours etc) consecutively only in order to develop a consistent prayer rhythm in our spiritual lives; this can be very helpful for us if we do. For similar reasons, it's good to have set times for prayer; but that doesn't mean we can't pray at any time - certainly, we can. God is not a rigorist, but a loving Father - if we miss a day, we can say an extra one on the next day. Some of the books for certain prayers say this expressly. It's good to try not to miss as far as possible, but if we do, we can make it up.
Bible verses on walking blamelessly with God, after being forgiven from our former sins. Some verses here: https://dailyverses.net/blameless

"[2] He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:[3] He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.(Psalm 14)

"[2] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man."(James 3)

"[14] And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; [15] That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15)

Non Nobis

And then when you miss the novena altogether (me) you can at least pray on the feast day!

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us
[Matthew 8:26]  And Jesus saith to them: Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? Then rising up he commanded the winds, and the sea, and there came a great calm.

[Job  38:1-5]  Then the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind, and said: [2] Who is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskillful words? [3] Gird up thy loins like a man: I will ask thee, and answer thou me. [4] Where wast thou when I laid up the foundations of the earth? tell me if thou hast understanding. [5] Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee! Save souls!