How to Pray the Frassati Novena

Perspective is everything.  If you're a small child waiting for Christmas morning, nine days can seem like an eternity.  If you're an adult working on your federal tax return, having nine days left to file can seem like no time at all.

Praying a novena is often a little of both.  At some point, it seems too difficult to persevere to the end.  Then, before you know it, the ninth day has arrived. Over the years, I've learned a few simple ways to greatly improve my chances of having a meaningful novena experience.  By meaningful, I just mean that I am able to pray faithfully each day with intention.

First, I write down something specific that I am entrusting to Blessed Pier Giorgio. Sure, I would like world peace and for purgatory to be emptied as much as the next person. But I stay more focused and motivated during the nine days when my intention is something a little simpler and more personal to me.  I like to think it also makes it easier for Blessed Pier Giorgio to help me, as well.

Second, I try to pray as early in the day as possible. "Now I lay me down to sleep, a novena booklet at my feet," never seems to work out well for me.

Third, I try to pick at least one line from the prayers for the day to actually pray. Being the queen of distraction, it's so easy to just read words without giving any thought to them. Recently, I was praying the litany to St. Joseph and was struck by the line, "Terror of demons."  I never knew St. Joseph had that title so it motivated me to do a little research. From the whole litany, those were the three words that stuck. Three words are better than none.

Fourth, I ask Pier Giorgio to pray with me and help me to be intentional for the entire nine days. Even though I am usually praying for some favor, it is also a gift to him in his honor. Keeping the focus more on him than me also helps me pray with intention. It feels more like nine days of talking with a really good friend than a spiritual discipline. By the time the novena ends, I find I have grown closer to Pier Giorgio and lived the Beatitudes a little better.

Lastly, I remind myself daily that whether the prayer is answered depends wholly upon the will of God. No matter what, I owe it to Him to give my best effort and avoid the vending-machine-approach to prayer. You can waste a lot of quarters that way. After all, as Pier Giorgio wrote to his friend Marco, "the future is in the hands of God and better than that it could not be."

If you haven't already, take a few minutes to pray Day One of the novena right now for true poverty of spirit. Just like that, you'll be on your way verso l'alto! I'm praying for you. ///cmw