9–It’s so Catholic

Summer Fun with Biblical Numbers continues.

Step 1: Relax. Ask Jesus to visit with you. Tell Him any concerns on your mind. [As usual, I will include the beginning of my responses as an example for you to read or skip over.]

[Jesus, please sit with me as I pray. I wish I could hear You as clearly as I hear everyone else–and thank You for that wonderful gift of hearing–but I know You will be with me and will help me somehow “hear” your message. I need your guidance; I want it. A real concern of mine today is …]

Step 2: Read the prompt. What word, question, image, feeling stands out to you?

NINE is not symbolic of anything in the bible, but Catholics especially will think of three words when they hear the number nine: novenas, fruits, and angels. (They might also think ‘pregnancy’ since human gestation lasts nine months.) Another phrase bible-readers may think of is ninth-hour.

A novena is nine consecutive days of prayer for a special intention. It comes from the Latin word novem which means nine. The novena originated with the Apostles, when they prayed in the Upper Room for nine days after the Ascension for “the gift I told you about, the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:5) referring to Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit. There are hundreds of novenas. Some directly ask God for help and some ask saints for their intercessory prayers. Often novenas are scheduled so the eighth day of prayer falls on a specific feast day. Other novenas are made when the need for spiritual help is intense and immediate.

The nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are the virtuous results you get when you use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that you receive at Confirmation. If you care for an apple tree, you get the apple fruit; if you nurture the gifts (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and awe of the Lord) you will harvest the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The nine angelic choirs are (highest to lowest): Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Archangels, Principalities, and Angels. Angels are messengers, guardians and fighters. Those that are good are called Holy Angels and those that followed Lucifer are called demons and devils. Angels are mentioned by choir in both the Old and New Testaments. They are really interesting and should get a blog post all their own.

Some writers have said that nine is symbolic of finality and faith because of the ninth hour. The ninth hour after dawn is three o’clock in the afternoon and is one of several scheduled hours (depending upon the community) that priests and professed religious pray the Liturgy of the Hours (also called the Divine Office or Breviary). It is also the hour Jesus said, “It is finished.”

Step 3: Talk to Jesus as you would a good friend. Tell Him how you feel about what you read. Did the prompt have anything to do with the concerns you had when you started your prayer?

[Jesus, I really admire priests and nuns and yet I envy them sometimes too. When I was deciding on a career, I wanted to spend my “employment” hours doing good for others and that’s why I thought of being a nun. Then I went into speech-language pathology because I wanted a family and thought at least I’d be helping people that way. Now that I’m older, I better understand that my vocation was marriage and motherhood and that I was still helping people–just a smaller focus than the whole world. Still I felt so less holy than the nuns so I tried to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. Holy smokes, I only lasted a week and even then I don’t think I prayed it well. In my defense, I had a lot more cooking, laundry, cleaning, and “daily checks” on kids and less dedicated prayer time than nuns. Still, I think it’s really neat that all over the world, at any given hour, someone is saying Mass or praying the Divine Office. I hope that pleases You.

I got chills when I learned about the ninth hour. And I can’t help think of Saint Teresa of the Little Flower whenever I hear ‘novena’. Gosh, that novena really “worked” exactly as I prayed. How can I doubt the power of intercessory prayer after that? But what this prayer prompt really reminded me of was nine d…]

Step 4: Contemplate. Aaah. Exhale. Let God speak to you. Just relax in the silent presence of God.

Step 5: Pray: How do you feel about what God said to you? Sometimes you get a clear idea, feeling, memory or word in your mind as an answer. Sometimes, the answer doesn’t come until hours after your prayer as ended, when God can catch you in an unguarded moment. Either way, wrap up your feelings and thoughts into a prayer.

[God, You consoled me with what I saw on the “movie screen” of my mind during contemplation. Doing your will sure is easier after meditation and contemplation. The outcome I wanted truly doesn’t mean anything to me at this moment. I guess that was why You were always running off to pray. Thank You for knowing me so much better than I know myself and for giving me what is best for me in the long run–despite me complaining about it. I’ll put my concern of the week on hold for the rest of the day at least. Thanks, Jesus.]

Step 6: Take something to keep in your heart until your next prayer session. Writing down a word, phrase, memory–no matter how short–will help you see God’s presence in your life over time.

[Eyes looking upward.]