When I was a Protestant, there was only one form of prayer. 
     Make your request “In Jesus’ Name,” “In the Name of Jesus.” 

  If I wanted to go further, I was taught to quote scripture to the Lord, and then He would hear me. 

Now a Catholic, those days are thankfully long gone of scripting my own prayers and deciding which scripture fit which petition. 

   Now I pray age-old prayers that Our Lord taught us, the “Our Father,” and prayers that Our Lady instructed us to use the “Hail Mary, Glory Be.”  The Rosary. 

   I confess that I’m still learning.

    In fact, this year I’ve learned of the simplicity of the ejaculatory prayer and now the novena. 

   I have to say that I had an impression that the Novenas were not serious or they were too simplistic. No doubt this is a hold-over from my protestant indoctrination. Also, there was something about the word “novena” that didn’t sit right with me. I really don’t know why, except that I have a cousin who is a Catholic and said she prayed a Novena to have children, and it worked. That sounded strange since she was the farthest away from pious that I could imagine. 

   So there I was, indeed Catholic, but never really understanding the “novena.” Then the Sisters at my chapel hosted a lady’s day, and the subject was “novenas.” So, of course, I had to go. And there I sat, finally learning about this powerful mode of prayer. 

    I understood that Our Lady and the Apostles did the first novena, that is nine consecutive days of prayer, prior to the decent of the Holy Ghost. 

    Finally the light bulb went on in my head. 

     If it’s good enough for them, I thought, well it’s good enough for me!  

      So, I’ve begun to pray novenas, I have a little Catholic Journal I made which helps me keep track, by logging the begin date, end date, and tallying the days.

         Now I love novenas.  

        There’s a beginning and end to them, you don’t have to fight boredom in prayer because you began it and ended it. In other words, you sent the message, through the hands of the saint and it’s dispatched. 

        So here I am, a Catholic for maybe ten years and I finally understand and appreciate the novena.  

          The deep well of Catholicism continues to draw me, teach me, and assist me to sanctify my soul.

            What a gift.