The Church's tradition of novenas -- nine days of prayer -- is rooted in the nine days the Apostles and Mary spent in the Upper Room between the Ascension of Christ into Heaven, and his gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
During this novena, we will spiritually place ourselves in the Upper Room, asking each day for one of Fruits of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit.
[The gift of piety ] indicates our belonging to God and our profound relationship with Him, a bond that gives meaning to our life and keeps us sound, in communion with Him, even during the most difficult and tormenting moments.
This relationship with the Lord is not intended as a duty or an imposition. It is a bond that comes from within. It is a relationship lived with the heart: it is our friendship with God, granted to us by Jesus, a friendship that changes our life and fills us with passion, with joy. Thus, the gift of piety stirs in us above all gratitude and praise. This is, in fact, the reason and the most authentic meaning of our worship and our adoration.
When the Holy Spirit allows us to perceive the presence of the Lord and all his love for us, it warms the heart and moves us quite naturally to prayer and celebration. Piety, therefore, is synonymous with the genuine religious spirit, with filial trust in God, with that capacity to pray to him with the love and simplicity that belongs to those who are humble of heart.
If the gift of piety makes us grow in relation to and in communion with God and leads us to live as his children, at the same time, it helps us to pass this love on to others as well and to recognize them as our brothers and sisters.
~ Pope Francis, June 4, 2014
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
~ Psalm 118:1
