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Dear Padre: |
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As with virtually anything else in life, there is a time and place for sunglasses. Most would agree that the benefits of protective eyewear are tried and true. Still, there are times and places that your sunglasses are not appropriate. Additionally, there are also times and places that they're just not going to do you any good.
The etiquette of eyewear in Church is not a topic that is often discussed. We would all like to think that everyone would make the right decision in deciding when to take and when to leave behind the sunglasses. Still, there are obviously those that could use a little help on the subject. For those people who's mother was remiss or others who were not paying attention and as a reference for the rest of us, compiled here are just a few of the occasions in which sunglasses should be left in the car.
Wearing sunglasses indoors anywhere is always not appropriate. If you have a medical condition causing sensitivity to artificial lights, or you are blind, you may be excused from this rule. To everyone else that insists on wearing shades indoors, you should know something crucial. The rest of us are watching you, waiting for you to walk into a wall or trip over a chair.
Socially, wearing your sunglasses indoors is just plain rude. When you are trying to carry on a conversation with a person that is wearing sunglasses for no apparent reason, it can be rather distracting. While you may think that you are putting out the mystery-man vibe, you're actually just telling people you are not interested in what they have to say. If you plan to make it a habit of giving off this attitude, expect to receive the same in return.
In Church, unless you are recovering from eye surgery, your mother should have taught you better. As for "scratchy" pockets... protective cases are available for all eyewear. If the priest wore sunglasses while celebrating your grandmother's funeral you would be writing to the Bishop.
Thanks for the question, and lose the "shades" at Mass.
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There are several things that you can do.
1. Many parishes have rosary-making groups who are always looking for beads, medals and crosses to recycle.
2. If the rosaries have sentimental value - there is a group of Carmelite Nuns in Colorado Springs, Colorado, they charge about $30.00 to repair and return rosaries. They also accept broken pieces of rosaries that you do not wish returned. Here is a link to their web site: http://www.sistersofcarmel.com/rosary-repair.php
3. If none of these appeals to you - you may simply break up the pieces and bury them reverently - some people like to do this on the graves of their loved ones.
Thanks for the question.
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"The norms of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal [1975] now in force state that genuflection is called for only if the tabernacle is located in the sanctuary. [GIRM no.233]
In the Corpus Christi Cathedral the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in a side chapel. It is proper to genuflect privately when entering and leaving the Cathedral or when visiting the chapel.
The Ceremonial of Bishops [no.71] states that a procession [ such as the entrance procession at Mass] does not stop to reverence the Blessed Sacrament when passing in front of the chapel of reservation.
Another rule of ceremonial even in the pre Vatican II liturgy, is that no one who is carrying any thing, e.g. cross, candle, incense or a book, genuflects. A simple bow of the head suffices."
Thanks for the question and God Bless
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Being divorced is not an impediment to receiving Holy Communion.
What would be an impediment to receiving Holy Communion is living with another person in an invalid marriage. An invalid marriage for a Roman Catholic is a marriage that is not recognized by the Church. If you are living alone as a single person, you are able to receive Holy Communion. If there are things on your conscience go to Confession and tell the priest you are divorced but living alone. You should not have any difficulty in receiving absolution and being able to receive Holy Communion.
There is so much bad publicity about the Church and divorce. The Church stands for the sanctity of marriage and the unity of the family. Divorce is a last resort when a marriage becomes truly unbearable for the spouse or the children. This is especially true in the case of spousal abuse or child abuse. Drug usage and uncontrolled alcohol addiction can contribute to such a sad situation. A spouse may have to leave for personal safety or for the safety of the children.
Please look for a support group either in your parish or through a social agency. Pray for God's help and go to Mass and the sacraments if you can. God does answer prayer, but He expects us to use the normal means of the medical or behavioral sciences to cure our selves.
Oh and be assured that the identity of anyone who "Asks the Padre" is never revealed. There will undoubtedly be many though who will benefit from the fact that you asked.
God bless you and thanks for the question.
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Corpus Christi is Latin for
"The Body of Christ". For more than you EVER wanted to know about how The Feast of
Corpus Christi - also known as the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ came into being please
see this web site:
For information about how the
Bay of Corpus Christi got it's name from which the Diocese of Corpus Christi gets it's name
please see this web site...
Thanks for the question,
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Thank you for your question. I would like to answer your question step by step, as you presented the question.
1. Father, my brother and I are always arguing about the Holy Father being in contradiction with the truth. Because of the Church's doctrine on papal infallibility, the Holy Father can not be in contradiction with the truth. When any pope speaks on faith and morals, he is protected in a special way by the Holy Spirit. He can not contradict the truth. Any Pope will faithfully transmit the truth when he speaks on faith and morals.
2. He honors pagan religions (i.e. buddhism). The Catholic Church respects all that is true and good in other religions, be they christian religions or non-christian religions. The Church makes it very clear in its' teaching that Jesus founded one, true Church which is the Catholic Church and that not all religions are the same.
3. The Novus Ordo's consecration is not in line with the 2000 year rite. This assertion has been debated by "traditionalists" since the english translation of the Novus Ordo came about. The argument stems from two situations: a) the removal of "mysterium fidei" which was made into an acclamation; and b) the english translation change from "many" to "all". St. Thomas Aquinas answers this dilemma in the Summa Theological regarding a similar debate with the institution formulas of the eastern rites. Thomas makes the argument that all that is needed for a valid consecration is the correct stating of the "form" of the sacrament. In the case of the eucharist, the correct form is the correct pronouncement of these words: "This is my Body", "This is the cup of my Blood". (Hoc est enim Corpus Meum; Hic est enim calix Sanguinis Mei). As long as these words are stated, the consecration is valid.
4. My question to you is that do you believe that the Holy Father is doing exactly what God wants or is he just another pawn of Vatican II? The way you describe the Second Vatican Council indicates that you have a problem with the Council. You need to understand that the Second Vatican Council is an integral part of official Church teaching. Most people, including the clergy, have not seriously studied the 16 documents of the Council and the continual abuses that have taken place during the turbulent times after the Council have not allowed people to really see the true teachings of the Council. I would recommend an objective reading of the Council documents and accept them as the direction that the Church has taken. This direction, since the Council is a fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church, is from God. Therefore, by implementing the true teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the Holy Father is doing exactly what God wants for him and the Church.>
Thanks for the Question
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One of the greatest sorrows of the post Vatican II Church is that the Sacred Liturgy has been made into a battlefield to express one's view of what the Church should be. The desire to renew the Sacred Liturgy was to make more available to all the faithful the many graces to be found in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
Liturgical experimentation began. Soon it was necessary for the Church to remind the faithful of the need for good order.
The Sacred Congregation of Rites, in an instruction dated 4 May, 1967 stated, "On this occasion it seems necessary to recall to everyone's mind that capital principle of church discipline which the Constitution on the Liturgy solemnly confirmed. 'Regulation of the liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church. Therefore no other person, not even if he is a priest, may on his own add, take away or change anything in the liturgy.' " [SC art. 22, ##2-3]
At that time [1967] the Code of Canon Law then in force stated in canon 818 that the celebrant [of the Mass] must observe the rubrics of his liturgical books accurately and devoutly, and beware of adding other ceremonies and prayers of his own choice. All contrary customs by which other ceremonies are introduced into the Rite of the Mass are disapproved. [Woywood, A Practical Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, Herder, 1948, Vol. I, pg. 438]
The 1983 Code of Canon Law promulgated by Pope John Paul II does not contain as many specific norms for liturgical celebrations, as did the 1917 Code. Canon 2 of the 1983 Code states, "For the most part the Code does not determine the rites to be observed in the celebration of liturgical actions. Accordingly, liturgical laws which have been in effect hitherto retain their force, except those which may be contrary to the canons of the Code." [Canon 2]
The common interpretation of this canon is that liturgical laws contained in the "liturgical books"[e.g. the Roman Missal] have the force of law.
Canon 838 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law emphasizes the need for liturgical supervision. "The ordering and guidance of the sacred liturgy depends solely upon the authority of the Church, namely the Apostolic See and, as provided by law, that of the diocesan Bishop."[Canon 838.1]
"Within the limits of his competence, it belongs to the diocesan Bishop to lay down in the Church entrusted to his care, liturgical regulations that are binding on all."[Canon 838.4]
A thoughtful reading of Canon 838.1,2,3,4, might provide information about your inquiry.
In answer to questions about the use of abrogated ceremonies, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal promulgated in March 1975 [DROOL 208] states in a footnote reply ": "It must never be forgotten that the Missal of Pope Paul VI has, since 1970, supplanted the one called improperly 'the Missal of St. Pius V,' and completely so, in both texts and rubrics. When the rubrics of the Missal of Paul VI say nothing or little on particulars in some places, it is not to be inferred that the former rite should be observed. Therefore the multiple and complex gestures for incensation as prescribed in the former Missal are not to be observed."[DOL, pg.481, footnote R11].
Another note on the same page states what might answer your question.
"Apart from the envisioned exemptions from rubrics and differing translations of texts the Order of the Mass is presented as a SINGLE UNIT WHOSE GENERAL STRUCTURE AND INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS MUST BE EXACTLY OBSERVED. Arbitrary selectiveness on the part of an individual or community would soon result in the ruin of a patiently and thoughtfully constructed work." [DOL, pg. 481, note R12]
The norm to join the fingers after the Consecration in the Mass was replaced by Norm 12 of the Instruction on the orderly carrying out of the Constitution on the Liturgy, Sacred Congregation of Rites, 14 May, 1967.
"After the consecration, the celebrant need not join thumb and forefinger; should any particle of the host have remained on his fingers, he rubs his fingers together over the paten." [DOL, 39, pg. 137 also see footnote R23 about there being no need to have the ablution of the fingers over the chalice after Holy Communion.]
We cannot say that the sacred liturgy is frozen in time. An old adage says, "The times change and we change with them." [Owen's Epigrammata] Only God is immutable.
We look forward to the New General Instruction on the Roman Missal that has been promulgated by Pope John Paul II. The English translation should completed soon. It will be a useful tool to perfect the celebration of Holy Mass. An active Office of Worship in the Diocese could be a source of instruction in matters liturgical.
Note: DOL refers to Documents on the Liturgy, 1963- 1979, the Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota.
Code references are to be found in the New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, Canon Law Society of America, Paulist Press, 2000. This contains many directives issued since 1979.
Thanks for the Question
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It's hard to imagine John Paul II sitting back in a rocker, whiling away the time watching daytime TV or playing dominos for the rest of his days. But there is the question of retirement itself. Could it happen?
Yes. Popes can quit and have in the past. Pope Celestine V turned in his Keys to the Kingdom in 1294 after only six month on the job, a shorter stint than your average New York City schools chancellor's. There were others too.
The code of canon law (332.2) specifically says: "If it should happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that he make the resignation freely and the it be duly manifested, but not that it be accepted by anyone.
The resigned Pope would still be a cardinal and a bishop but would surrender papal responsibilities totally to the new Pope. Infallibility goes with the office, not the person, and would also be passed along to the new pope.
John Paul is as you say weak and frail. He will be 80 in May, the age when by canon law, cardinals lose their right to vote for the pope. (Otherwise, a resigned pope could help elect his successor. Bishops are asked to turn in their resignations at age 75. So it's conceivable, though hardly likely, that the pope could take late retirement.
Thanks for the Question. For more
on this subject, see an interview with Bishop Kenneth E. Untener, Bishop of
Saginaw, Mich., in the March 25th issue of America magazine.
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How do we know George Washington or Abraham Lincoln ever existed? We were not there. We rely on history and record from that period. So too with Christ. The primary record of His existence is the Bible. Although we Christians usually think of the Bible as the Word of God, we should remember much of it is a historical record as well. The New Testament documents in particular give us vital historical information about Jesus, even though they aren't intended to be extensive biographies in the modern sense.
The New Testament picture of Jesus is supported by non-Christian historical sources, although there aren't many of these that survived from the time of the early Church. Probably the reason for such scant non-Christian historical evidence is that the Romans, who were the main historians of the time, would not have been concerned with a small outpost of their empire like Palestine. The Jewish historian Josephus does record the existence of Jesus and the fact He was executed under Pontius Pilate. This corroborates the New Testament account.
Thanks for your question.
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As the successor to St. Peter, the pope's role is to be an earthly father to the people of God. The word pope means father. He is also the shepherd appointed by the greatest Shepherd of them all … Jesus. As Peter led the apostolic college, so his successor, the pope, leads the Episcopal College of bishops. In this capacity, he confirms his brother bishops and priest in the Faith and works with them to spread the Gospel and to pastor the flock of God.
The pope protects the deposit of
Faith given to the Church, 2,000 year ago by Jesus. He does not make new
doctrine, nor can he change a doctrine to mean something different than it had
meant in the past. His role is to lead the Church and pass on the Faith to the
Church.
Thanks for your question.
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We have no evidence from revelation that angels are male or female. Being pure spirits, they cannot possess the bodily traits of gender. Even so, angels are sometimes depicted in male or female forms. This is probably so we can better relate to them on a human level. When on the rare occasion an angel appears to human beings, it comes in the form of a male or female being, even though it is a pure spirit without a body.
Thanks for your question.
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No. The Catholic Church encourages marriages between Catholics but is also concerned about the added difficulties which can accompany mixed marriages … marriages between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic and marriages between a Catholic and a non-baptized person. There can be serious problems in a mixed marriage. The couple risks bringing the issues of Christian disunity into their marriage and family life. Differences on matters of doctrine, morality, worship and church practice can pose problems, especially with respect to raising children and the religious formation. These problems can be even more severe where Catholic and non-Christians marry.
The Church encourages all marriages but, because of 2,000 years of collective wisdom on this topic, it knows the challenges and sacrifices that couples face. And urges them to look carefully at these before entering marriage.
Thanks for your question.
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The word Amen is one of a small
number of Hebrew words which have been imported unchanged into the liturgy of
the Church. "So frequent was this Hebrew word in the mouth of Our Saviour",
observes the Catechism of the Council of Trent,"that it pleased the Holy
Spirit to have it perpetuated in the Church of God". In point of fact St.
Matthew attributes it to Our Lord twenty-eight times, and St. John in its
doubled form twenty-six times. As regards the etymology, Amen is a derivative
from the Hebrew verb aman which means "to strengthen" or
"Confirm".
In the Holy Scripture it appears almost invariably as an adverb, and its primary use is to indicate that the speaker adopts for his own what has already been said by another.
A second use of Amen most common
in the New Testament, but not quite unknown in the Old, has no reference to the
words of any other person, but is simply a form of affirmation or confirmation
of the speaker's own thought, sometimes introducing it, sometimes following it.
In the Liturgy Amen is the
response of affirmation by the assembly to prayers prayed in their name. As a
child I was taught that is was my way of saying "me too Lord" or
"Yes that is so".
Thanks for the question.
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Lent is the 40-day season of preparation for the Paschal Triduum. The 40 days are counted from the First Sunday of Lent until Holy Thursday. (Lent ends on Holy Thursday.) The four days between Ash Wednesday and the First Sunday are an introduction to the season. The readings at Mass on these days were chosen to teach us about the three Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
These three disciplines function best when they are done together. They balance each other. The word itself, "discipline," reminds us that we are "disciples" of Christ. Another word for prayer, fasting and almsgiving is "exercise." Exercise does little good unless it's done according to a schedule that we stick to. If we make excuses not to exercise, if we cheat on the program, then we won't get results.
Thanks for the question.
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For over a thousand years, most Christian kept Lent by not eating animal products - meat or dairy. It's unusual that a custom would be kept by Christians in both the East and West, but that's how important this tradition was. It probably began out of necessity. The coming warm weather would spoil foods in storage. Also, late winter and early spring are the animals' birthing season. By not eating animal products at this time of year, people helped a new generation get off to a healthy start.
Christian thought that by not eating animal products during Lent, they could better resemble Noah and his family aboard the Ark. They could help prepare the world for a new creation.
Christian thought that by not eating animal products during Lent, they could better resemble Noah and his family aboard the Ark. They could help prepare the world for a new creation.
At Carnival time all meat, butter, cheese, and eggs got used up in a final feast before the Lenten fast. Making pancakes and doughnuts uses up a lot of these ingredients - hence - "Pancake Tuesday" "Fat Tuesday" Mardi Gras means fat Tuesday.
Fish was a plentiful and
nutritious replacement for animal products and echoed for Christians the first
food Christ offered the Disciples after the Resurrection - remember by the sea?
That's were the custom of Easter Eggs comes from too. After not eating them for 40 days.... we color them and then woof them down.. because having not eaten them for 40 days there would be enough new baby chicks to keep us is chickens and eggs for another year.
The Church today asks Catholic to Fast during Lent. "It is good for the People of God to fast". Fasting means to go without.
Catholics are also asked to abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. So, I always get the question, "Is Chicken considered Meat"? DUH? This question comes from folks that are just not thinking. The idea of Fasting is to understand hunger, hunger for justice, hunger for God. 62% of worlds children go to bed hunger for food every night - so, not having a double burger, or whatever on Fridays and offering that money saved to feed the poor is more the spirit of the law rather than just going out for sea food pig out!
Thanks forthe question.
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Rogation was not really just one day it was and still is the weekdays before the Ascension.
Among farmers and herders and
fruit-tree growers there is a natural and serious anxiety at this time of year.
New crops are planted. Fruit trees bloom. A new generation of animals is born.
But, what if it hails? What if there is a drought or a flood (like right now in
the mid-west)? Or a cold snap with frost that can kill newly emerged plant,
fresh blossoms, and new born animals.
In the 5th Century, Bishop Mamertus of Vienne in Gaul (now France), held procession on the three days before Ascension Day. People marched through the fields and sang psalms. Farmers asked God to protect the crops and orchard and flocks.
These three days were called rogation days. The word "rogation" comes from the Latin word "rogare" which means "to ask".
In 1969 the Roman Calendar was changed. Instead of all Roman Catholics keeping the rogation days on the three days before Ascension, the bishops of each country now choose the most appropriate times of the year for keeping days of prayer for farmers and crops. When there is a need, the bishop ask people to keep a rogation day.
In the United States, the memorial of St. Isidore the farmer is kept on May 15. In many places it has become a kind of rogation day. The Catholic Rural Life Conference sponsors the blessing of farmers and farmland on this day.
Thanks for the question.
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Well, yes and no! The Ascension of the Lord is kept on the 40th day of the Easter Season. The giving of the Spirit is celebrated at Pentecost, the 50th and final day of Eastertime. The nine days from Ascension to Pentecost are called the "Great Novena" which is the Latin word for the number nine. These final days of Eastertime are days of prayer for a new outpouring of the Spirit, a new Pentecost.
The apostles prayed for nine days for the gift of the Spirit and the result of their prayer was that the Spirit descended upon them. So, the custom of praying for a certain intention for nine days owns it's origin to this biblical tradition.
Thanks for the question.
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It is a sad fact that often times religious articles fall into the hands of auctioneers. When it comes to relics of Saints what is being offered for sale is usually the reliquary not the relic itself. Among collectors the value of the sale is the container not the relic itself. I have a personal friend who for years has been "rescuing" religious relics and altar pieces which often times include the altar stone and relic contained there in. Some he keeps for his own personal devotion others he donates to churches and other places of public worship.
What you are really bidding on is the art work that the relic is contained in not the relic itself. Pieces of saints really have no resale value in the secular world, where as antique boxes and reliquaries do. The prohibition in canon law is to prevent unscrupulous clerics from selling sacred relics for personal gain - which sadly has happened over the centuries.
Since you have no intention of selling the relic for personal gain and are not acquiring it for the same you commit no sin. And there is no sin in buying a beautiful box or reliquary.
Thanks for the question.
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Chicken is THE white meat!
Like many Christian practices abstinence from foods like meat, eggs and milk during Lent began for a purely practical reason.
Lent is the time that those who are to join the Church during the Easter season would fast and pray in preparation for the Easter Sacraments.
It was also the season when many farm animal give birth to their babies. During this time they nurse their young on milk. It's a time of year when birds lay eggs and wait for eggs to hatch. By not eating meat or eggs or milk for the few weeks of Lent - which became a tradition during Lent - we help a new generation of animals get off to a healthy springtime start. Fish was a natural, abundant and nutritious substitute. Fish has also always been seen as a "poor mans" meal. One had to have money or land to raise and buy cattle or poultry, but, a "poor man" could always catch a fish for food. Also fish echoed the first meal that the Risen Christ prepared to the Disciples on the beach in the Gospel of John.
In many places in the world today, late winter and early spring is a time when the foods that people stored during the past fall begin to run out. So everyone fast together. That helps the food last longer. It can help all the people to survive.
So the point is not really whether fish is meat or not. The point is eating less to feel some connection with the hungry people of the world. That means that "pigging out" on fish during Lent is not in the spirit of fasting.
Even if we can buy food any time from a supermarket fasting together during Lent can remind us that we must care for each other. We need to keep all hungry people in mind. We are all living on this planet together. What one person does eventually affects everybody. The earth is like Noah's ark.
So, every Lent, for 40 days we are very careful to watch what we eat. We streamline our eating to give more time to prayer and charity. The good of our fellow humans, the good of our souls and the good of our planet make strong motives.
Thanks for the question.
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Sacraments are specific rites of the Church: (Christian initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist ; Healing - Penance, Anointing of the Sick; vocation - Marriage and Holy Orders. The reception of Sacraments requires that individuals be prepared and free to receive the Sacrament they are requesting. Sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, ordained by Christ to give grace.
Sacramentals are "Para Liturgical" that means that they are not rites of the Church. Blessing ones self with holy water is a sacramental. Lighting a candle for a loved one is a sacramental. Praying the rosary is a sacramental. Receiving Ashes is a sacramental.
Think of Sacrmentals more a pious practice so non-Catholics would be free to join in.
Thanks for the question.
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Yes, God is every where. The custom of making the sign of the cross when passing in front of a church is an old world custom. In traditional (pre Vatican II churches) the tabernacle was always placed in the center of the sanctuary. So, people passing in front of a church would make the sign of the cross in recognition of the presence of the Blessed Sacrament - the Real Presence of Jesus in the consecrated Host reserved in the tabernacle.
Thanks for the question.
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The feast, "The Body and Blood of Christ" was known as "Corpus Christi before the calendar reform of Vatican II, was instituted for the universal church in 1264. It was to be celebrated on a Thursday, a link to Holy Thursday, because, it was said, the church's joy at the gift of the Eucharist was overshadowed on that day by the sorrow of Good Friday. People in the Middle Ages wanted a joyful day to celebrated Jesus' gift of the Eucharist. They created the feast at a good time of year for processions and street fairs and other outdoor events. (The Medieval mind, if nothing else, was practical!)
The processions on this day were fantastic. In many towns the streets were lined with flowers. Often Flowers and herbs were arranged into pictures and intricate designs. The bread of the Lord's Body was carried outdoors under a canopy. Bands played and many people joined in singing hymns of praise. There processions still take place in some towns in Latin America and in Europe.
On the universal Roman calendar, the feast is still celebrated on the Thursday after the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity; in the U.S.A. and Canada, the Sunday after the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. (Let it not be said that the American and Canadian Bishops are not a practical sort either - the feast was moved to Sunday to allow more people to celebrate the feast with proper solemnity.)
Today's renewed feast combines the old observances of Corpus Christi and the Precious Blood (Formerly celebrated on July 1st) to create a solemnity that celebrates the mystery of the Lord's enduring presence in our midst through the gift of his body and blood given in the Eucharistic liturgy.
Today, many Christians think that the best way to celebrate Jesus' gift of the Eucharist is to put heart and soul into celebrating the Eucharist well. That way every Lord's Day is a feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.
For those of us living in the Diocese of Corpus Christi this feast has special meaning. The Diocese of Corpus Christi is the only Diocese in the Universal Church that is allowed to celebrate it's patronal feast on the Solemnity of the Church. The Diocese was granted this privilege by Pope Pius XII, who was quoted as saying "Corpus Christi was the Diocese with the most beautiful name in the world."
Thanks for the question.
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I just love questions like this one! They are the relentless search for the "easier, softer way".
A "Novena" by it's very definition is a prayer DISCIPLINE that consists of a series of prayers recited for nine days. The key word here DISCIPLINE the idea is to prayer for nine days (as did the disciples in the upper room for the nine days between the Ascension and the Pentecost). The disciples did not "skip" a day and then make it up. A Novena is also a form of devotional prayer - the idea being that the person praying the Novena would pray trusting in God's will - not as a sort of "let's make a deal prayer".
"So, prayer you Novena for nine days - if you skip" a day - start over - nine days is nine days.
Thanks for the question.
