The Nine Annoying Things Novena

I first heard of the Nine Annoying Things Novena from Jen Fitz earlier this year

How the Annoying Things Novena works:  When something annoying happens, you offer it up for your intention.  (Such as: My annoying thing.)

The nine-day version is perfect for people who plan ahead, and who can count on at least one annoyance a day.  But look, there’s another version for those who join late: Between now and next Thursday, I bet nine annoying things happen to most of y’all. They don’t even have to be very very annoying.  You’re allowed to count things that would be annoying to lesser men, but no longer bother you, spiritually advanced as you are.  Or just used to it.

Super bonus: If nine annoying things don’t happen in time, you take that as your sign that our Lord wants you to extend the novena just a little bit longer.

Additional reasons this is a great novena:

• If you forget to offer up your annoyance at the time it happens, you can just offer it up later, when you remember.
• If you fail miserably at enduring your annoyance graciously, you just toss in the sorry state of your temperament as a supplemental annoyance.  (But it doesn’t count as two. Your sorry self is just part of that one-annoying-thing package.)

Final Note: It is not necessary to wrack up additional annoyances.  There have been reports of people participating in this novena promptly having a Very Bad Day.  Do not do this.  Just have a regular day.

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Now, I’m a novena girl and seem to be always in the middle of one novena or another. (St Rita, Undoer of Knots, St Joseph, you name it and I’ve probably said it.) While I usually love the  nine day focus of my attention on a single issue, sometimes I need it to be faster than that. Which is why I immediately fell in love with this novena. It’s super fast, and very easy. There’s no excuse for not making it all the way through. (Sometimes more than once.) On a great day, it takes me until bedtime to get all nine, on a super holy day, I can get there before breakfast is over and three more times before lunch.

While I appreciate the opportunity to turn life’s annoyances into prayer, I cherish the spotlight it shines on my own spiritual life and state of mind. The more I pray, the less annoyed I am by normal stuff. When I’m neglecting my prayer life, I have a lot more to offer up. It’s a win-win either way.

So there you have my new favorite novena. My husband’s been off on a retreat all weekend, and I’m trying to organize the house. That means I’m whipping through my nine things every few minutes. Obviously I need to be praying, so please let me offer the next one up for you. What do you need prayed for? Leave it in the comments.