by Fr. Andy
Veni Sancte Spiritus - Come, Holy Spirit
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your spirit and we shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.”
Today the Church celebrates Pentecost as the day on which the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, gathered in an upper room with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, as “He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Ever since that time the Church puts on our lips and our heart the longing with regard to the Holy Spirit in the form of a powerful verb -“Come!” We pray, “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love!” We sing, “
Veni, Creator Spiritus!,” “Come, Holy Spirit,” and we beg the Holy Spirit to take up His rest in our hearts, to come with His grace and heavenly aid, to fill the hearts which He has made, to give us His sevenfold gift of grace, to illumine our minds, inflame our hearts, strengthen our bodies, repel our enemies, give us peace, and help us to know God the Father and the Son. We sing today in the Sequence, “
Veni, Sancte Spiritus,” begging the Holy Spirit anew to come with heavenly radiance as the guest of our soul, comforting us, giving us rest in labor, refreshment in heat, solace in woe, cleansing what is impure, watering what is dying, healing what is wounded, softening to Him whatever is stubborn, warming whatever is ice-cold, putting back on the narrow way whatever leads us astray, granting us the reward of virtue, the end of salvation and eternal joy. The great word of the Church, the great longing, is “Come!”
But as these prayers indicate, we are praying for the Holy Spirit’s arrival - to come, and change us – our hearts, our desires, our needs, and through us- change the world. “Lord, send out your Spirit,” we implore God the Father in Psalm 104 that we pray during this weekend’s Masses…“and renew the face of the earth!” The Holy Spirit comes to renew us not just once but constantly. We beg God the Father through Jesus to send the Holy Spirit upon us as our “helper and guide.” He comes to assist us and to lead us. To pray “Come!” implies that we are ready to be led and helped by Him as He comes. How does He want to lead and help us?
“The world needs men and women who are not closed in on themselves, but filled with the Holy Spirit. Closing oneself off from the Holy Spirit means not only a lack of freedom; it is a sin. There are many ways one can close oneself off to the Holy Spirit: by selfishness for one’s own gain; by rigid legalism – seen in the attitude of the doctors of the law to whom Jesus referred as “hypocrites”; by neglect of what Jesus taught; by living the Christian life not as service to others but in the pursuit of personal interests; and in so many other ways. The world needs the courage, hope, faith and perseverance of Christ’s followers. The world needs the fruits of the Holy Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22). The gift of the Holy Spirit has been bestowed upon the Church and upon each one of us, so that we may live lives of genuine faith and active charity, that we may sow the seeds of reconciliation and peace. Strengthened by the Spirit and his many gifts, may we be able uncompromisingly to battle against sin and corruption, devoting ourselves with patient perseverance to the works of justice and peace” -Pope Francis Homily on Pentecost Sunday 2015
With the celebration of Pentecost, the season of Easter comes to its glorious conclusion. The paschal candle that shines in the sanctuary, as a symbol of the visible presence of Our Lord upon earth will be moved to its permanent place by the baptismal font. The color of vestment will change to green and the solemn and joyful proclamation of “Alleluias” will be lessened- but our faithful mission of the church continues to grow through our lives.
May the Spirit of God fill our hearts as we make our prayer the invocation of the Holy Spirit in this upcoming week: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and we shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.”
Let us pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to always be present in our lives.
With prayers,
Fr. Andy