The Gift of the Holy Spirit

Living in England, where I am at present, I am struck by the common conception of the virtues of one of the British staples: tea.  Tea gives you energy when you are tired, and when you are stressed it can calm you down.  If you are sick it helps you feel better.  If you are busy, nothing beats taking a few moments for yourself with a cup of tea.  And if you want company, you invite someone over for a cuppa.  Tea warms you when you are cold, but it is also said to cool you when you are hot. In short, it is a cure-all.  Now, I appreciate a good cup of tea and I am sure it is a gift of God to us, but my American sensibilities can’t help but wonder at this trust in the little tea leaf.

Recently I was thinking about all this and the sequence (that lovely piece of poetry that is read or sung before the Alleluia) for Pentecost came to mind.  The sequence tells us that Holy Spirit brings refreshing peace, comfort in toil, coolness in heat, solace in woe, healing, dew in dryness, warmth and guidance. Ah! I thought, this is even better than a good cup of tea. When we are tired, the Holy Spirit can give us strength; when we are stressed He can grant peace. He can be a constant companion, cooling our passions, warming our hearts, guiding our steps…. He is so much better than a cure-all or a temporary fix:  He is the Gift of God given to help us and be with us in every situation of our lives.

Jesus promised to not leave us orphans, and He fulfilled this by sending His Spirit, the Spirit of the Father and the Son to us. All of us have received the Holy Spirit in Baptism.  Sometimes, though, because the Holy Spirit is invisible, we can forget that He is with us.  As celebrate Pentecost this month, let us renew our devotion to the Holy Spirit.  Let us learn to listen to Him anew, letting Him be that constant companion Who will guide us in every moment of our lives all the way to heaven. Perhaps it would help to use the sequence as a prayer as we ask the Lord, the Holy Spirit to stir up His gifts anew in our hearts...

"Holy Spirit Lord of light, from the clear celestial height thy pure beaming radiance give.

Come, thou Father of the poor,

come with treasures which endure; come thou light of all that live!

Thou, of all consolers best, Thou, the soul’s delightful guest, dost refreshing peace bestow. / Thou in toil art comfort sweet; pleasant coolness in the heat; solace in the midst of woe. / Light immortal, light divine, visit thou these hearts of thine, and our inmost being fill: /

If thou take thy grace away, nothing pure in man will stay; all his good is turned to ill. /

Heal our wounds, our strength renew; on our dryness pour thy dew;

wash the stains of guilt away. /

Bend the stubborn heart and will; melt the frozen, warm the chill;

guide the steps that go astray. /

Thou, on us who evermore thee confess and thee adore, thy sevenfold gifts descend:

Give us comfort when we die, give us life with thee on high;

give us joys that never end."

Amen. Alleluia!

Sr. Cecilia, CFR