Faith

The Holy Spirit, traditionally depicted as a dove, is pictured in a stained-glass window at St. John Vianney Church in Lithia Springs, Ga. The feast of Pentecost, marking the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, is May 15 this year. (CNS photo/Michael Alexander, Georgia Bulletin)

Friday, May 13, 2016Faith

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Enlighten every heart that belongs to you with your glory. And our inmost being fill!

The words of the Pentecost Gospel Sequence are ancient; we've been singing them for 1,000 years. Because we only hear it once a year -- and some of us do not hear it at all -- I offer this extended meditation, and ask God to fill each and all of us once again with his Holy Spirit.Come, Holy Spirit, come! Fulfill the promise of Jesus in our lives! Come, and do not leave us to our own devices. From your celestial home shed a ray of light divine! Lord, the world is dark, and our hearts too often embrace that darkness. We are blind without your light. Illumine us with your truth and love.

Come, Father of the poor! You are our Father. We are destitute without you. Come, source of all our store! All we have comes from you. What we have gained on our own is nothing. Come, within our bosoms shine. O, Lord, stay with us and within us. Shine in our hearts.

You, of comforters the best. There is no better comforter than you. No one can soothe and strengthen us the way you do. You, the soul's most welcome guest. You are the One our souls most long to receive, long to serve, long to enjoy. You are who we have been waiting for. Sweet refreshment here below. Holy Spirit, you bring sweetness to us in the lowliness where we are.

In our labor, rest most sweet. Holy Spirit, you give us rest even as we work. You sustain us in labor, in service, in difficulty. Grateful coolness in the heat. Lord, when we are exhausted by the heat of what we suffer, we thank you for cooling us. Solace in the midst of woe. You alleviate our distress, and give us and relief in our greatest sorrows.

O most blessed Light divine. O happy light of God, O Spirit both blessed and blessing. Shine within these hearts of yours. Enlighten every heart that belongs to you with your glory. And our inmost being fill! Fill the deepest voids and emptiness of our souls. Leave no space in us for ego or fear. Where you are not, we have naught. We have nothing without you. We are nothing apart from you. Nothing good in deed or thought. O Spirit of God, without your presence, goodness is beyond our reach. Nothing free from taint of ill. Unless you are ours, nothing that comes from us is pure or holy.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew. Lord, heal every hurt, make us whole, teach us how to forgive and be forgiven. Restore us to strength in your power. On our dryness pour your dew. Spirit of God, come to us like rain, we are thirsty for your living water. Wash the stains of guilt away. Cleanse us, O God. Purify us, body and soul, from sin.

Bend the stubborn heart and will. Mold and shape every willful heart. Overcome the walls that keep us from you. Melt the frozen, warm the chill. Melt those who are isolated and distant. Warm the hearts that have grown cold. Guide the steps that go astray. Direct the lives of those who have wandered. Bring them back to your paths.

On the faithful, who adore and confess you. To all who believe, who worship and witness to your glory, come! Evermore in your sevenfold gift descend. Fill the souls who love you with your seven gifts. Flood our lives with Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Fortitude, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. Give them virtue's sure reward. Give your people the lasting treasures of virtue. Give them your salvation, Lord. Grant eternal life to those who trust in you. Give them joys that never end. Give your people the joys of heaven, the fulfillment of their deepest desires and hopes. Amen. Alleluia.

- Jaymie Stuart Wolfe is a Catholic convert, wife, and mother of eight. Inspired by the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales, she is an author, speaker, and musician, and serves as a senior editor at Ave Maria Press. Find Jaymie on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @YouFeedThem.