Veni Sancte Spiritus
Whenever I hear this haunting hymn, Come, O Holy Spirit, Come, I can’t help but feel settled and at peace. Line after line, verse after verse the spirit builds and seems to enter my core bringing with it healing and comfort. “Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On our dryness pour your dew”.
On this great feast of Pentecost we celebrate Christ sending to us the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete to guard and direct us. We were promised that we would not be abandoned, and sure enough, God has provided!
In John’s gospel Jesus tells his disciples; “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now”. Imagine if a friend were to text you some tidbit of news and then say, “I can’t tell you any more right now because you couldn’t bear it”. Would it drive you mad with anticipation? Would you immediately text back begging for the rest of the scoop? The disciples were left to watch and pray as they waited for the Spirit to come to enlighten them. Such patience this must have required.
Brothers and sisters, we have been given at baptism a portion of the Spirit and have received the fullness at confirmation! Our wait is over! Now, filled with the Holy Spirit we ought not to walk in fear, we are to walk as Children of the Light. The Spirit emboldens us to seek that which is right and to follow Christ through living a life of freedom, led by the Spirit and Truth that we have been gifted with.
On this great feast let us not only acknowledge the Holy Spirit within us, but let us awaken ourselves to this advocate we share. As the song says; “Where you are not, we have naught, nothing good in deed or thought.”
We are the temples of the Holy Spirit; let us pray for the courage to open the doors and windows of the temple to shine the Spirit on all we encounter.
Peace be with you,
Deacon Jeff Willard