We may during this month take up the devotion to the Holy Ghost.
This devotion to the Holy Spirit should be the chief of all devotions,
because it was the first that was ever celebrated, and that by no less
devout worshippers than the holy apostles and the most holy Mary in the
upper room at Jerusalem. It is one which is growing in the hearts of the
people, because so much depends for our sanctification on the influence of
the graces bestowed on us by God the Holy Ghost. Faith teaches us that the
Holy Ghost is the love which the Father and the Son bear one to the other;
and therefore the gift of love which the Lord infuses into our souls, and
which is the greatest of all gifts, is attributed to the Holy Ghost. St.
Paul says, “The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy
Ghost, Who is given to us.”—Rom. v. 5.
The Holy Ghost, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son is called a
fire, because His action in our souls purifies us from sin and fills us
with divine love. As the action of fire may be said to be irresistible, it
is right that the Holy Ghost be represented by that symbol, since He was
to give spirit and wisdom to Christians, which all their adversaries
should not be able to resist or gainsay.
If we observe the commandments of God, the Holy Spirit will abide with us
to enlighten our minds and strengthen our wills, and give us grace to
follow Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will give us an increase of devotion
towards the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and the sacrifice of the Mass,
and will pour the charity of God into our hearts.
Considerations and Prayers for Every Day.
First Day.
Be devout to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. His presence is
everywhere, and His power is manifested in all things. His office in the
Church is that of lifegiver, and in our souls He is the perfect
illumination of the intellect. Without this strength the intellect may be
cultivated, but it will be cold and dim. The errors of our mind, its low
vices and fragmentary opinions, its distorted judgments, unfounded
propositions, and shallow conception of the nature of things, are all
defects traceable to our carelessness in the devotion to the Holy Ghost. A
pious person devoted to the worship of the Holy Spirit will naturally know
God’s will and follow it. The degree of his explicit knowledge will still
depend on natural gifts and their due cultivation; but with the docility
of the heart and the influence of the Holy Ghost, there will dawn on his
mind a knowledge which is often superior to that acquired by the intellect
alone. Before and after your actions seek light from this divine Teacher,
and in all your daily life continue in the consciousness of your
dependence on the Holy Ghost.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and enkindle in them
the fire of Thy love.
_V._ Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
_R._ And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
_Let Us Pray._
O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of Thy
Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Holy Spirit to relish what is right, and
ever to rejoice in His consolation, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Second Day.
St. Edward was one day waiting, in a school at Paris, for the arrival of
his scholars. He was about to expound to them the mystery of the Holy
Trinity. Being tired he fell into a slumber, in which he had a dream. He
saw a dove descending towards him; it bore on its back the sacred Host,
and laid it on his lips. When he awoke he went to the lecture‐room, and
began his discourse; all who heard him were struck by the sweetness and
clearness of his explanations. It was the devotion to the Holy Ghost that
gave a newness and a charm to all he said, and impressed itself not only
on his hearers, but also on himself, so that he became full of the unction
and fire of the Spirit of God. We will not be disappointed if we solicit
the interest of the Holy Ghost in our behalf. In all our work let us look
first to this Light of God, which illumines every soul coming into this
world, and our actions will be for the glory of God, our minds will become
energetic through the purification of our motives, and our whole life will
take on a new exterior of humility and perfection.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Third Day.
The Holy Ghost is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity: this is one of
the dogmas of the Christian religion; it is the foundation of our holy
faith. In God there are three divine persons, the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost. Each person, among created intelligences, is a distinct and a
separate unity, complete, entire in itself, but by its limitation making
only one individual. But in God the three divine persons have one distinct
mode of subsistence, for each possesses in common the whole divine
essence. The substance of God belongs to each of the three divine persons.
Therefore we say that there are three divine persons in God, not three
individuals; for an individual would signify a distinct nature.
Accordingly, the Athanasian creed declares, “Such as the Father is, such
is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.” The Father is God, the Son is
God, and the Holy Ghost is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but only one
God. In speaking of the nature of God’s being, we find ourselves
necessarily beyond the power of reasoning; we only know that the infinite
God is one in essence and three in person.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Fourth Day.
The Holy Ghost is God, one of the three divine persons, as is evident from
the Scriptures. The Holy Ghost is joined with the Father and the Son, and
therefore He really exists and is called God. All the divine attributes
are given Him: omnipresence, omnipotence, and justice. He is therefore
God, and proceeds from the Father and the Son; He is the Spirit of God,
and also the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and
the Son as the breath of the life of intelligence and love. “Because you
are sons, God hath sent the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying:
Abba, Father.”—Gal. iv. 6. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He
will teach you all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself: but
whatsoever things He shall hear He shall speak: ... He shall glorify Me:
because He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it to you. All things
whatsoever the Father hath, are Mine. Therefore I said: that He shall
receive of Mine, and show it to you.”—John xvi. 13‐15.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Fifth Day.
We cannot understand the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. We cannot
understand the persons of the Blessed Trinity, neither the Father, the
Son, nor the Holy Ghost; they are infinite. Still we can think of the
Blessed Trinity, and guided by what we know through revelation and
theology, try to go still further and discover more of the glory
surrounding it. One person of the Holy Trinity is as great as the other;
there is really no first nor second in dignity or power. There is,
however, a marvellous order in the unity of the Trinity, thus expressed in
the creed of St. Athanasius: “The Father is made of none, neither created
nor begotten. The Son is from the Father alone, not made nor created, but
begotten. The Holy Ghost is from the Father and the Son, not made nor
created nor begotten, but proceeding.” Thus the Holy Trinity exists from
all eternity, supremely happy in itself, not needing anything exteriorly
to assist in its existence.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Sixth Day.
God begets His Son by knowledge; the Son is the knowledge of the Father,
but the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son by way of love. The
Father and the Son, by an act of supreme natural love breathe forth the
co‐eternal Spirit. The Spirit proceeds from both, the pledge of their
mutual affection, and the expression of infinite beatitude. The Father
loves the Son with such an infinite love as to breathe forth a divine
Spirit through His Son. As St. Bernard says, the Spirit is the sacred kiss
of the Father and the Son in their imperturbable peace, their firm
coherence, their undivided love, their indivisible unity. The Son proceeds
from the Father as the ray from the sun; the Holy Ghost from the Father
and the Son as the heat from the ray and the sun. The Son as the word, the
Holy Ghost as the breath; the Son as the river from the fountain; the Holy
Ghost as the lightning from the cloud. These expressions hardly convey
what is meant, because the ray is smaller than the sun; while in God the
ray is equal, the heat is consubstantial with its source. The word says
all, the breath is real, the fire burns always and is never extinguished.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Seventh Day.
It will be part of the beatitude of the saints to know something of this
generation and procession of the Holy Ghost; they will be filled with
gladness inexpressible in the sight of God. They will see God as He is; in
their contemplation they will rise higher and higher, and by their studies
know more and more of God. As we are charmed with the beauties of
knowledge, the attraction of literature, so we will feel greater happiness
as we study the being of God in all its depths. “O the depths of the
riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are
His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways!”—Rom. xi. 33. The Church, in
the office and Mass of the feast of the most Holy Trinity repeats the same
words, as the expression of her awe and adoration in the presence of the
infinitely unsearchable ways of God in the Trinity. In adoring this life
of God, for life it is indeed, we are overwhelmed with awe, and are but
able in our astonishment to cry out with the Church, “O Blessed Trinity!”
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Eighth Day.
The Holy Trinity does all the work exterior to itself by the joint power
of all; for the persons of God cannot be separated from the one God. There
are certain things which in our human mind we ascribe more to one person
than to the other, but all the divine persons must necessarily be
participants in the work of each. For example, the creation is ascribed to
the Father, because it seems to be a parental act to call something into
existence, and so we say God the Father created us. God the Son redeemed
us, and God the Holy Ghost sanctifies us. And still we read that in the
creation, “The Spirit of the Lord moved over the waters,” meaning that God
the Father was not only or singly engaged in the creation, but that the
other divine persons participated also. The same way, in the creation of
man, all the divine persons were engaged in this important work of God’s
power. Human beings were to know God, and to become the temples of the
Holy Ghost; and consequently the Holy Ghost had early in the creation to
show His co‐operation.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Ninth Day.
Hence, in the beginning of the world, God created a man, framing his body
out of clay and dust, but giving him a living soul by breathing upon him.
It was the Spirit of God that gave that soul the touch of life and
immortality. There is a wonderful similarity between that breathing into
man at his creation, and the time when, after the resurrection, the Lord
appeared to the apostles and breathed on them, saying: “Receive ye the
Holy Ghost.” St. Athanasius says, “First by the Word of God, man was made.
And the Lord breathed into him the Spirit of life, and confirmed him with
a participation of His Spirit. The same God confers His Spirit on His
disciples, that we may be renovated in the same Spirit in Whom we first
were made.” No doubt both the natural life, the life of the body, and also
the supernatural life, the love of God and participation in His glory,
were granted by the Holy Ghost at the creation.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Tenth Day.
The Holy Ghost infuses into our hearts sanctifying grace, by which we
become pleasing to God, and we can call Him Our Father. What a great grace
this is—to be pleasing to God! We had sinned and had become aliens to
God’s kindness and grace. We did not live a simple, natural life, for our
existence was sinful after the fall of Adam and Eve. But the Holy Spirit
came again into our hearts, and we were created new beings. The old scars
of sin and condemnation disappeared, and our present supernatural
condition is nobler, perhaps, than was the condition of Adam before his
fall. It was this consideration which caused the Fathers of the Church,
and the Church herself, in her paschal song of the “Exultet,” to exclaim,
“O happy fault, which gave the occasion to almighty God to rescue us from
eternal death, and to give us new life, in the resurrection of the Lord.”
Great, then, is the love of the Holy Ghost for us. He wishes to claim us
as His temples.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Eleventh Day.
We are, therefore, different from Adam; since the Fall our condition has
been changed. Adam at his creation was constituted in the state of grace,
placed in that blessed condition by the goodness of the Holy Ghost. The
justice which Adam received was the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the
soul, which illuminated his mind to such a degree that he not only
understood the things about him, but it also gave him a sight of heaven
itself, and the perfections of God. Hence Adam, the pure creature, grand
and noble as he was, created and gifted by almighty God, was a favored
being indeed, and all mankind after him. For we also are created by God,
we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us by Baptism, and therefore are
children of God by a still greater reason than Adam was. The power of the
Holy Ghost has thus been displayed in the creation of man, in the
continuation of his existence, and in all his work up to the present time.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twelfth Day.
By Adam’s disobedience his glory and greatness were swept away. The
presence of the Holy Ghost was forfeited, and in His place reigned
ignorance, weakness, and passion. Man not only ignored God, but fell
deeper and deeper into a degrading ignorance until he lived a life not far
removed from the brute. Man became so weak and unreliable that even if
ignorance was removed by education, his will was subject to the
allurements of interest and passion. Terrible confusion ensued in the ages
after the fall of Adam and Eve. But God had mercy on the human race, and
promised a Redeemer, by Whom we were to regain salvation. Instead of
falling a prey to the devil after death, man had a means of reinstating
himself in the mercy and goodness of God, for, as the Apostle says in his
first epistle to Timothy: “God will have all men to be saved, and to come
to the knowledge of truth.” We should appreciate highly this work of our
redemption. Mankind could do nothing of itself. It deserved to die, and
share with the evil spirits eternal damnation, but through the mercy of
God it was not consumed.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Thirteenth Day.
Our justification comes from Christ’s redemption, by the operation of the
Holy Ghost. “But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are
justified in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of Our
God.”—1 Cor. vi. 11. It is still the operation of the Holy Ghost which
brings comfort to our souls. Since the Fall, the Spirit of God has
assisted every man that came into the world, so that there never yet was a
soul which had not sufficient grace to escape from eternal death, if it
only had fidelity to correspond with it. Even heathens may, according to
the mercy of God, find the means ready at hand by which to be saved. Every
soul is created in the likeness of God; the light of reason shining in the
soul is a means of salvation, the whole world reveals the existence of
God. Every living soul in the order of nature, then, has the illumination
of God’s grace, and by the light of conscience, which is reason, can
rightly exercise its will in the performance of duty. “We hope in the
living God, Who is the Saviour of all men,” and especially of the
faithful. The work of the Holy Ghost, even in the order of nature that is
outside of the Church, is going on, giving to all men grace to be saved.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Fourteenth Day.
When the disciples returned to Jerusalem, after the ascension of Our Lord,
they chose for their habitation the cenacle in which the Last Supper had
taken place. There they spent the eight days previous to the feast of
Pentecost, in a retreat of prayer and meditation. There they waited
patiently for the realization of the promise made by Our Lord, that the
Paraclete would come. Their souls were filled with that peace which the
Lord had given them; they had learned the lesson of charity and
submission, they had now one heart and one mind. No doubt, with them in
prayer, were Mary the Mother of Jesus and the pious women who also were to
receive the Holy Spirit. What a consolation was not the presence of Mary
to the apostles! She was now their Mother; Christ Himself desired that she
should be their comfort. The apostles loved the Mother of Jesus, consulted
her about the future of the Church, and no doubt learned from her the
secrets of divine love that filled her soul, learned from her the love
that Jesus bore to His holy Church. They honored her with reverence,
because she was the Mother of Him Whom they now knew to be God. It was the
beginning of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin—a devotion which has
continued in the Church ever since with unabated ardor.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Fifteenth Day.
The apostles persevered in prayer in the holy cenacle. They had learned
the necessity of prayer from Our Lord Himself. He inculcated it by command
and example, and now they put His precepts into execution; they made
prayer the chief preparation for the coming of the Holy Ghost. God was
present among them, and heard them, for they were assembled in the name of
Jesus. These long hours of supplication penetrated heaven and filled the
earth with consolation; bringing upon them the graces and benedictions of
Jesus. They had time to enter into themselves, and to cure their souls of
the weakness of human nature. They had much cause for anxiety. What a
battle, and apparently what a hopeless battle, was before them! They were
to preach to the world; to conquer and to teach it the maxims of the
Christian religion. They knew that the world was not willing to receive
the Gospel, and yet they had to observe the injunction of Our Lord, to
teach all nations, and to command them to observe all that Christ had
taught. The apostles were filled with a great love for the salvation of
mankind, and in the cenacle they began to be apostles of prayer, by which
they were to be victorious over all difficulties.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Sixteenth Day.
At length the retreat of the apostles was over; they were still assembled
in that upper room, the time for the appearance of the Holy Spirit had
arrived, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity was to come in His
sevenfold power to dwell in the Church of God forever, as well as in the
hearts of all its faithful members. The Holy Ghost came like a mighty
wind, and filled the whole house, and descended on those present in the
form of fiery tongues. How devoutly did they receive the Holy Spirit! With
what acts of adoration did they greet the visible presence of the great
Comforter, the Paraclete, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity! For
this they had been waiting and praying, for this they had remained away
from the distractions of the world, so that they might undisturbed feel
the power of God in themselves. The Holy Ghost came in the form of tongues
of fire, the same fire of which Our Lord spoke when He exclaimed, “I am
come to send fire on the earth, and what is My will but that it be
kindled?” It was the fire of charity—the charity of Christ, by which we
endeavor to save our souls, and the souls of others.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Seventeenth Day.
The Holy Ghost appeared under the form of tongues of fire, to show us that
out of charity we should raise our voice in the propagation and defence of
truth. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit obliges us to correct others,
and to lead them gently on in the way of salvation. Not only had the
apostles this obligation, but the priest must preach, the father and the
mother instruct their children, and the master guide those under him. It
is this sacred fire that will make the faithful listen with respect to
their pastors, and practise their religion; children will be induced to be
docile to their parents, and subjects will be respectful to those in
authority. This burning fire will purify all men, for the fire of divine
love has a power to consume the gnawing vices of selfishness, indolence,
and jealousy; it will burn up the materials on which our passions feed.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Eighteenth Day.
The apostles were certainly in a worthy condition to receive the Holy
Ghost; they received Him in His fulness, and the effects of His coming
were soon manifest in them. They could no longer contain themselves in
silence in that upper chamber; they were compelled to give utterance to
the truth. They received the gifts of the Holy Ghost, gifts which are the
result of the enlightenment coming from the Spirit of God. We do not
receive the Holy Ghost in the form of fiery tongues at Confirmation, but
we receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost: wisdom, understanding, knowledge,
counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord. Let us see what these
gifts are, that we may know that we possess them, and by our study develop
them, that they may not remain idle in our souls. We must stir up the
grace that is in us; we must, during this month, pray that these gifts may
find opportunities for exercise. The apostles showed in their lives that
these gifts were theirs in all perfection. In a lesser or greater degree
we may possess them also, for these virtues should be in every Christian
soul as a result of the visitation of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Nineteenth Day.
The gift of understanding enables us to appreciate the beauty of all
revealed truths. It is not like faith, by which we implicitly accept God’s
revelation, but it gives us the reasons for making an act of faith; it
will show us that our faith is true, because it shows us on what
foundation the truth rests. Even after Our Lord’s resurrection the
disciples showed that they did not understand what they had been told.
They did not understand the Scriptures, for Our Lord had to upbraid the
apostles for their incredulity and hardness of heart. Did He not reproach
the two disciples returning to Emmaus with a slowness of understanding,
because they were still wavering in the faith of the crucified Jesus? The
apostles needed the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, in order to comprehend
the Scriptures and the prophecies made concerning their Master. The gift
of understanding shows us the necessity of virtues in ourselves, so that
we may be willing to study them and to acquire them; it shows us the
goodness of others and makes us appreciate their labors; it gives us
insight into the order of things, that we may submit ourselves to
authority and be docile to the teachings of the Church.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twentieth Day.
The gift of wisdom is a superior discernment of good and evil; it gives
men a real taste and predilection for all that is good and holy, all that
is connected with God and divine things; it turns their eyes to God, and
teaches them to look at everything from God’s point of view. It makes them
love prayer, recollection, good conversation, and good reading. This is a
great gift of the Holy Ghost, and one that seems to prefigure our
predestination, because it places before our minds so vividly the
necessity of doing good in order to go to heaven. How little of this
heavenly wisdom do we generally possess! Wise enough are we in the ways of
the world; we know how to make money, and to hoard it up; but we care
little how to gain spiritual treasures. Do we not class ourselves with the
children of the world by our smartness in gathering earthly goods? Our
Lord said the children of the world were wiser in their generation than
the children of light. He praises them, not to have us imitate them, but
to put us on our guard against the false wisdom which is so easily
acquired. The apostles, in the beginning of their election to the
apostolic life, had not that heavenly wisdom, for they had very worldly
ideas about the kingdom which they thought Jesus was to establish on
earth.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty‐first Day.
Knowledge is the possession of truth. When our mind is well stored with
information we are said to have knowledge. The same may be said of
spiritual knowledge, only it refers to spiritual things. We have
knowledge, then, in a spiritual sense, when we put together our
experiences and draw practical conclusions from them—when we realize that
God created the world, and that we were created to save our souls. Hence
we ought to use the world, not for our own exclusive enjoyment, nor for
the purpose of amassing wealth, but for the greater glory of God. We know
that we were placed on the earth, intelligent beings, to praise and serve
God. It was in virtue of this knowledge that St. Ignatius declared that
all the world around him recalled God to him. We too must see God in all
things, and never lose sight of the end of our creation; those who love
the world for its own sake cannot love God; we cannot serve God and
Mammon; we know from our own bitter experience that as soon as we love the
world, we have lost the love of God, and without the love of God it is
impossible to go to heaven. The absence of this spiritual knowledge makes
us impatient because we have not all the things we want, and we resist His
holy will.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty‐second Day.
The gift of counsel contains all that is good in human prudence, and much
more. It leads us always to pause and to turn our thoughts to God before
we act; we avoid precipitation, rashness, and inconsiderate impulses. It
makes us calm and deliberate, and teaches us never to act in any important
matter without seeking guidance from God. This gift also shows us that it
is God’s will to run counter to what the world considers prudent. So
Abraham did when he left his home at God’s command, and went to the land
which God chose for him, where the people of God were to live together and
he was to be their spiritual as well as their real father. So David, when
a poor boy, went out at God’s command to fight the giant, armed only with
a stone and sling. Judith was moved by the same impulse when she went to
the camp of Holofernes, and brought his head back into the city. It is
also our duty that when we know the will of God we do it generously, no
matter what difficulties may beset our paths. The gift of counsel will
also put into our mouth that encouragement for others which will help them
to lead a life of virtue and patience, remembering that the trials of life
last but a short time.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty‐third Day.
The Holy Ghost also infuses into our soul the gift of piety—that loyal,
tender, filial affection towards God as Our Father. “You have received,”
says St. Paul, “the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry: Abba,
Father.”—Rom. viii. 15. By this sacred gift we forget ourselves and cling
only to God, Who is our support and help. We love God, and serve Him with
alacrity, because He is Our Father in heaven. If I am a son of God, loyal
to my Father in heaven, every act of mine, every thought, is centred in
Him. Such was the intense love of the apostles for Our Lord; from the time
when He chose them, the virtue of piety was implanted in them, though it
was only perfected after the death of Christ. It was after the ascension
of Our Lord, when the Holy Spirit had fully inspired this virtue in their
souls, that they began to have a filial affection towards Our Lord, a keen
attachment of love and affection. Do we realize the meaning of the gift of
piety? We ought to be anxious to possess this virtue, because it makes the
burden of the service of God easy: “where there is love, there is no
labor.”
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty‐fourth Day.
The gift of fortitude is necessary in some degree to one who is anxious to
save his soul. All Christians are called on, at some time or other, to
endure in the practice of their religion things for which mere human
courage will not suffice. Those who desire a high place in heaven have a
hard struggle before them, a struggle which would be beyond the power of
many of us if we did not rely on the Holy Ghost. The gift of fortitude is
the power to be strong of soul as the athlete is strong of body; for as a
man hardens and develops his frame by all sorts of physical exercises, so
also should the soul develop the good that is in her—which is the highest
good—by spiritual exercises. Of her own power she is not able to do great
things, but by the work of God the Holy Ghost she can do them. We can bear
heavy sorrows with patience and resignation; we can rise out of vices and
evil habits by means of fortitude, when without this virtue we would
remain slaves of Satan. How pusillanimous were the apostles in the
beginning of their apostolic career; there was a disgraceful weakness
exhibited at the Passion of Our Lord. Peter denied Our Lord, and the rest
fled and hid themselves.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty‐fifth Day.
The gift on which we wish to meditate to‐day in honor of the giver, the
Holy Ghost, is the fear of the Lord. Remember that it is said that the
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; we need then this holy gift,
that by it we may remain in subjection and reverence to the adorable
majesty of God. We acknowledge our littleness and leave ourselves entirely
in the hands of God; we are afraid of committing sin, we are cautious,
lest by an act or thought we may offend almighty God; we are careful to
submit ourselves to His holy will; we see our faults, and we lament that
we are so full of sin, when we ought, with His grace, to improve in His
service. We must stand in dread of the Judgment and also of ourselves,
because we fall so readily into sin that we know not whether we are worthy
of love or hatred from almighty God; but when we fall it is our own fault,
for we depend too much on ourselves; we are wicked because we prefer evil
to good, and would rather serve the devil than God. Let us learn this
salutary fear of God, and acquire a delicacy of conscience.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty‐sixth Day.
We have now meditated on the gifts of the Holy Ghost. We see how generous
the adorable Spirit is. He is constantly giving Himself and yet is never
exhausted, so that we are rich indeed by the goodness of the Holy Ghost.
Our mind is enlightened, and we pray to the Holy Spirit to open our hearts
and to enkindle in them the fire of divine love. Before all our actions we
call on the sacred Spirit to help us, so that our actions may be done
well, an honor to God and a source of merit to ourselves. On the feast of
Pentecost we celebrate other gifts: as the gift of “language,” which is
the means by which the Gospel is spread all over the world. Again was
given by the Holy Ghost the gift of “healing.” The first Christians were
able to work miracles. We have lost confidence; had we the same strong
faith many wonders would also happen at our bidding.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty‐seventh Day.
The Holy Ghost has also other gifts in store for us, gifts which are
called fruits—as if from this divine tree were growing a variety of
different virtues, diffused from united efforts. There must be some result
from this expenditure of power, and when we are good Christians we will
certainly enjoy these gifts and fruits: they will grow on the tree of the
Holy Ghost and will be reproduced in our hearts. These fruits are twelve
in number: Charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, long‐
suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity. Charity is
a love and kindness towards all mankind; we love all the members of the
human family and we are interested in their welfare; we are continually
searching for means to help them, and all for the one purpose: the good of
their immortal souls. By this virtue we are moved to share our goods with
others, contenting ourselves with what is necessary. Another beautiful
fruit of the Holy Ghost is eternal joy. Our souls are continually
rejoicing in God, Who is our great reward.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty‐eighth Day.
Peace is a gift of the Holy Ghost, somewhat similar to joy; if we have
peace nothing can disturb our soul; even if we are afflicted we are not
out of humor, for we see that it is the will of God, Who is our kind
Father, and that everything is for our special benefit. We are at peace
with our fellow‐creatures, for we are not actuated by inordinate ambition,
nor by grasping avarice, so that we are loved by all. Patience is a gift
of the Holy Spirit by which we endure the ills of the flesh without a
murmur and with resignation. What a beautiful virtue and gift we have in
this. We love the virtue in others, and we must endeavor to possess it
also in ourselves, so as to be a spectacle of patience to men and angels.
With benignity, goodness, and mildness, we meet others and charm them with
our kindness; they are virtues that result from the thorough practice of
charity; it is the combination of these virtues that makes true Christian
politeness. What a beautiful world this would be if every one in it would
be imbued with these sentiments.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty‐ninth Day.
Faith is a holy gift of trust in God, in His holy revelation, in the
Church, her precepts and teaching, her discipline, and her devotions. We
realize and form our conduct on these matters of faith, so that they
become the foundation of our hope and our consolation in trials. God
becomes to us a living reality, not a vague speculation; and the Church
the representative of God on earth, the spouse of Jesus Christ. The just
man lives by faith and in the faith; he is full of the trust, the justice,
and the mercy of God. Modesty is a fruit of the possession of the Holy
Ghost, because by it we are retired, unassuming, caring nothing for the
show and allurements of the world. Prayer, meditation, and pious reading
should be our favorite occupations, in which we would find a great deal of
pleasure; our duties would be well performed, because we would set our
whole mind on them in all the quietness of our soul. Continency and
chastity are also the result of the presence in our soul of the Holy
Spirit; we abhor the pleasures of sensuality, and keep ourselves pure from
all contamination, according to the state of life which we have chosen or
in which we find ourselves.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Thirtieth Day.
The fruits and gifts of the Holy Ghost may be easily seen in the effects
the apostles experienced at the coming of the Paraclete. As we noticed,
the apostles were rather worldly in their perceptions of the divine
intentions; they manifested their frailty in many ways during the life of
Christ, so that they were even publicly rebuked by Our Lord. But now they
have become apostolic men; they love poverty, and are content to work at
their humble trade in order not to be a burden on the newly made converts.
As St. Peter asserts, “He desired the money of no man.” They love
sufferings, from which they had so often shrank before. They understand
that to suffer for Christ was great glory and consolation—they who before
had been narrow, selfish, and ready to condemn others, now become full of
charity to all the world. Into their heart the Spirit of love has
descended, and their motto becomes charity towards others. The charity of
Christ is the one motive of all they think and do.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Thirty‐first Day.
We see another great change in the apostles by means of the presence of
the Holy Ghost; they surprise us by the bold stand they take before the
Jewish authorities. We know they were timid and cowardly at the
apprehension of Our Lord, and were almost scandalized at His death on the
cross. Now they challenge the Jews with a freedom of speech that the chief
priests are unable to explain; they face the wrath of the Jewish council,
the Sanhedrim; and undismayed they say: “Judge for yourselves if it be
just in the sight of God to hear you, rather than God.” If then the
apostles become such perfect men by the influence of the Holy Ghost, is it
not worth our while also to remain in prayer and meditation on the power
of the Holy Ghost, in order that we too may be changed from such weaklings
and become strong Christians? How little have we in us of this Holy
Spirit, how unwilling we are to suffer, how prone to avoid all that is
opposed to our natural inclinations! This should be different; and it can
only be different by heeding the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. With this
intention and for this purpose let us devote some time, now and then, to
the stirring up within us of the grace of the Holy Ghost.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Litany of the Holy Ghost.
(_For Private Devotion Only._)
Lord, have mercy on us.
_Christ, have mercy on us._
Lord, have mercy on us.
_Christ, have mercy on us._
Holy Ghost, hear us.
_Holy Ghost, graciously hear us._
God the Father of heaven, _Have mercy on us._
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, _Have mercy on us._
God the Holy Ghost, _Have mercy on us._
Holy Trinity, one God, _Have mercy on us._
Holy Ghost, Who proceedest from the Father and the Son, _Have mercy on
us._
Holy Ghost, co‐equal with the Father and the Son, _Have mercy on us._
Promise of the Father, most loving and most bounteous, _Have mercy on us._
Gift of the most high God, _Have mercy on us._
Ray of heavenly light, _Have mercy on us._
Author of all good, _Have mercy on us._
Source of living water, _Have mercy on us._
Consuming fire, _Have mercy on us._
Burning love, _Have mercy on us._
Spiritual unction, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of truth and of power, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of counsel and of fortitude, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of knowledge and of piety, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of the fear of the Lord, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of compunction and of penance, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of grace and of prayer, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of charity, peace, and joy, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of patience, longanimity, and goodness, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of benignity, mildness and fidelity, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of modesty, continence, and chastity, _Have mercy on us._
Spirit of adoption of the sons of God, _Have mercy on us._
Holy Ghost, the Comforter, _Have mercy on us._
Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier, _Have mercy on us._
Who in the beginning didst move over the waters, _Have mercy on us._
By Whose inspiration spake the holy men of God, _Have mercy on us._
Who didst overshadow Mary, _Have mercy on us._
Who didst co‐operate in the miraculous conception of the Son of God, _Have
mercy on us._
Who didst descend upon Him at His baptism, _Have mercy on us._
Who, on the day of Pentecost, didst appear in fiery tongues upon the
disciples of the Lord, _Have mercy on us._
By Whom we are also born again, _Have mercy on us._
Who dwellest in us, _Have mercy on us._
Who governest the Church, _Have mercy on us._
Who fillest the whole world, _Have mercy on us._
Holy Ghost, _We beseech Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst renew the face of the earth, _We beseech Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst shed abroad Thy light into our hearts, _We beseech Thee,
hear us._
That Thou wouldst write Thy law in our hearts, _We beseech Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst inflame them with the fire of Thy love, _We beseech
Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst open to us the treasures of Thy grace, _We beseech Thee,
hear us._
That Thou wouldst teach us to ask for them according to Thy will, _We
beseech Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst enlighten us with Thy heavenly inspirations, _We beseech
Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst keep us to Thyself by Thy powerful attractions, _We
beseech Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst grant to us the knowledge alone necessary, _We beseech
Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst help us to love and bear with each other, _We beseech
Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst lead us in the way of Thy commandments, _We beseech
Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst make us obedient to Thy inspirations, _We beseech Thee,
hear us._
That Thou wouldst teach us to pray, and Thyself pray within us, _We
beseech Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst clothe us with love and compassion towards our brethren,
_We beseech Thee, hear us._
That Thou wouldst inspire us with a horror of evil, _We beseech Thee, hear
us._
That Thou wouldst direct us in the practice of good, _We beseech Thee,
hear us._
That Thou wouldst give us the grace of all virtues, _We beseech Thee, hear
us._
That Thou wouldst cause us to persevere in justice, _We beseech Thee, hear
us._
That Thou wouldst be Thyself our everlasting reward, _We beseech Thee,
hear us._
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, _Spare us, O Lord!_
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, _Graciously hear us, O
Lord!_
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, _Have mercy on us, O
Lord!_
Holy Ghost, hear us,
_Holy Ghost, graciously hear us._
_V._ Create a clean heart in us, O God.
_R._ And renew a right spirit within us.
_Let Us Pray._
Grant, O merciful Father, that Thy divine Spirit may enlighten, inflame,
and cleanse our hearts; that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew,
and make us fruitful in good works. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Hymns to the Holy Ghost.
Veni, Creator Spiritus.
Come, O Creator, Spirit blest,
And in our souls take up Thy rest;
Come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.
Great Paraclete, to Thee we cry,
O highest gift of God most high,
O Fount of life, O Fire of love,
And sweet anointing from above.
Thou in thy sevenfold gifts art known;
The finger of God’s hand we own;
The promise of the Father Thou,
Who dost the tongue with pow’r endow.
Our senses kindle from above,
And make our hearts o’erflow with love;
With patience firm and virtue high
The weakness of our flesh supply.
Drive far from us the foe we dread,
And grant us Thy true peace instead;
So shall we not, with Thee for guide,
Turn from the path of life aside.
Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
The Father and the Son to know,
And Thee through endless times confess’d
Of both th’ eternal Spirit blest.
All glory, while the ages run,
Be to the Father and the Son
Who rose from death; the same to Thee,
O Holy Ghost, eternally! Amen.
Come, Holy Ghost.
Come, Holy Ghost, send down those beams,
Which sweetly flow in silent streams
From Thy bright throne above.
Come, Thou, the Father of the poor,
Thou bounteous source of all our store;
Come, fire our hearts with love.
Come, Thou, of comforters the best,
Come, Thou, the soul’s delightful guest,
The pilgrim’s sweet relief.
Thou art our rest in toil and sweat,
Refreshment in excessive heat,
And solace in our grief.
O sacred Light, shoot home Thy darts,
Oh, pierce the centre of these hearts,
Whose faith aspires to Thee.
Without Thy Godhead nothing can
Have any price or worth in man;
Nothing can harmless be.
Lord, wash our sinful stains away,
Water from heaven our barren clay;
Our wounds and bruises heal.
To Thy sweet yoke our stiff necks bend,
To inflame our cold hearts Thy fire send;
Our wandering feet repel.
Oh, grant Thy faithful, dearest Lord,
Whose only hope is Thy sure word;
The seven gifts of Thy Spirit.
Grant us in life to obey Thy grace,
Grant us in death to see Thy face;
And endless joys inherit. Amen.
Act Of Oblation To The Holy Ghost.
On my knees, before the great cloud of witnesses, I offer myself, soul and
body, to Thee, eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Thy
purity; the unerring keenness of Thy justice; and the might of Thy love.
Thou art the strength and the light of my soul. In Thee I live and move
and am. I desire never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace; and I
pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against Thee. Make
me faithful in every thought: and grant that I may always listen to Thy
voice, and watch for Thy light, and follow Thy gracious inspirations. I
cling to Thee, and give myself to Thee, and ask Thee by Thy compassion to
watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced feet of Jesus, and
looking at His five wounds and trusting to His precious blood, and adoring
His opened side and stricken Heart, I implore Thee, adorable Spirit,
helper of my infirmity, so to keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin
against Thee with the sin which Thou canst not forgive. Give me grace, O
Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Father and the Son, to say to Thee, always and
everywhere, speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth. Amen.
The Office of the Holy Ghost.
At Matins.
_V._ The grace of the Holy Ghost illuminate our senses and hearts.
_R._ Amen.
_V._ O Lord, open Thou my lips.
_R._ And my mouth shall declare Thy praise.
_V._ Incline unto my aid, O God.
_R._ O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was
in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
_Hymn._
The Holy Ghost our souls invest
With grace that does o’ershade the best
Of Virgin maids, when from the spheres
An angel came to greet her ears.
The Word divine did flesh become,
And fruitful made a virgin womb.
_Ant._ Come, Holy Ghost, replenish the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle
in them the fire of Thy love.
_V._ Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
_R._ And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Prayer.
We beseech Thee, O Lord, that the virtue of Thy Holy Spirit may be present
within us, which may both purify our hearts, and defend us from all
adversities; through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee and the
same Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth. Amen.
At Prime.
_V._ The grace of, etc. (as before).
_Hymn._
Christ, born of Mary, that blest Maid,
Was crucified, was dead, was laid
Within a tomb, from whence He rose,
And did His person soon disclose
To His disciples, in whose sight
He soar’d above the starry height.
The anthem, verse, response, and prayer as before.
At Tierce.
_V._ The grace of, etc. (as before).
_Hymn._
God sent from heaven the Holy Ghost
Upon the day of Pentecost;
He did the apostles’ minds inspire,
Inflaming them with tongues of fire.
He would not have them orphans left,
When of the sight of Christ bereft.
The anthem, verse, response, and prayer as before.
At Sext.
_V._ The grace of, etc. (as before).
_Hymn._
With sevenfold grace God did enrich
The apostles, then, by means of which
They did both speak and understand
The language of each distant land.
To preach Christ’s faith they then disperse
Themselves throughout the universe.
The anthem, verse, response, and prayer as before.
At None.
_V._ The grace of, etc. (as before).
_Hymn._
The consoling Spirit He
Entitled was true charity,
The gift of God, a fire inflamed,
The vivifying fountain named,
A spiritual unction, sevenfold grace,
A free gift of celestial race.
The anthem, verse, response, and prayer as before.
At Vespers.
_V._ The grace of, etc. (as before).
_Hymn._
The right hand finger of Our Lord,
His spiritual power to us afford
A safe defence against all evil,
That harm’d we be not by the devil.
Protect us, nourish us, and bring
Us under shelter of Thy wing.
The anthem, verse, response, and prayer as before.
At Compline.
_V._ The grace of, etc. (as before).
_V._ Convert us, O God Our Saviour:
_R._ And avert Thy anger from us.
_V._ Incline unto my aid, O God.
_R._ O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, etc.
_Hymn._
Vouchsafe, O holy Paraclete,
To pour into our souls Thy light,
And to direct us in our ways,
That when to judgment God shall raise
The sleeping world, He bid us stand
Upon His right and saving hand.
The anthem, verse, response, and prayer as before.
_Commendation._
These hours canonical, to Thee,
O Holy Ghost, addressed be,
With piously devoted heart.
That to our souls Thou mayest impart
Thy inspirations, and that we
May live in heaven eternally. Amen.
Novena to the Holy Ghost.
First Day: Fruits Of Charity And Joy.
_Veni Creator._
Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity,
and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy
apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one
Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the
Holy Ghost—charity and joy.
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O most holy Spirit, the Paraclete, we adore Thee with all humility; and
with the most lively affections of our hearts, we beseech Thee to assist
us in this Thy novena, that we may rightly prepare ourselves to receive
Thy heavenly gifts. We cannot, O divine Spirit, receive Thee without Thine
own aid preventing us. Without Thee we cannot please Thee. Do Thou then,
Who didst prepare the heart of Mary to receive the Word Incarnate,
vouchsafe so to dispose our hearts that we may happily conceive the
blessed flames of Thy love. Amen.
O let us fall and worship Him,
The love of Sire and Son,
The consubstantial breath of God,
The co‐eternal One!
Ah! see, how like the Incarnate Word,
His blessed self He lowers
To dwell with us invisibly,
And make His riches ours.
Most loving Spirit! Mighty God!
Sweet must Thy presence be,
If loss of Jesus can be gain,
So long as we have Thee!
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the
fire of Thy love.
_V._ Send forth Thy spirit, and they shall be created.
_R._ And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Burn, O Lord, with the fire of Thy Holy Spirit our reins and our hearts,
that we may serve Thee with chaste bodies, and please Thee with clean
hearts; through Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the unity of the same. Amen.
May the blessing of almighty God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, descend
upon us now, and abide with us always. Amen.
Second Day: Fruits Of Peace And Patience.
_Veni Creator._
Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity,
and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy
apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one
Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the
Holy Ghost—peace and patience.
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O sweetest and most dear Mother Mary, behold us at thy feet, and having
kissed them a thousand times with the lips of our hearts, we humbly
implore of thee a favor more needful for us than all else in the world.
Since thou art the spouse of the Holy Ghost, the dispenser of His
treasures, and His sweet stewardess, since thou hast been enriched beyond
all other creatures with His heavenly gifts, obtain for us, as thou didst
obtain for the apostles, His coming into our hearts; and for this end
obtain for us the grace to imitate, so far as in us lies, the examples of
thy humility, thy purity, thy charity. Amen.
O let us fall and worship Him, etc.
Come, Holy Spirit, etc.
_V._ and _R._ Send forth Thy Spirit, etc.
O God, to Whom every heart is open and every will speaketh, and from Whom
no secrets are hid, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the infusion of
the Holy Ghost, that we may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee;
through Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the unity of the same. Amen.
May the blessing, etc.
Third Day: Fruits Of Benignity And Goodness.
_Veni Creator._
Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity,
and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy
apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one
Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the
Holy Ghost—benignity and goodness.
Our Father, Hail Mary.
Most holy prince of the apostles, blessed St. Peter, behold us at thy
feet, to implore thy aid in obtaining the Holy Spirit. We, indeed, have
been unfaithful to Our Redeemer, not three times only, as thou wert, but
thousands and thousands of times; so that we could not hope that the
spotless Dove would vouchsafe to descend into our poor souls, stained with
so many sins; yet thine example, blessed apostle, gives us boldness. Thou
didst weep bitterly, and with thy tears wert so cleaned as to receive all
the gifts of the divine Paraclete. We too desire to bewail our sins with
bitterest grief like thine, while we humbly implore thine intercession to
obtain for us, first of all, cleanness of heart, and then the gift of the
Holy Ghost, for which we yearn most earnestly. Amen.
O let us fall and worship Him, etc.
Come, Holy Spirit, etc.
_V._ and _R._ Send forth Thy Spirit, etc.
O God, Who hast taught the hearts of Thy faithful by the light of the Holy
Spirit, grant us by the same Spirit to think the things that be right, and
ever to rejoice in His consolations; through the same Jesus Christ. In the
unity of the same. Amen.
May the blessing, etc.
Fourth Day: Fruits Of Long‐Suffering And Mildness.
_Veni Creator._
Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity,
and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy
apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one
Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the
Holy Ghost—long‐suffering and mildness.
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O blessed and happy apostles of Our Lord, who in the upper room did
receive the Holy Spirit with such fulness that thou wert sweetly
inebriated with divine love, we congratulate thee with the most humble and
lively affection, and contemplate thy graces with a holy envy. We beseech
thee, by that love which thou dost bear the Holy Spirit, Who thus filled
thee with His special benedictions, obtain for us efficacious aid rightly
to practise that brotherly concord, that continual prayer, and that tender
devotion to Mary, whereby we can obtain, even as thou didst obtain, the
coming of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
O let us fall and worship Him, etc.
Come, Holy Spirit, etc.
_V._ and _R._ Send forth Thy Spirit, etc.
May the infusion of the Holy Spirit, O Lord, purify our hearts, and by the
inward sprinkling of His gracious dew make them fertile in all good works;
through Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the unity of the same. Amen.
May the blessing, etc.
Fifth Day: Fruits Of Faith And Modesty.
_Veni Creator._
Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity,
and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy
apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one
Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the
Holy Ghost—faith and modesty.
Our Father, Hail Mary.
O eternal Father, how shall we ever bless and praise Thee sufficiently, or
thank Thy goodness as we ought? A thousand times blessed be Thine infinite
charity, Thine infinite providence, and Thine infinite mercy, which moved
Thee to repair our miseries, and to give unto us a gift wherein is
contained all the good that proceedeth from Thee! Thou hast given us also
the Holy Ghost, Who proceedeth from Thy will as Thine uncreated love. What
can we seek for more? And what shall we give unto Thee for so great a
gift? O Lord, vouchsafe, we beseech Thee, of Thy clemency to take for
Thine own all our understanding, all our will, all ourselves, and that
little for all eternity. Amen.
O let us fall and worship Him, etc.
Come, Holy Spirit, etc.
_V._ and _R._ Send forth Thy Spirit, etc.
We beseech Thee, O Lord, that the Paraclete, Who proceedeth from Thee, may
enlighten our minds, and, according to the promise of Thy Son, may lead us
into all truth; through Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the unity of the same.
Amen.
May the blessing, etc.
Sixth Day: Fruits Of Continence And Chastity.
_Veni Creator._
Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity,
and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy
apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one
Hail Mary, to obtain, by the merits of Jesus ascended, the fruits of the
Holy Ghost—continence and chastity.
Our Father, Hail Mary.
Most holy, most divine Spirit, if there be any souls in the world more
needful of Thine aid than others, it is surely ours, blinded by passions,
chilled with obstinate lukewarmness, and defiled with a thousand
imperfections. Come, then, O divine Spirit! come and enlighten us; kindle
our fervor, and destroy in us all that is displeasing in Thy sight. The
greater our miseries are, so much the more glorious will be Thy triumph
over our perversity. Come and create in us new hearts, which shall have
all for God, and nothing for the world. Create in us clean hearts, O God.
Amen.
O let us fall and worship Him, etc.
Come, Holy Spirit, etc.
_V._ and _R._ Send forth Thy Spirit, etc.
Grant unto Thy Church, O merciful God, that she, being gathered together
in the Holy Spirit, may be in no wise disturbed by the incursions of her
enemies; through Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the unity of the same. Amen.
May the blessing, etc.
Seventh Day: Descent Of The Holy Ghost Upon Mary At The Annunciation.
_Veni Creator._
Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity,
and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy
apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one
Hail Mary in honor of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the ever‐blessed
Mother of God at the Annunciation.
Our Father, Hail Mary.
Most divine Spirit, the Paraclete, we hardly dare to beseech Thee to come
into our souls, knowing well how sinful and defiled they are. It seems an
intolerable boldness to invite God—yea, no less a one than God!—to be a
guest in a lodging so unclean. Yet Thou vouchsafest graciously to reassure
us by that infinite goodness of Thine, whereby Thou dost dispose with Thy
prevenient graces those hearts which Thou dost condescend to honor with
Thy presence. O blessed Spirit, deign to come into us, and delay not Thy
gracious coming, while we cease not calling upon Thee and beseeching Thee
to console us with Thy long‐expected coming. Amen.
O let us fall and worship Him, etc.
Come, Holy Spirit, etc.
_V._ and _R._ Send forth Thy Spirit, etc.
We beseech Thee of Thy goodness, O Lord, to pour into our minds the Holy
Spirit, by Whose wisdom we were created, and by Whose providence we are
ruled; through Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the unity of the same. Amen.
May the blessing, etc.
Eighth Day: Descent Of The Holy Ghost Upon Jesus At The Jordan.
_Veni Creator._
Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity,
and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy
apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one
Hail Mary in honor of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon Jesus at the
Jordan.
Our Father, Hail Mary.
Most adorable Trinity, we venture with all humility and awe to approach
the lofty throne of your exalted majesty; with our heads prostrated in the
dust we adore you, and give you endless thanks for the immense blessings
which you have bestowed on us miserable men. We thank Thee, O eternal
Father, and Thee, O divine Son, for the gift which you have given us of
the Holy Ghost; for in giving us this Love, Who proceedeth from you, you
have given us your own selves. We thank Thee, O Holy Ghost, Who art at
once the gift and the giver of all gifts, and we most earnestly beseech
Thee to give us Thyself. No other gift but Thine own self can satisfy our
souls, and having Thee alone we shall have all things. But what can we
give Thee in exchange for so great benefits? O blessed Spirit, vouchsafe
of Thy mercy to accept for all eternity all our thoughts, all our
affections, and all ourselves. Amen.
O let us fall and worship Him, etc.
Come, Holy Spirit, etc.
_V._ and _R._ Send forth Thy Spirit, etc.
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may burn with that fire of the
Holy Ghost which Our Lord Jesus Christ sent upon the earth, and which He
desired to be vehemently enkindled; through Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the
unity of the same. Amen.
May the blessing, etc.
Ninth Day: Transfiguration And Ascension Of Our Lord, And The
Manifestations Of The Holy Ghost.
_Veni Creator._
Let us prostrate ourselves before the majesty of the most Holy Trinity,
and uniting our dispositions with those of our blessed Lady and the holy
apostles in the upper room at Jerusalem, let us say one Our Father and one
Hail Mary in honor of the transfiguration and ascension of our most dear
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the ineffable love of the Holy Ghost
in all His manifestations to His creatures.
Our Father, Hail Mary.
Most holy Virgin and exalted Mother of God, who wast above all creatures
disposed to receive the Holy Ghost, and who didst receive Him with greater
fulness than all others; dispose, we beseech thee, by thy gracious aid,
our cold hearts for the approaching solemnity of Pentecost. We fly to
thee, most benignant Mother of sinners, that thou mayest obtain for us a
lively contrition for our sins; so that although we cannot receive the
Holy Ghost, as innocent, like thyself, yet may we receive Him as true
penitents, together with those Gentile penitents who received Him in the
upper room. Grant this, most holy Mother, not for our merits, for we have
none, but out of thine own exceeding goodness, and that great love which
thou bearest to the same blessed Spirit, Who hast chosen thee for His
Spouse. Amen.
O let us fall and worship Him, etc.
Come, Holy Spirit, etc.
_V._ and _R._ Send forth Thy Spirit, etc.
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the splendor of Thy brightness
may shine upon us; and that the light of Thy light may, by the
illumination of the Holy Spirit, confirm the hearts of those who by grace
are regenerate; through Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the unity of the same.
Amen.
May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, descend
upon us, and remain with us always. Amen.