Welcoming the Holy
Here we invite you to take time for yourself in personal prayer. The following spiritual reflection offers words and images which we hope will evoke for you an experience of God.
The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit of God dwelling within us, alleluia. (Romans 5:5)
Opening Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, Source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best; You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below; In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat; Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours, And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought, Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your 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.
On the faithful, who adore and confess you evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them Joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.
Reading
A Prayer for Pentecost by Joyce Rupp
Spirit! Power and Passion of my being,
press upon my heart your profound love.
Move through the fragment of my days;
enable me to sense your fiery Presence
consecrating my most insignificant moments.
Spirit! Source of Vision, Perceptive Guide,
permeate the moments of my choices
when falsehood and truth both call to me.
Turn me toward the way of goodness,
so that I will always lean toward your love.
Spirit! Blessing for the heart grown weary,
encircle me with your loving energy,
empower me with your active gentleness.
Deepen within me a faith in your dynamism
which strengthens the weak and the tired.
Spirit! Breath of life, Touch of Mystery,
you are the ribbon of inner connection,
uniting me with the groaning of all creation.
Because of you, my life gathers into a oneness.
Keep me attentive to this interdependence.
Fill my being with a constant compassion
and a deep hope that knows no bounds.
Spirit! Dwelling Place, Sanctuary of Silence,
you are the home for which I deeply yearn.
You are the resting place for which I long.
I find both comfort and challenge in you.
Grant that I may keep my whole self open
to the transforming power of your indwelling,
that I may ever know the blessing
of your tremendous companionship.
Reflection
Now take some time for personal reflection. Here are some questions to get you started.
What insignificant moments do I have where the Spirit is actively present?
In what ways do I need to grow in my companionship with the Spirit?
Closing Prayer
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Amen. Alleluia!