In one of the schools in the Middle Kingdom, a teacher asked his students whether or not they believe in God. The answer was negative. Then, he asked whether or not they believe in ghosts. All of them said, “yes”. There are good spirits and bad spirits, spirits that protect and spirits that harm. Many religious offers special prayers and talismans to protect its adherents from the harmful influence of the spirits. We, Christians, also believe in the presence of the bad spirits that try to control our lives and rob us of its fulness. Yet, there is one unique spirit, which is described with an adjective , “holy”, and of which Jesus today speaks in the Gospel. He calls this Spirit, Helper and  the Spirit of Truth (John 14: 16-17). Do we still remember this Holy Ghost?

The Promise

In two weeks time we shall celebrate the Pentecost. We will hear the amazing story about the Holy Spirit coming upon the first disciples of Jesus (Acts 2:1-11). We will be reminded by our preachers that the Holy Spirit is also given to us in the sacrament of Confirmation. We will nod with polite agreement, but recall that during our Confirmation nothing spectacular took place: no “sound of a violent wind,” no tongues of fire, no declaration of God's deeds of power; everything was dull and uneventful.

Come, Holy Ghost, send down those beams, which sweetly flow in silent streams from Thy bright throne above. 

O come, Thou Father of the poor; O come, Thou source of all our store, come, fill our hearts with love.

Although we are in a better position that the disciples from Ephesus who did not even hear that there was a Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2) – at least we know that there is One – but we resemble the Samaritans to whom Philip proclaimed the Gospel: we were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, but we doubt whether the Spirit had really fallen upon us (Acts 8:16).

O Thou, of comforters the best, O Thou, the soul's delightful guest, the pilgrim's sweet relief.

Rest art Thou in our toil, most sweet refreshment in the noonday heat; and solace in our grief.

Our Bible and our theological books tell us that the Holy Spirit is the the greatest gift of the Risen Lord, the proof of being sons and daughters of God (Galatians 4:6). He is the One who liberates us from the grip of law (Galatians 5:18) and transforms us into a new creation (Galatians 6:15). The first generation of Christians vividly experienced His power: He led them into new missions, filled them with special gifts, and strengthened them in times of trials (Acts 4:31; 8:29,39; Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12). Their courage, dedication, perseverance, and success can only be explained as the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise in their lives. “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).

Holy Desire 

O blessed Light of life Thou art; fill with Thy light the inmost heart of those who hope in Thee.

Without Thy Godhead nothing can, have any price or worth in man, nothing can harmless be.
We also need His presence in our lives. How many of us, in times of crisis, giving up, and spiritual struggles need a Counselor and an Advocate? How many of us need His gifts of “love, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22), of “power” (2 Timothy 1:7), and of “wisdom and revelation” (Ephesians 1:17)? The world need to see the preaching of the Gospel being confirmed by signs and wonders. Filled with His presence,  we could discern God's will, His law would be written on our hearts, and we would truly know the Lord. “And they shall not teach one another or say to each other, “Know the Lord”, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Hebrews 8:11).

Lord, wash our sinful stains away, refresh from heaven our barren clay, our wounds and bruises heal.

To Thy sweet yoke our stiff necks bow, warm with Thy fire our hearts of snow, our wandering feet recall.

 

Is there a way to join the multitudes of our brothers and sisters who were truly filled with the Spirit? Yes, there is: a deep desire or a holy longing. When we realize that nothing of this world can fill the emptiness of our hearts, when we realize that there is something fundamentally wrong with us, when we hit the bottom and arrive at the dead-end of our life's journey, then we are ready for the Spirit, because He is the gift of salvation. The risen Lord is present among us in His Spirit. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). 

Grant to Thy faithful, dearest Lord, whose only hope is Thy sure word, the sevenfold gifts of grace.

Grant us in life Thy grace that we, in peace may die and ever be, in joy before Thy face.

Amen. Alleluia.

Conclusion

The poem you are reading is the English translation of the famous Golden Sequence, the greatest masterpiece of sacred Latin poetry, which is usually sung during the Mass for Pentecost. Years back I learned it by heart to be able to sing it, but then I forgot all about it. Then, I heard it being sung during the inauguration of the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Qatar. The choir sang it with such longing and devotion that it gave me a strange tingling sensation. As I was carried by the moment and began to join them in singing, to my surprise, I was able to recall the entire song. I felt an incredible joy, as if I have found a lost treasure.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus. Come, Holy Spirit. We need You; we long for You. Only You can recreate us anew. Amen.