Category: The HOLY GHOST

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts Day Seven – 17 May 2018

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Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts
Day Seven – 17 May 2018

DAY SEVEN
Heal our wounds our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Thy dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away!

THE GIFT OF COUNSEL
The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge
promptly and rightly what must be done, especially in difficult circumstances.
Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding, to the
innumerable concrete cases that confront us, in the course of our daily dutym as
parents, teachers, public servants and Christian citizens.   Counsel is supernatural
common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation.   “Above all things, pray
to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth.”

Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Your
holy will.  Incline my heart to that which is good;  turn it away from all that is
evil and direct me, by the straight path of Your commandments, to that goal of eternal
life for which I long.   Amen

Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father (seven times)
Act of Consecration
Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Act of Consecration and Prayer for the Seven Gifts: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/DAY seven pentecost novena - 17 MAY 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts Day Six – 16 May 2018

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts
Day Six – 16 May 2018

DAY SIX
If Thou take Thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay;
All his good is turned to ill.

THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING
Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Ghost, helps us to grasp the meaning of the
truths of our holy religion.   By faith we know them but by Understanding, we learn to
appreciate and relish them.   It enables us to penetrate, the inner meaning of revealed
truths and through them, to be quickened to newness of life.   Our faith ceases to be
sterile and inactive but inspires a mode of life, that bears eloquent testimony, to
the faith that is in us, we begin to “walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and
increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Understanding and enlighten our minds, that we may know and
believe all the mysteries of salvation and may merit at last, to see the eternal
light of Thy Light and in the light of glory, to have a clear vision of Thee and the
Father and the Son.  Amen.

Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father (seven times)
Act of Consecration
Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Act of Consecration and Prayer for the Seven Gifts: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/DAY six pentecost novena - 16 MAY 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, St PAUL!, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

Quote of the Day – 16 May – Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

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Quote of the Day – 16 May – Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

“The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
when we do not know what prayer to offer,
to pray as we ought,
the Spirit Himself intercedes for us,
with groans beyond all utterance
and God, who can read our hearts,
knows well what the Spirit’s intent is;
for indeed, it is according to the mind of God
that He makes intercession for the saints.”

Romans 8:26-27romans 8 26 - 27 - the spirit comes to the aid of our weakness - 16 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts Day Five – 15 May 2018

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Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts
Day Five – 15 May 2018

DAY FIVE
Light immortal! Light Divine!
Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,
And our inmost being fill!

THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE
The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth
in their relation to God.   Knowledge unmasks the pretence of creatures, reveals their
emptiness and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of
God.   It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity and directs us to glorify
Him in every circumstance of life.   Guided by its light, we put first things firs,
and prize the friendship of God beyond all else.   “Knowledge is a fountain of life to
him that possesseth it.”

Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the
Father;  show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realise their vanity
and use them only for Your glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to
You and Your eternal rewards. Amen.

Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father (seven times)
Act of Consecration
Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Act of Consecration and Prayer for the Seven Gifts: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/DAY FIVE pentecost novena - 15 MAY 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PRAYER, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on TRUTH, SPEAKING of ....., The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 15 May – Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide – Speaking of: The Holy Spirit

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 15 May – Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

“Speaking of :  The Holy Spirit

“Come O Holy Spirit, Come!” Pope Francis

“Let us be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Allow Him to speak to our hearts
and He will tell us this:
God is Love!”let us be guided by the holy spirit - pope francis - 15 may 2018

“Submit to the Holy Spirit
which comes from within
and He will lead you on the path to
Holiness.”submit to the holy spirit - pope francis - 15 may 2018

“The Holy Spirit upsets us
because He moves us,
makes us walk,
pushes the Church forward.”the holy spirit upsets us - pope francis - 15 may 2018

“Let us renew each day
our trust in the
workings of the Holy Spirit
and open our hearts to
His inspiration.”let us renew each day - pope francis - 15 may 2018

“The Holy Spirit gives us Joy!
He is the author
and creator of Joy.”the holy spirit gives us joy - pope francis - 15 may 2018

“Through the Holy Spirit,
the Father and the Son come to dwell in us,
do we live in God and of God,
is our life really animated by God?
How many things do I put before God?”through the holy spirit - pope francis - 15 may 2018

“The truth of Christ,
that the Holy Spirit teaches us
and gives us, always and forever,
involves our daily lives.
Let us invoke Him more often,
to guide us on the path
of Christ’s disciples.”the truth of christ - pope franics - 15 may 2018

“Holy Spirit may my heart be open
to the Word of God,
may my heart be open to good,
may my heart be open
to the beauty of God, every day.”

Pope Francisholy spirit may my heart be open - pope francis - 15 may 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts – Day Four – 14 May 2018

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Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts
Day Four – 14 May 2018

DAY FOUR
Thou in toil art comfort sweet;
Pleasant coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.

THE GIFT OF FORTITUDE
By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear and supported
to the end in the performance of duty.   Fortitude imparts to the will, an impulse and
energy, which move it to undertake without hesitancy, the most arduous tasks, to face
dangers, to trample under foot human respect and to endure without complaint, the
slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation.   “He that shall persevere unto the end,
he shall be saved.”

Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude uphold my soul in time of troubles and adversity,
sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against
all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from You,
my God and greatest Good.   Amen.

Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father (seven times)
Act of Consecration
Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Act of Consecration and Prayer for the Seven Gifts: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/day four - pentecost novena - 14 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts: Day Three – 13 May 2018

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Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts

Day Three – 13 May 2018

Thou, of all consolers best,
Visiting the troubled breast,
Dost refreshing peace bestow.

THE GIFT OF PIETY
The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving
Father.   It inspires us to love and respect for His sake, persons and things
consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed
Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors,
our country and its rulers.   He who is filled with the gift of Piety, finds the
practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty but a delightful service.   Where
there is love, there is no tabor.

Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart.   Enkindle therein, such a love for
God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service and for His sake lovingly
submit, to all legitimate authority.   Amen.

Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father (seven times)
Act of Consecration
Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Act of Consecration and Prayer for the Seven Gifts: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/

day three - pentecost novena - 13 may 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts: Day Two – 12 May 2018

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Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts
Day Two – 12 May 2018

Come, Thou Father of the poor!
Come, with treasures which endure!
Come, Thou Light of all that live!

THE GIFT OF FEAR
The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God and makes us dread
nothing so much as to offend Him by sin.   It is a fear that arises, not from the
thought of hell but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our
heavenly Father.   It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from
the worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. “They that fear the
Lord will prepare their hearts and in His sight will sanctify their souls.”

Prayer
Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set You,
my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend
You and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in
heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God,
world without end.   Amen.

Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father (seven times)

Act of Consecration and Prayer for the Seven Gifts: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/pentecost-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-day-one-11-may-2018/day two - pentecost novena - 12 may 2018

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The HOLY GHOST

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts Day One – 11 May 2018

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Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts
Day One – 11 May 2018

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
To be recited daily during the Novena

On my knees, I before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God.   I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice and the might of Your love.   You are the Strength and Light of my soul.   In You I live and move and am.   I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, listen to Your voice and follow Your gracious inspirations.   I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion, to watch over me in my weakness.   Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus, looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You.   Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant hears.” Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
To be recited daily during the Novena

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love.

Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding, to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit on Counsel, that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude, that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge, that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety, that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable and the Spirit of Fear, that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him.   Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

FIRST DAY (Friday after Ascension or Friday of 6th Week of Easter)
Holy Spirit!   Lord of Light!   From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Spirit

Only one thing is important — eternal salvation.   Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared–sin.   Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness and indifference.    The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength and of Love.   With His sevenfold gifts, He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will and inflames the heart, with love of God.   To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for “The Spirit helps our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought.   But the Spirit Himself asks for us.”

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, Who has vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit and has given us forgiveness of all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us, your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Giftday one - pentecost novena - 11 may 2018

Info on the Novena:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/09/announcing-a-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-from-ascension-to-pentecost-begins-friday-11-may/

Posted in MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The HOLY GHOST

Announcing a Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts – from ASCENSION to PENTECOST – Begins Friday 11 May

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Announcing a Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts – from ASCENSION to PENTECOST
Begins Friday 11 May

As we continue to celebrate Easter in the Catholic World, we also begin to look forward to the pivotal moment in Church history, the day everything changed, the moment that Christ sent His followers the Holy Spirit.

The Novena begins on the Friday of the 6th Week of Easter, which is the day after the Solemnity of the Ascension (Ascension Thursday).   Even where this Solemnity is transferred to the 7th Sunday of Easter, this Novena still begins on the Friday before.   We all know that Jesus told his Apostles that He would send them a helper, that even though He would return to the Father, He would always be with us.   “And eating together with them, he commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father…” Acts 1:4

This Pentecost Novena in honour of the Holy Spirit is in a sense the first Novena ever taken by followers of Christ and it was Christ Himself who instructed His followers to undertake it.  While the Apostles and Mary were gathered in the upper room they waited and they prayed, trusting in the promise that Christ made to them, not knowing what to expect but waiting with expectant hearts.   Now more than ever, we too need to pray and wait for the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us and empower us to face the challenges of every day.

JOHN 16:5-11 – Bishop Robert Barron

“Friends, once again in today’s Gospel Jesus promises to send us the Holy Spirit.   The Spirit is the fuel of the Church, the energy and life force of the Body of Christ.   And we can’t get Him through heroic effort.   We can only get Him by asking for Him.   That’s why, for the past two thousand years, the Church has begged for this power from on high.
Jesus told us that the Father would never refuse someone who asked for the Holy Spirit.   So ask!   And ask again!   Realise that every liturgy is a begging for the Holy Spirit.   Fr Hesburgh of Notre Dame once commented that the one prayer that is always appropriate—whether one is experiencing success or failure, whether one is confident or afraid, whether one is young or old— is “Come, Holy Spirit!”
He’s right, for this is the fundamental prayer of the Church.   Mind you, we pray it, as the first Apostles did, in the presence of Mary and with her support.   In the Hail Mary, we say, “Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”   What are we asking her to pray for but the Holy Spirit?”

announcing the pentecost novena - begins friday 11 may - posted 9 may 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 8 May – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide – Today’s Gospel: John 16:5–11

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Thought for the Day – 8 May – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide – Today’s Gospel: John 16:5–11

” 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’  6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.  7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.  8 And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:  9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;  10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more;  11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (RSV-Catholic ed)

“It is better for you that I go”
St Bernard (1091-1153) Mellifluous Doctor
3rd sermon for Pentecost

The Holy Spirit overshadowed the Virgin Mary (Lk 1:35) and strengthened the apostles on the day of Pentecost.   In her case it was to soften the impact on her virginal body of the coming of the divinity and, in theirs, to “clothe them with power from on high” (Lk 24:49), that is with burning charity…   In their weakness how could they have fulfilled their mission of conquering death without that “love as strong as death” or not allowed the “gates of hell to prevail against them” without that “passion fierce as Sheol” ? (Mt 16:18; Sg 8:6).   However, when they saw such enthusiasm, some thought they were drunk (Acts 2:13).

They were indeed drunk but with new wine…, that which the “true Vine” poured down from the heights of heaven, that which “gladdens the human heart” (Jn 15:1; Ps 104[103]:15)…   This was a new wine for the dwellers on earth but it is found in abundance in heaven…, it runs in streams in the streets and squares of the holy city where it spreads gladness of heart…

And so in heaven, there was a special wine of which earth was ignorant.   Yet earth, too, had something of its own that was its glory – Christ’s flesh – and heaven thirsted for the presence of that flesh.   Could anyone stand in the way of so reliable and grace-filled an exchange, between heaven and earth, angels and apostles, as that by which earth possesses the Holy Spirit and heaven the flesh of Christ?…

“If I do not go away,” Jesus says, “the Advocate will not come to you.”   That is to say, if you do not allow what you love to leave you, you will not obtain what you desire.   “It is to your advantage that I go” and that I should carry you over from earth to heaven, from flesh to spirit, for the Father is spirit, the Son is spirit and the Holy Spirit is also spirit… And the Father “who is spirit seeks worshippers who will worship him in spirit and in truth” (Jn 4:23-24).

Come O Holy Spirit, Come!come o holy spirit, come! - 8 may 2018.jpg

 

Posted in DEVOTIO, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, EASTER, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PRAYER, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST, VATICAN Resources

One Minute Reflection – 8 April – Low Sunday the Octave Day of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday and the Memorial of Bl Augustus Czartoryski S.D.B. (1858-1893)

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One Minute Reflection – 8 April – Low Sunday the Octave Day of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday and the Memorial of Bl Augustus Czartoryski S.D.B. (1858-1893)

“How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, God of hosts.   My soul is longing and yearning, is yearning for the courts of the Lord…. One day within your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” …Psalm 84[83]: 2, 11

REFLECTION – “Blessed Augusto Czartoryski wrote these words of the Psalm, his motto of life, on the holy card of his first Mass.   In them is contained the rapture of a man who, following the voice of the call, discovers the beauty of the ministerial priesthood.   In them resounds the echo of the different choices that the person who is discerning God’s will and wishes to fulfil it must make.   Augustus Czartoryski, a young prince, carefully prepared an effective method to discern the divine plan.   In prayer, he presented to God all questions and deep perplexities and then in the spirit of obedience he followed the counsel given by his spiritual guides.   In this way he came to understand his vocation and to take up the life of poverty to serve the “least”.   The same method enabled him throughout the course of his life to make decisions, so that today we can say that he accomplished the designs of Divine Providence in a heroic way.   I would like to leave this example of holiness especially to young people, who today search out the way to decipher God’s will relating to their own lives and desire to faithfully forge ahead each day according to the divine word.   My dear young friends, learn from Blessed Augustus to ask ardently in prayer for the light of the Holy Spirit and wise guides, so that you may understand the divine plan in your lives and are able to walk constantly on the path of holiness.”…St Pope John Paul on the Beatification of Blessed Augustus on Sunday, 25 April 2004

bl augustus czartoryski wrote these words - st john paul - 8 april 2018

PRAYER – Heavenly God and Father and Your divine Son, dear Jesus in whom we trust, send Your Holy Spirit to guide and teach us, to lead us into the ways of holiness.   Grant, we pray, that by the intercession of Blessed Augustus, we may fulfil Your Holy Will by the light of the Holy Spirit.   Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.bl augustus czartoryski - pray for us - 8 april 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONVERSION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 21 February – The Memorial of St Peter Damian O.S.B. (1007-1072) and St Robert Southwell S.J. (1561-1595)

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 February – The Memorial of St Peter Damian O.S.B. (1007-1072) and St Robert Southwell S.J. (1561-1595)

“He pours light into our minds,
arouses our desire and gives us strength…
As the soul is the life of the body,
so the Holy Spirit is the life of our souls.”he pours light into our minds - st peter damian - 21 feb 2018

“Through a woman [Eve]
a curse fell upon the earth;
through a woman [Mary] as well,
there returned to the earth a blessing.”through a woman (eve) - st peter damina - 21 feb 2018

“When you are scorned by others
and lashed by God, do not despair.
God lashes us in this life,
to shield us from the eternal lash in the next.”

St Peter Damian (1007-1072) Doctor of the Churchwhen-you-are-scorned-by-others-st-peter-damian-21 feb 2018

“God gave Himself to you:
give yourself to God.”god gave himself - st robert southwell - 21 feb 2018

“Where sin was hatched, let tears now wash the nest.”where-sin-was-hatched-st-robert-southwell-29-jan-2018

“Christianity is warfare
and Christians are spiritual soldiers.”

“Not where I breathe
but where I love,
I live.”

“When Fortune smiles,
I smile to think, how quickly she will frown.”

St Robert Southwell (1561-1595)christianity is warfare - st robert southwell - 21 feb 2018

 

Posted in JESUIT SJ, LENT, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

Thursday after Ash Wednesday – 15 February 2018

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thursday after Ash Wednesday – 15 February 2018
Deuteronomy 30: 15-30 – See, I set before you life or death, blessing or curse.
Luke 9: 22-25 – ‘if anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me’.lent - thursday after ash wed - 15 feb 2018

The readings today put the choice for God or against God in stark and dramatic terms. Choose God and follow His ways and you will be happy and live.   Choose against God and you will destroy yourself.   The Gospel echoes this in the warning that one can win the world but in the process, lose oneself.

We often hear of good and gifted people who were led to compromise their following of Christ.   Something hooked them – whether wealth, prestige, sex or power and gradually led them to start making choices which increasingly led them away from their truest selves.   When there are things in our lives which we don’t want others we respect to know about, that is often a clue that something is off-key!

Today we are invited to reflect on our choices.   The decision to follow Christ and take up our cross each day is a challenging one and one which is gradually consolidated or undermined every day in each of our choices.

When I think over the last week of my life, does it reflect what I would hope someone would be able to say about me at my funeral?

Is there some area of my life which I feel compelled to keep a secret?

What one good daily action could I choose which could deepen my relationship with God and could manifest that “taking up my cross” each day?  (excerpt Fr Nicholas King S.J. ‘The Long Journey to the Resurrection’)

O Holy Spirit of God,
take me as Your disciple; 
guide me,
illuminate me,
sanctify me.
Bind my hands,
that they may do no evil;
cover my eyes,
that they may see it no more;
sanctify my heart,
that evil may not dwell within me. 
Be You my God;   
be You my guide.
Wherever You lead me I will go;   
whatever You forbid me I will renounce;   
whatever You command me, in Your strength, I will do.   
Lead me, then,
unto the fullness of Your truth.
Amen
Cardinal Henry Edward Manning (1806-1892)
”Prayer a Day for Lent”o holy spirit of god - cardinal h e manning - 1808-1892 - prayer a day for lent - 15 feb 2018

 

 

 

 

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SACRAMENTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – The Memorial of St Claude de la Colombiere S.J. (1641-1682)

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Quote/s of the Day – 15 February – The Memorial of St Claude de la Colombiere S.J. (1641-1682)

“May the Heart of Jesus Christ be our school!
Let us make our abode there.
Let us study its movements
and attempt to conform ours to them.
Yes, O Divine Jesus, I want to live there.”

“When the Holy Spirit is in a soul,
He communicates Himself,
in one way or another.
We can say that He makes virtue contagious
and turns a simple faithful into an apostle.”may the heart of jesus christ be our school - st claude de la colombiere - 15 feb 2018

“God is in the midst of us, or rather,
we are in the midst of Him;
wherever we are, He sees us and touches us,
at prayer, at work, at table, at recreation.”god is in the midst of us - st claude de la colombiere - 15 feb 2018

“God is more honoured by a single Mass
than He could be by all the actions of angels
and men together, however fervent and heroic they might be.
Yet, how FEW hear Mass with the intention of giving God
this sublime honour!
How FEW think with joy on the glory a Mass gives to God.
How FEW rejoice to possess the means of honouring Him
as He deserves! . . .
If we only knew the treasure we hold in our hands!”

St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682)god-is-more-honoured-by-a-single-mass-st-claude - 15 feb 2017

“St Claude has been a dear friend of mine since I discovered his writings quite some years ago. . I count on his intercession. I turn to him when I feel my heart is tired and a little cold and distressed. This Saint of Hearts is a most willing guide leading us to the warmest Heart of Christ full of Mercy and Love.”

The Franciscan St John Wall O.F.M. (1620-1679) (Joachim of Saint Anne), who was martyred for the crime of being a Catholic priest near Redhill, Corcester, England on August 22nd, 1679, knew Saint Claude. After having spent a night in spiritual conversation with him, the soon–to–be martyr said,

“When I was in his presence I thought that I was dealing with Saint John returned to earth to rekindle that fire of love in the Heart of Christ.”

St John Wall O.F.M. (1620-1679)st-john-wall-on-st-claude.-15 feb 2018-when I was in his presence

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 4 February – The Memorial of Blessed Rabanus Maurus (776-856)

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Our Morning Offering – 4 February – The Memorial of Blessed Rabanus Maurus (776-856)

Veni Creator Spiritus
By Blessed Rabanus Maurus (776-856)

Come, Creator, Spirit,
come from Your bright heavenly throne,
come take possession of our souls
and make them all Your own.
You who are called the Paraclete,
best gift of God above,
the living spring,
the vital fire,
sweet christ’ning and true love. . . .
O guide our minds with Your best light,
with love our hearts inflame
and with Your strength,
which ne’er decays,
confirm our mortal frame.
Far from us drive our deadly foe,
true peace unto us bring
and through all perils lead us safe
beneath Your sacred wing.
Through You may we the Father know,
through You th’eternal Son
and You the Spirit of them both,
thrice-blessed Three in One. . . .Veni, Creator Spiritus - bl rabanus maurus - 4 feb 2018

Today, 4 February, us the Memorial of Blessed Rabanus Maurus.

Rabanus Maurus was a young boy who loved to study and became a disciple of the great Englishmen who brought learning and holiness to the kingdom of Charlemagne.   He was born in 784, when the Carolingian renaissance was at its height and his parents sent him to be educated at St Boniface’s great monastery of Fulda, which had a famous school.   So remarkable was he as a student that the Abbot of Fulda sent him to study under Charlemagne’s own schoolmaster, Alcuin, at Tours and it was under this teacher that he received the name Maurus, after St. Benedict’s favourite disciple.   On returning to Fulda, he was first a teacher, then head of the school there, which became famous all over Europe.

He continued the tradition of sacred learning begun by St Boniface and Alcuin.   He wrote homilies, scientific treatises, poetry, hymns and commentaries on most of the books of the Bible.   Like St Bede, he was the marvel of his time for his learning and was unequalled in his time for his scriptural and patristic learning.

In 822, Blessed Rabanus Maurus was elected abbot of Fulda and the monastery flourished under his guidance. He increased the library, built new buildings and fostered learning of every kind.  In 842, he retired, planning to live a life of prayer in solitude for the rest of his life.

In 847, he was chosen to be archbishop of Mainz, at the age of sixty-three and the last years of his life were spent directing the affairs of his diocese, holding provincial synods, and directing a multitude of charitable works.   During a famine, he fed three hundred poor people at his own house.   He became bedridden shortly before his death and from the moment of his death was regarded as a saint.

He was buried at the monastery of St Alban’s in Mainz but later his relics were transferred to Halle.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Thought for the Day – 27 January – The Memorial of St Angela Merici (1474-1540)

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Thought for the Day – 27 January – The Memorial of St Angela Merici (1474-1540)

“I ask you, Lord, to receive all my self-will
that by the infection of sin is unable to distinguish
good from evil.
Receive, O Lord, all my thoughts, words and deeds,
interior and exterior,
that I lay at the feet of your Divine Majesty.
Although I am utterly unworthy,
I beseech you to accept all my being.”

At Angela Merici’s death in 1540 she had started 24 groups.   St Charles Borromeo organised the Ursulines into a formal religious congregation and it was given papal approval in 1544.   Over the years the Ursulines have flourished as the oldest and one of the most respected of the church’s teaching orders.

To the long list of authorities Ursulines were to obey—Ten Commandments, Church, parents, civil laws—St Angela added “divine inspirations that you may recognise as coming from the Holy Spirit.”   A refreshing and liberating rule.   Also a dangerous one, for when it’s obeyed, the Holy Spirit may act in unexpected ways.

Innovation has always been a part of genuine sanctity.   New wineskins are often needed for the eternally new wine of the Gospel and the saints are not only holy but they are often creative geniuses as well – always, listening to the creative genius, the Holy Spirit!

St Angela Merici, pray for us!st angela merici pray for us no 2 - 27 jan 2018

Posted in ADVENT, JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 13 December – The Memorial of St Lucy (c 283-304)

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One Minute Reflection – 13 December – The Memorial of St Lucy (c 283-304)

Cast me not our of your presence and your Holy Spirit, take not from me….Psalm 51:13psalm 51 13

REFLECTION – “When the Holy Spirit is in a soul, He communicates Himself in one way or another.
We can say that He makes virtue contagious and turns a simple faithful into an apostle.”…St Claude de la Colombiere S.J. (1641-1682)when the holy spirit - st claude de la colombiere 1641-1682 - 13 dec 2017

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, grant that Your Holy Spirit may inspire me to be a true follower of Your Son.   May He dwell in me always and keep me ever on the path of holiness.   May the prayer of the virgin Martyr Lucy, support us, O Lord, so that with each passing year, we may celebrate her entry into life and finally see You face to face and greet her with joy.   Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever amen.st lucy - pray for us - 13 Dec 2017

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 21 October

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 October

“Take in one hand a sponge full of water
and in the other a little pebble – press them equally.
Nothing will come out of the pebble
but out of the sponge will come abundance of water.
The sponge is the soul filled with the Holy Spirit
and the stone is the cold and hard heart
which is not inhabited by the Holy Spirit.”

St John Vianney (1786-1859)take in one hand - st john vianney - 21 oct 2017

“To live according to the Holy Spirit
means to live by faith and hope and charity –
to allow God to take possession of our lives
and to change our hearts,
to make us resemble him more and more.”

St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)to live according - st josemaria - 21 oct 2017

“It is not the actual physical exertion that counts
towards one’s progress, nor the nature of the task
but by the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.”

St Francis Xavier (1506-1552)it is not - st francis xavier - 21 oct 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 21 October

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Our Morning Offering – 21 October

A Prayer for Enlightenment
St Alcuin of York (735-804)

Eternal light, shine into our hearts,
Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil,
Eternal Power, be our support,
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the
darkness of our ignorance,
Eternal Pity, have mercy on us;
that with all our heart
and mind
and soul
and strength,
we may seek Your Face
and be brought by Your infinite mercy
to Your Holy Presence;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord
Amen.a prayer for enlightenment - st alcuin - 21 oct 2017

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The HOLY GHOST, Uncategorized

Quote/s of the Day – 18 October – The Feast of St Luke the Evangelist

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 October – The Feast of St Luke the Evangelist

“The Church’s mission begins at Pentecost
“from Jerusalem” to expand “to the ends of the earth”.
Jerusalem does not mean just a geographical point.
Rather it signifies a focal point of salvation history.
The Church does not leave Jerusalem to abandon her
but to graft the pagan nations onto the olive tree of Israel.”the church's mission - 18 oct 2017

“We must abandon ourselves to the power of the Spirit,
who is able to infuse light and especially love for Christ;
we must open ourselves to the inner fascination that Jesus works
in the hearts of those who aspire to authenticity,
while fleeing from half measures.”

St John Paul on the Feast of St Luke, Padua 2000 at the Shrine of St Lukewe must abandon - st jp on the feast of st luke - 18 oct 2017

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 11 October – The memorial of St John XXIII (1881-1963)

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Our Morning Offering – 11 October – The memorial of St John XXIII (1881-1963)

OPENING PRAYER AT THE
2ND VATICAN COUNCIL (1962)
By St John XXIII

We stand before You, Holy Spirit,
conscious of our sinfulness,
but aware that we
gather in Your name.

Come to us, remain with us,
and enlighten our hearts.
Give us light and strength
to know Your will,
to make it our own and to
live it in our lives.

Guide us by Your wisdom,
support us by Your power,
for You are God, sharing the
glory of Father and Son.

You desire justice for all:
enable us to uphold the rights of others;
do not allow us to be misled by ignorance
or corrupted by fear or favour.

Unite us to Yourself in the bond of love
and keep us faithful to all that is true.

As we gather in Your name
may we temper justice with love,
so that all our decisions may be pleasing
to You and earn the reward promised to
good and faithful servants.
You live and reign with the Father
and the Son, One God, forever and ever.
Amen.opening prayer at the second vatican council - st john 23 - 11 oct 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 9 September

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Our Morning Offering – 9 September

Veni Creator
by Czeslaw Milosz

Come, Holy Spirit
bending or not bending the grasses,
appearing or not above our heads
in a tongue of flame, at hay harvest
or when they plough in the orchards
or when snow covers
crippled firs in the Sierra Nevada.
I am only a man:
I need visible signs.
I tire easily, building the stairway of abstraction.
Many a time I asked,
you know it well, that the statue in church
lift its hand, only once, just once, for me.
But I understand that signs must be human,
therefore, call one person,
anywhere on earth, – not me –
after all I have some decency – and allow me,
when I look at that person,
to marvel at YOU!

VENI CREATOR LARGERveni creator - st john paul

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 21 August – The Memorial of St Pope Pius X

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Our Morning Offering – August 21 – The Memorial of St Pope Pius X

Prayer for Union with the Holy Spirit
By St Pope Pius X

O Holy Spirit of Light and Love,
to You I consecrate my heart,
mind and will
for time and eternity.
May I be ever docile
to Your Divine inspirations
and to the teachings
of the Holy Catholic Church
whose infallible guide You are.
May my heart be ever inflamed
with the love of God and love of neighbour.
May my will be ever in harmony with Your Divine Will.
May my life faithfully imitate the life and virtues
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To Him,
with the Father,
and You, Divine Spirit,
be honour and glory forever.
Amen.

prayer for union with the Holy Spirit by St Pope Pius X

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 26 June

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Our Morning Offering – 26 June

Prayer to the Holy Spirit
by St Josemaria Escriva

Come, O Holy Spirit:
enlighten my understanding
to know Your commands;
strengthen my heart
against the wiles of the enemy;
inflame my will…
I have heard Your voice,
and I don’t want to harden my heart to resisting,
by saying ‘later… tomorrow.’
Nunc coepi! Now!
Lest there be no tomorrow for me!
O, Spirit of truth and wisdom,
Spirit of understanding and counsel,
Spirit of joy and peace!
I want what You want,
I want it because You want it,
I want it as You want it,
I want it when You want it.
Amen

prayer to the holy spirit by st josemaria

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, franciscan OFM, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 13 June

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Our Morning Offering – 13 June

O God, send forth Your Holy Spirit
By St Anthony of Padua

O God,
send forth Your Holy Spirit into my heart
that I may perceive,
into my mind that I may remember,
and into my soul that I may meditate.
Inspire me to speak with piety,
holiness, tenderness and mercy.
Teach, guide and direct my thoughts
and senses from beginning to end.
May Your grace ever help and correct me,
and may I be strengthened now
with wisdom from on high,
for the sake of Your infinite mercy. Amen

o god send forth your holy spirit

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 4 June 2017 – The Solemnity of Pentecost!

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Quote/s of the Day – 4 June 2017

“The Church of Christ is always,
so to speak, in a situation of Pentecost:
she is always gathered in the Upper Room in prayer
and at the same time,
driven by the powerful wind of the Spirit,
she is always on the streets preaching”……….St John Paul June 8, 2003

the church of christ-st john paul 2003

“The Pentecost of the Upper Room
in Jerusalem is THE BEGINNING
a beginning which endures.”……………Pope Francis – Pentecost 2013

Pentecost3

“Pentecost is the moment
when a heart of stone is
shattered and a heart of
flesh takes its place.”…………………Fr Raneiro Cantalamessa (Preacher to the Papal Household)

pentecost is the moment - fr raneiro cantalamessa

Posted in CATECHESIS, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST

Thought for the Day – 4 June

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Thought for the Day – 4 June

“If the damned were asked: Why are you in Hell? they would answer: ‘For having resisted the Holy Spirit.’
And if the saints were asked: Why are you in Heaven? they would answer: ‘For having listened to the Holy Spirit.’
When good thoughts come into our minds, it is the Holy Spirit who is visiting us.
The Holy Spirit is a power.
The Holy Spirit …. sustained the martyrs.  Without the Holy Spirit, the martyrs would have fallen like the leaves from the trees.  When the fires were lighted under them, the Holy Spirit extinguished the heat of the fire by the heat of divine love.
The good God, in sending us the Holy Spirit, has treated us like a great king who should send his minister to guide one of his subjects, saying,  “You will accompany this man everywhere and you will bring him back to me safe and sound.”
How beautiful it is, my children, to be accompanied by the Holy Spirit!
He is indeed a good Guide; and to think that there are some who will not follow Him!
The Holy Spirit is like a man with a carriage and horse, who should want to take us to Pans. We should only have to say “yes,” and to get into it.  It is indeed an easy matter to say “yes”!… Well, the Holy Spirit wants to take us to Heaven; we have only to say “yes,” and to let Him take us there.“…St John Vianney

“O Divine Spirit, draw us to the highest heaven where Jesus lives forever, interceding for us.   Come, fill our hearts with Your fire, show us the way to the Lord that we may find Him shining with beauty and love. Amen”

o divine spirit

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 4 June

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One Minute Reflection – 4 June 2017

“The Spirit of truth…remain with you and will be within you…….John 14:17

REFLECTION – The Holy Spirit does not remain inactive in us:  He wipes away sins, purifies hearts, revivifies the tepid and enlightens the ignorant.
His inspirations suggest to us what we ought and what we ought not to do.  There exists an infinite variety of His commandments…….St Anthony of Padua

the holy spirit does not remain inactive in us - st anthony of padua

PRAYER – Come, Holy Spirit, fill the heart of Your servant and kindle in me the fire of Your gifts! Be with me, in me and lead me to the light, amen.

may the holy spirit kindle in us all

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY GHOST

“VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS” (Come, Holy Spirit)

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“VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS” (Come, Holy Spirit)  – (chant – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pU34vUoO9g)
One of the most widely used hymns in the Church, Veni, Creator Spiritus, is attributed to Blessed Rabanus Maurus (776-856), Archbishop of Mainz.   It is commonly sung in the feast of Pentecost liturgy and other occasions when the Holy Spirit is solemnly invoked. The Veni Creator is also the official opening prayer for Church councils and synods.   A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who devoutly recite the hymn and a plenary indulgence if recited publicly in church on the 1st of January and on the feast of Pentecost.   There are many translations of this beautiful Hymn which all differ slightly just as the Holy Scriptures do in it’s various translations.

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God’s hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father, Thou
Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o’erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy 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 confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen

Veni,+Sancte+Spiritus.+Send+down+your+fire.+Veni,+Sancte+Spiritus

pentecoste_A.-DELLA-ROBBIA