His Litany to the Holy Spirit

In the hour of my distress,
When temptations me oppress,
And when I my sins confess,
   Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When I lie within my bed,
Sick in heart and sick in head,
And with doubts discomforted,
   Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the house doth sigh and weep,
And the world is drowned in sleep;
Yet mine eyes the watch do keep,
   Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the passing-bell doth toll,
And the furies in a shoal
Come to fright a parting soul,
   Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the tapers now burn blue,
And the comforters are few,
And that number more than true,
   Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the priest his last hath prayed,

And I nod to what is said, 

Because my speech is now decayed,

   Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When, God knows, I am tossed about,

Either with despair, or doubt;

Yes, before the glass be out,

   Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the tempter me pursuit

With the sins of all my youth,

And half damns me with untruth,

   Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the flames and hellish cries

Fright mine ears and fright mine eyes,

And all terrors me surprise,

   Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

When the Judgement is revealed,

And that opened which was sealed;

When to Thee I have appealed,

   Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

-- Robert Herrick (1591-1674), English poet and Anglican priest

Image: Stained glass window of the anointing of the sick from St. Timothy Catholic parish, Miami, FL

Veni Creator

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
lifts its hand, only once, just once, for me.
But I understand that signs must be human,
therefore call one man, anywhere on earth
not me—after all I have some decency—
and allow me, when I look at him, to marvel at you.

-Czeslaw Milosz (1911-2004), Nobel Prize winning Polish poet, exiled to the US

Prayer To the Holy Spirit

Lord Jesus, as God's Spirit came down and rested upon you,

May the same Spirit rest on us,
Bestowing his sevenfold gifts.

First, grant us the gift of understanding,
By which your precepts may enlighten our minds.

Second, grant us counsel, by which we may follow
in your footsteps on the path of righteousness.

Third, grant us courage,
by which we may ward off the enemy's attacks.

Fourth, grant us knowledge,
by which we can distinguish good from evil.

Fifth, grant us piety,
by which we may acquire compassionate hearts.

Sixth, grant us fear,
by which we may draw back from evil
and submit to what is good.

Seventh, grant us wisdom,
that we may taste fully the life-giving sweetness of your love.

-- St. Bonaventure (1221-1274), Italian Franciscan, theologian, and cardinal.

Prayer for the gift of the Holy Spirit

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.

--Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231), Portuguese priest and Franciscan

"For Years My Heart Inquired of Me"

Nakalele Blowhole, Maui

For years my heart inquired of me

                   Where Jamshid's sacred cup might be,

And what was in its own possession

                   It asked from strangers, constantly;

Begging the pearl that's slipped its shell

                   From lost souls wandering by the sea.

Last night I took my troubles to

                   The Magian sage whose keen eyes see

A hundred answers in the wine

                   Whose cup he, laughing, showed to me.

I questioned him, "When was this cup

                   That shows the world's reality

Handed to you?" He said, "The day

                   Heaven's vault of lapis lazuli

Was raised, and marvelous things took place

                   By Intellect's divine decree,

And Moses' miracles were made

                   And Sameri's apostasy."

He added then, "That friend they hanged   

                   High on the looming gallows tree—

His sin was that he spoke of things

                   Which should be pondered secretly,

The page of truth his heart enclosed

                   Was annotated publicly.

But if the Holy Ghost once more

                   Should lend his aid to us we'd see

Others perform what Jesus did—

                   Since in his heartsick anguish he

Was unaware that God was there

                   And called His name out ceaselessly."

I asked him next, "And beauties' curls

                   That tumble down so sinuously,

What is their meaning? Whence do they come?"

                   "Hafez," the sage replied to me,

"It's your distracted, lovelorn heart

                   That asks these questions constantly."

--Hafiz of Shiraz (1310-1390), one of the greatest Persian lyric poets, translated by Dick Davis

Great Spirit Prayer

Oh, Great Spirit, 
Whose voice I hear in the winds 
and whose breath gives life to all the world. 
Hear me! I need your strength and wisdom. 
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes 
ever hold the red and purple sunset. 
Make my hands respect the things you have made 
and my ears sharp to hear your voice. 
Make me wise so that I may understand 
the things you have taught my people. 
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden 
in every leaf and rock. 

Help me remain calm and strong in the 
face of all that comes towards me. 
Help me find compassion without 
empathy overwhelming me. 
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, 
but to fight my greatest enemy: myself. 
Make me always ready to come to you 
with clean hands and straight eyes. 
So when life fades, as the fading sunset, 
my spirit may come to you without shame. 

- Lakota, translated by Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark in 1887

O Comforting Fire of Spirit

O comforting fire of Spirit,
Life, within the very Life of all Creation.
Holy you are in giving life to All. 

 Holy you are in anointing
those who are not whole;
Holy you are in cleansing
a festering wound.

O sacred breath,
O fire of love,
O sweetest taste in my breast
which fills my heart
with a fine aroma of virtues.

O most pure fountain
through whom it is known
that God has united strangers
and inquired after the lost.

O breastplate of life
and hope of uniting
all members as One,
O sword-belt of honor,
enfold those who offer blessing.

Care for those
who are imprisoned by the enemy
and dissolve the bonds of those
whom Divinity wishes to save.

O mightiest path which penetrates All,
from the height to every Earthly abyss,
you compose All, you unite All.

Through you clouds stream, ether flies,
stones gain moisture,
waters become streams,
and the earth exudes Life.

You always draw out knowledge,
bringing joy through Wisdom's inspiration.

Therefore, praise be to you
who are the sound of praise
and the greatest prize of Life,
who are hope and richest honor
bequeathing the reward of Light.

--Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) German abbess, composer, musician, theologian, mystic, and poet

Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, bestowing life unto life,

moving in All.

You are the root of all creatures,

washing away all impurity,

scouring guilt,

and anointing wounds. 

Thus you are luminous and praiseworthy, Life,

awakening, and re-awakening all that is.

--Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) German abbess, theologian, musician, and poet

The Wind Will Show Its Kindness

A man

born blind can easily

deny the magnificence of a vast landscape.

He can easily deny all the wonders he cannot

smell, taste, or hear.

But one day the wind will show its kindness

and remove the tiny patches that

cover your eyes,

and you will see God more clearly

than you have ever seen

yourself.

Meister Eckhart (ca 1260-ca 1328) German mystic, poet, theologian, and philosopher, from Love Poems From God: Twelve Sacred Voices from East and West, ed. by Daniel Ladinsky.

View across Yosemite Valley to Bridal Veil Falls, 2011.

Veni Creator

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
lifts its hand, only once, just once, for me.
But I understand that signs must be human,
therefore call one man, anywhere on earth,
not me—after all I have some decency—
and allow me, when I look at him, to marvel at you.

--Czeslaw Milosz (1911-2004) Polish poet and emigre, translated by Czeslaw Milosz and Robert Pinsky

Photos:
1)Angel statue in Christ Church Cathedral, where I and my friends Maria and Andrew were ordained to the priesthood one year ago today. The Veni Creator Spiritus was sung at our ordination.
2) Andrew, Maria, and I on our ordination night.

The Bat

I was reading about rationalism,
the kind of thing we do up north
in early winter, when the sun
leaves work for the day at 4:15.

Maybe the world is intelligible
to the rational mind;
and

maybe we light the lamps at dusk
for nothing...

Then I heard wings overhead.

The cats and I chased the bat
in circles-- living room, kitchen,
pantry, kitchen, living room...
At every turn it evaded us

like the identity of the third person
of the Trinity: the one
who spoke through the prophets,
the one who astounded Mary
by suddenly coming near.

--Jane Kenyon (1947-1995), American poet and translator, from Collected Poems, 2005

Benediction- Fruits of the Spirit (Pentecost)

May the true God of all things, who sent forth the Holy Spirit upon the apostles in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, send the Spirit now upon you, to guard you and impart to you her bounty, that the fruits of the Spirit--

love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
generosity,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
and self-control--

may be yours, this day and forever.

Amen.

-- adapted from Cyril of Jerusalem, from Prayers for All Occasions

Photo of a window from St. Martin's Church, Ellisville