After the Gospel, the Church gives us a liturgical hymn or what’s known as the Pentecost Sequence. The Pentecost Sequence is regarded as one of the greatest masterpieces of sacred poetry ever written. The hymn is about eight hundred years old and was inserted in the Roman Missal for Mass in the 16th century.
The four most popular sequences are Easter, Pentecost (Veni Sancte Spiritus), Corpus Christi, and All Souls Day. Most sequences were composed between the 11th and 13th centuries. They were written because in larger churches, the priest walked down the nave or the middle of the Church to chant the Gospel. That said, hymns were composed to help fill the time as he walked in procession to chant the Gospel.
The Pentecost Sequence is beautiful in that it begins subtly, then builds through the center with soaring notes, and finally sets us down gently at the end. In some sense, it is like a dove that takes off, soars, and then lands gently. The Pentecost Sequence typically sung at St. Therese was composed by Rob Glover!
Let’s take a closer look at the text of this beautiful hymn. It begins with four repetitions of, “Come!” We have “Come, Holy Spirit. Come Father of the Poor. Come, source of all our store! Come, within our bosom shine.”
The hymn is a prayer asking for the third Person of the Trinity to dwell in us with his radiant fruit. One of the most powerful prayers is, “Come, Holy Spirit.” You can say those three short words in all situations. “Come, Holy Spirit. Give me the words to say.” “Come, Holy Spirit. Give me courage.” “Come, Holy Spirit, help me to be patient.” The Holy Spirit will come to those who recognize their poverty, i.e., their need for God. The Holy Spirit is the source of all our gifts.
The hymn then captures a wide range of activities of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Comforter. Just as a comforter on your bed keeps you warm on a cold night, the Holy Spirit comforts you in moments of pain, trial, and suffering.
We also hear that the Holy Spirit is sweet refreshment. Many years ago, Gatorade came out with the slogan, “Quench your thirst.” The Holy Spirit is sweet refreshment as He quenches our infinite thirst for God.
We then have a beautiful line: “Grateful coolness in the heat.” The Holy Spirit is like shade or air conditioning for the soul. Many of you know the feeling of being outside on a hot summer day. It is refreshing to walk in a cool house to get a drink of water. The Holy Spirit provides coolness as the faithful labor in the Lord’s vineyard in the heat of the day.
In the hymn, we then hear this invocation: “And our inmost being fill!” Whereas the evil one empties, the Holy Spirit fills! In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the driving wind filled the house where the Apostles were (Acts 2:2). We then hear that they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). At the wedding feast of Cana, Jesus says to fill the jars with water (Jn 2:7), which will become wine – a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Those filled with the Holy Spirit also have the fruits of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul lists these fruits in his Letter to the Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
Further down in the hymn, we hear “Bend the stubborn heart and will.” This is a great line! The word stubborn means difficult to move or determined not to change. We are all aware of how challenging it is to deal with stubborn people. You can ask the Holy Spirit to soften not only people’s hearts, but your own heart as well! The Holy Spirit can soften the most stubborn hearts and wills.
Toward the end of the hymn, we hear: “And we confess you, evermore, in your sevenfold gift descend.” Here, we ask for the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Christ possesses these gifts in their fullness, and He shares them with the members of His Church. They were initially given to you in baptism and sealed in confirmation. Charity or love unlocks the potential power of these gifts. In short, they exist in different degrees in each person depending on his or her level of charity.
The hymn concludes by asking for salvation. It says, “Give them your salvation, Lord; Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.” By His paschal mystery, Christ has won salvation for you. But it is the Holy Spirit who brings that salvation to fulfillment in you. The Holy Spirit forgives both sin and guilt. The Holy Spirit enlightens minds, strengthens wills, inflames hearts, and conforms you with Christ. The Holy Spirit gives joys that never end!
“Come, Holy Spirit!” This prayer is so powerful and a favorite of the saints! May the Holy Spirit, the love of the Father and the Son, give you comfort, rest, coolness in the heat, healing, warmth, forgiveness, His sevenfold gifts, salvation and joys that never end!
~St. Thérèse, pray for us!