By Shannon, Assistant Coordinator of the Companions Program.
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 you have made.
To you the Comforter we cry
To you the gift of God Most High
The fount of life and fire of love
And souls anointing from above…
Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created…and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
~excerpt from the ancient hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus”~
I love this prayer, and these verses in particular. I love the images of the Spirit enfolding, embracing, surrounding. The Spirit resting, anointing, teaching.
My imagination stretches to before the First Dawn, to this Spirit hovering over primordial waters. Working with the Word and bringing order out of chaos. Hovering too, over Jesus at his baptism, bringing strength, witness, power and might. And, oh glorious mystery, this Spirit, at once in time and out of it, spanning the ages, hovering over us too, you and me.
These lines remind me that this Breath of Life finds us too, wherever we are: deep in the city, in our living rooms and cars and porches just as much as when we’re on the lake or walking the forests, or floating on the sea. Wherever we happen to be, this Comforter fills our spaces with presence, shelter, love and grace. Gifts of God Most High. Oh yes, I love this prayer.
Fill the hearts that you have made. Yes, fill us with your Presence, Courage, Strength, Love, Creativity, Joy, Silence, Exuberance. Come Holy Spirit!
Spirit-Bearers abound outside my living room window. I have only to glance across the road to the large park to see them. Yesterday, a mother walked a silly walk, moving hips and arms and fingers as her young son mimicked her. They took ages to cross the park, doubled over as they were with laughter. Spirit of Exuberance.
A week before, two teenagers sprawled on the grass, knees bent, arms outstretched seeing castles in the sky. Cell phones forgotten amid the grass, they surrendered to the awe of the shapes of clouds. Spirit of Joy, Creativity.
And most recently, a woman sat under the blossoming tree reading for hours. And a man took her place come evening, to enjoy the cool breeze. Spirit of Shelter, Comfort, Presence.
And soon it will be Pentecost. When Easter joy deepens for the world- when the Spirit descends upon all creation, filling us, imbuing us with the very life of God, radiating through all created beings into ever widening and deepening Praises of God’s Glory. Oh, come Holy Spirit!
When you look through your window, where do you see the Spirit moving?
