A reflection by our Abbess, Mother Maria-Michael Newe, OSB, as the Church prepares for the celebration of Pentecost and prays, “Veni, Sancte Spiritus” (Come, Holy Spirit)
Abbey of St. Walburga Easter Vigil Mass
After Christ’s Resurrection, we hear that wonderful story about how He prepares a meal for his disciples on the shore of the lake, and tells them, “Come, have breakfast” (cf. John 21). After this, he asks Peter three times if he loves Him, and instructs him, “Follow me.” You would think that this would be enough for Peter, but of course he takes his eyes off of the Lord and sees John nearby, and has to ask, “Lord, what about him?” It makes me smile how patient the Lord is with Peter, and how He simply responds, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.”
There is such wisdom in considering this – that if we get so wrapped up in the lives of everybody else, we might just miss our own. Sometimes we get down with comparing ourselves with others, thinking, “He is more loved” or “She is more loved,” and we believe we’ve been left in the dust. Our love should be above that. What really matters is that we love. There is such happiness in doing that. What an incredible gift it is, and what a freedom. So rather than getting caught up with how much we are loved, perhaps we should change the question to ask how much we love? Others’ love for us may come and go, but our love doesn’t have to come and go. Our love can be stable. The best advice is to love God, and everything about Him. Peter was still turning around looking at everything else, but all he had to do was look at Jesus, and it would have been enough. Let us learn from Peter’s experience – sometimes the Scriptures are there to help us learn from others’ mistakes so we don’t have to make the same ones. So let us be at peace with whatever the Lord gives us in life, and be content knowing that we are beloved by God.
In this blessed time after Easter, as the Church receives another outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, I encourage everyone to pray a Novena (a prayer prayed for nine consecutive days) asking the Holy Spirit to pour His gifts into you in abundance, especially the gift of love – And believe that you’re going to get what you ask for. God is the “Creator Spirit,” and just as He is still creating new wonders in nature (have you heard about the new ocean being formed in Africa?!), He is still creating and re-creating you. I heard that Michelangelo would look at a block of marble and start chipping away, and only then see what was “in it.” The Holy Spirit is within us, and sees who we truly are, and chips away at everything that is not us – if we let Him. And the more He chips away, the more we become bearers of light. That is so key to the work of the Holy Spirit: Light. Light in every way. We can pray with Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit” (v. 12, 14). God is joy – let Him fill you completely with His joy. We can pray that every day: “Give me Your joy! Uphold me! Create me anew. Help me to follow You, that I may belong wholly to You.” This is the Benedictine vow of conversatio morum, our ongoing conversion. I pray this for everyone, that we might all be born anew each morning.
Evil wants to destroy life, but God wants to bring life – the world needs our witness to the power of re-creation today. And one of the most powerful gifts of the Holy Spirit is forgiveness. “[Jesus] said to the disciples, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:21-23). Every time we go to the sacrament of reconciliation, we receive this gift. Where there is unforgiveness, evil has an open door. If you want to experience the power of the Spirit, then forgive. Priests have the power to forgive us sacramentally, but we too get to participate in this healing power by forgiving another freely, mercifully, like Christ. It doesn’t mean that you will forget the wrongs done to you, or feel good when you think about the person, but forgiveness is an act of your will. Choose forgiveness, that you may release the captives in your own heart, and also be freed yourself.
We hear in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8), and I would add to that – “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God everywhere.” I hope that we are given new eyes to see God everywhere, and in everything, for that’s what it means to have a new heart. To be created anew is to see everything anew. Be new. God says in Revelation, “I will make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). Do you believe that? If you do, it will happen. As one of the saints said (I forgot where I read this), you will be like a house on fire. A soul afire with divine love is like a house on fire – when it is burning, everything inside is thrown out the windows. And so when a soul is consumed by the flame of divine love, it casts out all that is unnecessary, and concentrates on all that is eternal: only love.
I would like to leave you with these two Scripture verses:
“Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O breath, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.” (Ezekiel 37:9).
“The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily…and you shall be changed into another man” (1 Samuel 10:6)
Veni, Sancte Spiritus!
Translation of the Traditional Latin Squence for Pentecost
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.