Second Meditation on the Holy Spirit
Beloved Holy Spirit, come You, the eternal and pure light and penetrate us, so that nothing can remain hidden from You, no shadow can live on in our soul, every darkness may go away and everything be inflamed by Your love. Awaken us from all inertia and purify our heart so that it may love as God loves; love as You love, so that You and I may be intimately united in the praise of the glory of God.
O God, create in me a pure heart, renew a right spirit within me. (Ps 51:10)
You, beloved Holy Spirit, are
“…intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, incisive, unsullied, lucid, invulnerable, benevolent, shrewd, irresistible, beneficent, friendly to human beings, steadfast, dependable, unperturbed, almighty, all-surveying, penetrating all intelligent, pure and most subtle!” (Wis 7:22-23)
When I hear this, beloved Holy Spirit, I think of my poor heart and see how many unnecessary worries still live in it, how scattered and unsettled it is, so easily vulnerable and often so hard, so blind and attentive to its own needs. And if I did not know that you were there and that you are ready to penetrate me in your purity to make me pure, then I would not know what to do with myself and with all my darkness, and would fall into my own abyss.
O God, create in me a pure heart, renew a right spirit within me.
But You are different from me! All the darkness of my heart does not exist in You, because You are light without any shadow, love without any limitation and – do you know what I love especially about You? You look for me, as you do for all people, You want to draw me, poor and unclean person, to You and create me anew according to the image of God. And you never get tired in your love! That is why I trust You more than myself, more than all other people, however kind they may be; because You penetrate everything and friendship with You is my real happiness.
O God, create in me a pure heart, renew a right spirit within me.
But, dear Holy Spirit, You are also demanding, as love is. You don’t want to be just an occasional guest who is then no longer noticed. No, you want to conquer me so that I want nothing more than to live in Your light. That is why You do not let up when I become lazy, when I no longer work properly on my heart, when I let myself go, when I overlook my voluntary imperfections, when I abandon myself to stupid and unnecessary thoughts and feelings, when I violate chastity, when I fill my heart with perishable goods, when I do not control myself and succumb to my unpleasant inclinations. Then you come, admonishing me, reminding me of the imperishable goods and instructing me that no precious stone is like you, every gold appears like sand and silver like clay. Then you remind me of your friend Paul, who looked on everything as filth if only he could gain Christ (cf. Phil 3:8).
O God, create in me a pure heart, renew a right spirit within me.
And when I listen to You, You put me back on my feet and thus all the fascination of the world disappears, “and in secret You teach me wisdom” (Ps 51:6). Then You lure me into silence to listen to You, and then again You send me out to proclaim the Father’s infinite love.
You know, beloved Holy Spirit, actually I want nothing else than to listen to You. Where should we go? You’ve already come to us. Let us go together so that the world may believe and Your light may shine in many hearts and make them pure. Then, O Holy Spirit, the Pentecost of Love will have come.
Harpa Dei accompanies the daily scriptural interpretation or spiritual teaching of Br. Elija, their spiritual father. These meditations can be heard on the following website www.en.elijamission.net
