August. The Holy Ghost.
We may during this month take up the devotion to the Holy Ghost.
This devotion to the Holy Spirit should be the chief of all devotions, because it was the first that was ever celebrated, and that by no less devout worshippers than the holy apostles and the most holy Mary in the upper room at Jerusalem. It is one which is growing in the hearts of the people, because so much depends for our sanctification on the influence of the graces bestowed on us by God the Holy Ghost. Faith teaches us that the Holy Ghost is the love which the Father and the Son bear one to the other; and therefore the gift of love which the Lord infuses into our souls, and which is the greatest of all gifts, is attributed to the Holy Ghost. St. Paul says, “The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Who is given to us.”—Rom. v. 5.
The Holy Ghost, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son is called a fire, because His action in our souls purifies us from sin and fills us with divine love. As the action of fire may be said to be irresistible, it is right that the Holy Ghost be represented by that symbol, since He was to give spirit and wisdom to Christians, which all their adversaries should not be able to resist or gainsay.
If we observe the commandments of God, the Holy Spirit will abide with us to enlighten our minds and strengthen our wills, and give us grace to follow Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will give us an increase of devotion towards the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and the sacrifice of the Mass, and will pour the charity of God into our hearts.
Considerations and Prayers for Every Day.
First Day.
Be devout to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. His presence is everywhere, and [pg 331] His power is manifested in all things. His office in the Church is that of lifegiver, and in our souls He is the perfect illumination of the intellect. Without this strength the intellect may be cultivated, but it will be cold and dim. The errors of our mind, its low vices and fragmentary opinions, its distorted judgments, unfounded propositions, and shallow conception of the nature of things, are all defects traceable to our carelessness in the devotion to the Holy Ghost. A pious person devoted to the worship of the Holy Spirit will naturally know God's will and follow it. The degree of his explicit knowledge will still depend on natural gifts and their due cultivation; but with the docility of the heart and the influence of the Holy Ghost, there will dawn on his mind a knowledge which is often superior to that acquired by the intellect alone. Before and after your actions seek light from this divine Teacher, and in all your daily life continue in the consciousness of your dependence on the Holy Ghost.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let Us Pray.
O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of Thy Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Holy Spirit to relish what is right, and ever to rejoice in His consolation, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Second Day.
St. Edward was one day waiting, in a school at Paris, for the arrival of his scholars. He was about to expound to them the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Being tired he fell into a slumber, in which he had a dream. He saw a dove descending towards him; it bore on its back the sacred Host, and laid it on his lips. When he awoke he went to the lecture-room, and began his discourse; all who heard him were struck by the sweetness and clearness of his explanations. It was the devotion to the Holy Ghost that gave a newness and a charm to all he said, and impressed itself not only on his hearers, but also on himself, so that he became full of the unction and fire of the Spirit of God. We will not be disappointed if we solicit the interest of the Holy Ghost in our behalf. In all our work let us look first to this Light of God, which illumines every soul coming into this world, and our actions will be for the glory of God, our minds will become energetic through the purification of our motives, and our whole life will take on a new exterior of humility and perfection.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Third Day.
The Holy Ghost is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity: this is one of the dogmas of the Christian religion; it is the foundation of our holy faith. In God there are three divine persons, [pg 333] the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Each person, among created intelligences, is a distinct and a separate unity, complete, entire in itself, but by its limitation making only one individual. But in God the three divine persons have one distinct mode of subsistence, for each possesses in common the whole divine essence. The substance of God belongs to each of the three divine persons. Therefore we say that there are three divine persons in God, not three individuals; for an individual would signify a distinct nature. Accordingly, the Athanasian creed declares, “Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.” The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but only one God. In speaking of the nature of God's being, we find ourselves necessarily beyond the power of reasoning; we only know that the infinite God is one in essence and three in person.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Fourth Day.
The Holy Ghost is God, one of the three divine persons, as is evident from the Scriptures. The Holy Ghost is joined with the Father and the Son, and therefore He really exists and is called God. All the divine attributes are given Him: omnipresence, omnipotence, and justice. He is therefore God, and proceeds from the Father and the Son; He is the Spirit of God, and also the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Ghost proceeds [pg 334] from the Father and the Son as the breath of the life of intelligence and love. “Because you are sons, God hath sent the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father.”—Gal. iv. 6. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will teach you all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself: but whatsoever things He shall hear He shall speak: ... He shall glorify Me: because He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it to you. All things whatsoever the Father hath, are Mine. Therefore I said: that He shall receive of Mine, and show it to you.”—John xvi. 13-15.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Fifth Day.
We cannot understand the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. We cannot understand the persons of the Blessed Trinity, neither the Father, the Son, nor the Holy Ghost; they are infinite. Still we can think of the Blessed Trinity, and guided by what we know through revelation and theology, try to go still further and discover more of the glory surrounding it. One person of the Holy Trinity is as great as the other; there is really no first nor second in dignity or power. There is, however, a marvellous order in the unity of the Trinity, thus expressed in the creed of St. Athanasius: “The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. The Son is from the Father alone, not made nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is from the Father and the Son, not made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding.” Thus the Holy Trinity exists from all eternity, supremely [pg 335] happy in itself, not needing anything exteriorly to assist in its existence.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Sixth Day.
God begets His Son by knowledge; the Son is the knowledge of the Father, but the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son by way of love. The Father and the Son, by an act of supreme natural love breathe forth the co-eternal Spirit. The Spirit proceeds from both, the pledge of their mutual affection, and the expression of infinite beatitude. The Father loves the Son with such an infinite love as to breathe forth a divine Spirit through His Son. As St. Bernard says, the Spirit is the sacred kiss of the Father and the Son in their imperturbable peace, their firm coherence, their undivided love, their indivisible unity. The Son proceeds from the Father as the ray from the sun; the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son as the heat from the ray and the sun. The Son as the word, the Holy Ghost as the breath; the Son as the river from the fountain; the Holy Ghost as the lightning from the cloud. These expressions hardly convey what is meant, because the ray is smaller than the sun; while in God the ray is equal, the heat is consubstantial with its source. The word says all, the breath is real, the fire burns always and is never extinguished.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Seventh Day.
It will be part of the beatitude of the saints to know something of this generation and procession of the Holy Ghost; they will be filled with gladness inexpressible in the sight of God. They will see God as He is; in their contemplation they will rise higher and higher, and by their studies know more and more of God. As we are charmed with the beauties of knowledge, the attraction of literature, so we will feel greater happiness as we study the being of God in all its depths. “O the depths of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways!”—Rom. xi. 33. The Church, in the office and Mass of the feast of the most Holy Trinity repeats the same words, as the expression of her awe and adoration in the presence of the infinitely unsearchable ways of God in the Trinity. In adoring this life of God, for life it is indeed, we are overwhelmed with awe, and are but able in our astonishment to cry out with the Church, “O Blessed Trinity!”
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Eighth Day.
The Holy Trinity does all the work exterior to itself by the joint power of all; for the persons of God cannot be separated from the one God. There are certain things which in our human mind we ascribe more to one person than to the other, but all the divine persons must necessarily be participants [pg 337] in the work of each. For example, the creation is ascribed to the Father, because it seems to be a parental act to call something into existence, and so we say God the Father created us. God the Son redeemed us, and God the Holy Ghost sanctifies us. And still we read that in the creation, “The Spirit of the Lord moved over the waters,” meaning that God the Father was not only or singly engaged in the creation, but that the other divine persons participated also. The same way, in the creation of man, all the divine persons were engaged in this important work of God's power. Human beings were to know God, and to become the temples of the Holy Ghost; and consequently the Holy Ghost had early in the creation to show His co-operation.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Ninth Day.
Hence, in the beginning of the world, God created a man, framing his body out of clay and dust, but giving him a living soul by breathing upon him. It was the Spirit of God that gave that soul the touch of life and immortality. There is a wonderful similarity between that breathing into man at his creation, and the time when, after the resurrection, the Lord appeared to the apostles and breathed on them, saying: “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” St. Athanasius says, “First by the Word of God, man was made. And the Lord breathed into him the Spirit of life, and confirmed him with a participation of His Spirit. The same God confers His Spirit on His [pg 338] disciples, that we may be renovated in the same Spirit in Whom we first were made.” No doubt both the natural life, the life of the body, and also the supernatural life, the love of God and participation in His glory, were granted by the Holy Ghost at the creation.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Tenth Day.
The Holy Ghost infuses into our hearts sanctifying grace, by which we become pleasing to God, and we can call Him Our Father. What a great grace this is—to be pleasing to God! We had sinned and had become aliens to God's kindness and grace. We did not live a simple, natural life, for our existence was sinful after the fall of Adam and Eve. But the Holy Spirit came again into our hearts, and we were created new beings. The old scars of sin and condemnation disappeared, and our present supernatural condition is nobler, perhaps, than was the condition of Adam before his fall. It was this consideration which caused the Fathers of the Church, and the Church herself, in her paschal song of the “Exultet,” to exclaim, “O happy fault, which gave the occasion to almighty God to rescue us from eternal death, and to give us new life, in the resurrection of the Lord.” Great, then, is the love of the Holy Ghost for us. He wishes to claim us as His temples.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Eleventh Day.
We are, therefore, different from Adam; since the Fall our condition has been changed. Adam at his creation was constituted in the state of grace, placed in that blessed condition by the goodness of the Holy Ghost. The justice which Adam received was the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the soul, which illuminated his mind to such a degree that he not only understood the things about him, but it also gave him a sight of heaven itself, and the perfections of God. Hence Adam, the pure creature, grand and noble as he was, created and gifted by almighty God, was a favored being indeed, and all mankind after him. For we also are created by God, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us by Baptism, and therefore are children of God by a still greater reason than Adam was. The power of the Holy Ghost has thus been displayed in the creation of man, in the continuation of his existence, and in all his work up to the present time.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twelfth Day.
By Adam's disobedience his glory and greatness were swept away. The presence of the Holy Ghost was forfeited, and in His place reigned ignorance, weakness, and passion. Man not only ignored God, but fell deeper and deeper into a degrading ignorance until he lived a life not far removed from the brute. Man became so weak and unreliable that [pg 340] even if ignorance was removed by education, his will was subject to the allurements of interest and passion. Terrible confusion ensued in the ages after the fall of Adam and Eve. But God had mercy on the human race, and promised a Redeemer, by Whom we were to regain salvation. Instead of falling a prey to the devil after death, man had a means of reinstating himself in the mercy and goodness of God, for, as the Apostle says in his first epistle to Timothy: “God will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of truth.” We should appreciate highly this work of our redemption. Mankind could do nothing of itself. It deserved to die, and share with the evil spirits eternal damnation, but through the mercy of God it was not consumed.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Thirteenth Day.
Our justification comes from Christ's redemption, by the operation of the Holy Ghost. “But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of Our God.”—1 Cor. vi. 11. It is still the operation of the Holy Ghost which brings comfort to our souls. Since the Fall, the Spirit of God has assisted every man that came into the world, so that there never yet was a soul which had not sufficient grace to escape from eternal death, if it only had fidelity to correspond with it. Even heathens may, according to the mercy of God, find the means ready at hand by which to be saved. Every soul is created [pg 341] in the likeness of God; the light of reason shining in the soul is a means of salvation, the whole world reveals the existence of God. Every living soul in the order of nature, then, has the illumination of God's grace, and by the light of conscience, which is reason, can rightly exercise its will in the performance of duty. “We hope in the living God, Who is the Saviour of all men,” and especially of the faithful. The work of the Holy Ghost, even in the order of nature that is outside of the Church, is going on, giving to all men grace to be saved.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Fourteenth Day.
When the disciples returned to Jerusalem, after the ascension of Our Lord, they chose for their habitation the cenacle in which the Last Supper had taken place. There they spent the eight days previous to the feast of Pentecost, in a retreat of prayer and meditation. There they waited patiently for the realization of the promise made by Our Lord, that the Paraclete would come. Their souls were filled with that peace which the Lord had given them; they had learned the lesson of charity and submission, they had now one heart and one mind. No doubt, with them in prayer, were Mary the Mother of Jesus and the pious women who also were to receive the Holy Spirit. What a consolation was not the presence of Mary to the apostles! She was now their Mother; Christ Himself desired that she should be their comfort. The apostles loved the [pg 342] Mother of Jesus, consulted her about the future of the Church, and no doubt learned from her the secrets of divine love that filled her soul, learned from her the love that Jesus bore to His holy Church. They honored her with reverence, because she was the Mother of Him Whom they now knew to be God. It was the beginning of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin—a devotion which has continued in the Church ever since with unabated ardor.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Fifteenth Day.
The apostles persevered in prayer in the holy cenacle. They had learned the necessity of prayer from Our Lord Himself. He inculcated it by command and example, and now they put His precepts into execution; they made prayer the chief preparation for the coming of the Holy Ghost. God was present among them, and heard them, for they were assembled in the name of Jesus. These long hours of supplication penetrated heaven and filled the earth with consolation; bringing upon them the graces and benedictions of Jesus. They had time to enter into themselves, and to cure their souls of the weakness of human nature. They had much cause for anxiety. What a battle, and apparently what a hopeless battle, was before them! They were to preach to the world; to conquer and to teach it the maxims of the Christian religion. They knew that the world was not willing to receive the Gospel, and yet they had to observe the injunction of Our Lord, [pg 343] to teach all nations, and to command them to observe all that Christ had taught. The apostles were filled with a great love for the salvation of mankind, and in the cenacle they began to be apostles of prayer, by which they were to be victorious over all difficulties.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Sixteenth Day.
At length the retreat of the apostles was over; they were still assembled in that upper room, the time for the appearance of the Holy Spirit had arrived, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity was to come in His sevenfold power to dwell in the Church of God forever, as well as in the hearts of all its faithful members. The Holy Ghost came like a mighty wind, and filled the whole house, and descended on those present in the form of fiery tongues. How devoutly did they receive the Holy Spirit! With what acts of adoration did they greet the visible presence of the great Comforter, the Paraclete, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity! For this they had been waiting and praying, for this they had remained away from the distractions of the world, so that they might undisturbed feel the power of God in themselves. The Holy Ghost came in the form of tongues of fire, the same fire of which Our Lord spoke when He exclaimed, “I am come to send fire on the earth, and what is My will but that it be kindled?” It was the fire of charity—the charity of Christ, by which we endeavor to save our souls, and the souls of others.
[pg 344]Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Seventeenth Day.
The Holy Ghost appeared under the form of tongues of fire, to show us that out of charity we should raise our voice in the propagation and defence of truth. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit obliges us to correct others, and to lead them gently on in the way of salvation. Not only had the apostles this obligation, but the priest must preach, the father and the mother instruct their children, and the master guide those under him. It is this sacred fire that will make the faithful listen with respect to their pastors, and practise their religion; children will be induced to be docile to their parents, and subjects will be respectful to those in authority. This burning fire will purify all men, for the fire of divine love has a power to consume the gnawing vices of selfishness, indolence, and jealousy; it will burn up the materials on which our passions feed.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Eighteenth Day.
The apostles were certainly in a worthy condition to receive the Holy Ghost; they received Him in His fulness, and the effects of His coming were soon manifest in them. They could no longer contain themselves in silence in that upper chamber; [pg 345] they were compelled to give utterance to the truth. They received the gifts of the Holy Ghost, gifts which are the result of the enlightenment coming from the Spirit of God. We do not receive the Holy Ghost in the form of fiery tongues at Confirmation, but we receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord. Let us see what these gifts are, that we may know that we possess them, and by our study develop them, that they may not remain idle in our souls. We must stir up the grace that is in us; we must, during this month, pray that these gifts may find opportunities for exercise. The apostles showed in their lives that these gifts were theirs in all perfection. In a lesser or greater degree we may possess them also, for these virtues should be in every Christian soul as a result of the visitation of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Nineteenth Day.
The gift of understanding enables us to appreciate the beauty of all revealed truths. It is not like faith, by which we implicitly accept God's revelation, but it gives us the reasons for making an act of faith; it will show us that our faith is true, because it shows us on what foundation the truth rests. Even after Our Lord's resurrection the disciples showed that they did not understand what they had been told. They did not understand the Scriptures, for Our Lord had to upbraid the apostles [pg 346] for their incredulity and hardness of heart. Did He not reproach the two disciples returning to Emmaus with a slowness of understanding, because they were still wavering in the faith of the crucified Jesus? The apostles needed the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, in order to comprehend the Scriptures and the prophecies made concerning their Master. The gift of understanding shows us the necessity of virtues in ourselves, so that we may be willing to study them and to acquire them; it shows us the goodness of others and makes us appreciate their labors; it gives us insight into the order of things, that we may submit ourselves to authority and be docile to the teachings of the Church.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twentieth Day.
The gift of wisdom is a superior discernment of good and evil; it gives men a real taste and predilection for all that is good and holy, all that is connected with God and divine things; it turns their eyes to God, and teaches them to look at everything from God's point of view. It makes them love prayer, recollection, good conversation, and good reading. This is a great gift of the Holy Ghost, and one that seems to prefigure our predestination, because it places before our minds so vividly the necessity of doing good in order to go to heaven. How little of this heavenly wisdom do we generally possess! Wise enough are we in the ways of the world; we know how to make money, and to [pg 347] hoard it up; but we care little how to gain spiritual treasures. Do we not class ourselves with the children of the world by our smartness in gathering earthly goods? Our Lord said the children of the world were wiser in their generation than the children of light. He praises them, not to have us imitate them, but to put us on our guard against the false wisdom which is so easily acquired. The apostles, in the beginning of their election to the apostolic life, had not that heavenly wisdom, for they had very worldly ideas about the kingdom which they thought Jesus was to establish on earth.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-first Day.
Knowledge is the possession of truth. When our mind is well stored with information we are said to have knowledge. The same may be said of spiritual knowledge, only it refers to spiritual things. We have knowledge, then, in a spiritual sense, when we put together our experiences and draw practical conclusions from them—when we realize that God created the world, and that we were created to save our souls. Hence we ought to use the world, not for our own exclusive enjoyment, nor for the purpose of amassing wealth, but for the greater glory of God. We know that we were placed on the earth, intelligent beings, to praise and serve God. It was in virtue of this knowledge that St. Ignatius declared that all the world around him recalled God to him. We too must see God in all [pg 348] things, and never lose sight of the end of our creation; those who love the world for its own sake cannot love God; we cannot serve God and Mammon; we know from our own bitter experience that as soon as we love the world, we have lost the love of God, and without the love of God it is impossible to go to heaven. The absence of this spiritual knowledge makes us impatient because we have not all the things we want, and we resist His holy will.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-second Day.
The gift of counsel contains all that is good in human prudence, and much more. It leads us always to pause and to turn our thoughts to God before we act; we avoid precipitation, rashness, and inconsiderate impulses. It makes us calm and deliberate, and teaches us never to act in any important matter without seeking guidance from God. This gift also shows us that it is God's will to run counter to what the world considers prudent. So Abraham did when he left his home at God's command, and went to the land which God chose for him, where the people of God were to live together and he was to be their spiritual as well as their real father. So David, when a poor boy, went out at God's command to fight the giant, armed only with a stone and sling. Judith was moved by the same impulse when she went to the camp of Holofernes, and brought his head back into the city. It is also our duty that when we know the will of God we do it generously, no [pg 349] matter what difficulties may beset our paths. The gift of counsel will also put into our mouth that encouragement for others which will help them to lead a life of virtue and patience, remembering that the trials of life last but a short time.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-third Day.
The Holy Ghost also infuses into our soul the gift of piety—that loyal, tender, filial affection towards God as Our Father. “You have received,” says St. Paul, “the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry: Abba, Father.”—Rom. viii. 15. By this sacred gift we forget ourselves and cling only to God, Who is our support and help. We love God, and serve Him with alacrity, because He is Our Father in heaven. If I am a son of God, loyal to my Father in heaven, every act of mine, every thought, is centred in Him. Such was the intense love of the apostles for Our Lord; from the time when He chose them, the virtue of piety was implanted in them, though it was only perfected after the death of Christ. It was after the ascension of Our Lord, when the Holy Spirit had fully inspired this virtue in their souls, that they began to have a filial affection towards Our Lord, a keen attachment of love and affection. Do we realize the meaning of the gift of piety? We ought to be anxious to possess this virtue, because it makes the burden of the service of God easy: “where there is love, there is no labor.”
[pg 350]Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-fourth Day.
The gift of fortitude is necessary in some degree to one who is anxious to save his soul. All Christians are called on, at some time or other, to endure in the practice of their religion things for which mere human courage will not suffice. Those who desire a high place in heaven have a hard struggle before them, a struggle which would be beyond the power of many of us if we did not rely on the Holy Ghost. The gift of fortitude is the power to be strong of soul as the athlete is strong of body; for as a man hardens and develops his frame by all sorts of physical exercises, so also should the soul develop the good that is in her—which is the highest good—by spiritual exercises. Of her own power she is not able to do great things, but by the work of God the Holy Ghost she can do them. We can bear heavy sorrows with patience and resignation; we can rise out of vices and evil habits by means of fortitude, when without this virtue we would remain slaves of Satan. How pusillanimous were the apostles in the beginning of their apostolic career; there was a disgraceful weakness exhibited at the Passion of Our Lord. Peter denied Our Lord, and the rest fled and hid themselves.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-fifth Day.
The gift on which we wish to meditate to-day in honor of the giver, the Holy Ghost, is the fear of the Lord. Remember that it is said that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; we need then this holy gift, that by it we may remain in subjection and reverence to the adorable majesty of God. We acknowledge our littleness and leave ourselves entirely in the hands of God; we are afraid of committing sin, we are cautious, lest by an act or thought we may offend almighty God; we are careful to submit ourselves to His holy will; we see our faults, and we lament that we are so full of sin, when we ought, with His grace, to improve in His service. We must stand in dread of the Judgment and also of ourselves, because we fall so readily into sin that we know not whether we are worthy of love or hatred from almighty God; but when we fall it is our own fault, for we depend too much on ourselves; we are wicked because we prefer evil to good, and would rather serve the devil than God. Let us learn this salutary fear of God, and acquire a delicacy of conscience.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-sixth Day.
We have now meditated on the gifts of the Holy Ghost. We see how generous the adorable Spirit is. He is constantly giving Himself and yet is never exhausted, so that we are rich indeed by the goodness of the Holy Ghost. Our mind is enlightened, [pg 352] and we pray to the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and to enkindle in them the fire of divine love. Before all our actions we call on the sacred Spirit to help us, so that our actions may be done well, an honor to God and a source of merit to ourselves. On the feast of Pentecost we celebrate other gifts: as the gift of “language,” which is the means by which the Gospel is spread all over the world. Again was given by the Holy Ghost the gift of “healing.” The first Christians were able to work miracles. We have lost confidence; had we the same strong faith many wonders would also happen at our bidding.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-seventh Day.
The Holy Ghost has also other gifts in store for us, gifts which are called fruits—as if from this divine tree were growing a variety of different virtues, diffused from united efforts. There must be some result from this expenditure of power, and when we are good Christians we will certainly enjoy these gifts and fruits: they will grow on the tree of the Holy Ghost and will be reproduced in our hearts. These fruits are twelve in number: Charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, long-suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity. Charity is a love and kindness towards all mankind; we love all the members of the human family and we are interested in their welfare; we are continually searching for means to help them, and all for the one purpose: the good of their immortal [pg 353] souls. By this virtue we are moved to share our goods with others, contenting ourselves with what is necessary. Another beautiful fruit of the Holy Ghost is eternal joy. Our souls are continually rejoicing in God, Who is our great reward.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-eighth Day.
Peace is a gift of the Holy Ghost, somewhat similar to joy; if we have peace nothing can disturb our soul; even if we are afflicted we are not out of humor, for we see that it is the will of God, Who is our kind Father, and that everything is for our special benefit. We are at peace with our fellow-creatures, for we are not actuated by inordinate ambition, nor by grasping avarice, so that we are loved by all. Patience is a gift of the Holy Spirit by which we endure the ills of the flesh without a murmur and with resignation. What a beautiful virtue and gift we have in this. We love the virtue in others, and we must endeavor to possess it also in ourselves, so as to be a spectacle of patience to men and angels. With benignity, goodness, and mildness, we meet others and charm them with our kindness; they are virtues that result from the thorough practice of charity; it is the combination of these virtues that makes true Christian politeness. What a beautiful world this would be if every one in it would be imbued with these sentiments.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Twenty-ninth Day.
Faith is a holy gift of trust in God, in His holy revelation, in the Church, her precepts and teaching, her discipline, and her devotions. We realize and form our conduct on these matters of faith, so that they become the foundation of our hope and our consolation in trials. God becomes to us a living reality, not a vague speculation; and the Church the representative of God on earth, the spouse of Jesus Christ. The just man lives by faith and in the faith; he is full of the trust, the justice, and the mercy of God. Modesty is a fruit of the possession of the Holy Ghost, because by it we are retired, unassuming, caring nothing for the show and allurements of the world. Prayer, meditation, and pious reading should be our favorite occupations, in which we would find a great deal of pleasure; our duties would be well performed, because we would set our whole mind on them in all the quietness of our soul. Continency and chastity are also the result of the presence in our soul of the Holy Spirit; we abhor the pleasures of sensuality, and keep ourselves pure from all contamination, according to the state of life which we have chosen or in which we find ourselves.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Thirtieth Day.
The fruits and gifts of the Holy Ghost may be easily seen in the effects the apostles experienced at the coming of the Paraclete. As we noticed, [pg 355] the apostles were rather worldly in their perceptions of the divine intentions; they manifested their frailty in many ways during the life of Christ, so that they were even publicly rebuked by Our Lord. But now they have become apostolic men; they love poverty, and are content to work at their humble trade in order not to be a burden on the newly made converts. As St. Peter asserts, “He desired the money of no man.” They love sufferings, from which they had so often shrank before. They understand that to suffer for Christ was great glory and consolation—they who before had been narrow, selfish, and ready to condemn others, now become full of charity to all the world. Into their heart the Spirit of love has descended, and their motto becomes charity towards others. The charity of Christ is the one motive of all they think and do.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.
Thirty-first Day.
We see another great change in the apostles by means of the presence of the Holy Ghost; they surprise us by the bold stand they take before the Jewish authorities. We know they were timid and cowardly at the apprehension of Our Lord, and were almost scandalized at His death on the cross. Now they challenge the Jews with a freedom of speech that the chief priests are unable to explain; they face the wrath of the Jewish council, the Sanhedrim; and undismayed they say: “Judge for yourselves if it be just in the sight of God to hear you, rather than [pg 356] God.” If then the apostles become such perfect men by the influence of the Holy Ghost, is it not worth our while also to remain in prayer and meditation on the power of the Holy Ghost, in order that we too may be changed from such weaklings and become strong Christians? How little have we in us of this Holy Spirit, how unwilling we are to suffer, how prone to avoid all that is opposed to our natural inclinations! This should be different; and it can only be different by heeding the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. With this intention and for this purpose let us devote some time, now and then, to the stirring up within us of the grace of the Holy Ghost.
Prayer.
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, etc., etc.