In the wake of Easter this year, and especially Pentecost Sunday, I have been praying for more of the Holy Spirit. One night, I was thinking of the words of St. Ambrose, "Leati bibamus sobriam profusionem Spiritus," which means, "Let us joyfully drink up the sober intoxication of the Spirit," when I began adding prayers to that thought until eventually I had built a whole chaplet around it. I'm calling it the Chaplet of Divine Fire and it goes like this:
Begin by holding the crucifix and reciting the following paragraph from Pope Paul VI's Credo of the People of God:
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is Lord and Giver of life, who is adored and glorified together with the Father and the Son. He spoke to us by the prophets; He was sent by Christ after His resurrection and His ascension to the Father; He illuminates, vivifies, protects and guides the Church; He purifies the Church's members if they do not shun His grace. His action, which penetrates to the inmost of the soul, enables man to respond to the call of Jesus: "Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
Begin by holding the crucifix and reciting the following paragraph from Pope Paul VI's Credo of the People of God:
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is Lord and Giver of life, who is adored and glorified together with the Father and the Son. He spoke to us by the prophets; He was sent by Christ after His resurrection and His ascension to the Father; He illuminates, vivifies, protects and guides the Church; He purifies the Church's members if they do not shun His grace. His action, which penetrates to the inmost of the soul, enables man to respond to the call of Jesus: "Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
Then, holding the next bead, begin the Come, Holy Spirit:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and enkindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created and You shall renew the face of the Earth.
Amen.
Amen.
Moving to the three bunched beads, pray the following words from Luke 1 on each bead, asking Mary to assist you. I call this prayer the Ecce, Sum:
Behold, I am the handservant of the Lord,
Let it be unto me according to Your Word:
Holy Spirit, come upon me;
Power of the Most High, overshadow me.
Amen. (x3)
Then on the last bead before the Rosary Centerpiece, recite the second half of the Come, Holy Spirit:
O God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of His faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Finish by saying a simple prayer invoking the Holy Spirit's action in your life:
Come, Holy Spirit, cast Your Fire on the Earth,
Fill me, also, with Your Fire and make me a Saint.
Amen.
Fill me, also, with Your Fire and make me a Saint.
Amen.
This concludes the opening portion of the Chaplet.
This next section is much simpler as far as the prayers go, but also far more meditative. Like the Rosary, it includes meditation on a set of mysteries: the Five Mysteries of the Divine Fire (aka the Holy Spirit). First, I'll explain the prayers of each decade and then I'll explain what the Five Mysteries are.
The mysteries are as follows:
The First Mystery of the Divine Fire: the Holy Spirit in the time of Moses and the Judges.
The Second Mystery of the Divine Fire: the Holy Spirit in the time of the Prophets.
The Third Mystery of the Divine Fire: the Holy Spirit in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Fourth Mystery of the Divine Fire: the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Fifth Mystery of the Divine Fire: the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church (from Pentecost onward).
Each of these mysteries involves a wealth of activity of the Holy Spirit and tells us a great deal about who He is and what He wants to do in, with, and for His People. I'm sure we could meditate on each one of them for the rest of our lives and never run out of things to learn about the Spirit of God. Let us pray that everything we learn becomes a part of our relationship with the Spirit and a part of who we are as followers of Christ.
It is my prayer that this chaplet will be shared around the internet and prayed by sincere Christians everywhere, especially by my fellow Catholics, until the Fifth Mystery of the Divine Fire becomes the undeniable reality of daily life around the globe: a new, global Pentecost with miracles, healings, signs and wonders that will shake the world to its very core. So, in the words of my favorite Captain of the Starship Enterprise, let's "make it so!"
P.S. In case you'd like to pray the chaplet and would like to have it all typed out so you can just scroll through and pray it without too much extra work on your part, I've given it its own page on my website here.
On the Rosary Centerpiece and each respective large bead, say a Hail Mary asking Our Lady to help you ponder each of the Mysteries as she pondered everything in her heart:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
On each bead of the decades, pray this prayer for the whole Church as you ponder the Mysteries:
Loving Father, please engulf the entire Body of Your Son
In the Fire of the Holy Spirit as with a new and greater Pentecost;
In the Fire of the Holy Spirit as with a new and greater Pentecost;
Let us joyfully drink up the sober intoxication of Your Spirit.
Amen. (x10)
After each decade, pray the following prayer for the World and for yourself:
Come, Holy Spirit, cast Your Fire upon the Earth,
Fill me, also with Your Fire, and make me a Saint.
Amen.
Then, start the next Mystery as above, beginning with the Hail Mary, etc. When you've finished praying all five Mysteries, you close the Chaplet with the following prayer:
Breathe into me Holy Spirit, that all my thoughts may be holy. Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.
Amen.Breathe into me Holy Spirit, that all my thoughts may be holy. Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.
The mysteries are as follows:
The Second Mystery of the Divine Fire: the Holy Spirit in the time of the Prophets.
The Third Mystery of the Divine Fire: the Holy Spirit in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Fourth Mystery of the Divine Fire: the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Fifth Mystery of the Divine Fire: the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church (from Pentecost onward).
Each of these mysteries involves a wealth of activity of the Holy Spirit and tells us a great deal about who He is and what He wants to do in, with, and for His People. I'm sure we could meditate on each one of them for the rest of our lives and never run out of things to learn about the Spirit of God. Let us pray that everything we learn becomes a part of our relationship with the Spirit and a part of who we are as followers of Christ.
It is my prayer that this chaplet will be shared around the internet and prayed by sincere Christians everywhere, especially by my fellow Catholics, until the Fifth Mystery of the Divine Fire becomes the undeniable reality of daily life around the globe: a new, global Pentecost with miracles, healings, signs and wonders that will shake the world to its very core. So, in the words of my favorite Captain of the Starship Enterprise, let's "make it so!"
P.S. In case you'd like to pray the chaplet and would like to have it all typed out so you can just scroll through and pray it without too much extra work on your part, I've given it its own page on my website here.
No comments:
Post a Comment