The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Ghost, Part 1

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Nearly all litanies begin with a plea for mercy. We remember that we are sinners. We admit that we need God’s mercy and forgiveness. The triple repetition recalls the Trinity, but it also emphasizes the divinity of Christ, Who is our God and our Messiah, our Savior, our Anointed One. He died for us, taking our sins upon Himself, and He longs to shower us in the mercy of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we pray these first verses (and many of the subsequent responses), we stretch ourselves, opening ourselves up to God’s mercy, and we beg Him to pour it out on us.

Father, all powerful, have mercy on us.

We have an all-powerful Father. God loves us, protects us, guides us, and disciplines us as the very best Father, and since He is all-powerful, He can and does do this perfectly. Nothing can prevent Him from caring for His children...except, of course, one thing: His children. Our Father loves us so much that He will not take back HIs gift of free will. He holds out His all-powerful love and mercy, but we have to accept it freely. Even though God is all-powerful, He does not force Himself on us, for that is not true love.

Jesus, Eternal Son of the Father, Redeemer of the world, save us.

This verse focuses on Who Jesus is and what He does for us. He is the Eternal Son of the Father, the only-begotten Son, existing with the Father from all eternity. He is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit. But that Eternal Son, the Eternal Word of God, became Man, and Jesus Christ, the God-Man died on the cross for us. The Redeemer of the world died to atone for our sins, to save us from eternal separation from God, to fill us with sanctifying grace, with the divine Presence, and to bring us into Heaven. When we pray “save us,” we are longing to enter into the salvation Jesus has gained for us and holds out to us. We know that we need His help even to reach out for this great gift that He longs to give us.

Spirit of the Father and the Son, boundless life of both, sanctify us.

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Father and the Son pour out Their Love for each other continually, giving fully of Themselves, and this Love is the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. Their Love is Their Life, eternal, perfect, beyond the grasp of our human imaginations. It is this divine Life, this divine Love that enters into us and makes us holy. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, drawing us closer and closer to God in love. He fills us with Himself, and He lifts us up into divinity, allowing us to share ever more intimately in the love of the Trinity.