The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Ghost, Part 4

Spirit of love and truth, having mercy on us.

The Holy Spirit infuses us with divine love. Since He is the very love between the Father and the Son, He is Love in person. Therefore, He can love in and through us, boosting and purifying our love so that it reaches out in true self-giving to others, imitating the pure self-giving love between the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit is also truth. Jesus promised in John 14:26 that He would send the Holy Spirit upon His disciples and that the Holy Spirit would “teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit teaches us the truth. If we let Him, He provides us with insights about God and about ourselves and about God’s will for our lives. He helps us go deeper into our faith and to better understand and appreciate, even rejoice in, the truth.

Spirit of wisdom and understanding, have mercy on us.

Wisdom and understanding are two of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are infused into us at our baptism, but they grow throughout our lives as we open ourselves to them and cultivate them. We must cooperate with the Spirit and use the gifts He so generously provides if we are to bring them to fruition.

The Catechism defines wisdom as “a spiritual gift which enables one to know the purpose and plan of God.” That should amaze us if we think about it. With the gift of wisdom, we get something of a God’s -eye view of life. Not completely, of course. It’s more like a glimpse here and there, but it can certainly help us discern and follow God’s will.

Understanding helps us come to terms with the truths of our faith. We certainly hold fast to those truths with faith, but when we apply our understanding, we go deeper. We dive into truth to get to the meaning of it. We see more clearly. We appreciate the great gifts we have. We make them our own as we take them into our minds and apply our reason to them with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Spirit of counsel and fortitude, have mercy on us.

Counsel and fortitude are two more of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Counsel is the ability to make good judgments. When we know the truth, we must act on it. But to act properly, we must first decide what is best to do (and when and how, etc.). The Spirit helps us do that with the gift of counsel.

Many people use the words “fortitude” and “courage” interchangeably, and that can work if we define them properly. The gift of fortitude is a sort of courage that helps us face the difficult struggles and trials of our lives and keep on going. We endure what we must, relying on God’s help and loving support. But fortitude also spurs us to action. It gives us the boost we need to speak the truth, to stand up for the moral law, and to act against the crowd, doing what is right even when we are the only ones. 

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Ghost, Part 3

Source of heavenly water, have mercy on us.

“If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” Jesus spoke these words to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:10. He was talking about the Holy Spirit, the living water, the heavenly water that flows into our souls at Baptism and remains in us. When Jesus gives us this “water” to drink, it becomes “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 1:14).

In John 7, Jesus attended the Feast of Tabernacles, during which the priests carried water from the Pool of Siloam and poured it out on the altar in the Temple. This water recalled God’s provision of water from the rock for His people during the exodus from Egypt and the Israelites’ years in the desert. But Jesus provided a new meaning when He said, “If anyone thirst, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” John adds the comment that Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit, Whose shower of grace pours down upon us at Baptism and throughout our lives as long as we remain in God and He remains in us.

Consuming fire, have mercy on us.

At Pentecost, tongues as of fire appeared over the heads of those gathered in the upper room. The Holy Spirit descended upon them, filling them with His fire. The tongues were merely a visible sign of something going on deep within, and the Spirit’s fire purified and strengthened, burned away the bad and made the good warm and supple. 

The Spirit’s fire set the apostles on fire, and these men, who just before had kept the doors locked out of fear, ran out to preach the Gospel to everyone gathered in Jerusalem for the feast. Some of their hearers thought they were drunk, and perhaps in a sense they were, “drunk” with the new “wine” of the Gospel. But mostly, they were on fire with love and with a longing to carry out their mission to spread the Gospel to the whole world.

Ardent Charity, have mercy on us.

The definition of “charity” has narrowed these days. We mostly think of it in terms of giving money or material items to the poor. But “charity” is actually a much broader term that, in older editions of the Bible, was often used to translate the Greek word agape. Agape is divine love, the kind of love that gives completely. It is a love that pours out everything for the good of another. It is the love of the Blessed Trinity in which we are called to share and which is so vibrant, so dynamic, so ardent as to be another Person, the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual unction, have mercy on us.

The Holy Spirit is our unction, our medicine, our salve. He heals our hearts of sin and comforts us in our trials. He calms our fears, soothes our worries, and quiets our cares. He gives us the strength we need to overcome temptation and to repent and rise when we fall.

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Ghost, Part 2

Holy Ghost, Who proceedest from the Father and the Son, enter our hearts.

Theologians tell us that the Holy Spirit is the very love between the Father and the Son, a love so strong and so vibrant that He is actually the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. We say that He proceeds from both the Father and the Son because both of these two Persons are constantly pouring out Their love for each other. This is the love, the Holy Spirit, that we are asking to enter our hearts so that we may be filled with divine love.

Holy Ghost, Who are equal to the Father and the Son, enter our hearts.

As the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit is fully divine and equal to the Father and the Son. This is, of course, a mystery. We cannot wrap our human minds around the Blessed Trinity, and we are not supposed to. Yet we have faith, for God has revealed this truth about Himself, this amazing Three-in-One and One-in-Three that is the Trinity.

Promise of God the Father, have mercy on us.

At the end of Luke’s Gospel, the risen Jesus assures the apostles that they will be witnesses of His life, death, and resurrection. They will carry this Gospel to all nations, starting in Jerusalem and working their way out. They will tell the whole world about Jesus, and they will bring His salvation to all people willing to accept it. But first, Jesus says, “And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). This promise of the Father is the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus has already said that the Holy Spirit would come upon His disciples. He goes so that the Holy Spirit may come to them (John 16:7). And this Holy Spirit is the promise, the comforter, and the advocate Who will fill Jesus’ followers with His power and with His tremendous gifts that will give them what they need to fearlessly take the Gospel into the whole world.

Ray of heavenly light, have mercy on us.

The Holy Spirit enlightens our minds and hearts. He infuses us with knowledge and understanding, good judgment and wisdom, if we are open to receiving this light. It can, however, be difficult to allow the light to enter into us, for the light shows how dark we actually are. It illuminates our nooks and crannies, which can have all sorts of unpleasant things lurking within them. Yet only when we see ourselves clearly can we fully repent of our sins and allow God’s mercy to cleanse us and His light to fill us with divine radiance.

Author of all good, have mercy on us.

We might be more inclined to think of God the Father as the Author or Creator, and indeed He is. But creation is the work of the entire Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Genesis 1:2, we read that the Spirit of God “was moving over the face of the waters.” These “waters” refer to the chaos, the disorder, the darkness, even the nothingness that the world was before God created everything from nothing. The Spirit of God moved in an act of love that brought order out of chaos, light out of darkness, and beauty out of the void.

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.

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Ghost

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Father, all powerful, have mercy on us.

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

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

Holy Ghost, Who proceedest from the Father and the Son, enter our hearts. 

Holy Ghost, Who are equal to the Father and the Son, enter our hearts.

Promise of God the Father, have mercy on us.

Ray of heavenly light, have mercy on us.

Author of all good, have mercy on us.

Source of heavenly water, have mercy on us.

Consuming fire, have mercy on us.

Ardent Charity, have mercy on us.

Spiritual unction, have mercy on us.

Spirit of love and truth, have mercy on us.

Spirit of wisdom and understanding, have mercy on us.

Spirit of counsel and fortitude, have mercy on us.

Spirit of knowledge and piety, have mercy on us.

Spirit of the fear of the Lord, have mercy on us.

Spirit of grace and prayer, have mercy on us.

Spirit of peace and meekness, have mercy on us.

Spirit of modesty and innocence, have mercy on us.

Holy Ghost, the Comforter, have mercy on us.

Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier, have mercy on us.

Holy Ghost, Who governest the Church, have mercy on us.

Gift of God, the Most High, have mercy on us.

Spirit Who fillest the universe, have mercy on us.

Spirit of the adoption of the children of God, have mercy on us.

Holy Ghost, inspire us with horror of sin.

Holy Ghost, come and renew the face of the earth.

Holy Ghost, shed Thy light in our souls.

Holy Ghost, engrave Thy law in our hearts.

Holy Ghost, inflame us with the fire of Thy Love.

Holy Ghost, open to us the treasures of Thy graces.

Holy Ghost, teach us to pray well.

Holy Ghost, enlighten us with Thy heavenly inspirations.

Holy Ghost, lead us in the way of salvation.

Holy Ghost, grant us the only necessary knowledge.

Holy Ghost, inspire in us the practice of good.

Holy Ghost, grant us the merits of all virtues.

Holy Ghost, make us persevere in justice.

Holy Ghost, be Thou our everlasting reward. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, send us Thy Holy Ghost.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, pour down into our souls the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, grant us the Spirit of wisdom and piety.

Come, Holy Ghost! Fill the hearts of Thy faithful.

And enkindle in them the fire of Thy Love.

Let us pray.

Grant, O merciful Father, that Thy Divine Spirit enlighten, inflame and purify us, that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew and make us fruitful in good works; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee, in the unity of the Spirit, liveth and reigneth forever and ever. Amen. 

The Litany Project: A Litany Primer

What is a litany?

A litany is a traditional Catholic prayer made up of verses and responses. It is designed as a supplication or entreaty, which is what the original Greek word litaneia means, but it can also be a prime source for meditation on the realities of God. Catholics pray litanies to the Persons of the Blessed Trinity, often responding to each verse with “Have mercy on us” or something similar, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints with the response of “Pray for us.” 

How do we pray litanies?

Many people pray litanies on their own as a private devotion, quietly saying each verse and response in turn. Others pray litanies in a group with one person reciting the verses and the others replying with the response. 

Aren’t litanies too repetitive? 

Not at all! The repetition of the litany is intentional, for it calms us and establishes a regular pattern so that our thoughts can turn to the meaning of each verse. 

How can we pray a litany more effectively?

It does sometimes seem like a litany flies right by without us hardly noticing what we are saying. The pattern can get too comfortable. This is the whole point of The Litany Project. Over the next several weeks, I will be exploring three litanies, one to the Father, one to the Son, and one to the Holy Spirit. I will first provide the litany in full. Then I will offer a short explanation and meditation for each verse. 

Praying litanies in this way will deepen these beautiful prayers and allow us to open our hearts and minds to what God wants to teach us as we pray to Him. 

Reflections on the Mass: The Concluding Rites

As we pray to Jesus, Who is now with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity after Holy Communion, the priest carefully purifies the sacred vessels. Then he quietly prays, “What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our healing for eternity.” We, too, might make this our post-Communion prayer, for it reminds us that the Eucharist is our medicine and our purification, our hope and our greatest gift, given to us through the grace of God Who loves us more than we can imagine.

The priest sits for a short time. Then he invites us to rise, and he says one more prayer, based on the liturgical season, that reminds us of the miracle and grace we have just received in the Eucharist. The priest says once again, “The Lord be with you.” And truly the Lord is with us very intimately at this moment, for His Eucharistic presence is still in our bodies for about fifteen minutes after we receive Him. We respond, “And with your spirit.”

Depending on the liturgical season or solemnity, the priest will sometimes pray an extended blessing over us, to which we answer with a firm “Amen.”  Then he makes the sign of the cross as a final blessing, and we trace the sign of the cross on our own bodies and say, once again, “Amen.” We started the Mass with the sign of the cross, and now we finish with the same prayer, reminding us once again of the Blessed Trinity and of Jesus’ command to take up our crosses and follow Him.

Finally, the priest announces, “Go forth, the Mass is ended,” or a variation on that. We respond, “Thanks be to God.” We must now go forth, out into the world, but we take Jesus with us. We take the graces we have received, the lessons we have learned, and the inspiration we have discovered, and we go out into the world that so desperately needs God. We are sent forth like the apostles to preach the Gospel in our words and actions and to allow Jesus to work through us.