Pentecost is the culmination of the Easter season and the celebration of the giving of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Christ. As part of the day’s liturgy, the sequence Veni, Sancte Spiritus, or “Come, Holy Spirit,” is prayed. This sequence is part of a number of hymns/ poems that were composed in the Middle Ages. The sequence, which is from the Latinsequentia , meaning “that which follows,” was originally written to follow the Gospel Acclamation or Alleluia. The sequence was intended to extend and therefore emphasize the message of the Gospel Acclamation verse. The sequence also had a practical application: it offered musical accompaniment for an extended procession by the deacon with the Book of the Gospels. By the twelfth century, hundreds of these sequences were sung during Mass. The pre– and post–Vatican II reforms changed the order of the sequence so that it now is prayed before the Gospel Acclamation. The number of sequences in the liturgy has been reduced to four: Victimae Paschali Laudes on Easter; Veni, Sancte Spiritus on Pentecost; Lauda Sion Salvatorem on Corpus Christi; and Stabat Mater on the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, September 15. The use of two of these sequences, the Victimae Paschali Laudes and Veni, Sancte Spiritus, is mandatory in the In the Pentecost Sequence, Veni, Sancte Spiritus, we pray liturgy. Veni, Sancte Spiritus is a beautiful hymn/poem for guidance from the Holy Spirit. that can be prayed to the Holy Spirit, any day of the year. Come, Holy Spirit, come! Where you are not, we have naught, And from your celestial home Nothing good in deed or thought, Shed a ray of light divine! Nothing free from taint of ill. Come, Father of the poor! Heal our wounds, our strength renew; Come, source of all our store! On our dryness pour your dew; Come, within our bosoms shine. Wash the stains of guilt away: You, of comforters the best; Bend the stubborn heart and will; You, the soul’s most welcome guest; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Sweet refreshment here below; Guide the steps that go astray. In our labor, rest most sweet; On the faithful, who adore Grateful coolness in the heat; And confess you, evermore Solace in the midst of woe. In your sevenfold gift descend; O most blessed Light divine, Give them virtue’s sure reward; Shine within these hearts of yours, Give them your salvation, Lord; And our inmost being fill! Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.
Connecting the Liturgy with Our Lives © 2019 Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications. 800-933-1800; www.LTP.org. Text by Kathy Kuczka. 38 Art by James B. Janknegt. The translation of Veni, Sancte Spiritus is taken from The Roman Missal approved by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States © 1964 by the National Catholic Welfare Conference, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to publish granted by the Archdiocese of Chicago on October 25, 2018.