Holy Spirit, Lord of Light has to be one of our most sublimely beautiful prayers! There's something in it for everyone, and for every mood. Each year I visit it anew: the perennial favourite lines are still there, but so is something which speaks to how and where I am in life at that moment.
This year I'm especially reflecting on the line Come with treasures which endure, the treasures being the gifts and fruit of the Spirit. And they can and do indeed endure - the Spirit's gifts aren't just for Pentecost! The gifts promised by Jesus and offered by the Spirit are there as graces for whatever journey we are on, wherever we may be on that journey, and for however long we need them.
These are also treasures which, unlike in piracy books and films, aren't locked away in heavy oak boxes or buried in remote, inaccessible places. This treasure isn't protected by Indiana Jones-style booby traps, neither is it sealed under a mind-torturingly complex password. There are no confusing maps or insurmountable obstacles - except the ones of our own making...
The treasure is there for the taking, freely offered with open hands... Come, Holy Spirit, and help us accept and live it with open hearts!
Here is John Michael Talbot's clear, simple version of the prayer, and below, the prayer in full. Which line or lines speak to you today? What will the Spirit's enduring treasures be for you?
Thy pure beaming radiance give.
Come, thou Father of the poor,
Come with treasures which endure,
Come thou Light of all that live.
If thou take thy grace away
Nothing pure in us will stay;
All our good is turned to ill.
Heal our wounds; our strength renew;
On our dryness pour thy dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away.
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
Thou, on those who evermore
Thee confess and thee adore,
In Thy sevenfold gifts descend:
Give them comfort when they die,
Give them life with thee on high;
Give them joys that never end.
This year I'm especially reflecting on the line Come with treasures which endure, the treasures being the gifts and fruit of the Spirit. And they can and do indeed endure - the Spirit's gifts aren't just for Pentecost! The gifts promised by Jesus and offered by the Spirit are there as graces for whatever journey we are on, wherever we may be on that journey, and for however long we need them.
These are also treasures which, unlike in piracy books and films, aren't locked away in heavy oak boxes or buried in remote, inaccessible places. This treasure isn't protected by Indiana Jones-style booby traps, neither is it sealed under a mind-torturingly complex password. There are no confusing maps or insurmountable obstacles - except the ones of our own making...
The treasure is there for the taking, freely offered with open hands... Come, Holy Spirit, and help us accept and live it with open hearts!
Here is John Michael Talbot's clear, simple version of the prayer, and below, the prayer in full. Which line or lines speak to you today? What will the Spirit's enduring treasures be for you?
Holy Spirit, Lord of light
From thy clear celestial height,Thy pure beaming radiance give.
Come, thou Father of the poor,
Come with treasures which endure,
Come thou Light of all that live.
Thou of all consolers best,
Thou the soul's delightsome Guest,
Dost refreshing peace bestow.
Thou in toil art comfort sweet,
Pleasant coolness in the heat,
Solace in the midst of woe.
Light immortal, Light divine,
Visit thou these hearts of thine,
And our inmost being fill.
Nothing pure in us will stay;
All our good is turned to ill.
Heal our wounds; our strength renew;
On our dryness pour thy dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away.
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
Thou, on those who evermore
Thee confess and thee adore,
In Thy sevenfold gifts descend:
Give them comfort when they die,
Give them life with thee on high;
Give them joys that never end.
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