Week Two // Veni Creator Spiritus
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.
O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.
Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God's hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father, Thou
Who dost the tongue with power imbue.
Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o'erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.
Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.
Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.
Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen.
Week Two Intention
We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our families.
Week Two // Day Three
Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God's hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father,
Who dost the tongue with power imbue.
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. -Isaiah 11:1-2
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The Catechism of our Church tells us that, “the moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1830).
The Holy Spirit desires to outpour these seven gifts upon us. He yearns to enter into our heart so that we can cultivate His gifts, gifts that will ultimately lead us to our Heavenly home. Saint Gregory the Great reverses the order of the gifts and explains that the great climax of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is eternal life. He writes:
Through the fear of the Lord we rise to piety, from piety then to knowledge, from knowledge we derive strength, from strength counsel, with counsel we move towards understanding and with intelligence towards wisdom and thus, by the sevenfold grace of the Spirit, there opens to us at the end of the ascent the entrance to the life of heaven.
Don’t worry if you don’t know where to begin when desiring to grow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Simply tell the Holy Spirit that you desire His gifts. Ask Him to reveal to you what gift He wants you to grow in and cultivate. Ask for the gift He is yearning to give to you. He will give it to you, in abundance. All He asks is that you trust that He will.
Slowly and thoughtfully pray the following prayer, “God the Father, I trust in You; Jesus, I trust in You; Holy Spirit, I trust in You.”
Ask each person of the Trinity to be with you in your joys, sorrows, work, and prayer today.
Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners
Discuss with your prayer partner which of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit stands out to you the most. Invoke the Holy Spirit together, asking Him to help you cultivate that particular gift.
Claire Couche is a wife, etiquette instructor, blogger, homeschooling mother, and registered nurse. She is passionate about sharing content that helps her community live a beautiful and virtuous life. Using her degrees in theology and history, Claire shares about the Catholic faith often on her IG account @findingphilothea and her website, Finding Philothea. You can often find her reading a good book in a beautiful dress! Learn more about Claire and all things etiquette here.
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