"That cherished work of art on which the Holy Spirit has expended the loving ingenuity of His eternal plans . . . is none other than your immortal soul."
-- Fr. L. M. Dooley, from his introduction
In 1897, when Pope Leo XIII decreed that a yearly novena to the Holy Spirit should be offered throughout the Church from the Ascension to Pentecost, it was his desire that the faithful should know, love, and implore the Holy Spirit more earnestly. Indeed, Pentecost is solemnized as one of the most sublime feasts of the Church dating back to apostolic times, and yet the Holy Spirit is often neglected and underappreciated for His fruitful mission in the soul and His unifying power in the Church.
In this reprint of his classic devotional work, the renowned Msgr. Nicholaus Gihr provides an extended series of soul-stirring reflections on the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the supernatural "powerhouse" of the spiritual life. These meditations are patterned on that masterpiece of Gregorian chant, the "Golden Sequence" of Pentecost Sunday, which can be contemplated throughout the year. With penetrating insight and inspiring prose, Msgr. Gihr unpacks the hidden wealth sealed within the profound stanzas of the Veni Sancte Spiritus regarding the person, role, and work of the Holy Spirit, following the ebbs and flows of our own spiritual lives.
You will discover the fountainhead and source of all spiritual life as you learn:
- The untapped graces and abiding, invisible effusion of the Holy Spirit within souls
- How souls fall prey to lukewarm faith and discouragement when they forget the Holy Spirit
- The mystical workings of the Holy Spirit in the lives of great saints, such as Teresa of Ávila
- The Paraclete's connection to every virtue, from fortitude and knowledge to love and chastity
- Ways to find healing in your brokenness through the Holy Spirit's light and strength
- How to be a zealous adorer of the Holy Spirit and open your heart to His sanctifying grace
In the Holy Spirit, your soul's dearest Friend, you will find a Helper and Comforter in sorrow, strife, dangers, and death, one who pleads for you with inexpressible groanings (Rom. 8:26). As you grow in loving union with the Vivifier, He will help you attune the spiritual gifts and dispositions of your interior life and fill you with an abundance of His divine fruits as you strive toward eternal bliss.
"If you begin to weaken in your high resolve, if your lofty aspirations and noble yearnings for the higher things of the spirit begin to wane, if your ardor is being chilled by the sheen and glitter of the intriguing, deceptive world, then it is the Holy Spirit of Whom you stand in need." -- Fr. L. M. Dooley
