Come, Holy Ghost

Hans Gorg Asam, courtesy The Met open source collection

Following the Mass on the Sunday after Ascension Day, also known as Waiting Sunday (Dominica Expectationis), a parishioner noted that he had not heard many sermons about the Holy Ghost.

That is, unfortunately, not surprising. After all, God the Father is somewhat easier to comprehend and therefore an easier subject for preaching. We all have fathers (biological, adoptive, or surrogate), and even if it was not our personal experience, we understand what a good and loving father should be.

Similarly we comprehend his beloved Son, who walked among his disciples, and is ever present in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. His miracles, instruction, and example are essential homiletic subjects.

The Holy Ghost is harder to understand as a person of the Godhead. I think in times past the Holy Ghost was more likely to be a subject of a sermon. Following the historical era of the Enlightenment, it seems that preaching on the Holy Ghost happened less frequently, at least in the western Church.

I recall an episode of the BBC series, Blackadder, where the king, while preparing to consecrate his son as Archbishop, said “Members of the Court and, uh, Clergy: I have, at last -- after careful consultation with the Lord God; His Son, Jesus Christ; and His Insubstantial Friend, the Holy Ghost -- decided upon the next Archbishop.” A somewhat irreverent if humorous view.

And yet, the Holy Ghost is a coequal part of the Divine Trinity. Our prayers during Mass are generally addressed to God the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. A catechetical formulation is that we pray to the Father, through the Son, inspired by the Holy Ghost.

Perhaps because of this, we may have subconsciously assigned the Holy Ghost a tertiary role in our worship. Yet, in doing this we are missing an important component in our worship, and a vital aspect of our prayer.

I will offer some further thoughts on this as we move toward Whitsunday (Pentecost). I will leave you with a prayer for the meantime, from the St. Augustine‘s Prayer Book that you may find useful during this week.

Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful: and kindle in them the fire of thy love.