Prayer to the Holy Spirit

by Nthabiseng Maphisa · July 13, 2022

Lately, I’ve been inspired to write prayers to aid us in our daily struggles, and alongside the sacraments and Sacred Scripture, they may accompany us in spiritual warfare. I find that they are in themselves a meditation and a stern call to repentance.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Lord, the Holy Spirit, You were present at the dawn of creation. You saw how darkness covered the earth, how the mountains hid the sunrise, how the waters drenched the plains, and how the wild beasts ravaged the soil. No secret of the earth was unknown to You. No living being could be hidden from You. From the dust You formed man and gave him his stature.

We call upon You, O Holy Spirit, to fill us as once you did the first man and woman. We have again taken heed of the serpent’s call, conversed with the mouth of the diabolical, and thus brought ourselves to death. Darkness again veils the earth, and man is reduced to the dust from whence he came. The chaos of the formless wasteland seeks to overrule us.

Breathe again Your breath into us. Renew our minds that we may hold divine wisdom and contemplate divine revelation. Shape our eyes again that we may with discernment behold the Lord’s creation as it truly appears; mould our ears to hear God calling to us from the heavens; touch our lips that we may give praise to our Creator; in the fire of Your love create our hearts and fill them with Yourself. Bring again the light that once illumined the dark corners of the world. Lead us as You led Moses and gave the Lord’s Chosen People the Law.

O Holy Spirit, making Your dwelling place in the Blessed Virgin, cover us with that same shadow which found her. Raise us from the dust of our sinfulness and plant in us submission to God which conceives, gestates and births the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ.

Glory to You, O Holy Spirit, igniting the soul of St John the Baptist and pointing to us the Lamb of God. Glory to You, O Holy Spirit, descending in the form of a dove and revealing to us the beloved Son of God in whom the Father is well pleased. Glory to You, O Holy Spirit, making visible the Real Presence of the risen Christ at the breaking of bread. Glory to You, O Holy Spirit, comforting the Apostles and filling them with courage to preach the Gospel.

We bid You, O Holy Spirit, eternally, perpetually, unceasingly. We call for You, O Holy Spirit, with unending cry. Veni Sancte Spiritus! Veni Sancte Spiritus! Amen