Daniel Comboni
Comboni Missionaries
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Pentecost Sunday – Year B: Come, Holy Spirit
In this Sunday of Pentecost, we read two of the five promises that Jesus made, according to the Gospel of John. Where is the difference between a professor in religion and a prophet, a cult organizer and a witness, an expert in Justice and a brother, a theologian and a believer? What is the difference between a well-structured group of people and a community of believers, a Church and an NGO?
The difference lies in the presence of the Spirit, the same that was present at the beginning of Creation, accompanied Jesus from the Incarnation to the Passover, gives life to the Church and blows wherever She wants, in the world and in human History. On this matter, more than a commentary, I wish to share with you a prayer to the Holy Spirit, a prayer that each one may correct, complete, reduce, according to his/her own experience in live.
A Prayer to the Holy Spirit
John 15, 26-27.12, 12.15
Come, Holy Spirit
Break the barriers of my routine;
make my prayer truthful and deep;
make me live fully every moment,
every action,
every thought.
Give me the willingness to do good,
to be always ready,
to enjoy live with simplicity, good humour and love.
Overflow into my spirt and my body,
my mind and my feelings.
Come, Holy Spirit
Give me confidence.
Help me to overcome the fear
of myself,
of what others might say,
of failure…
Give me the trust a baby has in his own father.
Come, Holy Spirit
Be my inner teacher,
relate my heart to the heart of the Father,
so that I may know from the inside,
love truthfully,
avoid any falsity.
Come, Holy Spirit
Make me open and ready.
Lead me to act as a true brother,
overcoming any sense of indifference.
Help me to be ready to serve,
and to offer my time and energies
for the good of any one that might need them.
Come, Holy Spirit
Give me freedom and courage,
to be myself,
to be led by your inspirations,
to not confuse freedom with whims,
courage with pride and stubbornness.
Be the light that illuminates my walk,
the wind that pushes me on the way of generosity.
Come, Holy Spirit
Make me a missionary, here and now,
in the concrete circumstances of my life.
Give me the spirit of dialogue,
show me how to listen.
Help me to be open to new ideas,
and proposals;
to be ever ready to learn.
Help me to see always the best side of those around me
and of what they say and do.
Come, Holy Spirit
Fill me with your joy,
give me happiness and good humour.
Let me not confuse fidelity and harshness.
Do not allow the problems become a source of bitterness in my life:
Let me be a monument of praise and gratitude
to the Father of all Creation and to You, Holy Spirit.
Come, Holy Spirit
Make me resilient in front of failures,
big and small.
Help me not loose courage
before the incoherence of my brothers and sisters,
the sins of the Church,
the corruption in society,
my own shortcomings.
Give me your humble truth and your free love.
Now and for ever. Amen.
Fr. Antonio Villarino
Bogotà