P. Vojtěch of St. Hedwig OCD
The following text is a written reflection on a joint meditation on three excerpts from the works of Carmelite authors. It is not a systematic treatise, but rather an access to what have guided us in prayer during the evening meeting on May 21, 1998, at the Prague Infant Jesus. The main focus of the reader's attention should therefore be in the effort to be addressed by the texts of St. Teresa of Jesus, St. John of the Cross, and Blessed Elizabeth of the Holy Trinity, while the introductory general notes on meditation and comments on the excerpts may serve only as optional aids.
The Holy Spirit can be contemplated in various ways and from different perspectives. One of the key themes is the perception of His sanctifying action in the soul of a person, which is a typically Pauline theme (cf. Gal 4-5; Rom 7-8; 1 Cor 12-15). However, for the consideration of this perspective of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the created world to have the greatest impact on our own spiritual life, it is good to choose a specific form of prayer.
Meditation
The most suitable form for this is especially contemplation, which is also referred to as meditation in Czech. It involves a gradual pondering over the same reality from multiple angles, a repeated return to familiar, fundamental truths. The purpose is not so much to learn something new, intellectually appealing that would engage our reason (as can sometimes happen in study), but rather to allow ourselves to be addressed deeply (and perhaps in entirely new ways!) by things already known, which are vital for us and which may have lost their expressive power precisely because they are “notoriously” known, and thus do not surprise or attract superficial attention.
If we want to use the vocabulary of medieval monks, it is a kind of ruminatio spiritualis (“spiritual chewing”) or Cassian’s volutatio cordis (“swaying of the heart”). Not accidentally, in its original form, meditation meant the audible or quiet repetition of a single word or verse, sometimes for a considerably long time. Here, too, we should see the root of the later Jesus Prayer of Eastern Christians.
We must therefore “not despise” the following texts for their simplicity (just as it does not pay to do so with the gospels!), but rather diligently, always with renewed determination, return to them and view them from different sides. The commentary is something extra; it is merely a source of inspiration, not a rigidly binding schema; the main focus should be on the silent dwelling with God.
Keep in mind one important piece of advice from St. Teresa of Jesus: “I want to remind you that for those who embark on this journey (…), it is not essential to think a lot, but to love a lot, and therefore you should prioritize those things that more encourage love” (4. Mansions Interior Castle 1,7).
St. Teresa of Jesus:
The Holy Spirit as mediator between the soul and God
“It seems to me that the Holy Spirit must be the mediator between the soul and God, and the one who ignites her with such ardent desires that he sets her ablaze in a great fire that is so close. Oh, Lord, what mercy You show towards the soul! Be blessed and praised forever for being such a good lover. Oh, my God and my Creator! Is it possible that there would be no one who loves You? Oh, how sad I am that I have not loved You for so long!”
(On the Song of Songs 5,5)
* If the Holy Spirit is the “way” of the presence of the risen Christ in the community of the Church, then it follows that He also realizes His mediation between God and man. Interestingly, in this context, the saint does not use the word “mediator” (mediador), but “mediator” (medianero); as if to emphasize the distinct roles of Christ and the Spirit through a completely fundamental agreement of positions. The Holy Spirit is the mediator between the soul and God; He embodies that Christ’s “bridge” by which we can freely approach God.
Holy Spirit, come and through Christ connect me with the Father!
* The Holy Spirit inspires us with ardent desires. When we feel too “cold” or “dry,” it is certainly not due to a lack of the Spirit’s action. Rather, it is because we do not adequately open ourselves to Him or we are simply (for many possible reasons) deprived of the consciousness of this “blazing in a great fire.” Therefore, let us live in faith that it is so.
Holy Spirit, ignite love within me!
St. John of the Cross:
Desire for the breathing of the Holy Spirit
“One must very much desire this divine breath of the Holy Spirit, and so let every soul pray that He may blow through her garden, that she may be flooded with the divine fragrances of God. For it is so necessary and brings such great glory and good to the soul, that the Bride longs for it and prays with the same expressions as here in the Song of Songs, saying: ‘Awake, north wind, and come, south wind, and blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out’ (4,16). And after all, the soul longs for this not for the pleasure and glory that comes from it, but for what she recognizes in it, that her Bridegroom enjoys it and because it is an arrangement and a prefiguration for the Son of God to come to rejoice in her.”
(Spiritual Song 17,9)
* The Holy Spirit is not outside of me, nor foreign to my innermost being, but “blows,” “breathes” through my soul. He penetrates it deeply, knows every nook and cranny of it like the wind that looks into all corners of a garden.
Come, Holy Spirit, and dwell in me!
* My soul is a garden belonging to Christ. And He desires to walk freely in it and to enjoy it. Therefore, He sends His Holy Spirit to blow through it with His divine beauty and attractiveness.
Holy Spirit, make me pleasing to the Son of God!
Blessed Elizabeth of the Holy Trinity:
Giving oneself to the transforming Spirit
“Through all things, amidst maternal cares, while entirely devoted to the little angels, you can withdraw into this solitude to surrender yourself to the Holy Spirit, so that He may transform you into God, imprinting upon your soul the image of divine beauty, so that when the Father gazes upon you, He will see nothing but His Christ, and will be able to say: ‘Behold, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’ (cf. Mt 3,17).”
(Letter 239 from August 13, 1905, to her sister Gita)
* The prayer in which the Spirit makes us a garden, pleasing to the Divine Bridegroom Jesus Christ, need not necessarily be distant from a mundane, care-filled life. Even a mother of a family, like the original addressee of this text (hence the mention of “little angels” = her children), can experience it.
Holy Spirit, come into my everyday life, where I often forget about You!
* The Holy Spirit transforms us into God. The work of unification with God, which at the same time completely radically changes our innermost being, is bound to the action of the third divine Person.
Holy Spirit, imprint the image of divine beauty upon my soul!
