Guide Me and Give Me Strength Sabine du Mesnil by • bm
Under the direction of Romain Lizé, President, Magnificat Editor, Magnificat: Isabelle Galmiche Editor, Ignatius: Vivian Dudro Translator: Magnificat - Ignatius Proofreader: Kathleen Hollenbeck Layout Designer: Gauthier Delauné Production: Thierry Dubus, Audrey Bord Scripture quotations are from Revised Standard Version of the Bible—Second Catholic Edition (Ignatius Edition), copyright © 2006 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Original French edition: Viens, Esprit Saint © Mame, Paris, 2023 © 2023 by Magnificat, New York • Ignatius Press, San Francisco All rights reserved ISBN Magnificat 978-1-63967-062-8 • ISBN Ignatius Press 978-1-62164-687-7
Come,Holy Spirit! Sabine du Mesnil by • bm Guide Me and Give Me Strength
Contents The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit..........................................................................18 Wind in the Sails of My Soul!.........................................................................................20 Wisdom ............................................................................................................................................................... 22 Fear of the Lord....................................................................................................................................... 24 Understanding. ........................................................................................................................................ 26 Knowledge.......................................................................................................................................................28 Counsel ................................................................................................................................................................30 Piety............................................................................................................................................................................. 32 Strength................................................................................................................................................................ 34 The Sacrament of Confirmation ............................................................................ 36 The Holy Trinity........................................................................................................................................8 The Breath of Life............................................................................................................................... 10 The Holy Spirit and Christ...................................................................................................12 The Fire of Pentecost.....................................................................................................................14 • Part 1 • Who Are You, Holy Spirit? • Part 2 • Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit
If You Open the Door, I Will Come In............................................................40 The Spirit of God Dwells in You................................................................................ 42 Become a Comforter ................................................................................................................... 44 • Part 4 • Invoke the Holy Spirit • Part 3 • Let the Spirit Work! Come, Holy Spirit, into Our Hearts.....................................................................48 Veni Creator Spiritus...........................................................................................................................50 Breathe in Me, Holy Spirit................................................................................................... 52 Prayer to the Spirit............................................................................................................................ 53 Saint John Paul II................................................................................................................................ 54
• Part 1 • Who Are You, Holy Spirit?
8 Before praying, you slowly make the Sign of the Cross, from your forehead to your chest, from your left shoulder to your right. With this beautiful gesture, you profess the Cross of Christ, which united heaven and earth. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. With this sign, you also profess the great mystery of the Christian faith: the Holy Trinity. God is one, but God is not alone! God is one in three Persons: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is Love. God is the Father, Creator and Lord of all; we proclaim him almighty! God is also the Son, the Word of God. Jesus is the Son of God made man to dwell among us on earth, to be very close to us. He came to save us. But who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Trinity
9 The Holy Spirit is the eternal exchange of love between the Father and the Son. He is the power of God’s love creating and renewing everything and everyone, including us! Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.
10 Through his Word and his Spirit, God created the universe. The word “spirit” (ruah in Hebrew) means “breath.” The Holy Spirit is the breath of God upon all living things. Like God’s presence, his breath is invisible. When you breathe, your breath is invisible too, and yet it is the sign that you are alive! In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void… and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3 The Breath of Life
11 God created everything—the heavens, the earth, the stars, the animals, and finally, mankind in his image. “The Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). God stopped and considered his creation. “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). When the Holy Spirit blows, he brings not only life but also order and beauty. He has been the source of life, beauty, and goodness since the dawn of the world. When we say the Creed at Mass, we affirm that the Holy Spirit “has spoken through the prophets.” The prophets of the Old Testament spoke of the coming Messiah, the Savior promised by God. They also told of God’s promise to raise the dead and to grant eternal life in his Spirit. That is the reason we listen to their words at Mass. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live. Ezekiel 37:13-14
12 The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God, Jesus, the promised Messiah. When Mary asked how this would come about, the angel said by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Luke 1:35 Messiah is the Hebrew word for “anointed”— that is, anointed by the Holy Spirit. (The Greek word for this is Christ.) In the Old Testament, kings were anointed with oil on their foreheads, as a sign that their strength and authority came from God. Christ was not anointed with The Holy Spirit and Christ
13 oil; he was directly anointed with the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, at his baptism in the Jordan River. I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven and remain on him. John 1:32 Ever since the baptism of Jesus, the dove has been a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
14 With the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus performed miracles. He cured the sick and raised the dead. Many people believed that he was the Son of God, but many did not. Some condemned Jesus to death. In a final act of love, he accepted death on a cross for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus rose from the dead, and before he ascended into heaven he promised to send the Holy Spirit, so that he would continue to dwell among us. On the feast of Pentecost, Jews from many lands were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the day on which God gave the Ten Commandments. The Apostles and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were gathered in the Upper Room. In a great gust of wind, the Holy Spirit arrived and rested upon their heads in the form of tongues of fire. The Apostles, filled with joy and the power of the Holy Spirit, began proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to everyone. The Fire of Pentecost
15 And so, fire also became a symbol of the Holy Spirit. A good fire brings warmth; it brings people together. A fire purifies; it burns away the straw scattered in our hearts. And just as fire moves and grows, so the Holy Spirit spreads the love of God throughout the world. The flame of the Holy Spirit kindles, but does not burn. Benedict XVI
Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from your celestial home Shed a ray of light divine! With its charming illustrations and simple, concrete terms, this little book will help children understand who the Holy Spirit is. They will discover the gifts he plants in our hearts so that we can live close to God—by letting him guide us and illuminate the world around us. Come,Holy Spirit! Guide Me and Give Me Strength Ages 7 and up
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