The Pentecost Novena, itself, can be found here.
"Bend the stubborn heart and will; melt the frozen, warm the chill; guide the steps that go astray." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
The spiritual life is always dynamic, never static, in this life. While upon this earth every Christian, indeed every person, is either moving closer towards God or further away from Him. And this movement is based entirely on the presence or the absence of the Holy Spirit.
Our Lord said, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23)." But this love can only come about through the workings of the Holy Spirit. It is true, it seems more have been given certain graces by the Holy Spirit to bring this about in their souls, and it is of no profit for us to question why God, in His infinite Wisdom and Providence has done so, what is of concern for us is His working in our own personal lives.
If we truly believe the truths of the Christian Faith, or in reality any soul who truly believes their religion, how can they neglect to allow themselves to be affected by it? Us humans have an incredible capacity for ignoring our duties, for silencing our consciences, for deliberately choosing what we know to be bad for us. And this is all on account of the concupiscence which comes about because of our fallen nature. Even the greatest saint, our Lady excepted, had to bear with these difficulties.
And even though the acquisition of virtue can negate these tendencies to an extent, the only One Who can override them and change them is the Holy Spirit. By His grace the most vicious can become the most virtuous, the dumb can loquaciously preach, the invulnerable soul becomes vulnerable. It is He alone Who can truly change and transform a soul, there is no soul and no task He cannot accomplish.
For this reason, then, we must strive to become acquainted with Him. Although He first comes to us and draws us, we must respond to His invitation. When we do this, in love, it is then that He will make His home within us. When we ask Him to change us, He will not hesitate to respond. He shall knock down our pride and open our hearts to do His will. He will make Himself so irresistable that we will not, without knowingly forfeiting our eternal salvation, be able to turn from Him. And even, God forbid, we do this, He will still call out to us and attempt to draw us back to Himself and the path He has laid out for us.
In these days of prayer, then, as we pray for the outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially those of wisdom, counsel, and understanding, may we make firm resolutions and plans for how we will come to know the Lord in a more intimate way. While our will may desire Him, unless we are ever coming to learn and meditate upon the Divine truths more and more, our hearts will likely grow cold and we risk turning away from Him.
Yet the more we study our Faith, the harder and less likely this will become. On one condition, though, we must be motivated by love - love for God! So let us delve into the Scriptures especially, but also let us learn the wisdom of the Fathers and Saints, those souls who while still on this earth, let the Holy Spirit mold them and destroy their tendency to turn from Him!
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