The Pentecost Novena, itself, can be found here.
"You, of comforters the best; you, the soul's most welcome guest; sweet refreshment here below; in our labor, rest most sweet; grateful coolness in the heat; solace in the midst of woe." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
Our Divine Lord promised us, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29)." The Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of this promise, for the Holy Spirit is the means whereby we are able to fulfill the Christian vocation with joy! Without the Holy Spirit, namely without the Divine Life dwelling in us, the obligations imposed on us by the Church would be a drudgery. Our time would be consumed by prayers we have no interest in, we would have to abstain from pleasures we find most enjoyable, and we give away our hard earned money on something we don't really care about.
Yes, this sounds absurd, but that is only because we do have the Holy Spirit, and we therefore understand the great joy prayer is, the benefits abstinence brings, and the importance of our participation in the life of the Church. As we recall, it is the Holy Spirit which unites us and makes us one in the Church. Without His presence, we are each individuals who believe the same thing. But with His presence in our souls, we are one Body.
What a world of difference this makes! As the Body of Christ, we benefit not only from the actions of the other members of the Church and are assisted in our weakness, but we are united to Christ our Head. We need not worry about what will ultimately occur to us, for Christ will care for His Body just as we hopefully care for ours. Thus, the Holy Spirit is the best of comforters, not because He counsels us as a therapist, but because through His presence He eliminates the need for worry.
We must admit we cannot ignore the individual needs we must attend to, but the Holy Spirit is also our rest and refreshment. He moves us to always look towards God, even in ways we cannot understand. But even when we fail in our individual endeavors, His presence reminds us that we are not judged by our success, but by our love for God. And does His presence not increase this love.
The Holy Spirit is the most loyal Friend we shall ever know. He will never abandon us, unless we forcibly banish Him. And even then, He will attempt to find His way back to us! We are able to call Him the soul's most welcome guest, because He brings to the home in which He dwells the greatest gifts, those sevenfold gifts whereby we attain unto Heaven. He refreshes us and cools us in the labors of this life by being the foretaste of the luxurious bliss we shall enjoy in Heaven. He is our solace, for He reminds us we are not made for this world, but for the next.
During these days, then, let us endeavor to be more aware of His presence, for in doing so we shall experience even more His great blessings and consolations. But we shall also be renewed in our resolutions and moved to make new ones, which we can actually accomplish through His aid! Perhaps most importantly, though, may we be more firmly resolved never to banish Him through sin, for without Him, though the entire world might admire us, we are the most desolate and alone.
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