Veni Creator Spiritus - 2
donum Dei altissimi,
fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
Gift of God most high,
living fountain
- cf. John 7:37 'If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who
believes in me, as the scripture has said, Out of his heart shall flow
rivers of living water.' Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who
believed in him were to receive.
ignis - the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the form of fire.
Cf Acts 2:1-4
"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them
tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as
the Spirit gave them utterance."
caritas - greatest of the gifts of the Spirit, according to I Cor 13.
et spiritalis unctio. 'and spiritual anointing'. The Spirit is frequently
assocated with anointing.
Cf 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
"Qui autem confirmat nos vobiscum in Christo, et qui unxit nos Deus: qui et
signavit nos, et dedit pignus Spiritus in cordibus nostris."
Hence the use of holy oils in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and
ordination.
tu septiformis munere,
'you, sevenfold in function.' Refers to the seven gifts of the Spirit
enumerated in Isaiah 11:1-3,
Et egredietur virga de radice Iesse,
Et flos de radice eius ascendet.
Et requiescet super eum spiritus Domini:
Spiritus sapientiae (1) et intellectus (2),
Spiritus consilii (3) et fortitudinis (4),
Spiritus scientiae (5) et pietatis (6)
Et replebit eum spiritus timoris Domini (7).
1. Wisdom, 2. Understanding. 3. Counsel. 4. Fortitude. 5. Knowledge.
6. Piety, pity. 7. Fear of the Lord.
dextrae Dei tu digitus,
'finger of God's right hand'. In both the Old and New Testaments the
'finger' of God signifies his power. Cf. Exodus 8:19 'This is the finger of
God'; Luke 11:20 'But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons
. . .'
tu rite promisso Patris
sermone ditas guttura.
'you duly by the promise of the Father enrich throats with speech'. Refers
to the speaking in tongues of Acts 2:4 which is in turn interpreted by Peter
as the fulfilment of a promise in the prophet Joel: 'And in the last days
it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prohesy . . .' (Acts 2:17 cf. Joel 2:28)
accende lumen sensibus,
'kindle a light in our senses,' The reference to God as light in the Bible
are too numerous to mention. The particular reference to kindling a light
no doubt refers to the tongues of flame which descended on the Apostles'
heads at Pentecost.
Cf. Stephen Langton's hymn:
Veni, sancte spiritus,
et emitte caelitus
lucis tuae radium . . .
Cf. also Bianco da Siena's hymn (d. 1434), Discendi, Amor santo. In
Littledale's translation,
Come down, O Love divine . . .
O Comforter, draw near,
Within my heart appear,
And kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.
Cf. also Charles Wesley's hymn:
O thou who camest from above,
The pure celestial fire to impart,
Kindle a flame of sacred love
On the mean altar of my heart . . .
infunde amorem cordibus, 'pour love into our hearts'
A very familiar image from the Collects. Love, (caritas) is regarded (with
Hope and Faith - cf. I Cor 13:13) as one of the three 'Infused' or
Theological Virtues, as opposed to the 'Natural' or 'Cardinal' Virtues of
Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. These latter can be acquired
by human effort, but the former are gifts of grace and are 'poured' or
'infused' into the heart.
infirma nostri corporis
virtute firmans perpeti.
'strengthening the weakness of our body with perpetual virtue' (virtus,
vigour, bravery, courage, virtue, strength).
Let's finish it tomorrow.
Elasticus.
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