Meeting 3 - “Unity of Spirit”¶

Tags: Holy Spirit, Unity, Prayer, Text work, Sharing questions, Prayer meeting

Goal of the meeting¶

Sharing the Tent of Meeting and impressions from writing the unity letter
prayer to the Holy Spirit and sharing the experience of Him
exchange of intentions

Halfway through¶

At the beginning of this meeting, we want to share our impressions of what is behind us (Tent of Meeting, writing the unity letter, following the travelers’ reports, conferences):

How did I experience the Tent of Meeting?
How was writing the unity letter for me? What was difficult? What was easy? If I want to share this - who did I write to?
What is most interesting to me in the participants’ reports? Whose statement about unity in the Church appealed to me the most?
What are my thoughts after the conference I just heard? What was a discovery for me?

Bond¶

Until now, we have talked a lot about various images of the Church, about what builds it and thanks to what its unity becomes possible. Sometimes, however, abiding in it becomes difficult. Let’s not be afraid to admit it. All the more, however, we realize what holds us in it most strongly:

Do I notice a desire in myself to cut myself off from what is difficult for me to identify with in the Church? What does this desire say about me?
What helps you feel rooted in the Church?
What gives me a sense of belonging?

Prayer - Echo of the Word¶

The author of the Church’s unity is the Spirit who binds it together. Today we are celebrating the Vigil of Pentecost. Therefore, for this meeting, we propose as a prayer the Litany to the Holy Spirit or the echo of the word using the Sequence “Come, Holy Spirit”. The choice of both the text and the form belongs to the animator. If it is possible in a given group, we encourage going a step further towards spontaneous prayer and depending on the text:

in the case of the Litany, at the end of one of the series of invocations (preferably the first one, with the response “have mercy on us”) give the opportunity to speak one’s own invocations in spontaneous prayer
in the case of the Sequence, after reading it, in addition to prayer using fragments of the text, encourage speaking one’s own invocations inspired by the Sequence.

Of course, if necessary, you can also pray the litany “classically”, or use the Sequence as a basis for meditation and prayer led only by the animator.

Sequence “Come, Holy Spirit”

1.Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.

2.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.

3.O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.

4.Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.

5.On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.

Litany to the Holy Spirit

Please use a prayer book or find it on the internet.

The Main Character of the evening¶

After the prayer, we propose sharing on the role of the Holy Spirit in our daily life:

Which description of the Holy Spirit speaks to me the most strongly?
Which gift of the Holy Spirit do I want to ask for especially today?
How do I experience the action of the Holy Spirit in my life?