The Pentecost Sequence

Pentecost is the culmination of the Easter season and the celebration of the giving of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Christ. As part of the day’s liturgy, the sequence Veni, Sancte Spiritus, or “Come, Holy Spirit,” is prayed. This sequence is part of a number of hymns/ poems that were composed in the Middle Ages.

The sequence, which is from the Latin sequentia, meaning “that which follows,” was originally written to follow the Gospel Acclamation or Alleluia. The sequence was intended to extend and therefore emphasize the message of the Gospel Acclamation verse. The sequence also had a practical application: it offered musical accompaniment for an extended procession by the deacon with the Book of the Gospels. By the twelfth century, hundreds of these sequences were sung during Mass. The pre– and post–Vatican II reforms changed the order of the sequence so that it now is prayed before the Gospel Acclamation.

The number of sequences in the liturgy has been reduced to four: Victimae Paschali Laudes on Easter; Veni, Sancte Spiritus on Pentecost; Lauda Sion Salvatorem on Corpus Christi; and Stabat Mater on the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, September 15. The use of two of these sequences, the Victimae Paschali Laudes and Veni, Sancte Spiritus, is mandatory in the liturgy. Veni, Sancte Spiritus is a beautiful hymn/poem that can be prayed to the Holy Spirit, any day of the year.

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.

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.

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. 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. 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. Amen. Alleluia.