'Come, O Comforter...'

 

Dear Parish Faithful,

 

Come Thou, O Comforter, Holy Spirit, and make Thine abode within us!

(Refrain from the Akathist to the All-Holy And Life-Creating Spirit)

 

In spirit I behold the city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, like a bride, adorned, shining like the sun, triumphant. I hear the celebration of the righteous at the banquet of the Lord, and the voices of the angels and the Lord most splendid in the midst of His elect; and sickness, and grief, and sighing are fled away. O Holy Spirit, Thou King of heaven, grant Thy seven fold gifts, that we also may have a share of the everlasting joy of those who in God cry out to Thee ...

(From the Akathist to the All-Holy and Life-Creating Spirit, Ikos XII)
 

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It is difficult to think beyond our most immediate concerns - plans, possibilities and problems - that crowd both our minds and our hearts. And this is a daily challenge. So perhaps when we hear the "voice" of the Church, through the Scriptures, a hymn (like that above), or a text from the saints, we can lift up both our minds and hearts beyond those concerns, and contemplate the glory of "what God has prepared for those who love him."