Tuesday 2 April 2024

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Today is Tuesday 2 April, in the 1st week of Eastertide.

Juliano Ravanello sings Veni Creator Spiritus: ‘Come, Creator Spirit’. Can you make this your song today?

Veni Creator Spiritus

Mentes tuorum visita

Imple superna gratia

Quae tu creasti pectora

Qui diceris Paraclitus

Donum Dei altissimi

Fons vivus ignis caritas

Et spiritalis unctio

Tu septiformis munere

Dextrae Dei tu digitus

Tu rite promissum Patris

Sermone ditans guttura

Accende lumen sensibus

Infunde amorem cordibus

Infirma nostri corporis

Virtute firmans perpeti

Hostem repellas longius

Pacemque dones protinus

Ductore sic te praevio

Vitemus omne noxium

Per te sciamus da Patrem

Noscamus atque Filium

Te utriusque Spiritum

Credamus omni tempore

Amen

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come

from thy bright heav'nly throne;

come, take possession of our souls,

and make them all thine own.

Thou who art called the Paraclete,

best gift of God above,

the living spring, the living fire,

sweet unction and true love.

Thou who art sevenfold in thy grace,

finger of God's right hand;

his promise, teaching little ones

to speak and understand.

O guide our minds with thy blest light,

with love our hearts inflame;

and with thy strength, which ne'er decays,

confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our deadly foe;

true peace unto us bring;

and through all perils lead us safe

beneath thy sacred wing.

Through thee may we the Father know,

through thee th'eternal Son,

and thee the Spirit of them both,

thrice-blessed three in One.

Today’s reading is from the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts 2:36-41

'Therefore, let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.’

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

Here we are listening to Peter, who is delivering a surprisingly upbeat and courageous speech to his fellow-Jews on that first Pentecost. Can you imagine this moment? Can you place yourself amongst the crowd? What is it like to hear Peter speaking with the other apostles?

“They were cut to the heart…Brothers, what should we do?” If you’ve placed yourself in the crowd, can you feel this moment, their reaction?

“About three thousand persons were baptised.” Take a moment to imagine all those people getting baptised… engage your five senses as much as you can!

Now listen as the passage is read once more: what does it say to you this time?

Finally, look back over this time of prayer, and see if you can gather all your thoughts and feelings together into a prayer to God.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.