Come, Creator Spirit : Meditations on the Veni Creator

by Cantalamessa, Raniero

• ISBN13: 9780814626863
• ISBN10: 0814626866
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-05-01
• Publisher: Liturgical Pr

Summary

Ever since its composition in the ninth century, the use of the Veni Creator in the liturgy of Pentecost and in Christian assemblies has been constant, as one continuous, solemn invocation of the Paraclete. With its wealth of insights and thought-provoking images, this hymn is like a magnificent fresco of the Holy Spirit at work in slavation history and in the life of the Church. Following the structure of the ancient hymn, Father Cantalamessa gives us a meditation for each verse and builds a complete treatise -- a theological and spiritual Summa, no less -- on the Holy Spirit, drawn from Scripture, the Church Fathers, the liturgy and from Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. Its language, however, is far removed from theological discourse but inspired by symbol, image and song, by poetry and liturgy, by prophecy and living models of holiness. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M.Cap., who taught the history of Christian origins at the Catholic University of Milan and served on the International Theological Commission, devotes his ministry to preaching and writing. Since 1980 he has been the Preacher to the Papal Household

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Spirit, Come! The Holy Spirit, mystery of strength and tenderness	p. 7
Ruach, the Spirit's Name	p. 7
The Holy Spirit Comes to Help Us in Our Weakness	p. 11
The Holy Spirit Fills Our Loneliness	p. 14
In the School of "Brother Wind"	p. 18
Creator: The Holy Spirit changes chaos into cosmos	p. 23
The Spirit as Creator in Tradition	p. 23
The Creator Spirit in Scripture	p. 26
The Title "Creator," an "Open Structure"	p. 29
Experience of the Spirit as Creator	p. 32
Come, Creator Spirit	p. 36
Fill with Heavenly Grace the Hearts That You Have Made: The Holy Spirit renews the prodigies of the first Pentecost	p. 41
The Holy Spirit and the Creatures' Return to God	p. 42
What Did the Spirit Bring at Pentecost that Was New?	p. 45
The Spirit of Grace	p. 48
The Baptism of the Spirit	p. 53
Come, Visit, Fill!	p. 57
You Whom We Name the Paraclete: The Holy Spirit teaches us to be paracletes too	p. 61
The Sanctifying Work of the Spirit	p. 62
A Name Born of Experience	p. 64
Advocate, Consoler, and Spirit of Truth	p. 66
The Paraclete, a "Person"	p. 69
Be Paracletes	p. 74
Most High Gift of God: The Holy Spirit teaches us to make our own life a gift	p. 79
The Holy Spirit's Very Own Name	p. 80
The Holy Spirit, God's "Gift" and God's "Self-Giving"	p. 82
Make Yourself Gift	p. 84
The Holy Spirit Gives New Life to the Mutual Self-Giving of Husband and Wife	p. 88
Living Water: The Holy Spirit communicates the divine life to us	p. 95
Water, Life, and the Spirit	p. 96
What Life?	p. 100
Supernatural Life, or a Natural Super-Life?	p. 103
The Life of the Spirit	p. 106
Water the Thirsty Soil	p. 109
Fire: The Holy Spirit frees us from sin and from lukewarm half-heartedness	p. 113
He Will Baptize You with the Holy Spirit and Fire	p. 113
The Holy Spirit Is the Remission of All Sins	p. 116
A Penitential Pathway with the Holy Spirit	p. 119
From Remorse to the Joy of Being Forgiven	p. 123
Afire with the Spirit	p. 126
Love: The Holy Spirit leads us to experience the love of God	p. 131
New Wine in New Wineskins!	p. 131
The Holy Spirit, Love of the Father and the Son	p. 134
The Spirit Who Is Love, in the Church	p. 139
All Were Filled with the Love of God!	p. 144
Anointing for the Soul: The Holy Spirit makes us share the fragrance of Christ's holiness	p. 151
Anointing: Figure, Event, and Sacrament	p. 152
The Anointing in Christ: The Event	p. 154
The Anointing in the Church: The Sacrament	p. 158
Anointed in Spirit: A Way of Life	p. 162
How to Receive the Anointing of the Spirit	p. 165
Anointed to Spread the Pure Odor of Christ	p. 168
Sevenfold in Your Gifts: The Holy Spirit adorns the Church with many charisms	p. 171
What Is a Charism?	p. 173
Seven Gifts, or Seven Charisms?	p. 175
Vatican II: The Rediscovery of the Charisms	p. 181
Pentecost Is Today!	p. 184
Exercise of the Charisms	p. 186
Finger of God's Right Hand: The Holy Spirit brings the power of God to us	p. 191
It Is through the Finger of God That I Cast out Devils	p. 192
To Another Is Given the Gift of Working Miracles	p. 195
Why Miracles?	p. 197
In the Power of the Spirit	p. 200
The Father's Solemn Promise: The Holy Spirit enlivens our hope	p. 205
The Spirit "Already" and "Not Yet"	p. 205
The Spirit and the Promise	p. 206
The Spirit, God's Future	p. 211
The Holy Spirit Gives Us Abundant Hope	p. 213
The Promise Is for You!	p. 216
Gifting Lips with the Word to Say: The Holy Spirit gives power to our proclaiming	p. 219
Spirit and Word	p. 219
Glossolalia and Singing in Tongues	p. 221
Other Charisms Linked to the Word	p. 228
Something Appeared to Them that Seemed like Tongues of Fire	p. 231
From Babel to Pentecost	p. 233
Kindle Your Light in Our Minds: The Holy Spirit guides us to the fullness of truth	p. 237
The Spirit Works in the Individual Believer	p. 237
The Holy Spirit as Light, in the Bible and in the Fathers	p. 239
What Light Does the Spirit Kindle, and What Does It Light Up?	p. 245
Be Cleansed So As to Receive the Light	p. 248
Pour Love Into Our Hearts: The Holy Spirit draws us from love of self to love of God	p. 255
Light and Love	p. 255
Love, the Christian's New Law	p. 258
The Holy Spirit Sets Us Free from Self-Love	p. 261
Let Us No Longer Live for Ourselves	p. 265
A Theology of the Spirit for the Computer Age	p. 267
Infirmity in This Body of Ours Overcoming with Strength Secure: The Holy Spirit prepares the way for the redemption of our body	p. 271
Brother Body and Sister Soul	p. 271
The Charism of Healings	p. 273
From What Does the Holy Spirit Heal Us?	p. 278
What about Those Who Are Not Healed?	p. 280
A Spiritual Therapy	p. 282
The Enemey Drive from Us Away: The Holy Spirit gives us assurance of victory over evil	p. 285
The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Combat	p. 285
I Drive Out Devils with the Spirit of God	p. 287
Does the "Enemy" Still Exist?	p. 290
The Devil and Anxiety	p. 296
The Holy Spirit Frees Us from All Fear	p. 299
Peace Then Give Without Delay: The Holy Spirit gives us the wonderful peace of God	p. 303
The Dove of Peace	p. 303
The Fruits of the Spirit	p. 306
Peace Is God!	p. 309
In His Will Is Our Peace	p. 312
How Happy the Peacemakers!	p. 316
With You As Guide We Avoid all Cause of Harm: The Holy Spirit is our guide in spiritual discernment	p. 323
The Spirit as "Guide," in Scripture and Through Tradition	p. 324
Where the Spirit Provides Guidance: Conscience and the Church	p. 326
The Spirit Helps Us Discern the Signs of the Times	p. 330
Discernment in Our Personal Life	p. 332
Allow the Holy Spirit to Guide Us	p. 336
Through You May We the Father Know: The Holy Spirit enables us to cry out, Abba, Father!	p. 339
From History to the Trinity	p. 339
The Holy Spirit Leads Us to Know God as the "Father of His Son Jesus Christ"	p. 341
The Holy Spirit Helps Us to Know God as "Our Father"	p. 345
Make Us Know the Father's Love!	p. 350
Through You May We Know the Son As Well: The Holy Spirit teaches us to proclaim that Jesus is Lord	p. 353
He Will Bear Witness to Me	p. 354
The Surpassing Knowledge of Christ	p. 358
"All I Want to Know Is Christ"	p. 362
Where the Holy Spirit Leads Us to Know the Son	p. 365
And You, the Spirit of Them Both, May We Always Believe: The Holy Spirit gives us light to know the mystery of his own Person	p. 369
The Problem of the Filioque	p. 369
New Perspectives on the Origin of the Holy Spirit from the Father	p. 375
The Eternal Anointing of the Word in the Holy Spirit	p. 379
We Thank You, Holy Spirit!	p. 382
Excursus: The Veni Creator and the Doctrine of the Filioque	p. 385
Index of Authors	p. 391
Index of Subjects	p. 395
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