Christian Contemplation

The Golden
Sequence

Contemplative prayer is a little known aspect of the Christian faith. This is surprising because Christian contemplatives include the greatest and happiest Christian saints - Patrick, Lady Julian of Norwich, and Francis of Assisi.

Christian contemplation is a prayer of love. The person who first described the experience for generations of Christians was Dionysius the pseudo Aereopagite, probably a monk, who lived in the late fifth or early sixth century. He described the "ray of divine darkness" that illuminated the soul in contemplation.

Over the centuries Christian contemplatives have found contemplation to be a source of compassion, courage, healing, freedom, and wisdom. This is not surprising since contemplation is "a loving relationship with God" and in Christian theology God is the source of wisdom, freedom, healing, courage, compassion, and joy.

The contemplative hymn Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit) first appeared in liturgical books around the year 1200. The prayer came to be known as the "Golden Sequence" because of its golden thought and expression.

Its author is believed to be Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, who led the struggle for justice and Magna Carta, which were granted by King John on June 15, 1215. To those who have had the experience of contemplative prayer it is not too far-fetched to suppose that contemplative prayer gave Stephen Langton the clarity and strength to help establish the great constitutional affirmation of justice and freedom.

Langton wrote in Latin. The following is an English translation -

Veni, Sancte Spiritus

Come, holy Spirit, and send out from heaven,
The beam of thy light.

Come, father of the poor, come, giver of all we have,
Come, light of our hearts.

Best of consolers, sweet guest of the soul,
And comfort of the weary.

Thou who gives rest in labour, relief in burning toil,
And solace in grief.

O blessed light, fill the innermost hearts
Of those who trust in thee.

Without thy indwelling, there is nothing in us,
And nothing free of loss.

Cleanse what is sordid, give water in dryness,
And heal our wounds.

Bend what is proud, make the frigid warm,
Bring back the wayward soul.

Give to the faithful who trust you
Thy seven sacred gifts.

Give virtue's reward, salvation when we depart,
And perennial joy.

Amen.

Alleluia!

John Mason Neale was a Victorian who did more than any man alive to restore ruined churches in England. He also translated and adapted medieval hymns into English. Many of them are sung every Sunday by the millions of members of the Anglican Communion. (They include All glory, laud and honor; Come, Thou Redeemer of the earth; Come, ye faithful, raise the strain of triumphant gladness; Good King Wenceslas; and more than one hundred others.) You might say that Neale singlehandedly created a second golden age of hymns in the mid-19th century.

His translation of "Come, Holy Spirit" uses rhyme, and begins with the rarely used word Paraclete. After that it's smooth sailing with many wonderful lines. We like "What is rigid, gently bend; What is frozen, warmly tend. . ."

Come, Thou holy Paraclete,
And from Thy celestial seat
Send Thy light and brilliancy:
Father of the poor, draw near;
Giver of all gifts, be here;
Come, the soul’s true radiancy.

Come, of comforters the best,
Of the soul the sweetest guest,
Come in toil refreshingly:
Thou in labor rest most sweet,
Thou art shadow from the heat,
Comfort in adversity.

O Thou Light, most pure and blest,
Shine within the inmost breast
Of Thy faithful company.
Where Thou art not, man hath naught;
Every holy deed and thought
Comes from Thy divinity.

What is soilèd, make Thou pure;
What is wounded, work its cure;
What is parchèd, fructify;
What is rigid, gently bend;
What is frozen, warmly tend;
Strengthen what goes erringly.

Fill Thy faithful, who confide
In Thy power to guard and guide,
With Thy sevenfold mystery.
Here Thy grace and virtue send:
Grant salvation to the end,
And in Heav’n felicity.

The seven sacred gifts described in the Golden Sequence are very likely the seven powers described in
A Few Ideas in Our Heads

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