Pentecost Sequence of St. Notker

Translated by John Mason Neale

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Shower of Pentecost Rose Petals • The Pantheon, Rome

The grace of the HOLY GHOST be present with us;

And make our hearts a dwelling place to itself ;

And expel from them all spiritual wickedness.

Merciful SPIRIT, Illuminator of men,

Purge the fearful shades of our mind.

O holy Lover of thoughts that are ever wise,

Of Thy mercy pour forth Thine Anointing into our senses.

Thou purifier of all iniquities, O SPIRIT,

Purify the eye of our inner man,

To the end that the FATHER of all things may be seen by us,

He, Whom the eyes of none
save the pure in heart can behold.

Thou didst inspire the Prophets to chant aforehand
their glorious heralding of CHRIST.

Thou didst confirm the Apostles,
so that they shall bear CHRIST's glorious trophy
through the whole world.

When, by His Word,
GOD made the system of heaven, earth, seas,

Thou didst stretch out Thy Godhead over the waters,

and didst cherish them, O SPIRIT!

Thou dost give virtue to the waters to quicken souls ;

Thou, by Thine Inspiration, grantest to men to be spiritual.

Thou didst unite the world,
divided both in tongues and rites, O LORD !

Thou recallest idolaters
to the worship of GOD, best of Masters !

Wherefore of Thy mercy hear us
who call upon Thee, HOLY GHOST :

Without Whom, as the faith teaches,
all our prayers are in vain, and unworthy of the ears of GOD.

Thou, O SPIRIT, Who by embracing the Saints of all ages,
dost teach them by the impulse of Thy Divinity ;

Thyself, by bestowing on the Apostles of CHRIST
a gift immortal, and unheard of from all ages,

Hast made this day glorious.

+Alleluya!

Thanksgiving for the Resurrection and the Ascension of the Lord

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LET us bless the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost:
Let us praise and exalt him for ever.

Then shall be said together:

BLESSING and honour and glory and power
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty:
Just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints;
All glorious thy gifts, thou Spirit of life.
Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honour and power and might
be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

O GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious;
And his mercy endureth for ever.

Who hath loved us from all eternity;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And remembered us when we were in trouble;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who by his Cross and Passion hath redeemed the world;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And hath washed us from our sins in his own blood;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who on the third day rose from the dead;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And hath given us the victory;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who ascended up on high;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And opened wide for us the everlasting doors;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who sitteth on the right hand of God;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And ever liveth to make intercession for us;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

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

FOR the gift of his Spirit;
Blessed be Christ.

For the Catholic Church;
Blessed be Christ.

For the means of grace;
Blessed be Christ.

For the hope of glory;
Blessed be Christ.

For the triumphs of his gospel;
Blessed be Christ.

For the lives of his saints;
Blessed be Christ.

In joy and in sorrow;
Blessed be Christ.

In life and in death;
Blessed be Christ.

Now and unto the end of the ages;
Blessed be Christ.

Here may be added thanksgivings for particular mercies, and at their end all shall say together the General Thanksgiving.

ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies,
we thine unworthy servants
do give thee most humble and hearty thanks
for all thy goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all men.
We bless thee for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for thine inestimable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we beseech thee,
give us that due sense of all thy mercies,
that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful;
and that we show forth thy praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to thy service,
and by walking before thee
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

BLESSING and honour and thanksgiving and praise more than we can utter, more than we can conceive, be unto thee, O most adorable Trinity, + Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, by all angels, all men, all creatures, for ever and ever. Amen and Amen.

Cambridge Offices and Orisons
Eric Milner-White
B.T.D. Smith

The Ascension of the Lord

APPEAR, O Lord, make thyself known, O Lord, as thou didst appear manifest in the flesh; born of a Virgin, found by the shepherds, recognised in power, proclaimed by the Star, adored with gifts, manifest in the river, believed on in faith, received up in the cloud and promised again by him that announced it: that by the grace of this holy festival thy Church may now receive thy joys, as once it made known thy mysteries.

Mozarabic Missal

WORTHY of glory from every mouth, and of confession by every tongue, and of adoration and exaltation from all ceatures, is the adorable Name of thy glorious Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: thou who didst create the world in thy grace and its inhabitants in thy pitifulness: who didst save mankind by thy compassion and hast shown great grace unto mortals. Thousand thousands of those on high bless and adore thy Majesty, O my Lord; and ten thousand times ten thousand holy angels, and hosts of spiritual beings, ministers of fire and spirit, glorify thy name: thy holy cherubim and spiritual seraphim, offering adoration, crying and praising without ceasing, calling one to another and saying "Holy, holy holy."

Liturgy of SS. Adai and Mari

BEFORE the glorious seat of thy majesty, O Lord, and the exalted throne of thine honour, and the awful judgment-seat of thy burning love, and the absolving altar which thy command hath set up, and the place where thy glory dwelleth, we, thy people and the sheep of thy fold, do kneel with thousands of the cherubim singing ALLELUIA, and many times ten thousand seraphim and archangels, acclaiming thine holiness, worshipping, confessing and praising thee at all times, O Lord of all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for ever.

Chaldean Liturgy

Our Lady, Guardian of Plants, pray for all of us upon the earth.

Ascension Collects

O ALMIGHTY GOD, whose blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abideth with his Church on earth, even unto the end of the ages; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.


GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens, so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Collects from the Book of Common Prayer Tradition

Sunday after Ascension Day

From The Day Hours 

(Dedicated to John Fielder, the Anglican Bishop of Oxford)
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The Sunday after the Ascension.

AT THE FIRST VESPERS

Antiphon to Magnificat.
After the Lord had spoken unto them : He was received up into heaven, and sat at the Right Hand of God. Alleluia .—St. Mark xvi. 19.

The Collect.
O GOD the King of glory, Who hast exalted Thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto Thy Kingdom in heaven ; We beseech Thee, leave us not comfortless ; but send to us Thine Holy Ghost to Comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before.  Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, One God, world without end. Amen.

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AT LAUDS

The Chapter, 1 St. Pet. iv. 7,8.
The end of all things is at hand ; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves : for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
R. Thanks be to God.

Antiphon to Benedictus.
When the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me.  Alleluia.—St. John xv. 26.

Collect as at the First Vespers.
O GOD the King of glory, Who hast exalted Thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto Thy Kingdom in heaven ; We beseech Thee, leave us not comfortless ; but send to us Thine Holy Ghost to Comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before.  Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, One God, world without end. Amen.

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AT TERCE

The Chapter, 1 St. Pet. iv. 7,8.
The end of all things is at hand ; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves : for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
R. Thou hast set Thy Glory, O Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia.
V. Above the heavens. Alleluia. Alleluia.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost.
R. Thou hast set Thy Glory, O Lord, above the heavens.  Alleluia, Alleluia.—Ps. viii.1
V. God is Gone Up with a merry noise.
R. And the Lord with the sound of the trumpet. Alleluia. Ps. xlvii.5 
 
Collect as at the First Vespers.
O GOD the King of glory, Who hast exalted Thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto Thy Kingdom in heaven ; We beseech Thee, leave us not comfortless ; but send to us Thine Holy Ghost to Comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before.  Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, One God, world without end. Amen.

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AT SEXT.

The Chapter, 1 St. Pet. iv. 9, 10.
Use hospitality one to another without grudging.  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
R. Thou hast set Thy Glory, O Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia.
V. Above the heavens. Alleluia. Alleluia.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost.
R. Thou hast set Thy Glory, O Lord, above the heavens.  Alleluia, Alleluia.—Ps. viii.1
V. God is Gone Up with a merry noise.
R. And the Lord with the sound of the trumpet. Alleluia. Ps. xlvii.5
 
Collect as at the First Vespers.
O GOD the King of glory, Who hast exalted Thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto Thy Kingdom in heaven ; We beseech Thee, leave us not comfortless ; but send to us Thine Holy Ghost to Comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before.  Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, One God, world without end. Amen.

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AT NONE.
 
The Chapter, 1 St. Pet. iv. 11.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God : if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth; that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
R. Thou hast set Thy Glory, O Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia.
V. Above the heavens. Alleluia. Alleluia.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost.
R. Thou hast set Thy Glory, O Lord, above the heavens.  Alleluia, Alleluia.—Ps. viii.1
V. God is Gone Up with a merry noise.
R. And the Lord with the sound of the trumpet. Alleluia. Ps. xlvii.5 
 
Collect as at the First Vespers.
O GOD the King of glory, Who hast exalted Thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto Thy Kingdom in heaven ; We beseech Thee, leave us not comfortless ; but send to us Thine Holy Ghost to Comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before.  Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, One God, world without end. Amen.

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AT THE SECOND VESPERS

The Chapter, 1 St. Pet. iv. 7,8.
The end of all things is at hand ; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves : for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Antiphon to Magnificat.
These things have I told you, that, when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them.  Alleluia.—St. John xvi. 4.

Collect as at the First Vespers.
O GOD the King of glory, Who hast exalted Thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto Thy Kingdom in heaven ; We beseech Thee, leave us not comfortless ; but send to us Thine Holy Ghost to Comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before.  Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, One God, world without end. Amen.

+Alleluya!

After the Miracle ... Life Goes On

Since being given a divine gift of healing that has allowed me to walk again without assistance and to have more of a normal life, I have found it challenging to say the least.  First, the Lord directed me to several things to be done each of which proved personally terribly disappointing even as I was aware that the Lord's work and will had been done.

We are always in a danger of loving something more than God does.

In my case He directs me to go here, and I go.  One challenge for me is not to allow any expectations to build up.  If they do, then they will need to be eliminated and that pruning can be unpleasant.  The Lord Jesus and His desires and direction are what matter, and sometimes it is very unsettling to find that He will not allow us to stay on the mountaintop and build booths to live in.  No, we must keep moving onward to Jerusalem, the Holy City that is above.

It is true that when you have left your body during clinical death and you taste of Paradise and the immediate Presence of God... returning to this world can be very difficult.  But in time one can see its own tragic beauty and learn to love those moments and movements in life where the fragrance of Christ can be inhaled and cherished.

When one decides that one will do whatever the Lord says, one must forsake the opinions of people.  In their eyes I could either be a loyal servant of Christ, an enormous fool, or a madman ... and none of that matters.  What does the Lord say when you have done what He has asked you to do?  'Well done, thou good and faithful servant.'  And so we press on, onward to the Jerusalem that is above.  And we do so with a heart full of joy knowing that doing what the Lord bids us to do is the only joy that never fades away, and it is the only 'work' of man that will not perish.

Yes, I would like everyone to respond to the messages I bring from the Lord, but my rôle is simply to be the emissary not to try to elicit a desired response.  All of that is up to the Holy Ghost, and the Spirit will accomplish all that needs to be done.

Recently I went to a place in another country where I was told by heavenly visitors "Welcome, home." and I took that to mean that the location was to be my new home, but I was very mistaken.  The home of which they spoke wasn't a physical location but rather moving in the Will of God longing only to please the Lord by whatever He had for me to do ... even if it was personally painful or costly.

It was a profound learning for me that the "home" God wants me to find is in the doing of His will and going where He sends me ... and nothing more.  Yes, I have a home in my parent's beautiful home.  Yes, I have found a home in the house of very generous friends ... and as cherished and wonderful as these are, they are seconds to the primary home which is in moving, living, and acting within the Spirit of the Lord in order to accomplish His will and His purpose.

When we move where we are supposed to move, we come "to the place just right" as the Shaker hymn sings.  And it is not a location but rather the very Love of God … active and sharp and consoling and convicting.  We may be given the work of prayer which is a constant movement of the soul and the Holy Ghost ... and it is a movement, a work, a deed within God Himself.  

We may be given the job to go to another land and outfit a hospital with solar power and a new fresh water well ... and it is a movement, a work, a deed within God's own will.  Whatever it may be, when we go with the direction of God or simply the longing to please the Lord, we will find our true 'home' with the Lord who ceases not and does not rest till every soul finds its perfection in Him.