Tractatus Alter, Pars Altera, Cap. 6. Oratio pro devotionis gratia in divino

Tractatus Alter, Pars Altera, Cap. 6. Oratio pro devotionis gratia in divino

I ask you, O most wise Doctor of doctors, O best Master of all physicians, Holy Spirit, Paraclete, with just one word and in an instant you can teach the ignorant and perfectly heal all the ailments of the body and the soul. Please be present with me favorably in every place and time, and graciously pour the gift of devotion into my heart while I pray, meditate, sing, and read, so that I can fulfill my hours and vows with devotion and attention, because without you, all my prayers are believed to be empty and unworthy in the ears of God, and without you, I can accomplish nothing good. Be present, I ask you, graciously in every place and time, and gently pour into my heart the grace of devotion while I pray, meditate, sing, and read, so that I may fulfill my hours and vows devoutly and attentively. For without you, all my prayers are empty and unworthy of God's ears, and without you, I can accomplish nothing good. So, Lord, help me through your grace in whatever I lack due to my weakness. So, against the fear of the night and the temptation of the devil, grant me the gift of faith and protect me with the sign of the holy cross as an invincible shield, so that the wicked enemy, the insidious one against my soul, may not prevail against me here and everywhere. In the face of the long watches of the night and the longer readings, help me to reflect on how great the rewards I can earn now in heaven. In the face of frequent abstinences from food and drink, grant me the strength to fast while laboring in poor health, forgiveness for my committed sins, protection for the future, relief from the penalties owed, and hope for eternal happiness in the kingdom of God with the chosen ones. Against laziness in divine service, stir me up with a song in the psalter and harp through the Davidic words inspired by the Holy Spirit, and reveal to me the hidden manna in the dry letter and the precious aromas in the cheap closed pyx. Many secrets are revealed to those who pray devoutly and pay serious attention, which are justly hidden from those who wander and are lazy. Against sleepiness in the morning, pull me more sharply by the ear, so that I may wake up sooner to hear what the Lord speaks to me in the holy scriptures, in hymns and songs, to lift my heart to my God in heaven and to forget those things that happen on earth. Drive away from me all sluggishness of body and open the ear of my heart, so that in the ecstasy of my mind I may be worthy to contemplate heavenly secrets through the Holy Spirit and hear the voices of the holy angels praising and singing devoutly to God on the high throne. Oh, if only I could be one of them in heaven to sing there with them: Holy, holy, holy in the choir. They never grow weary nor cease praising their Creator, because they are filled with the Holy Spirit, burning with love, shining with a pure brightness, fragrant with an aromatic scent, singing joyfully, gently, and sweetly. They sing joyfully, they help powerfully, they pause evenly, they rejoice lovingly, they delight in their joy, and they surpass themselves in God unceasingly. Who then could possibly sleep in the choir of angels, feeling such happiness and great joy in heaven? Who wouldn’t awaken at the sound of heavenly instruments and the harmony of many musicians singing together: Holy, holy, holy, forever and ever? When the hinges of heaven are moved by the loud cries of angels, will mere mortals remain silent? When the stones of the heavenly temple cry out, and the nine orders rejoice before God, will the monks and nuns be asleep? Look, the sun and moon serve God by shining, and you’ll sleep? May it never be. Awake, you righteous, says blessed Paul, and do not sin. Don't sleep, be lazy, hurry, or argue, but stand with all reverence and devotion, sing, and offer the sacrifices of praise to God with thanksgiving in harmony. God is pleased by the joyful praise of our lips, if the voice outside is harmonious and the attention inside is pure of heart. For the greatest joy in gatherings and the sweetest delight in music and songs is harmony in voices, cheerfulness in faces, and integrity in conduct. O how beautiful and holy is the community where the Holy Spirit is present as teacher, and where love is found among brothers in the heart, truth in the mouth, devotion in action, and peace everywhere without pretense or fear of deceit. This is true brotherhood, which can never be violated by conflict, nor broken by labor, nor overcome by burdens, because the love of God is poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to the humble, the contrite, the needy, the gentle, and the peaceful, and who aids every good work and the praise of God day and night. These are the works of the Holy Spirit, who still performs many good works in His faithful ones, distributing to each as He wills, if they prepare themselves for grace and diligently guard their hearts in every action and thought. It is a great and powerful effort to restrain the heart from wandering in prayer and to unite the mind with God in spiritual contemplation. Even though our spirit often falters in good things and withers in bad ones, and tends toward vanity, the Holy Spirit, however, comes again to our heart, reproving, piercing, wounding, anointing, and healing us. He teaches and enlightens, humbles us in our daily shortcomings, and lifts us up with inner consolations; He waters us with frequent prayers and purges our bitterness with lamentations. O sanctifier of all the faithful, ruler and guardian of all, remitter of sins and restorer of innocence, and comforter of the sorrowful, Holy Spirit, O merciful and compassionate Lord, most loving consoler of the weak, convert all my evil into good and always make good even better; turn sorrow into joy, error into righteousness, ignorance into true knowledge, lukewarmness into fervor, fear into love, every bodily good into a spiritual gift, every earthly desire into a heavenly longing, every transient thing into the eternal, every human thing into the divine, and every created and finite thing into the supreme, infinite, and immense good that you are, my God and my Savior. O true and eternal salvation of mine, my God, keep me safe from all present evil, forgive the past, and rescue me from future dangers through the abundant grace of the Holy Spirit, which you have poured out today with the rich blessing of the apostles into our hearts to proclaim your word to all nations. Amen.