Father of the Poor

“He breathed on them and said to them,
‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (Jn 20:22)
 

Pentecost is one of those special liturgical days on which we are invited to sing a sequence between the Second Reading and the Alleluia: the beautiful Veni Sancte Spiritus:



 

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, et emitte caelitus lucis tuae radium. Veni, pater pauperum, veni, dator munerum, veni, lumen cordium. … Lava quod est sordidum, riga quod est aridum, sana quod est saucium. Flecte quod est rigidum, fove quod est frigidum, rege quod est devium.

Come, Holy Spirit, send forth the heavenly radiance of your light. Come, father of the poor, come, giver of gifts, come, light of the heart. … Cleanse that which is unclean, water that which is dry, heal that which is wounded. Bend that which is inflexible, fire that which is chilled, correct what goes astray.

 
Here is a commentary on one aspect of this text:
 
“‘Come, Father of the Poor!’  I think that this invocation is plainly a consoling one.  Holy Church is evidently not referring to those who lack the goods of fortune; the word poor does not have the usual connotation that we give it in daily life, it treats of poverty in the spiritual order.
 
The poor are those whose heart is detached, whose soul is desolate, who thirst fir love, who struggle with their own miseries and frailty; therefore it goes without saying that we are all poor.  Who does not hide an anxiety, a desire, a thirst in the depths of the soul?  Some seek peace; others, love; some, light and rest.
 
We are all poor by the very limitations of our nature; poor, because by our sins we have squandered the precious heritage that we received from God; poor, because in this sorrowful vale of tears, we long to possess those spiritual riches lacking in our fallen nature.  We are all poor, but what happiness, what comfort to know that the Holy Spirit is the Father of the Poor!  Scripture and the Church show us the marvels that the Holy Spirit has accomplished upon the earth.  In the beginning of time he moved over chaos, over that formless, empty earth: ‘The Spirit of God moved over the waters,’ the book of Genesis tells us.  And upon passing over chaos, he transformed it marvellously – putting into it light, order, beauty, life.
 
Indeed, whenever the Holy Spirit descends, he performs something very extraordinary.  He descends upon chaos and forms the world; he descends upon Mary and forms Jesus; he descends upon the Apostles and forms a Church, the kingdom of God.  When he descends, he comes to bring light and life, to bring peace and love.
 
But there will always be someone who says: ‘Who would be worthy to have the Holy Spirit descend into his soul?’ …Happy the saints…
 
But we?  We have the right and the hope of receiving the Holy Spirit!  Do we know why?  Because he is the Father of the Poor and we are poor.  The smaller our soul, the deeper our misery, the more pitiable our heart, the better right and title we have o the descent of the Spirit of God upon us.”
(Rev. Luis M. Martinez, Liturgical Preludes)
 
“Father of the poor, come down,
In your sight our sins lie bare;
What is naked, clothe with love,
That your likeness we might wear.”
(Hymn from the Liturgy of the Hours)

Image: Pentecost#2 from DoveMinistries.org.uk