St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” And let anyone who hears say, “Come!”
And let anyone who is thirsty come; let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. (Rev 22:17)
Who are you, Light,
that fills me
and enlightens
the darkness of my heart?
You lead me
like a mother's hand
and without you
I could not go
even a step further.
You are the space
that encompasses my being
and hides it within yourself.
Released from you,
it would fall into the abyss
of nothingness,
from which you lifted it
to being.
You are closer to me
than I am to myself
and more intimate
than my deepest self –
and yet ungraspable
and incomprehensible
and you surpass every name:
Holy Spirit – eternal Love.
Are you not the manna,
that passes
from the heart of the Son
into my heart,
the food of angels and the blessed?
He, who rose
from death to life,
he also awakened me
to new life
from the sleep of death
and day by day
gives me
new life.
One day his fullness
will completely permeate me,
life from your life – yes, you yourself:
Holy Spirit – eternal Life.
Are you not the ray
that falls
from the throne of the Judge and enters
into the night of the soul,
which has never known itself?
Mercifully – relentlessly
you penetrate the hidden folds.
Aghast at the sight
of myself,
I make room –
for holy awe,
the beginning of that wisdom,
which comes from heights
and firmly anchors us
in the heights –
your action,
which creates us anew:
Holy Spirit – Penetrating Ray.
Are you not the fullness
and the power of the Spirit,
by which the Lamb breaks the seals
of the eternal divine will?
Driven by you, the messengers of judgment pass through
the world
and with a sharp sword
separate
the kingdom of light
from the kingdom of night.
Then the heavens will be renewed
and the earth will be renewed
and all will become what
it is truly meant to be,
by your breath:
Holy Spirit – Conquering Power.
Are you not
the song of love
and holy awe,
which eternally resounds
at the throne of God,
which unites in itself
the pure sound of all beings?
The harmony, which
unites the members with the head,
in which each
blessed finds
the secret meaning of their being
and joyfully flows
in your stream:
Holy Spirit – eternal Joy.
(Poems and Prayers from the Legacy, published by W. Herbstrith, Kaffke Verlag, Aschaffenburg 1981.)
Translated from German by Sister Petra of the Risen One, OCD.)
