Pentecost Art and Reflection

O God the Holy Ghost

Who art light unto thine elect

Evermore enlighten us.

Thou who art fire of love

Evermore enkindle us.

Thou who art Lord and Giver of Life,

Evermore live in us.

Thou who bestowest sevenfold grace,

Evermore replenish us.

As the wind is thy symbol,

So forward our goings.

As the dove, so launch us heavenwards.

As water, so purify our spirits.

As a cloud, so abate our temptations.

As dew, so revive our languor.

As fire, so purge our dross.

—Christina Rossetti, “A Prayer to the Holy Spirit,” P.D.

Bonnie Van Voorst works towards creating abstract art that is accessible, through composition, color, and shared visual language—to tell a story, to make people pause and think for a while, to peel back a layer of truth. See her paintings at bonnievanvoorst.com.

Christina Rossetti (1830—1894) was an English poet who wrote a variety of romantic, devotional, and children’s poems. She penned the famous Christmas carol “In the Bleak Midwinter.”