Consider Praying St. Augustine’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit Daily
St Augustine’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.
Whenever, we undertake some work, whether large or small, we should pray St Augustine’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit, or some other short prayer to the Holy Spirit.
In fact, it’s a good idea to pray this prayer daily so that we may become sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit throughout our day.
Why St Augustine’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit – An Aid to Sanctity
Augustine Needed the Help
St Augustine struggled with chastity. People love to share this popular quote of his:
Confessions by St Augustine
“Lord, make me chaste—but not yet.”
Augustine had a concubine whom he loved very much and who bore him a son. Apparently she was not marriage material and St Monica arranged for him to marry a “decent girl.” In preparation for the marriage, he had to send her away, but his lust would not allow him to wait for the marriage and he became involved with another woman in the interim.
In the end, he never did not end marrying anyone, but through the grace of God, he was able to give himself wholly to Christ.
St Augustine prayed to the Holy spirit so that all his thoughts and everything he loved would be holy. The Holy Spirit was able to change him and he can change us.
How Does the Holy Spirit Lead Us to Christ?
He helps us Remember
Our Lord himself tells us about one of the roles of the Holy Spirit:
“But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.”
John 14:26, Douay Rheims Bible
When we face temptation, we might remember a bible verse or a Saint’s quote. In this day of information overload, it’s hard to remember anything but a blur. The Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance the appropriate things we have learned in the past.
He Helps Us Be More Charitable
Thomas Aquinas states that the Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity that gives us charity.
“The charity of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us (Rom. 5:5). He who has a share of daylight has that light from the sun; in the same way he who has charity has it from the Holy Spirit.”
St Augustine’s Prayer to the Holy Spirit can be an aid to our pursuit of sanctity, just as it was for St Augustine.
Be ye holy.
Good Reading
- Confessions by St Augustine: Catholic Company | Amazon
- In the School of the Holy Spirit by Jacques Philippe: Catholic Company | Amazon
- Douay Rheims Bible: Catholic Company | Amazon
Let us not forget. That in the Holy Trinity. There is God the Father, God the son, and God the Holy Ghost. Three independent and co-equal figures. With no person of the Trinity, inferior nor superior to the other. The Holy Ghost is not subservient to God the father and God the son. He has his own independent entity within the Trinity.