Verses on Various Occasions · Chapter
CXL: Terce explained
A prayer invoking the Holy Ghost to fill the soul with holiness at the hour of Terce, asking that every part of the human person—flesh, heart, lips, and mind—may bear witness to God and spread the flame of love, concluding with a doxology o
What happens
A prayer invoking the Holy Ghost to fill the soul with holiness at the hour of Terce, asking that every part of the human person—flesh, heart, lips, and mind—may bear witness to God and spread the flame of love, concluding with a doxology of praise to the Trinity.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs in the stanza’s shift from defensive rebuke (“O rail not”) to a pr…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Faith and Doubt
The prayer expresses confident faith in the Holy Spirit's presence and power to transform the believer.
- The Church and Tradition
The structure of the hour of Terce and the invocation of the Trinity reflect the liturgical tradition of the Church.
Characters to notice
- Holy Ghost
Invoked as the one who reigns with Father and Son, asked to fill the soul with holiness.
- Father, Son, and Paraclete
Addressed in the concluding doxology as the triune God receiving praise and glory.
- The Saints
Mentioned as joining with men on earth in giving praise to the Trinity.
Key passages
“Come, Holy Ghost, who ever One Reignest with Father and with Son, It is the hour, our souls possess With Thy full flood of holiness.”
Come, Holy Spirit, eternally one with the Father and the Son; now is the appointed time, fill our souls completely with your holiness.
The opening invocation calls for the Holy Spirit's indwelling at the liturgical hour of Terce.
“Let flesh, and heart, and lips, and mind, Sound forth our witness to mankind; And love light up our mortal frame, Till others catch the living flame.”
May our bodies, emotions, speech, and thoughts all proclaim our testimony to humanity; may love ignite our mortal bodies so that others may be kindled by that same living fire.
A petition for holistic sanctification and evangelistic witness through the power of divine love.
