In labore requies, In labor, rest,
in aestu temperies in heat, temperance,
in fletu solatium. in tears, solace.
If anyone thinks that God is only for the elite, the morally perfect, or the “special” humans among us, these three lines remind us that nothing could be further from the truth. God is God for the common man, for the laborer, for the normal, for the weary, for the ordinary. Since the fall of man, the realities of labor, heat, and tears have been a part of human existence. This is our lot. We work, we labor, we sweat and weep and mourn because this life can be tough.
How many of us, though, when we’re hard at work, whether in the form of manual labor or not, take the time to think of the presence of the Holy Spirit? How often have you paused to consider His presence with you?
He is there.
He is in you.
When you take the time to recognize that, it changes the work. He may not take away the backbreaking effort of the work, but joy enters in. I’ve experienced this recognition as a “budding forth” of a peaceful happy sense of purpose. The way this stanza of the Sequence describes the action of the Holy Spirit fits with experience.
“In labor, rest.” This labor is the “work” with which humanity was punished after the Fall. This is not simply work, because that is good for us and necessary, but this “labor” is hard work, toiling work. During this labor, the presence of God brings a sense of rest – centeredness – and focus, even when the labor continues.
“In heat, temperance.” The word used for “heat” here is aestu, literally, “a raging heat of fire.” I wonder if this not only refers to actual heat like from the blazing sun, but also the raging fires of the passions in the soul. The attraction to earthly or sinful things has often been likened to fire. In either case, the Holy Spirit brings temperance – not the virtue of temperance, but a “lessening” or “tempering” of the heat. He lowers it so that we can bear it. In the case of the literal heat, he can help us bear it and offer it to God, and in the case of the heat of the passions, he can help us fight to remain virtuous and strong.
“In tears, solace.” Again, this is the lot of fallen humanity. Because of sin, we experience grief, sadness, death, rejection, loss, and betrayal. The Holy Spirit, in his role as comforter, comes to bring us divine refreshment. This solace is as simple as His personal presence. We are not alone because he brings God to us. Where he is, the Father and Son are also. When the Holy Spirit is within, we are never alone.
In a way, we see that the Holy Spirit is God’s answer to the fall of Adam and Eve. What they lost through the Fall, the Holy Spirit reverses. We still labor in heat and tears, but the Holy Spirit grants rest and solace in the midst of it.
May the Holy Spirit fill us with his personal presence and bring us rest, temperance, and solace. Come Holy Spirit, set us on fire with your love!