The Spirit is present wherever people live by love, witness to the truth, act in solidarity, and practice compassion. Wherever such realities are manifest in human beings, anywhere in the world, it is a sign that the Spirit has come upon them and is active within them.
We all need the Holy Spirit.
This world needs the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit has a specific, overarching mission. His task is to teach us about Jesus. He is the invisible presence of God on earth, inviting us to take his hand and walk towards purification to live eternally.
Holy Spirit, renew the hearts of your people. Light a fire in our hearts. Amen
As a convert, I grew up in a divided household where my stepmother believed that the pope wasn’t Christian and that Catholics wrongly worshiped Mary. How this lens skewed the truth for me for many years. My husband however was raised catholic and had a true devotion to Mary. She is his gracious protector. How beautiful is that!
It is through his example I was drawn to develop my own relationship with Mother Mary. First through praying the rosary which showed me the way to a deeper relationship with her Son through this daily practice. Next, by walking with Mary as my Saint Buddy and learning more about her story. I continue to grow in relationship with her today through Hallow and reading daily meditations from A Year With Mary.
In Jesus’ last words he gives Mary to us as our mother. She is Mother of the Church, Mother for us all. We need Mary! May we all go to our Spiritual Mother whose only desire is to make us holy and lead us to her son.
Lord, you are always with Mary, and Mary is always with you. She can never be without you, because then she would cease to be what she is. Let me surrender to this realization that I am nothing without you. Amen
Today is Pentecost Sunday, celebrating when the Holy Spirit was poured forth at Pentecost, Christ’s Paschal Mystery was brought to completion, and the Church was fully equipped to carry on his redemptive work in the world. At Pentecost, it is revealed that we remain always intimately united to our heavenly Father, who will shepherd his people home to the glory of heaven. Let’s live in this knowledge that our help is here and find strength and purpose in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from your celestial home Shed a ray of light divine! Come, Father of the poor! Come, source of all our store! Come, within our bosoms shine. You, of comforters the best; You, the soul’s most welcome guest; Sweet refreshment here below; In our labor, rest most sweet; Grateful coolness in the heat; Solace in the midst of woe. O most blessed Light divine, Shine within these hearts of yours, And our inmost being fill! Where you are not, we have naught, Nothing good in deed or thought, Nothing free from taint of ill. Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On our dryness pour your dew; Wash the stains of guilt away: Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps that go astray. On the faithful, who adore And confess you, evermore In your sevenfold gift descend; Give them virtue’s sure reward; Give them your salvation, Lord; Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.
In the western world, it is engrained to be independent. But to live fully we need community and connection. Perhaps this independent mindset feeds our struggle with loneliness and anxiety.
I need others in order to really see and know myself. Otherwise, I will listen to my own arguments, believe my own lies, and buy into my own delusions. If I am going to see myself clearly, I need others to hold the mirror of God’s Word in front of me.
As Christians who still have pockets of spiritual blindness, we need two character qualities:
First, we need the loving courage of honesty. We need to love others more than we love ourselves, and so, with humble, patient love, help them to see what they need to see. Second, we need the thankful humility of approachability. We need to forsake defensiveness, be thankful that God has surrounded us with help, and be ready to receive it—every day!
I need to wake up in the morning and say, “God, I am a person in desperate need of help. Please send helpers my way and give me the humility to receive the help you have provided. Lord, make me willing to help someone see themselves as you see them today.”
We need to live in humble, honest, intrusive, and intentional community with one another, where personal ministry that goes both ways is part of our daily culture.
God, would you send helpers my way and give me the humility to receive the help you have provided? And Lord, would you make me willing to help someone see themselves as you see them today? In your name, amen.
Clutter isn’t only those piles of belongings on floors or shelves that serve as barriers to comfort and serenity in your home. The clutter between my ears causes me the most stress: all those things that take up space that I really don’t need anymore. My brain can be a messy place, an interesting place, and, without a doubt, an overcrowded place.
We can pare down our thoughts through therapy and mindfulness practice. Just as we make a practice of cleaning up our physical space, we can regard and contemplate the piles of thoughts that we’ve created in our head, and decide what we need to keep and what we can throw away.
Lately, I’ve been throwing out self-judgment and harshness. I’ve reorganized outdated ideas about what I need to be doing with my days and my life, scrapping fear and insecurity. Clearing out the negative mental clutter has created a lot more space for curiosity, positivity, and creativity. How do you sort through your clutter? What are you making room for?
Lord, thank you for helping me hang on to thoughts that serve me and that are made of your truth, allowing me to chuck the rest. Amen
The mutual love of the Father and the Son, which Jesus gratuitously extends to us as his friends, should bear fruit in charity. The first Christians took very seriously Christ’s command of charity. It was their distinctive mark. It set them apart from the peoples among whom they lived. It was the magnetic force that attracted so many to join their ranks.
The command to love each other is the logical result of our personal worth as people loved by the Lord. If Jesus loves my brother or sister so much that he gave his life for him or her, can there be any excuse for me not to show respect and deference on their behalf? Charity is the badge of every true Christian. How can I better live Christ’s commandment of love, starting within my own family?
Jesus, I pray that I will never cease to be astonished by the depths of your personal love for me. You call me your friend even though I have not always lived up to the demands of this calling. I want to be a better and truer friend of yours. As a signal of my intention, I will show a simple act of kindness to a member of my family today. Amen
Lord, I offer you my whole self: my thoughts, desires, decisions, actions, hopes, fears, weaknesses, failures and petty successes. I open my entire being to you, aware that you know everything already. I’m certain of your mercy and of the purifying power of your penetrating, loving gaze.
We are called to an intimate friendship with the Holy Spirit, the “Sweet Guest of the Soul.” Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon us at our baptism to be the craftsman of our holiness, and our consolation and strength as we await Christ’s return.
Today we celebrate Saint Dymphna who is the patron saint of mental disorders. As many struggle with disconnection, anxiety and loneliness, let’s pray for the presence of God to envelope these hurting minds and hearts.
No one wants to face the world alone and unaided and we do not have to because we have the help of Christ’s advocate. Let’s be aware of the gentle presence of the Holy Spirit in our souls. Let’s be attentive and docile to his inspirations and movements to console our weary hearts.
Lord, as I begin this prayer, I offer you my whole self: my thoughts, desires, decisions, actions, hopes, fears, weaknesses, failures, and petty successes. I open my entire being to you, aware that you know everything already. I’m certain of your mercy and of the purifying power of your penetrating, loving gaze. Amen
Jesus stresses two essential qualities for effective prayer: confidence and perseverance. Prayer brings our mind into the brightness of divine light and exposes our will to the warmth of divine love. Nothing else can purge our mind from its ignorance and our will from disordered affections. As St. Francis de Sales says: It is a blessed fountain which, as it flows, revives our good desires and causes them to bring forth fruit, washes away the stains of infirmity from our soul and calms the passions of our hearts.
When we put our heart at Jesus’ feet, this is the gift that he loves the most.
Lord, grant us the confidence and perseverance to meet you in prayer, bringing us into the light of your face. Amen
Our Lady of Fatima is a Marian devotion that offers hope and protection to those who are suffering. This is the title given to the Virgin Mary as she appeared before three shepherd children in the village of Fatima Portugal in 1917. She promised that God would grant peace to the entire world if Her requests for prayer, reparation and consecration were heard and obeyed.
How healthy and strong is your prayer life? And your sacrifice for the reparation of sins? Are you committed to holiness and being a saint?
In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). The message of Fatima invites us to trust in this promise.
Lord, call us to be hope in this suffering world in which we live while being called to our eternal home. Amen
Smitten With Goodness 