Saturday 6th week of Easter

 The Gift of Fortitude 

I can do all things in Him who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

Meditation:

In the spiritual life there are many difficulties and temptations great and small.  There are everyday difficulties that tempt us to think only of ourselves, to be harsh, to lose our temper or to hold onto a hurt.  The Gift of Fortitude strengthens us at these times to remain charitable, kind, patient and forgiving.  With the Gift of Fortitude we are never overcome, we are never defeated, but can do all things in Christ who Strengthens us by His Spirit. 

Reflection: 

What are the daily difficulties where I need strength?

What are my weaknesses?

Which Saint best exemplifies the gift of Fortitude for me?

V. Come, O Spirit of Fortitude , and give us strength, constancy and victory in the battle against our spiritual enemies.

Friday 6th week of Easter

 

The Fear of the Lord

The Fear of The Lord is the first stage of Wisdom." Ps. 111:10

Meditation:

Fear of The Lord is not a fear of condemnation or damnation, but a "filial" fear. It is the fear of a son or daughter who out of love and devotion "fear" ever offending their mother or father. The Holy Spirit has made us adopted children of God Rm. 8:14-16. As adopted children of God by the Holy Spirit, we are granted the gift of "filial fear" of never wanting to offend or disappoint our Heavenly Father. 

Reflection:

What kind of son or daughter of God are we?

How "fearful" are we of offending our Heavenly Father. 

How does Fear of The Lord help us to grow in Wisdom?

V. Come, O Spirit of the Fear of the Lord,

reign over our will and make us always disposed to suffer every evil rather than to sin.

Thursday 6th week of Easter

 Temple of the Holy Spirit

"Do you not know that you are a Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" 1 Cor. 3:16

Meditation

God  desires to not only live "with us" in the flesh, but to "dwell within us in the Spirit."  Humanity is made up of flesh and spirit. Jesus, the Son of God took on our flesh and thus made our flesh holy and immortal. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, our spirits and our souls become holy and immortal. 

Reflection

How do we open our hearts and souls to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?

What closes our hearts and souls from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?

How do we make our bodies a proper dwelling place for the Holy Spirit?

What keeps our bodies from being a proper dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. 

V. Send forth Your Spirit, and we shall be created 

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

Wednesday 6th week of Easter

The Gift

"In this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 1 Jn. 3:34. 

In almost all references to the Holy Spirit in Scripture, the Holy Spirit is spoken of as a "gift from God and a gift of God."  

     As a gift,  the Holy Spirit is something that is given completely and thus becomes the possession of the recipient. 

     The Holy Spirit was not only "given" to Mary but she became the "possessor" of the gift to use as she willed.  But a soul can only receive the fullness of the Gift of the Holy Spirit when a soul has fully gifted itself in return to the Spirit of God.  

     The degree to which we "give" ourselves to the Holy Spirit is the degree to which the Holy Spirit "gives" Himself to a soul. 

Reflection:

How much do we give of ourselves to the Holy Spirit?

What do we hold back?

How receptive are we of the Holy Spirit?

V. Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created. 

R. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

Tuesday 6th week of Easter

In the words of Pope Paul VI :

"What the Church needs is the Holy Spirit in each of us, in all of us together, in us who are the Church."

The Faithful must cultivate an outstanding devotion to the Spirit as the supreme source of Love, Unity and Peace."

We must renew our devotion to the Blessed Virgin if we wish to obtain the Holy Spirit and be sincere followers of Jesus Christ."

"It is always in dependence on the Holy Spirit that Mary leads souls to Jesus, forms them in His image, inspires them with good counsel and acts as a living bond of love between Jesus and the faithful."

Monday 6th week of Easter

 The Holy Spirit

Who is the Holy Spirit?  How do we know the Holy Spirit lives and dwells in us? How do we experience the Holy Spirit and know that He is present?   At first these questions may seem difficult.  Because the Holy Spirit is not something we touch with our hands or hear with our ears or see with our eyes or even smell with our noise. The Holy Spirit is Spirit. He transcends the flesh and the senses and yet the Holy Spirit surrounds, fills and animates the flesh, the heart and the soul.  If you have ever experienced fire, water, the wind, joy, love, peace, laughter, passion, inspiration, hope, love, faith, or courage, then you have experienced the Holy Spirit living, moving, and filling your mind and soul and body. 

Sixth Sunday of Easter

The Resurrection

Easter is not about bunnies and Springtime

It is about what is going to happen to us when we die?

Easter is all about Eternal Life. 

The Son of God became flesh in Mary’s Womb. Jn. 1:14

And When He died on the cross;

His Soul was separated from His Body.

His Soul went to His Father to whom He commended His Spirit. Lk. 23:46

And His Body was laid in the tomb. Mt. 27:60

But on the Third Day;

His soul was reunited not with a dead and decayed body;

But with a glorified Body. 

Being made in the image and likeness of God

We too are made up of Body and Soul when we were conceived in our mother’s womb. 

That is how we live in this world. 

Body and soul united. 

But when we die;

Our bodies and souls are separated. 

Our body goes into the grave. 

While our soul lives on in the presence of God. 

And just as the Soul of Jesus was reunited with a glorious body at His resurrection on the Third Day; Lk. 18:33

So on the Last Day,Jn. 6:39

Our souls will be reunited with our bodies;

Not a new body but the same one, only glorified. 

Our bodies will be transformed like that of the Risen Lord. 

No longer suspect to corruption 

And we will shine like the sun. 1 Cor. 15:43

We will behold God face to face 1Cor. 13:12

live in God’s presence forever. 

For those who do not love God and have not kept His commandments being in God’s presence will be Hell. 

But For those who love God and have kept His commandments 

Being in God’s presence will be Heaven ! 

Friday 5th week of Easter

Love and the commandments Jn. 15:9-11

Many people view the commandments as obligations. 

Things they have to do. 

Or as restrictions,

Things they cannot do. 

But not Jesus. 

Jesus kept His Father’s commandments out of Love. 

It was the way Jesus showed He loved His Father,

By doing whatever His Father asked Him. 

And keeping the commandments of Jesus,

Is the way we show our love for Jesus. 

And when we keep His commandments we remain in His Love,

And then our Joy will be complete. 

Thursday 5th Week of Easter

 Remain in my Love Jn. 15:9-11

How did Jesus show His Love for His Father. 

By being obedient even unto death on a cross Phil 2:8

How do we show our love for Jesus;

By keeping His commandments. 

Love is not about doing what WE want,

But giving of ourselves to another. 

This requires sacrifice. 

By keeping the commandments 

We sacrifice our own wants and desires;

And by doing so,

We show our love for Jesus 

And will remain in His Love. 

Wenesday. 5th Week of Easter

 Apart from me you can do nothing.     

Independent, self sufficient, pull yourself up by your own bootstraps;

This is the American Way and the way of many other cultures as well. 

We prefer to rely on ourselves and our own resources. 

To do otherwise is a sign of weakness. 

Yet Jesus tells us that apart from Him we can do nothing!

He is the Vine and we are the branches and apart from Him we will writher and die and be good for nothing but to be thrown into the fire and burned. 

But with Him.  We will bear much fruit.

There is no in between here. 

Maybe I can rely on Jesus when I am in trouble over my head and rely on myself all the other times.

Jesus tells us that apart from Him we can do NOTHING!

Nada! Zero! Nothing! 

Jesus uses many images of nature to reinforce and show this to us. 

He is the Bread of Life. Jn. 6:35

How long can we live without food?

He will give us life giving water.  Jn. 4:14

How long can we live without water?

He is the vine. Jn. 15:1

How long can a branch live apart from the vine?

The next time you eat a piece of bread, or drink a glass of water or see a tree with all of its branches;

Think of Jesus. 

And know that apart from Him we can do nothing

But with Him all things are possible and we will bear abundant fruit. 

Tuesday 5th Week of Easter

“The crowds stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city supposing he was dead. “ Acts. 14:19-28

Do not count the cost.  

Paul was dragged out the city and was stoned to the point of almost dying. 

Rather than walk away;

Undaunted. 

He got up and went back into the city. 

His response was that it was necessary to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God!

Paul did not count the cost, because what He was going to receive in the Kingdom far outweighed the pittance he had to pay. 

For the hardships of this life are as nothing to the rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Monday 5th Week of Easter

“Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me.”  Jn. 14:21

Do you Love Jesus?  

Everyone questions God’s love for us. 

“If God loves us why does he allow suffering in the world?”

Is it possible that most of the suffering in the world is because WE do not love God!

If we did love God we would keep His commandments

And by keeping His commandments much of our self inflicted sins and suffering would come to an end.  

5th Sunday of Easter

 New and Improved.   

New!

That is the catch phrase of all advertising. 

It is plastered across every product in the store. 

New and Improved!

Because people want new things. 

They want better things. 

They are tired of the old. 

So we buy new clothes,

New cars

New homes

New products.  

But how new are they really. 

A few new bells here. 

A few new whistles there. 

A few tweaks and upgrades. 

But nothing really new and different. 

Jesus however offers us something radically new. 

He offers us a New Heavens and a New Earth Rev. 21:1-2

Where there will be no death or mourning, crying or pain;

Where every tear will be wiped away. Rev. 21:4

But in order to receive the new we must let go of the old. 

The old resentments;

The old prejudices;

The old hurtful memories;

The old attitudes;

The old self;

What we need to change and make new is not what we wear, or the phone we use or the car we drive. 

What we need to change and make new is ourselves. 

Only Jesus can do this because He makes ALL things new. Rev. 21:5

Next time we go to the store and see something "new and improved"

Next time we see a product changed and upgraded. 

Next time we  think we need new clothes because we are tired of the old ones and want a "new look."

We should take a look at ourselves instead and see 

What needs upgrading in our spiritual life. 

What needs to be improved in our attitude. 

What needs to be made new in our lives. 

And turn to Jesus who makes ALL things New!  Rev. 21:5