Yes and No 2 Cor. 1:18-22
God is not Yes and No.
Yes one minute He loves us and No, the next minute He does not.
God is always love.
But are we?
Do we say Yes one minute to God and then No the next?
Are we Yes, while in church that we love God
And then No when we love the things of the world.
God is always Faithful;
Always Yes.
When are the times that we say “No” to God.
Mary Mother of the Church
We all have birthdays.
And we have birthdays because we all have mothers!!
The birthday of the Church is Pentecost.
Pentecost is the day when the Disciples,
Having been filled with the Holy Spirit,
“came out” of womb of the upper room into the world.
Before Pentecost, the Disciples were gathered in prayer around Mary,
Their spiritual Mother preparing for the coming of the Holy Spirit, her Spouse,
Upon them.
For through the union of Mary and the Holy Spirit, Jesus was conceived,
So once again at Pentecost through the union of Mary and the Holy Spirit,
Each one of us is conceived in her heart.
And this is why Mary is the Mother of the Church,
Of all those born of the Spirit. Jn. 3:5
Think of your favorite book
Your favorite song
Your favorite poem
Your favorite picture
All of these were inspired
The artist, the authors, the musicians
Were all inspired by the Holy Spirit, who blows where he will
Think of when you are inspired to call someone, or visit someone you haven’t seen or heard from in awhile.
That is the Holy Spirit blowing through your heart and mind,
Inspiring you to get a hold of them.
The Holy Spirit is subtle;
He does not blow like a Tornado;
More like a whisper.
So in order to hear and grasp the inspirations and calling of the Holy Spirit;
One must have a calm and docile spirit themselves.
But so often, our desires, our wants, our passions and our sins are so loud that we cannot hear the Holy Spirit.
There is the spirit of the world and the Spirit of the Lord.
Which one do we listen to ?
Mary heard the Spirit call her to be the mother of God
Francis heard the Spirit call him to sell everything you have and give it to the poor
Mother Teresa, heard the Spirit call her to serve the poorest of the poor.
The word, “Inspiration “ means to be “in the Spirit.”
Therefore If one lives for the pleasures of the flesh,
One will never be “inspired.”
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."
Mary, Mother of Jesus and our mother, teach me to be open and responsive to the hidden power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within me. Following your example, may I always listen to the voice of the Spirit speaking in my heart. As the Holy Spirit formed Christ in you, may He form Christ in me so that I may live by the Spirit and be led by the Spirit in all my actions.
V. Mary, Temple of God and Spouse of the Holy Spirit.
R. Pray for me
DAY NINE : The Gift of Wisdom
"And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom."1Kings 4:30
Meditation :
Through Wisdom one judges the things of the world in the light of one's ultimate end, union with God rather than judging things in the light of money, power or influence. The gift of wisdom gives one the ability to have insight into people and situations that are not obvious to the average person. It also gives one an understanding of what to do and how to do it. Wisdom gave Solomon the ability to see things and make decisions that ordinary people could not see or make. Wisdom gives us the ability to choose “Wisely!”
Reflection:
What part of my life needs the Gift of Wisdom?
How can Wisdom help me see the world differently?
How does Wisdom enlighten me to God's Wisdom?
V. Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, detach us from earthly things and infuse in us a love and taste of heavenly things.
DAY EIGHT : the Gift of Understanding
Antiphon :
"Bend that which is inflexible
Fire that which is cold
Lead back what goes astray."
"I am Your servant. Give me understanding that I may know Your Will." Ps. 119:125
Meditation:
The Gift of Understanding transcends Knowledge. What is Knowledge without Understanding? A person may know what another is saying, but do they "understand?" The Pharisees had knowledge of the Scriptures and the Prophets but they did not understand what they were reading. The men on the road to Emmaus knew the Scriptures but did not understanding why Jesus had to suffer and die until they were enlightened. The Gift of Understanding enlightens what one knows but does not understand.
Reflection:
What do I know but do not understand?
What Scripture passages do I not understand?
Where do I need understanding in my home, my relationships and my Faith?
V. Come, O Spirit of Understanding, enlighten our minds with the light of your eternal truth and the riches of holy thoughts.
DAY SEVEN : The Gift of Counsel
"But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you."
Jn. 14:26
Meditation:
The Gift of Counsel does not spring from our human intelligence but from God. Even with all of our human knowledge and science and philosophy, Life is still a mystery. Many people have knowledge but make the wrong decisions and take the wrong path. The Holy Spirit through the Gift of Counsel guides and directs a person to choose rightly, most especially in the Ways of God.
Reflection:
How do I allow the Holy Spirit to guide me?
How have I walked my own path?
Do I follow the counsel of the world or of God?
V. Come, O Spirit of Counsel, make us docile
to your inspirations and guide us in the way of salvation.
