Blog Post 6/10/2023 - The mission of the Holy Spirit in the Church

 

 

The mission of the Holy Spirit in the Church

From the dogmatic constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council 

When the Son completed the work with which the Father had entrusted him on earth, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost to sanctify the Church unceasingly, and thus enable believers to have access to the Father through Christ in the one Spirit. He is the Spirit of life, the fountain of water welling up to give eternal life. Through him the Father gives life to [all people], dead because of sin, until he raises up their mortal bodies in Christ.

The Spirit dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful as in a temple….

Moreover, the Holy Spirit not only sanctifies and guides God’s people by the sacraments and the ministries, and enriches it with virtues, he also distributes special graces among the faithful of every state of life, assigning his gifts to each as he chooses. By means of these special gifts he equips them and makes them eager for various activities and responsibilities that benefit the Church in its renewal or its increase, in accordance with the text: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for a good purpose.

These charisms, the simpler and more widespread as well as the most outstanding, should be accepted with a sense of gratitude and consolation, since in a very special way they answer and serve the needs of the Church.” [Office of Readings 5/24/2023]

Use your gifts to build up God’s Kingdom.

May God Be Praised.

Blog Post 6/092023 - Stillness

Stillness

Be still and reflect on God, then, may we realize that as numerous as “the stars of heaven, or the sands on the shore of the sea” are, God’s love for each one of us is immense, and it cannot be measured.

 

 

May we join with Mary and proclaim, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

 

May God Be Praised.

Blog Post 6/08/2023 – God’s Work and God’s Mercy

God’s Work and God’s Mercy

 

The simple, mundane tasks of being a parent, of being a member of a family, of being a friend, of being a part of a parish, is the very "work" of God ….  The "work" of God is not measured in effectiveness or efficiency; the hallmark of God's work is the compassion and love, the justice and healing that inspire and compel that work. 

The simplest act of kindness and charity … is … the very work of Christ; the most hidden and unseen acts of kindness will be exalted by Christ in the kingdom of his Father.  The hard work of being a Christian is filled with sadness and with joy!

The sadness we encounter points us to Christ’s wounds and we know that (one day) they will be turned into joy.  The joy we experience gives us a glimpse of Life in Heaven.  God’s Divine Mercy is freely given, but we must seek it.

Divine Mercy is contained in unconditional forgiveness and unconditional love.  Pope Francis in his book, The Name of God is Mercy, wrote “Mercy is the divine attitude which embraces, it is God’s giving himself to us, accepting us, and bowing to forgive.” (pp. 7,8)

Today bend your will to God’s and enjoy your day.

 

May God Be Praised.

Blog Post 6/07/2023 - “Spirit of the Living God”

 

“Spirit of the Living God”

 

“melt me” - Paraclete melt me,

 

“mold me” – Jesus mold me,

 

“fill me” – Abba fill me,

“use me” – God use me.

 

Be mindful that you pray not so much to God, but inside God Who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit today and every day.

 

May God Be Praised.

Blog Post 6/06/2023 - Why can we find rest for the deepest longings of our heart [being]?

Why can we find rest for the deepest longings of our heart [being]? 

 

Paraphrasing Saints Thomas Aquinas and Augustine, In this life we cannot fulfill our  longing, and no person or creature can satisfy our deepest desire. Only God can do that and that is why we cannot rest “Until we rest in God”.

 

 

 

 

 

May God Be Praised.

 

Blog Post 6/05/2023

“The Incarnation means …  that the invisible God enters into the visible world, so that we, who are bound to matter, can know him.  In this sense, the way to the Incarnation was already being prepared in all that God said and did in history for man’s salvation. But this descent of God is intended to draw us into a movement of ascent. 

The Incarnation is aimed at man’s transformation through the Cross and to the new corporeality of the Resurrection. God seeks us where we are, not so that we stay there, but so”.  [Spirit of the Liturgy -- by Joseph Ratzinger, Romano Guardini, et al.]

 

Reflect on the gift of God’s Word enfleshed as man, Jesus true God and true man.

 

May God Be Praised.

Blog Post 6/04/2023 - Why Seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation [Confession]?

Why Seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation [Confession]?

 

Pope Francis said, “Confession is an encounter with Jesus whose mercy motivates us to do better.” 

 

“The penitent, like the priest, takes on the role of the listening church in the sacrament. The priest, in response to the penitent’s woundedness, applies a preliminary medicinal ointment in the form of words of comfort, consolation, encouragement and counsel.

 

This preliminary anointing prepares the penitent for the words every broken soul longs to hear. The penitent’s posture of listening is crowned with the transformative words of absolution. With those words, the hearer is healed.”  [Confession is the church’s ‘listening place’, by Louis Masi, America Magazine]

 

 

Make the time to encounter Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

 

May God Be Praised.