LISS Day 24

The Gift of His Spirit

Reflections: Galatians 4:6 & Acts 2:1-4

The Pentecost was Christ's promise to His disciples. Imagine the Love that God the Father had for His children, to send Himself in a third person to remain with the human race from generation to generation. Many things have been said about Pentecost - mainly that we all have the potential to receive the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as the charismatic gifts, and that between Easter and the feast of Pentecost it is a celebratory time in the liturgy - the climax being that Pentecost offers people a taste of Heavenly life.

I'd like to direct people to the EWTN site on Pentecost. Just googling the word Pentecost gives some really weird results. I even spotted a 'How-to' for conversion during Pentecost. Say whaaaaaaat?! A How-To? Is a conversion something that one forces upon oneself, or is it a gift from the Holy Spirit?

I remember the Blessed Virgin Mary, who in purest obedience to God's Will, freely allowed herself to become the intimate spouse of the Holy Spirit. She is a true inspiration. Conceived without original sin, she was never in need of God to transform her in the way that we need God to transform us from inside out! Her spirit was gentle and meek, yet her spirit never broke even when she suffered painfully as her heart (her beloved Son, Jesus) was torn away from her. She remained sinless - despite her extreme sorrow. Our spirits are created to obey the Trinity, and we are encouraged to live that to the fullest. But like Mary, receiving the gift of spirit does not mean that our hearts can not feel torn and ripped out of ourselves, shredded in tormenting pain - for this, our souls (the heart and mind) are what makes us human, together with our physical bodies. Rooted in her love for God, she endures the worst suffering during the Passion - the loss of her Son, who was a precious gift to her from the Father through the Holy Spirit... her spirit truly was one of complete grace. We can imagine how much comfort Jesus gained from her closeness and love, never asking her to stay away even when He knew how painful this was for her too. What was more important to them both was that they were obedient to God's Will. She gives her love to Him still, even after His death on the cross, and the Resurrection.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray. O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

LISS Day 16

The Father's search

Genesis 3:7,9 & Romans 3:23-24

Knowing that I'm in such desperate need of Jesus right now, I spent much more time on scripture today because I find such comfort in its Truth and Wisdom. I earnestly search for God through my Bible. The activities of my day meant that I couldn't make an adoration, however much my heart yearned for it... so all my travel time between locations today has been spent on Holy words.
I came across a passage in St. Augustine's Confessions of a Sinner, "it seemed to me all the more right that the authority of Scripture should be respected and accepted with the purest faith, because while all can read it with ease, it also has a deeper meaning in which its great secrets are locked away". Before that, St. Augustine says, "I ought to pay no attention to people who asked me how I could be sure that the Scriptures were delivered to mankind by the Spirit of the one true God who can tell no lie". The 'great secrets' are locked away. I need a key to unlock the great secrets... and the key is none other than the key of David: Christ [Revelation 3:7-8]. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." [John 1:1]. Christ and Scripture are one. So what has this got to do with the Father searching for us?

Well... for me, at this present moment in time, and in what I'm experiencing at the moment, if the heart and/or mind (basically my soul, that also consists of my will and emotions) is not one with the Spirit, then my soul is disconnected from God. Say it is my heart that is disconnected, God searches for my lost heart (soul) - the heart that is not connected with him, because we are all made to be one with Him. The place God searches for us, is our heart - which is part and parcel of the soul (at least this is how I understand it to be... and anybody is welcome to teach/correct me more on this matter). This is very similar in analogy of the Holy Trinity being all 3 persons in One. "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever." [1 Chron 28:9]. My heart must not become hardened, when I do not have Eucharistic Adoration, or the Sacrifice of the Mass at my fingertips, I must remain open to God through His Scripture and Prayer. I mustn't lock myself up and shut God out. How could I anyway, after the abundant mercy showered upon me over the summer?

Christ was the key that opened up our access to God. That is why "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father, except through me"[John 14:6 - my favourite Gospel passage because it was sent to me from above], and according to the Revelation passage mentioned above, nobody can ever shut out that access to the salvation who is our Christ, other than ourselves.

My Heavenly Father, ever faithful and ever Loving, never allow me to lock my heart away from Your Love. You sustain me, and breathe life into my poor wretched sinful soul. Cleanse me - body, soul and spirit, and heal me in Your own time. Make me love you through prayer and scripture more and more each day, until You are more than just satisfied.

Advent pilgrimage of the soul

"Make my Heart ready, O Lord!"

After doing some cleaning this morning, I found a poem from my pilgrimage, that someone had given to me when I reached O Cebreiro - one of the most arduous climbs of the whole Camino. In my whole life, I shall never forget it, or never forget the peace I encountered upon reaching the top of that mountain, gazing upon the beauty of all the other surrounding mountains, God's work, with tears streaming down my eyes. This poem helped me to reflect on my new found peace that night.

That is why it is wonderful for advent; because of the prayer and peace it encourages in a faithful reader, and a readying of oneself for the 'awakening of the dawn' that I interpret to be, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.