Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
This is the prayer that Jesus entrusted to us so that we may address our divine Father in this familiar way together with Him. Read More
It was May 30, 1431, in Rouen, France, one day after the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity.
A large crowd had gathered that morning in the old market square near the Church of Our Savior. In addition to the gathered people and clergy, many soldiers were present. However, these were not French soldiers. They were English, as Rouen was still under English rule during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England.
A scaffold had been erected, and standing on it was a young woman, nineteen years old. The people had gathered to see this woman—both clergy and laymen.
All eyes were fixed on this young woman.
Who was she? Why was she standing there?
Then Nicolaus Midi, Doctor of Sacred Theology, delivered a sermon to the entire assembly on verse 26 of the First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, chapter 12:
“If one member suffers, all suffer together.”
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father” (Mt 6:6).
What an intimate space the Lord offers us! No matter how beautiful churches and sacred spaces may be, even when they host dignified liturgies and the communal prayer of the faithful, our Heavenly Father grants us access to Him that remains ever open. The doors of His heart never close, and He is always ready to listen to us. Therefore, we can enter into unceasing dialogue with Him. This prayer in secret is immensely valuable and does not always require outward gestures, but rather a heart open to our Father.
Beloved Holy Spirit, with today’s meditation we conclude this preparation for the great feast of Your coming. May Your fruits grow and ripen in us, for in this way we can glorify the One from whom everything comes and bear witness to You before the world!
For this we need patience, for these fruits ripen more with each passing day. We need patience even more with other people, so that they can receive what God has prepared for them.
How much patience God has with us! How he tries to reach us again and again, and the whole of humanity, which often takes such erroneous paths!
Even as we wait with longing for the return of Christ and prepare ourselves day by day, whether for the hour of death or the parousia at the end of time, we know:
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will.” (Mark 11:24)
Prayer is a profound conversation with God. By promising that our prayers will be answered, God gives us a great gift and shows us His love. This is actually very simple and inviting for us, if we have faith.
Beloved Holy Spirit, You want us to live in faithfulness – and this in a time when infidelity is almost becoming a way of life. You will have a lot of work to do, because many people no longer understand the meaning of fidelity, whether it is in the marital relationship or in promises made or even in religious vows. We often need to learn anew what faithfulness, responsibility, constancy and stability mean.
But we have a wonderful example before us. It is the faithfulness of God. God is faithful – and He never gives up this faithfulness! The whole of the Old Testament testifies to this; in contrast to the frequent unfaithfulness of the people of Israel.
If we look into our own time, there are unfortunately more and more people who fall away from the faith and become unfaithful to the Lord. It then becomes more difficult to remain faithful to one another.
What ornament, O Holy Spirit, is a modest soul; a soul in which Your fruit, dwells! In her, the disorderly desire is restrained and has come to rest. She does not think for herself constantly and is easily satisfied with everything. She does not want to be the centre of attention, but wants to take the place that You have intended for her. Therefore the precious gift of gratitude and also the fruit of humility is effective in her. Such a soul radiates contentment, makes no fuss about herself and is free from any presumption. But in terms of love this soul wants to be great, in the love for You and for people, and with a little faith she is not satisfied!
What mild splendour we can perceive in such a soul! How gladly you, and we too, can enrich her with gifts! She realizes the word of St. Paul:
“Give the same consideration to all others alike. Pay no regard to social standing, but meet humble people on their own terms. Do not congratulate yourself on your own wisdom” (Rom 12:16).
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:8–10)
How do we attain a pure heart — a heart that, through the Holy Spirit, is able to explore its own depths in the light of God and open all darkness to Him?
The great goal of a pure heart is to do with love all that God, in His love, has entrusted to us and commanded us to do.
Holy Spirit, with Your gifts that You sink into our souls, You want to bring forth all the fruits that we contemplate in these days before we celebrate the feast of Your coming in the Church. They are true fruits that make our lives bright, they are expressions of Your love and help us to relate to each other as human beings in the incomparable way that Jesus said to His disciples:
“May they all be one, just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you, so that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me. I have given them the glory you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one. With me in them and you in me, may they be so perfected in unity that the world will recognise that it was you who sent me and that you have loved them as you have loved me” (Jn 17:21-23).
We should live as human beings, Holy Spirit, in true unity with You and with each other. But obviously we are not really able to do this, as one can easily see if one does not close one’s eyes and dreams instead. Therefore, we must advance to the source of love and goodness and drink from it: You Yourself are this source!
“You are the light of the world. (…) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 5:14a,16)
These wonderful words are addressed to the Lord’s disciples—that is, to us! Through union with Jesus, we are not only illuminated by His light, but we ourselves become light by passing on God’s Word and learning to do His works. And since the divine Master, the Son of God, tells us this, it is no presumption.
