Showing all posts in Reflexion

Beloved Holy Spirit, one of Your wonderful gifts is peace. It is a peace that the world cannot give (cf Jn 14:27), but neither can it take. This points to a peace different from the peace we usually know – it is a peace that lasts.

The world talks so much about peace, but cannot find it! There is always war somewhere, and the peace achieved is often fragile. But where is peace to come from? With all good will, one does not reach that dimension of peace of which Jesus speaks.

Peace is not only the absence of the concrete war, important as it is. Peace is more: It is the conformity of life with the truth of being and gets its creative power from there.

In these reflections we come to deeper questions, Holy Spirit, for it is true when it is said that peace must first begin with us!

So where does peace come from?

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Holy Spirit, it is said of You that You are a kind and human loving Spirit, and that a fruit that You make grow in the human soul is kindness!

Kindness is an agreeable attitude of man by which one easily wins the other person and makes him feel loved and acknowledged! And if this kindness is without falsehood – which it is without doubt, if it matures in the soul as a fruit of Your work – then it is a sun in the life of man! It reflects the attitude with which God meets us, because God does not only want us to recognize Him as our Father, but He also wants to be our trusted friend!

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Beloved Holy Spirit, one of the most wonderful gifts that You can make grow in us as fruit is joy. It is that joy which, like love, makes everything easier and overcomes the weight that life so often brings with it. A joy that is contagious, and gives a ray of light and some comfort to the other person, as long as they are not closed.

Your friend, St. Paul, even tells us to rejoice at all times (cf. Phil 4:4). Read More

Holy Spirit, in the beginning you hovered over the waters (cf. Gen 1:2) and brought order to the chaos. You also want to bring order to the chaos caused by sin, order in our inner and outer life. So much has been confused with original sin and the sins that follow it, that even your friend Paul lamented that a different law dwells in his spirit than in his body and – worse still – that he follows the law of the flesh (cf. Rom 7:23). With him we lament: Who will deliver me from this body? (cf. Rom 7:24)

But let it not remain so!

We must regain control over ourselves and not be slaves to our passions and feelings! It was so wonderfully ordered by our Heavenly Father: The Spirit enlightened our human spirit, it put the will into force and the natural drives were at work.

But, dear Holy Spirit, now, unfortunately, they are rebelling against us and are therefore a reflection of the fallen creation, which is rebelling against God, and in addition, the fallen spirits, who are trying to disturb the ways of salvation of God, also want to confuse us.

But it should not remain that way!

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Beloved Holy Spirit, You gentle soul guest,

let grow in us the spirit of gentleness,

that spirit that permeates everything,

that transforms and softens our heart,

purifying it from all hardships;

that is as mild as Your wonderful Bride, our Mother.

“Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth as inheritance.” (Mt 5:4)

You do not need us, but rather lure us with Your love. You would rather let Your love taste like honey than give us bitter herb, even if we sometimes need it.

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Beloved Holy Spirit, come You, the eternal and pure light and penetrate us, so that nothing can remain hidden from You, no shadow can live on in our soul, every darkness may go away and everything be inflamed by Your love. Awaken us from all inertia and purify our heart so that it may love as God loves; love as You love, so that You and I may be intimately united in the praise of the glory of God.

“O God, create in me a pure heart, renew a right spirit within me” (Ps 51:10).

You, beloved Holy Spirit, are

“…intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, incisive, unsullied, lucid, invulnerable, benevolent, shrewd, irresistible, beneficent, friendly to human beings, steadfast, dependable, unperturbed, almighty, all-surveying, penetrating all intelligent, pure and most subtle!” (Wis 7:22-23)

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“You Holy Spirit, you kiss of the Father and of the Son, you sweetest and most intimate kiss” (Saint Bernard of Clairveaux), we want to know and love you better. Therefore, descend into our soul, “like the sun which illuminates everything where it finds no obstacle. Reach out like an arrow of flame to the deepest part of our soul. You do not rest in proud hearts and high spirits; rather you open your dwelling in humble souls” (St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi).

Enlighten us in these days in which we are preparing the Solemnity of Your coming, You who are our Comforter and Teacher, the Bridegroom of our souls, the One who makes us holy.

Love is longsufferin (cf. 1 Cor 13:4)

Longanimity is your wonderful fruit, which lives in those souls that listen to you and do not lose heart over long distances. It is similar to patience, but even more strongly related to the goods of the spirit. It carries the perseverance in itself and makes the soul strong and capable of suffering. Thus it grows as the fruit of an intimate relationship with you. It is divine in nature, as the Apostle Paul testifies:

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Today we take one last look at the calling of Saint Peter, after having considered yesterday some of the qualities necessary for fulfilling such a high office. We have had outstanding popes in the succession of Saint Peter, but also some who scarcely possessed the inner qualities necessary for the fruitfulness of the office. Yet we Catholics can still say with joy that the “Rock” has withstood the storms over the centuries. After Peter had confessed that Jesus is the Messiah (Mt 16:16), the Lord spoke these well‑known words to him: Read More

During the rich period between the Lord’s Resurrection, His Ascension, and the descent of the Holy Spirit, let us turn our attention more fully to the theme of the Church. Surely the Lord prepared His disciples even more intensely for what was to come, initiated them into His plans as far as they were able to grasp them, and set the necessary course. One of these essential steps is illustrated by the following text.

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.’ This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God. And after this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” (John 21:15–19)

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Before we continue speaking about the Church during this Easter season—so that we may better grasp its beauty and the mission entrusted to it by the Lord—allow me to take a brief look at our community, Agnus Dei, which was founded on April 24, 1980. Certainly, every date—since every day is a gift from God—has its own precious history. Therefore, it is worthwhile to discover what else happened on those days that stand out in a special way in our lives. Since the Agnus Dei community is a spiritual community of Catholics, let us first look at which feast the Church celebrates on this day.

Saint Augustine certainly played a role in the emergence of the community on various levels, which is why we honor him in a special way today. The Augustinian Order, in fact, celebrates the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Augustine on April 24. We know what came forth from his conversion, which he also owed to the intercession of his mother, Saint Monica. His influence on the Church, as well as on people seeking the truth, is immeasurable. This remains true to this day.

For this reason, on this day we have often read with great gratitude excerpts from the story of his conversion, for some among us have also experienced a turning away from a “lost life” toward following Christ. Others, who grew up more firmly rooted in the faith, experienced a deepening of their faith that first enabled them to walk the path of discipleship as it is lived in our Agnus Dei community by the grace of God.

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