Ninth Meditation on the Holy Spirit: “Pentecost: The Great Event”

Now you have come, beloved Holy Spirit. This time you came in a violent wind (cf. Acts 2:2), not as you did with your friend Elijah (cf. 1 Kgs 19:11-13). Then it was more hidden, as you usually work in the souls of the people who let you in. But today it was different as the Holy Scripture reminds us. How wonderful and convincing was Your work! The apostles spoke and proclaimed in their own tongue, but everyone else understood them in their own language.

“At this sound (a sound as of a violent wind) they all assembled, and each one was bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely,’ they said, ‘all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; residents of Rome- Jews and proselytes alike – Cretans and Arabs, we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.’” (Acts 2:6-11) Read More

“ASKING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT”

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk 11:13).

With these words, Jesus wants us to understand how natural it is for God to hear our prayers when we ask Him for the Holy Spirit. And the Lord uses an excellent comparison: even we human beings, who are prone to evil, do not turn a deaf ear to our children’s requests when they ask us for something good.

Read More

“YOU CAN DO IT ALL”

“If you remain united to your Father through prayer, you can do everything” (Inner Word).

What a wonderful invitation! It reminds us of St. Paul’s exhortation to pray without ceasing: “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” (Eph 6:18).

Sacred Scripture exhorts us time and again to persevering prayer, and the saints and masters of the spiritual life never tire of speaking of its importance.

Read More

Eighth Meditation on the Holy Spirit: Light in the darkness  

Come, Holy Spirit, enlighten us, for You are the light that makes our darkness bright. Take away from us all our spiritual blindness, so that we may better recognise You and perceive reality in Your light. There is a big difference between recognising You in the work and only seeing the natural reality.

You know, Holy Spirit, we actually understand very little!

For us, life is made up of many different impressions, with which we try to build a coherent picture of reality. Sometimes we notice an inner line, and in faith we also know that such a line exists. But we easily lose this line during the day when we are involved in different activities and are too absorbed by them.

So how can we stay in touch with You and become more aware of You in our lives?

Prayer, talking to You and even more listening to You are very helpful.

Maybe we are not so used to it. We talk more with Jesus or with our Heavenly Father or also with Mary, the Mother of God.

Read More

CAST OFF ALL YOUR CHAINS!

“Cast off all your chains—they have long since been broken—and walk ahead in Me.” (Inner Word)

What is holding us back from moving forward on the path of following the Lord? It often seems as though invisible chains still bind us. Perhaps they are things we have long since brought before God, yet they still linger and seek to hold us back. Perhaps they are merely erroneous thoughts and fears that weigh down our path.

Read More

Seventh Meditation on the Holy Spirit: True peace

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?

Read More

Sixth Meditation on the Holy Spirit: The Kindness

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!

Read More

“GOD’S NEED TO LOVE US”  

“As his Creator and Father, I feel the need to love man.” (Message from God the Father to Sister Eugenia Ravasio).

When we ask ourselves what the most concrete reason is for God’s great love for us, our Father gives us a wonderful answer in this phrase from the message to Mother Eugenia Ravasio. Since God is complete in Himself and does not need us for His own satisfaction, His love for us comes solely from His status as Father and Creator. As He Himself affirms, loving us is a necessity for Him. Thus, when God turns toward us, He always does so with the intention of loving us, communicating with us, and helping us understand that we are loved.

Read More

Fifth Meditation on the Holy Spirit: The Joy

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

“MERCY, TIME AND TIME AGAIN”

“I look with favor upon everything done for My glory: prayers, fasting, vigils, and other works of spiritual discipline. But nevertheless—even if it does not seem so to those of little faith—I am with greater affection toward My chosen ones, who, in their human weakness and frailty, trustingly seek refuge in My mercy.” (Words of the Lord to St. Gertrude of Helfta)

Once again, the theme of human weakness and limitation is addressed, which draws the Lord’s loving attention in a special way. Without diminishing the good works of ascetic practices—works the Lord regards with favor—His love inclines even more toward those who, in their inner distress, seek His mercy and trust in it.

Read More