Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
TUESDAY, May 24th Jn 16: 5-11 Bible Verse: “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
INSPIRATIONS FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
One of the most important activities of the Holy Spirit working in our lives is that of INSPIRATION. The Holy Spirit inspires in us what is good, noble, pure, worthy, and of course, what is holy.
PROBLEM: RESISTANCE! Arriving at the heart of the matter is the word Resistance. Ever active in the lives of the saints, and in our lives, the Holy Spirit often inspires us, but we can resist. By resist we mean this: simply to say no or to reject the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
GENTLEMAN. The Holy Spirit is a Gentleman in the sense that He will never force Himself into our lives. Rather He gently invites us by means of His inspirations to a higher means of existence—to a life rejecting sin, to a life of purity, to a life of holiness. However, it must be reiterated: the Holy Spirit will knock on the door of your heart, but if you fail to open it, like a true Gentleman, He will leave. He will always respect your free will.
SILENCE. Bombarded by countless noises—radio, TV, cars, planes overhead, motorcycles, iphones and ipads, all of this militates against the ability to pick up the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. For that reason, spiritual writers insist on the necessity of silence. Elijah did not encounter God in the thunder and lightning, or in the earthquake. Rather, he encountered God in the whispering breeze.
GOOD VIBES, BAD VIBES! The younger generations speak about the vibes. They might say that a person transmits good vibes or bad vibes. We live in a world bombarded by many noises which militate against picking up heavenly inspirations. Still, there are the good vibes and the bad vibes. One comes from the Holy Spirit and the other from the devil. It is up to us to have proper discernment so that we can reject the bad and receive the good.
COMMON INSPIRATIONS. The following is a list of inspirations that the Holy Spirit often uses to bring us closer and closer to Himself and to our eternal salvation. Read, reflect, pray on these, and then apply them to your life.
INSPIRATIONS FROM THE GOOD SPIRIT: LISTEN AND FOLLOW:
1. PRAY! Known under the title of The Interior Master of Prayer, the Holy Spirit gently, but insistently, beckons us to pray. Listen and obey!!!
2. SACRIFICE! The Holy Spirit will often challenge us to give up something we like, so as to give us something much better for us; this is what we call Sacrifice. Jesus reminds us: “Whoever wants to be my follower must renounce himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt 16: 24)
3. CONVERT! The first preaching and teaching of Jesus was the following: “Be converted because the Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mk 1:15) The Holy Spirit constantly challenges us to change what is sinful in our lives.
4. CONFESS! Equally important is the Sacrament of Confession! When we have fallen into sin, one of the key operations of the Holy Spirit is to beckon us back to God through a Sacramental Confession. The devil will attempt to paralyze us with fear.
5. RECONCILE. Upon hurting another by word, action, omission, or even silence, the Holy Spirit is intent upon us mending the breach through an act of reconciliation. This demands humility of heart. The Holy Spirit will inspire you to take the first step on the path to reconciliation.
6. SERVE. Jesus said: “The Son of man has not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life in ransom for many.” (Mt 20:28) The Holy Spirit will inspire in us noble sentiments of service. When an opportunity presents itself in our lives, the Holy Spirit will inspire us to leave our comfort zone to serve the needy and suffering who are present and waiting for our helping hands.
7. ENCOURAGE. The bad spirit is the Accuser ready to condemn people and tear them down. The Holy Spirit will often move you to say a word of encouragement to the downtrodden, to lift up the fallen sometimes with something as simple as a gentle smile for the forlorn and abandoned. The Holy Spirit will inspire and encourage us to be a modern BARNABUS—meaning, Son of Encouragement. Accept the challenge!
8. AVOID THROWING IN THE TOWEL. The expression throw in the towel is a term used in sports which means to simply give up the fight, abandon the struggle, call it quits! The Holy Spirit will often inspire us not to give up when all seems bleak—when the skies are cloudy, the mist is thick, and the sun is hidden. If you like, the Holy Spirit and His inspirations will inspire us in this way: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” After Jesus died, as far as the Apostles knew, for all intents and purposes Jesus’ mission was over, fait accompli—a done deal! But no! Jesus returned to console them and encourage them not to give up, but to hang in there and trust in Him all the more! When all seems lost, do not be surprised if the Holy Spirit inspires you to try again and to trust in God’s power! As the Psalmist expresses it: “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 124:8)
9. SEEK ADVICE! In retrospect, looking back at our lives, how many of us regret certain decisions and actions that marked our lives in the wrong way leaving indelible scars or wounds? If only we had sought and asked for advice, those wrong thoughts resulting in wrong decisions and actions would never have become a reality!!! The Holy Spirit will often inspire us to seek advice when we do not have clarity on a topic or issue at hand. This demands humility, the recognition that we do not know the answer to everything; to be honest, we do not know the answer to most things. A humble request for timely advice can prevent future tragedies!
10. OUR LADY—TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit cannot help inspiring us to call out to His Mystical Spouse, the Blessed Virgin Mary! Saint Louis de Montfort, author of the Marian classic on Consecration, True Devotion to Mary, asserts: “For those who love Mary, the Holy Spirit flings Himself into their souls.”
We hope and pray that by being open and attentive to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, you will experience greater peace and joy in your lives, a steady growth in holiness, long life and eternal life. Mary, Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit, help us to be open, to listen, and to respond!
We include this Prayer by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV that we may pray it daily. If done, the Holy Spirit will be the Sweet Guest of our soul now and always!
Come Holy Spirit, come, you who are the Interior Master, teach me how to pray. I do not know how to pray well. I implore you to intercede for me with ineffable groans so that I can cry out: “Abba, Father!”
Come Holy Spirit, come in moments of doubt and confusion, be my light and counselor. Help me to make decisions, not according to my will but according to your holy will.
Come Holy Spirit, come in moments of weakness, give me strength. You who are the courage and strength of the martyrs, obtain for me interior strength to fight against sin, my fallen human nature, and anything that is not pleasing to you.
Come Holy Spirit, come, grant me a filial love for you and a sincere love for my neighbor, especially for those I live with and meet every day. Set my heart on fire with love.
Come Holy Spirit, come sanctify me with your presence. You who are the sanctifier, attain for me an ardent yearning for holiness of life. “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy.” May I attain holiness of life so as to attain the promise of eternal life.
Come Holy Spirit, come, produce in me a reverential fear that motivates me to avoid all that is displeasing to you, and to avoid any persons, places, things, or circumstances that could damage my friendship with you.
Come Mary, Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit, Temple of the Holy Spirit, you who had the most intimate and constant union with the Holy Spirit, pray for me so that my knowledge and love of the Holy Spirit will grow daily until I am with you forever in heaven, worshiping forever the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
