Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
Monday, September 20th Lk. 8: 16-18 “No one who lights a lamp and puts it under a basket or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lamp stand so that those who enter may see the light.”
- In a parallel passage, Matthew says: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Mt 5:14-16)
- St. Ignatius of Loyola gave us A.M.D.G – “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” meaning do all for the greater glory of God!
- The saints, humble as they are, let their light shine before others for the greater glory of God. Mother Teresa comes to mind. At the bidding of Christ, she left the Sisters of Loreto to take care of the poor and dying on the streets of Calcutta.
- Mother Teresa experienced what she later described as “the call within the call” as she traveled by train from Calcutta to the Loreto convent in Darjeeling for her annual retreat. “I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. It was an order. To fail would have been to break the faith.”
- Such inspirations or callings are usually attributed to the third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit. The only difference between us and the saints is that they listen for and follow these inspirations, whereas we often turn a deaf ear to them.
- Today, let us open our minds and hearts to the Holy Spirit speaking through Fr. Ed exhorting us to listen to and follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
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 INSPIRATIONS. 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, but we can resist. By resist we mean this: simply saying NO and rejecting these inspirations 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 these inspirations to a higher realm of existence—to a life rejecting sin, to a life of purity, to a life of holiness, to a life of service! 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—the radio, TV, cars, motorcycles, planes overhead, all of this militates against our 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 generation speaks about vibes. They might say that a person has good vibes or bad vibes. We live in a world bombarded by many noises, which militates against picking up heavenly inspirations. Still, there are the good vibes and the bad vibes. One comes from the Holy Spirit and the other is 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 to Himself and to our eternal salvation. Read, reflect, and 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 Sacramental Confession. The devil for his part 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 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. Always remembering, you can reconcile with someone in your heart, even if they are unwilling to reconcile. God who reads your heart, knows what you do in secret.
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, the Holy Spirit will inspire you to leave your comfort zone and serve the needy and suffering who are present and waiting for a helping hand, for your hand!
7. ENCOURAGE. The bad spirit is the Accuser, ready to condemn people and tear them down. The Holy Spirit encourages and will often move you to say a word of encouragement to the downtrodden, or to lift up the fallen sometimes with something as simple as a gentle smile for the forlorn and abandoned. The Holy Spirit thus inspires and encourages 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 clouded, when the mist is thick and the sun is hidden. If you like, the Holy Spirit will inspire you with an inspiration in this way: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!”
After Jesus died, for the Apostles, His mission was over, fait accompli—a done deal! But No! Jesus returned to console them and to encourage them not to give up, but rather to hang in there and trust 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 have 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 will 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: “Those who love Mary, the Holy Spirit flings Himself into their souls.”
We hope and pray for all 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!
Copyright 2021 Oblates of the Virgin Mary / St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
