“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6^TH    Lk. 5: 33-39    Jesus told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch on an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.’”

Part 1: Repairing the Old Garment by Adrienne von Speyr
Part 2: Short Reflection
Part 3: Grab on to the Merciful Hand of God!!! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

PART 1
Repairing the Old Garment… by Adrienne von Speyr (+1967)

The old garment, which until now looked shabby and mediocre, can no longer be worn at all! Let us suppose: I know that I must go to confession. I begin to list my sins and confess that I have stolen. But I keep to myself the fact that I have also lied. This will not do. First, because I am conscious that I lied and it is not up to me to conceal certain sins. I should confess them all. I cannot sew a patch of new cloth on my old sins; if I keep silent, my lying or other concealed sin will only grow worse.

Again, if I realize that I am in a heresy and make only a half-step to free myself from it, this half-ness is sin. The Church of the Lord is something whole and indivisible and is not made up of patches sewn together. The Lord’s truth is indivisible; thus I cannot content myself with pieces and patches of truth. 

Or if I see that my attitude toward life is no longer Christian, then it is not a question of applying remedial measures to a corner of it; I must grapple with the whole.

In an examination of conscience, I try to see what is fundamentally lacking and when I have found the decisive points, I begin everywhere. I cannot say it is not worth trying to attack other failings until I have finished with this one. From the depths of a change of heart (which is the new garment), I must address every individual disorder.

If someone were to begin in a mere patchwork fashion, this would be a sign that he lacked the seriousness demanded by the Lord. We close by asking for the grace of a change of heart so deep and fundamental that from it, we can always begin again to improve every individual point.  End of Von Speyr.

PART 2:
REFLECTION: Von Speyr says we cannot convert piecemeal! Conversion is a total experience. We cannot make a good confession by confessing some of our sins and hiding others! That is a bad confession, and none of our sins are forgiven! It is all – a new garment – or nothing. However, overcoming our sins is a gradual process. By confessing all of our sins to the priest in frequent Confession (every two to three weeks) – over time we will find ourselves sinning less seriously and less frequently! God’s mercy and grace at work in us!!!

PART 3:
GRAB ON TO THE MERCIFUL HAND OF GOD!!! THE FRUITS AND LASTING EFFECTS OF A GOOD CONFESSION. By Father Ed Broom, OMV

As a result of Original Sin, all of us, with the exception of Jesus and Mary through the privilege of the Immaculate Conception, are conceived with Original Sin, and commit sin, and are indeed sinners!

Saint Augustine, who lived as a slave of sin, a slave of his own sinful passions into his early 30’s, after his conversion wrote and taught some of the most beautiful and profound insights in the history of the world. Of great comfort, solace, and consolation is the teaching of Augustine on the sin of Adam and Eve which he termed O Happy Fault! Why you might ask, would the Original Sin be considered a Happy Fault? Augustine continues by teaching that as a result of Original Sin, God brought good, a much greater good out of this moral evil. The greater good, of course, was the Incarnation of the Son of God. The Eternal Father in His Infinite Love sent to the world, and for each and every one of us individually, Jesus born of the Virgin Mary, to show us how to live, to work miracles for us, but most especially to die on the cross for us, and then rise from the dead to give us life and life in abundance.

GOD’S MERCY THROUGH THE CHURCH AND CONFESSION. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus decided not to leave us orphans but to be with us always, even until the end of the world. How you might ask? The response is clear and unequivocal: through the Church, and most especially through the Sacraments. Every Sacrament communicates grace, but each Sacrament communicates a specific grace of its own that differentiates it from the other six Sacraments. The Sacrament of Confession is the Sacrament of God’s mercy and the Sacrament of God’s healing. By committing sin, we wound our soul, as well as others! By receiving the Sacrament of Confession worthily, we receive a deep inner healing.

FRUITS/EFFECTS OF A GOOD CONFESSION. There is much that can be said about the Sacrament of Confession. However, it is the purpose of this essay to highlight the positive fruits or effects of the Sacrament of Confession, also known as Penance, Forgiveness, as well as Reconciliation.

IMPORTANT NOTE: DISPOSITIVE GRACE OF THE SACRAMENT. It must be said, off the bat, that the Sacraments are extraordinary gifts from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Sacraments are infinite reservoirs of grace. However, classical theology teaches us the concept of Dispositive Grace; by this is meant: one receives an abundance of graces or a paltry amount of graces in direct proportion to the disposition of one’s heart. That is to say, a better preparation leads to a better disposition of heart, and a more fruitful reception of the Sacrament with more abundant graces. In other words, flippant, nonchalant, mediocre receptions of the Sacraments diminish to a great degree the graces that God wants to communicate to the soul. Indeed, a very worthy and noble spiritual enterprise in our life should be an ardent desire to receive the Sacraments with a fervent and well-disposed heart. May Our Lady help us!

Now let us go through a list of the many graces that flow from a well-prepared, well-disposed, and fervent reception of the Sacrament of God’s mercy. Indeed, let us Grab on to the Merciful Hand of God!!!

1. RESTORATION OF SANCTIFYING GRACE. If we were to have the disgrace of falling into mortal sin, we should never despair but launch ourselves into the merciful embrace of God’s love. By mortal sin we lose sanctifying grace; a good confession immediately restores the state of sanctifying grace in our soul—that is to say, friendship with the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity.

2. AUGMENTS SANCTIFYING GRACE. If we have not committed a mortal sin, we can still receive the Sacrament of Confession by confessing venial sins, or by renewing sorrow for past sins already forgiven – this is called a devotional confession. By doing so, we are augmenting, increasing, and intensifying sanctifying grace in our soul. Indeed, dying in sanctifying grace is our passport to heaven and eternal life! We should not be wandering around aimlessly without this passport!

3. HUMILITY.  Indeed, God loves the humble, but rejects the proud of heart. To confess our sins well in the Sacrament of Confession demands no small quota of humility. We do not like to admit our failures, expose our dirty laundry, and simply admit that we have failed. Confession conquers pride and we practice humility, which is so pleasing to the Heart of God, as we pray in Psalm 51: “A humble and contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.”

4, SELF-KNOWLEDGE. Spiritual Theology, especially Ignatian, insists on the indispensable character of self-knowledge. The Desert Fathers have a two-word axiom: KNOW THYSELF! Having frequent recourse to the Sacrament of Penance serves as an indispensable aid to getting to know who we are—the noble as well as the ignoble, the holy as well as the sinful, the lights as well as the shadows and darkness lurking in the inner recesses of our conscience. Confession points out to us who we really are and it helps us to stop rationalizing, justifying, or even lying about our true identity!

5. COMPASSION TOWARDS OTHERS. Confession also serves immensely in our attitude towards others. A positive fruit of confession is that we recognize how low we can fall, how sinful we are. This serves as a platform and jumping-board to help us not to look down on and condemn others—in other words, it helps us to be more compassionate towards others. Jesus said: “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful. (Lk 6:36)

6. BECOMING MORE CAREFUL AND VIGILANT. Along with the fruit of self-knowledge comes an attitude of watching over ourselves, being vigilant so that we do not slip and fall into the same pitfall of sin. Jesus said: Stay awake and pray; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. (Mt. 26:41)

7. THE POWER OF THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB OF GOD. The infinite reservoir of the graces that flow from the Pierced Sacred Heart of Jesus applies to the penitent sinner. Even though invisible, in a mystical but very real way the repentant sinner is purified and cleansed by the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Blood of Jesus washes our mind, heart, soul, and conscience clean of the dirtying effects of sin.

8. CLEANSING EFFECT. As just mentioned, sin sullies or dirties our soul, mind, and conscience. Contrariwise, Confession cleanses us. As the Prophet Isaiah points out:  Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as the snow. (Is. 1:18) What a nice shower, soap, and shampoo does to the dirty body, so does the Sacrament of Confession do to the dirty soul!

9. INTERIOR PEACE OF SOUL. All of us know from experience that one of the noxious effects of sin is that it really does rob our spiritual life of peace, a peace that all of us so ardently long for! Confession restores that peace. When dismissing the penitent, the priest often says: The Lord Jesus has forgiven all of your sins; go now in PEACE!!! May all of us be a living and breathing SHALOM—peace be with you!

10. JOY: REJOICE IN THE LORD. Another poisonous effect of sin in our lives is that it dampens and often destroys joy. Saint Paul commands us: Rejoice in the Lord; I say it again: rejoice in the Lord. (Phil 4:4)  Often upon exiting the confessional, a radiating joy can be seen on the faces of the forgiven sinners. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is the story of the joy of the repentant son returning to the loving embrace of the Father. (Lk. 15: 11-32) He was willing to grab on to the Merciful Hand of the Father.

11. LIGHTENING OF THE LOAD. Another hazard of living in sin is the incredible heavy load of sin that weighs us down. Confessing our sins to the priest, who represents Jesus the Savior, liberates us from the weight caused by sin. Jesus reminds us: Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. You will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Mt. 11:28-30)

12. LIVING OUT THE PASCHAL MYSTERY. By receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation with a good disposition, we live out what is termed The Paschal Mystery— the Passion, death, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. By this we mean, by confessing and repenting of our sins, we actually die to sin and rise from the tomb to begin a new life.

13. LAZARUS EXPERIENCE. (Jn. Chapter 11: 1-44) Lazarus was dead and buried, and in the tomb for four days. Jesus came, told them to remove the stone, and then in a loud voice cried out: Lazarus, come out! The dead man rose and walked out of the tomb, fully alive, fully restored to life! Jesus is the Resurrection and has the keys to life. By making a good confession, we are leaving the tomb of our own sinful life and walking in the light of the Risen Lord Jesus, Alleluia!

14. OVERCOMING DEPRESSION. Many suffer from acute depression today. We would be bold enough to assert that in many cases this acute depression is in direct proportion to the individual being immersed in the quagmire of sin. Being able to unload all of the sin and its guilt, depression often is dissipated like the mist of the early morning exposed to the sun.

15. FREEDOM FROM GUILT. Many today live with a guilty conscience and this can indeed be a real torture. Shakespeare highlights this point in Macbeth. As a result of involvement in murder, Lady Macbeth constantly feels the need to wash her hands, really desiring to be freed of the bloodshed on her conscience. In this context, Shakespeare says: Conscience does make cowards of all of us. Indeed, what hell on earth it is to live with a dirty and accusing conscience! A good confession liberates us from guilt.

16. FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY. Jesus says that the devil is a liar and a murderer from the beginning. (Jn. 8:44) Also, Jesus says that sin indeed is SLAVERY! Jesus came to set the captives free!!! Free from what? Jesus (which means Savior) came to save us, to free us, to liberate us from the slavery caused by sin! A good confession smashes the chains and shackles that have kept us bound as prisoners!

17. PURITY OF LIFE, PURITY OF CONSCIENCE, PURITY OF SOUL. One of the Eight Beatitudes taught by Jesus is the following: Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God. (Mt. 5:8) Sin is impurity, in one form or another. Confession purifies the interior window of our soul. As such, we can see God in this life through contemplative prayer, and we will see Him forever in the Beatific Vision in heaven.

18. MORE FERVENT, PURE, AND EFFICACIOUS COMMUNIONS. Related to purity received through Confession is that of a more fruitful and efficacious reception of Holy Communion. If you like, follow this analogy! Once a dirty window pane is sprayed with Windex and wiped, then the light of the sun can inundate the room much more fully. Likewise, the more pure the soul, the more abundant the graces in the reception of Holy Communion. Good Confessions help us to make better Holy Communions!

19. BAD HABITS DESTROYED. A bad habit we call a vice; a good habit we call a virtue. Indeed, it is impossible for us using our own natural resources to overcome bad habits, vices, and sin in our lives. Only God can do this! The most efficacious way is through frequent and well-prepared Confessions.

20. VIRTUES ESTABLISHED. Of course the opposite of a vice is a virtue. Good confessions can turn us from sinful, mean, and vicious individuals into kind, holy, and virtuous persons on the Highway of Holiness.

21. CONQUERS THE DEVIL! The devil wants us to commit sin, live in sin, and die in the state of sin so that we will be under his dominion forever in hell. A good confession is actually more powerful than an exorcism. An exorcism is a mere sacramental; Confession is a Sacrament—a powerful encounter with Jesus who heals us and saves us!

22. CONFESSION IS MEDICINE TO THE SOUL. The specific grace of the Sacrament of Confession is that it heals the soul of its sickness contracted by sin. Jesus is known as The Divine Physician. The priest in the confessional represents Jesus as the Divine Physician.

23. PREVENTIVE MEDICINE. Doctors will emphasize the importance of preventive medicine: getting flu-shots, frequent check-ups, blood-tests. In a word, these can all serve to prevent serious illnesses, or even diseases. Likewise, the practice of frequent Confession not only can serve as curative medicine, but also what might be called preventive medicine. Better to prevent a disease than to cure it; better to prevent a sinful pattern than to work at curing it!

24. LIVING OUT METANOIA!!! The first preaching of Jesus in His Public Life was that of conversion: Be converted because the Kingdom of God is at hand. (Mk. 1:15)  If we really want to undergo a true conversion of heart, a true conversion of life, then Confession is indispensable! The third Luminous Mystery is the Proclamation of the Kingdom and the Call to Conversion! Saint Pope John Paul II relates this Mystery to the call to the reception of Confession as an efficacious means of conversion!

25. REJOICING OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY. A Marian note: one of the many titles of Mary is that of Our Lady of Mercy. Saint Pope John Paul II stated that the Marian Sanctuaries—Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe—are spiritual clinics. This means: these are spiritual hospitals where the spiritually sick can receive mercy, healing, and strength. Our Lady rejoices whenever anybody enters and leaves the confessional.

In conclusion, we have highlighted a list of 25 positive effects of the worthy reception of the Sacrament of God’s Infinite Mercy, that we call the Sacrament of Confession. God has extended His loving and merciful hand to you. Why not grab on to it, why not grasp the hand of your Merciful Father and make a good confession right now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3^RD    Lk. 5:1-11   “After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.’”

Part 1: Jesus and Simon Peter…

Part 2: Open Your Mind & Heart to the Holy Spirit by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

PART 1:

• Peter obeys Jesus. Jesus said to Simon: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Peter’s response: “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as you say and let down the nets.”  
• Peter is humble before the Lord. When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking. Falling to his knees, Peter says: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”  
• Peter has magnanimity – meaning he has great generosity with Jesus! “When they brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.”  
• Today, in our prayer, let us reflect on this fisherman, Simon Peter, whom Jesus chose to be Vicar of His Church on earth, and ask ourselves these questions.
• Do I obey like Peter? Are we willing to obey Christ and His Church under the direction of our Holy Father and the guidance of our good priests? Even when the world tells us something different? St. Ignatius says YES! We are to think with the mind of the Church, and in doing so we put on the mind of Christ. 
• Do we have Peter’s humility? The humility to fall on our knees before Jesus again and again to admit our sins with heart-felt repentance? Pope Francis in Joy of the Gospel says: “Now is the time to say to Jesus, ‘Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace”. How good it feels to come back to Him whenever we are lost! Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking His mercy.”
• Do we have Peter’s magnanimity (great generosity) in serving the Lord? Are we willing to do All for the Honor and Glory of God? Can we say that our every thought, word, decision, and action is for God’s greater glory???
• We see in the Gospels that Peter was far from perfect. He could be rash, impetuous, fearful, and even cowardly. He denied Christ three times! St. Luke records that after the cock crowed, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter…. And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
• There is one final action necessary to make Peter a great Pope, Saint and Martyr – the action of the Holy Spirit and Mary in the Upper Room on Pentecost! After nine days and nights of prayer with Our Blessed Mother, a violent wind rushed through the room and the Holy Spirit came in tongues of fire that rested over the heads of Peter and the Apostles. That afternoon, Peter gave his first sermon beginning with these words: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I say.” This uneducated fisherman converted 3,000 that day with one sermon!
• What was necessary for Peter and the Apostles, is necessary for us if we are to become the saints God created us to be! We need Our Blessed Mother praying for us and with us every day, and we need the rushing of the Holy Spirit upon us!

PART 2:

OPEN YOUR MIND & HEART TO THE HOLY SPIRIT by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

The Sanctifier, Sweet Guest of the Soul, Interior Master of Prayer, the Consoler and Counselor, Intimate Friend, Paraclete, Advocate, Soul of the Church, Uncreated bond of love between Father and Son—all of these express titles or names for the Third Person of the most Blessed Trinity: The Holy Spirit.

STARTS WITH BAPTISM. From the moment we have received the unmerited and gratuitous gift from God, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, we received with this Sacrament countless graces and blessings. One of the most sublime and extraordinary gifts is “The Gift of Gifts” (CCC), the Holy Spirit. In that moment the Holy Spirit became the Divine Guest of the soul bringing with His Presence the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.

HEAVENLY INSPIRATIONS. If we maintain our soul in the state of sanctifying grace, the Holy Spirit works in the depths of our being in a very special way. Heavenly inspirations from on high become more and more frequent depending on one condition: our DOCILITY, YES, DOCILITY to these heavenly inspirations. If we are humble, attentive, docile and receptive then the Holy Spirit works quietly but very powerfully in our soul and we experience in the depths of our soul an interior sweetness; these are the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. By collaborating with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, we will experience that interior sweetness in our soul of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit: peace, joy, mildness, self-control, chastity, patience, etc. In a word, our holiness and sanctification depends in large part on allowing the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, to work more freely, openly, and powerfully in our conversion, transformation, and sanctification.

FREQUENT INSPIRATIONS FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT AND DOCILITY. In this short essay we would like to highlight certain inspirations that come from the Holy Spirit, the Sweet Guest of your soul, and the great importance to recognize them and respond to them. May Our Lady, the Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit, come to our aid and pray for us that the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives will not be frustrated but brought to a full development. “Come, Holy Spirit, come through the Heart of Mary.” Mary was at all times, in all places, and in all circumstances totally and unreservedly open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Without doubt through her powerful intercession, Mary can help us to be more docile and responsive to the graces and inspirations from on high!

1. GO TO CONFESSION!!! If we have had the misfortune and disgrace to have fallen into Mortal Sin and lost sanctifying grace, then most assuredly the Holy Spirit will send inspirations to bring you back to God be means of a well-prepared, well-expressed, humble and contrite Sacramental Confession. Most surely, the Holy Spirit wants you to be restored to grace, but He respects our free-will!

2. OPEN OUR HEARTS TO PRAYER. One of the titles mentioned above describing the work of the Holy Spirit is that of “Interior Master of the soul”. This title means that the Holy Spirit wants to teach us how to communicate with God through prayer. For most of us, prayer is often a struggle, and we might even say that we do not really know how to pray. Saint Paul in the Letter to the Romans responds to this quandary and struggle in our spiritual life with these words: “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit intercedes with ineffable groans so that we can say, Abba, Father.” (Rom. 8:26)

3. GO DEEPER AND LONGER INTO THE INFINITE OCEAN OF PRAYER. Not only will the Holy Spirit gently but insistently invite us to pray through His Holy inspirations, but He will challenge us to both pray more and at greater length, as well as go deeper in our prayer. Prayer can be compared to the ocean. We can walk along the seashore and allow the waves to barely graze our feet or we can go into the deep, drop the anchor, and the ocean seems to be a bottom-less abyss. So it is in our relationship with God; He is infinite and so can our prayer become better and better, deeper and deeper!

4. SEEK ADVICE. At times, when we find ourselves in a state of both desolation and confusion the Holy Spirit might nudge us to seek help, to seek advice, to seek counsel and direction through a human medium or intermediary, and this would be a spiritual-director. Saint John of the Cross states wryly: “He who has himself as director, has an idiot as a disciple.” Put bluntly, we cannot adequately direct ourselves because we all have many BLIND-SPOTS in our spiritual journey!

5. PUSH TO PRACTICE PENANCE. It is impossible to be under the guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit and not have nudges, gentle pushes, interior lights and inspirations to engage the practice of penance. In very clear and unequivocal terms Jesus asserted: “Anyone who wishes to be my follower must renounce himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt. 16:24) In so many words, the great woman Mystic and Doctor of the Church, St. Teresa of Avila, states that prayer and a life of indulgence and sensuality are diametrically opposed. They are like oil and vinegar—they simply do not mix!

6. READ, REFLECT, REASON, AND RUN TO GOD. Often the Holy Spirit will challenge us to slow down in our active and frenetic life characterized by the spirit of the day called ACTIVISM. The Holy Spirit will sometimes nudge us to stop, slow down, take up a good spiritual book and start to read the text slowly, reflect seriously upon it as Mary did when she pondered in her Immaculate Heart, then discern its deeper meaning, and finally run to God as our most sure haven and source of refuge. “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” (Ps. 124:8)

7. HUMBLE YOURSELF AND RECONCILE, MAKING PEACE. In no uncertain terms, Jesus commands us to strive to be at peace with our brothers and sisters. So much so that Jesus says if you are about to present your gift at the altar and recall that your brother has something against you, then leave the gift, go and reconcile with your brother, and then come back to offer the gift. (This can be interpreted in the light of Holy Mass, our offering and Holy Communion.) In other words, the Holy Spirit cannot work powerfully and efficaciously in a heart that is proud, resentful, bitter, and angry! Jesus said that he is meek and humble of heart and challenges us to be the same! (Mt. 11:28-30)

8. WALK THE EXTRA MILE: EVEN WHEN YOU DO NOT FEEL LIKE IT! Once again related to the topic or theme of sacrifice, often the Holy Spirit will challenge us by His heavenly inspirations to walk the extra mile and to move on in some task, work or activity when we are tired, maybe even exhausted. However, if we correspond with docility and generosity to the inspiration, His grace and strength will never be lacking. Jesus said to the Great Apostle Saint Paul: “My grace is sufficient.” (2Cor.12:9) The Holy Spirit will never inspire in your mind and heart a proposal that He will not give you sufficient grace to carry out! Our prayer must be: “Holy Spirit, I trust in your power, presence, and patience in me!”

9. SLEEP LESS, EAT LESS, PRAY MORE, WORK HARDER, CARRY THE CROSS TRUSTINGLY AND OVERFLOW WITH JOY! If you read through the lives of the saints, who are the spiritual masterpieces of God in the words of Saint Pope John XXIII, you will notice the following characteristics of many of the saints. They tend to spend less time in bed; they do not spend too much time at the table chowing down; they pray more, and they work harder and more efficaciously without complaining; then they have many crosses, and I say many crosses. However, in the midst of all of these apparent hardships and trials they are overflowing with peace, happiness, joy! All of this is obviously the working of the Holy Spirit. Test yourself in these areas; how do you rate???

10. INSPIRATIONS TO TALK TO, DRAW CLOSE TO, AND CONFIDE IN HIS MYSTICAL SPOUSE—THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY!!! The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and the Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit. This being the case, the Holy Spirit will often inspire you to open up your heart and talk to Mary about your life, your feelings, your struggles, your battles, your failures and victories, your hopes and your dreams! Saint Louis de Montfort, in his spiritual classic, True Devotion to Mary states: “Those who love Mary, the Holy Spirit flings Himself into their souls.”

In conclusion, our conversion, sanctification, transformation and perseverance in grace depends in large part upon our relationship with the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier. Holiness depends on being docile to the Heavenly inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let us all start right now and make a firm decision and commitment to be more docile and attentive to the inner workings and inspirations of the Holy Spirit in our lives! “If today you hear His voice harden not your hearts.” (Psalm 95:7-8) May our prayer be a Marian prayer connecting us to the Holy Spirit: “Come, Holy Spirit, come through the Heart of Mary.”

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2^ND   Lk. 4:38-44   “He laid His hands on each of them and cured them.” 

• “At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him.” St. Mark’s account says, “The whole city gathered together about the door.” (Mk. 1:33)
  
• Our Lord could have said, “Be healed!” and they would have been! His word was sufficient. But that’s not what Jesus did. “He laid His hands on each of them and cured them.” We can imagine Jesus looking at each person with love, His heart filled with compassion for the human suffering in front of Him.
• Commenting on this passage, Saint Ambrose says, “From the beginning of the Church Jesus already sought out the crowds. And why? Because to cure people there are no established times or places. The medicine has to be applied in all times and places!”
• Jesus yearns to lay hands on all people to bring them healing and fullness of life! He has no hands but ours! We are called to love and serve others as He did, receiving those He puts in our path each day, beginning with those closest to us, “laying our hands on each one” by our material help when needed and possible, but always by offering prayers and sacrifices for them, with hearts full of compassion for the human suffering and misery in front of us.
• Next, St. Luke reports: “At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.” St. Luke tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Lk. 5:16) Jesus derived strength and power from communion in prayer with His Heavenly Father. Jesus says, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me.” (Jn. 6:38)
• We too must go to quiet places, where we can be undisturbed, to pray to our Father and to Jesus in heaven – this is our daily Holy Hour, where we derive strength and power to know His will and carry it out in our lives!
• To encourage us in faithfulness to our daily Holy Hour, Fr. Ed gives us this meditation on the fruits of the daily Holy Hour.

FRUITS OF THE DAILY HOLY HOUR – THE HOUR OF POWER! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

The effects of a well-made and methodical, daily “Hour-Hour” are countless! The person who seriously makes the decision to make the Daily Holy Hour, to be faithful to it, to have a determined determination to struggle through it on tough days and persevere until the end, will have a crown of glory in heaven after having done enormous good on earth!

SHINING EXAMPLE FOR THE WHOLE WORLD –VENERABLE ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN

Sheen, man of God that he was – preacher, writer, first Television/Radio Christian Catholic Evangelist, missionary, and Archbishop – would never attribute his success to himself, but rather to Jesus, whom he met on a daily basis in the Blessed Sacrament by making his own personal DAILY HOLY HOUR!! It was Sheen who popularized the saying: “The Holy Hour is the Hour of Power!”

Sheen stated bluntly in talks to priests and Bishops that at times people would not listen to them, but to him – Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen – they would listen because of the power that he was endowed with through his Daily Holy Hour – “The Hour of Power.”

Sheen once stated that in his fifty years as a priest (many of those years as a Bishop), he never missed making even “one” Holy Hour! Not even once, in his whole life as priest and Bishop!

Occupied with writing constantly, traveling around the world, speaking engagements around the clock, Radio programs and TV programs, heading the Missionary Office of the Catholic Church, converting huge numbers of souls personally and through letters – this great man of God, even with so many commitments, would find time for Jesus every day by making his Daily Holy Hour. The key to his apostolic success was union with Jesus, deep and growing friendship with Jesus in his Daily Holy Hour – “The Hour of Power”!

Now, no longer is he called Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, but VENERABLE Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. That’s right! He is on the pathway to Beatification and eventually Canonization! Praise the Lord for such a brilliant and shining example for us!

After this biographical sketch of the life of one of America’s greatest heroes – and even more important, one of God’s heroes – we will proceed to give a list of the many fruits that emanate from faithfulness to the Daily Holy Hour, your own HOUR OF POWER!!!

1. FRIENDSHIP WITH CHRIST. Pope Benedict XVI constantly challenged us, especially in the “Year of Faith”, to strive to cultivate a deep, growing friendship with Jesus. Jesus at the Last Supper called His Apostles “Friends”, but He also calls you to a deep Friendship with Him. We all seek friendship and union with others; that is communion! Obviously Jesus is the best of Friends; He is the faithful Friend who will never fail us! However, a true friendship must be cultivated by visiting our friend, getting to know our friend, conversing with our friend, sharing with our friend joys and sorrows, failures and successes – in a word the most profound secrets. But even in the deepest friendships, usually something is not expressed or understood. But with Jesus, we can always express our inmost thoughts, fears, sorrows, even anguishes and He indeed will understand us down to the minutest detail of our experience and our existence!

2. WORD OF GOD. The staple and substance of our meditation should be the Word of God.  Jesus told the enemy, the devil who tempted Him, that man does not live on bread alone but from every word that comes from the mouth of God. The Psalmist says that the Word of God is a lamp for our steps and a light for our path. (Ps 119:105) St. Jerome reminds us, “Ignorance of Sacred Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” (Dei Verbum, Vat. II documents) In our Holy Hour we can read, meditate, listen, let our hearts be moved, and talk to the Lord – there we have five simple steps for a Biblical meditation!

3. DISCIPLINE.  Notice the change in your life! Once you make the decision with determination, which leads to the discipline of being faithful to your Holy Hour, then you will have greater discipline in the other activities in the course of your busy schedule. One act of discipline in making the Daily Holy Hour motivates a well-ordered and disciplined life in general!

4. PEACE AND HARMONY! With discipline comes peace. What is peace? St. Augustine defines peace as the tranquility of order. St. Ignatius reaffirms this using other words – namely, that the purpose of the Spiritual Exercises is to order the disordered. Just as Our Lady of Guadalupe ordered the roses in the Tilma of St. Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico.

5. WORK: MORE DONE AND DONE BETTER! Many of us complain about a lack of time to carry out our various duties in life. Often this is because of a lack of order. The Holy Hour helps us to carry out our daily obligations and to be more faithful to our state of life with more energy of will, and with greater peace and joy. Why is this??? The reason is clear! When we do the Daily Holy Hour we are inviting God/Jesus to be part of our whole life, all that we are and all that we do. He is the secret Companion walking with us on the Highway of Life to Eternity – just like He walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus! And He does most of the work. He says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt. 11:28-30). If possible, it is best to do the Daily Holy Hour as early as possible, then the Lord Jesus will accompany you during the whole course of the day and make your burdens light!

6. FAMILY CONVERSION AND SANCTIFICATION! Many of us have family members who have abandoned the faith, walked away from the Church, who are angry, bitter, and even antagonistic towards all that is related to God. Maybe we have talked to them, tried to convince them by the best of arguments to return, but it is simply an exercise in futility. What is lacking is PRAYER. Jesus said that some devils can be expelled only through prayer and fasting. Offering your daily Holy Hour – “The Hour of Power” – for the conversion and salvation of your loved ones can prove exceedingly fruitful! Remember the many hours of prayer and tears of St. Monica for the conversion of her son, St. Augustine. We need more St. Monicas with their Daily Holy Hours!

7. FERVENT COMMUNIONS.  Not only does the Daily Holy Hour – the Hour of Power – serve to motivate prodigal sons, lost sheep, wandering souls to return to the Good Shepherd, but also this personal encounter with the Lord improves and upgrades our reception of Jesus in Holy Communion. The greatest act we can do on earth is to receive Jesus in Holy Communion! However, the better the preparation, the more efficacious the effects of Holy Communion in our soul!  May our Daily Holy Hours prove to transform us into the One we receive in Holy Communion, remembering the words of St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!” (Gal. 2:20)

8. In the midst of the storms, tempests, earthquakes of life, we can always find consolation, peace, refuge, solace, and an oasis in our Daily Holy Hour. There are days in which the battle is fierce, the tug of the passions insistent, the devil’s attacks relentless, the seduction of the world and its false values alluring. Amidst such exterior and interior storms of life, what consolation it is to know that Jesus is always waiting for us to come and find our true refuge in His Sacred Heart and in the Immaculate Heart of Mary. “Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you!’ “Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation!”

9. GOOD EXAMPLE. There are many ways to preach the Word of God. Jesus’ last words were to go out to the whole world and tell the Good News. (Mt. 28: 19-20) Nonetheless, the word that we preach must be supported by the example of the life that we live! The person who makes the Daily Holy Hour – the Hour of Power – radiates goodness and inspires others to follow the same path! How many priests – even the one writing this article, Father Broom – have been inspired to make the Daily Holy Hour due to the preaching, but especially the “living out” of the Daily Holy Hour of Fulton Sheen. At the end of his life, Archbishop Fulton Sheen decided to preach retreats to priests and Bishops, and he had one goal: to convince both priests and Bishops to make the firm determination and commitment to make the Daily Holy Hour. If they made this with determination, Sheen knew this would transform lives, parishes, Dioceses, and the world at large!

10. HEAVEN! Of monumental importance is the attaining of Heaven. Union with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, with Mary and the Angels and saints for all eternity, will be the end result and most sublime fruit of the faithfulness to the Daily Holy Hour. St. Alphonsus put it bluntly, “He who prays well will be saved; he who does not pray will be damned.” (CCC on prayer). If you like, St. Augustine expresses the same concept poetically: “He who prays well, lives well; he who lives well, dies well; and he who dies well, all is well!”

In sum, my friends, right now let us make a firm commitment with determined determination to be faithful to the Daily Holy Hour – the Hour of Power! If done faithfully you will grow in Friendship with Jesus, grow in holiness and peace of soul, work well and with order and discipline, be a source of sanctification and conversion for others, receive Jesus with greater purity of heart in Holy Communion, and most important, become one day a jewel in the crown of Mary, where you will contemplate the Beauty of the unveiled Face of Jesus for all eternity. Amen.

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin 
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1^ST    Lk. 4:31-37   “They were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is it about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.’”

• What they were seeing and hearing without understanding, was the power and authority of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Son of God made man!
• Jesus doesn’t speak like the prophets who said, “Thus says the Lord…” Jesus speaks in His own name and on His own authority, “Amen, amen, I say to you…” He teaches definitively and then says, if you don’t believe in me because of my words, believe in me because of my miracles!  
• Jesus continues to speak with power and authority through His Holy Church, protected and guided by the Holy Spirit.

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…

#2035: The supreme degree of participation in the authority of Christ is ensured by the charism of infallibility. This infallibility extends as far as does the deposit of divine Revelation; it also extends to all those elements of doctrine, including morals, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, or observed.⁷⁷

#2036: The authority of the Magisterium extends also to the specific precepts of the natural law, because their observance, demanded by the Creator, is necessary for salvation. In recalling the prescriptions of the natural law, the Magisterium of the Church exercises an essential part of its prophetic office of proclaiming to men what they truly are and reminding them of what they should be before God.⁷⁸

#2037: The law of God entrusted to the Church is taught to the faithful as the way of life and truth. The faithful therefore have the right to be instructed in the divine saving precepts that purify judgment and, with grace, heal wounded human reason.⁷⁹ They have the duty of observing the constitutions and decrees conveyed by the legitimate authority of the Church.

• In the Gospel today, Jesus casts out unclean spirits! There are unclean spirits that need to be cast out today. This is not an exorcism just for the priests, but for every faithful Catholic of voting age.
• As stated above in #2037… The faithful have the right to be instructed in the divine saving precepts that purify judgment and, with grace, heal wounded human reason. And with the truth comes responsibility. They have the duty of observing the constitutions and decrees conveyed by the legitimate authority of the Church.
• Fr. Ed Broom states clearly the Church’s position on five different absolutely non-negotiable truths that Catholics must uphold when voting.

 THE FIVE NON-NEGOTIABLES AND VOTING by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

As the most critical day of the Presidential election quickly approaches the first week of November, we must have clear, Christian convictions in casting our votes.

As priest, it is not my duty to suggest any political party whatsoever. This is not my responsibility. However, speaking out on the morality of politics and what should motivate our choice of elected officials is the duty of the priest.

Therefore, in this short article, we would like to highlight five basic criteria as a guide to help all of us to cast our vote and exercise our civic duty and responsibility. The five basic criteria can be defined as the Five Non-negotiables for Catholic-Christian Voting.

By the terminology, the Five Non-negotiables for Catholic-Christian Voting, is meant the following: some decisions and actions are intrinsically evil. That is to say, the very essence of their being is wrong, immoral, sinful, and displeasing to God, the Author and Determiner of all that is good.

This being said, strive to be informed on these key issues. As a reference tool you might consult the Pro-life website: “Priestsforlife.org”—the President, Fr. Frank Pavone. This superb website will serve as an invaluable source to help you cast your vote according to Catholic-Christian criteria.

Now let us present in a clear, cogent, and precise manner these Five Non-negotiables.

THE FIVE NON-NEGOTIABLES FOR CATHOLIC-CHRISTIAN VOTING.

1. ABORTION. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the key moral topic of abortion is by far the most important topic in choosing elected officials. Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God and has inalienable rights: that of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Human life comes from God—the origin, author, and sustainer of all life. Human life starts at the very moment of conception and has more value than the whole created universe, according to Aquinas. Check out what is each candidate’s position on abortion. None of us should be accomplices in promoting abortion, the killing of innocent human beings, by voting and supporting officials who promote murdering, worse yet, the most vulnerable, innocent and defenseless—the unborn babies in the womb.

2. EUTHANASIA. On the other side of the spectrum is that of Euthanasia. A philosophy motivated by a materialistic, hedonistic, utilitarian, erroneous system, this posits that the elderly or the terminally ill can truncate their life with lethal injections. In other words, the elderly and sick, in conjunction and collaboration with their relatives, and of course supported by the Medical Community, can decide when to end their life. Once again, we must oppose any political system and candidate who promotes the killing of the elderly and the infirm. Why? For the simple reason that God initiates life at the moment of conception in the womb of the mother and God ends life when, how, and in the manner He best sees fit. In the words of the Book of Job: “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked I return to the earth. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)

3. CONTRACEPTION. The next criteria in casting our vote is that of the promotion and use of any form of artificial Contraception. In the Magisterial teaching of the Church, most specifically Saint Pope Paul VI in his Encyclical Humanae Vitae, the Holy Pontiff teaches with utmost clarity that every conjugal act between man and woman must be open to the possibility of life. Therefore, use of any form of artificial means of contraception is intrinsically disordered—by its very nature and essence it is evil, sinful, and very displeasing to God. In fact, the first command of God in the Bible was: “Increase and multiply!” (Gen 1:28)

4. THE PRACTICE OF HOMOSEXUALITY (AND TRANSGENDERISM). Never have we lived in a world with so much information as today. However, at the same time, never have we lived in a world with so much confusion. We live in a perpetual state of “The Tower of Babel”—confusion to the max has permeated the total moral landscape. One of the key elements of confusion and error is the interpretation of the human person. God created the human person in His image and likeness. However, this must be emphasized to the highest degree possible: God created male and female, man and woman. The very first Book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis states this unequivocally, with the utmost clarity: “God created them male and female. Therefore, a man will leave his father and mother and he will be united to his wife.” (Gn.1:27; Gn.2:24)  Jesus quotes this in Mt. 19:4-6: “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

If you like, God created Adam and Eve and not Adam and Steve! The utter confusion and blurring of sexual distinction and identity is a diabolic poison that presently is spreading like wildfire. Indeed, the allowance and promotion of Homosexuality and the LGBT (Abbreviation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) agenda can end up by ruining the very foundation of human society—eating away at and eventually destroying the family. The traditional family is the husband and wife (male and female) married sacramentally in the Church in mutual love and open to the procreation and formation of children.

5. ARTIFICIAL FERTILIZATION AND EMBRYONIC RESEARCH. The last of the Five Non-negotiables is that of Artificial Fertilization and Embryonic Research. By Artificial Fertilization is meant that a man donates sperm and a woman donates multiple eggs (produced through artificial hormone stimulation of her ovaries). The laboratory clinicians combine the eggs with the sperm resulting in multiple embryos (new human beings) who are nourished in the laboratory in a petri (glass) dish. Some of these zygotes (little babies) are transferred to the body of the Mother (or even a surrogate Mother) with the hope that at least one will survive, although sometimes multiple survive. The other zygotes (little babies) are stored in a super-cooled freezer in case the initial attempt fails; some of these little babies die in that process. At the same time, the Father and Mother can decide at any time to simply have them discarded or allow them to be used for Embryonic Research. Once again this is horrendous and another form of murder – the killing of the innocent.

Embryonic Research, generally referred to as Embryonic Stem Cell Research. The Church’s objection is expressed in Donum Vitae (1987) No. 4, paragraph 29: “If the embryos are living, whether viable or not, they must be respected just like any other human person; experimentation on embryos which is not directly therapeutic is illicit.”

Furthermore, from the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, 1987: “No objective, even though noble in itself, such as a foreseeable advantage to science, to other human beings or to society, can in any way justify experimentation on living human embryos or fetuses, whether viable or not, either inside or outside the mother’s womb.”

In 2008, the instruction Dignitas Personae was released as a supplement to address newer bio-ethical issues and technologies.  

IN CONCLUSION:

Morally speaking, the only permissible way in which a person should come into the world is through the marital embrace of husband and wife in the context of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. We cannot play God by determining how life starts, when it should be ended, and the manner in which it ends. Only God has the right to bring a new human being into existence, and determine the time and the place for that person to die and face the Judgment seat of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My friends in Christ, for the love of your country, for the love of God, for the love of your children, for the love of your teens, for the love of your family, for the sake of your own eternal salvation, please take into account THE FIVE NON-NEGOTIABLES in choosing the future leaders of our country, the future leaders of the world. Remember: “Every individual is created in the image and likeness of God and has inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” May we follow these guidelines and experience true happiness in this life and in Heaven for all eternity!

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA

MONDAY, AUGUST 31^ST   Lk. 4:16-30   “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

• Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1—The Year of the Lord’s favor on His people. Jesus goes on to say, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
• They are amazed! They speak highly of Jesus and the gracious words He speaks. But at the same time, they ask one another, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” In other words, the carpenter’s son???
• Jesus can read their thoughts and their hearts. They are looking for miracles, signs and wonders. Small town boy makes the big time! Their hearts are not open to seeing who He truly is! Imagine what they would say if He said, “If you would be my disciple, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.” (Mt. 16:24)
• Jesus, the son of God made man, is led by the Holy Spirit. We are also called to be led by the Holy Spirit! Of course, always under obedience to the teachings of the Church and the Magisterium! For it is the same Holy Spirit that Jesus at the Last Supper promised to send to guide His Church to all truth! “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” (Jn. 14:16) The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (Jn. 14:26)
• Therefore, let us beg for the grace to hear the inspirations and promptings of the Holy Spirit at all times, and be willing and quick to act on them for our own purification, and for the care, comfort and salvation of others, for in charity lies our salvation – there is no other doorway!

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, we come to the word RESISTANCE. Ever active in the lives of the saints, as well as in our lives, the Holy Spirit often inspires, but we can resist. By resist we mean this: to simply say NO, to reject the 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 His inspirations to a higher plane 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—cell phones, radio, TV, cars, planes overhead, motorcycles, 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 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 comes 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, and pray on these, and then apply them to your life.

• PRAY!  Known under the title of The Interior Master of Prayer, the Holy Spirit gently, but insistently, beckons us to pray. Listen and obey!!!

• 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)

• 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.

• 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 will attempt to paralyze us with fear.

• 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 us to take the first step on the path to reconciliation.

• 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 and go out of ourselves to serve the needy and suffering who are present and waiting for our helping hand.

• ENCOURAGE!  The bad spirit is the Accuser, ready to condemn people and tear them down. The Holy Spirit will often move us 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 BARNABAS—meaning, Son of Encouragement. Accept the challenge!

• 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 inspiration will inspire us in this way: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” After Jesus died, for the Apostles, for all intents and purposes, His mission and their 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 Him all the more! When all seems lost, do not be surprised if the Holy Spirit inspires you to try again and 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)

• 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!

• 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 life, a steady growth in holiness, long life and eternal life. Mary, Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit, help us to be open and listen to the Holy Spirit, and to respond with love and generosity

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin 
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA