Thursday, November 19, 2009

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is our best friend. He is always with us to help us, inspire us, lead us, heal us, console us, and He even prays in us. For many years I neglected praying to the Holy Spirit. I would say an occasional prayer or do a novena once in a while,  but that was about it. In general, I'd have to say that the Third Person of the Trinity is the most neglected by Christians. When I listen to people talk about their prayer life, I rarely hear people mention Him.

I now pray to the Holy Spirit often each day and this has helped me tremendously in my daily walk with the Lord. Sometimes I just talk to Him, other times I pray formally. I ask His help in everything that I do. Here is a simple prayer to the Holy Spirit that I often pray:

O Holy Spirit
I humbly implore You,
be with me always
so that in all things,
I may act under the influence
of your holy inspiration.    
                  Amen

"Now we direct our attention to the principal conditions for the gift of God par excellence. This gift is precisely the Holy Spirit, whom, we know,"breathes where He wills." But He does not reject the longing of anyone who waits for Him, calls on Him, and welcomes Him.....What are these conditions? Let us simplify a difficult answer by saying that the ability to receive this "sweet guest of the soul" exacts faith. It demands humility and repentance. Normally it requires a sacramental act. In the practice of a religious life, it requires silence, recollection, listening, and above all, invocation, prayer, as the apostles did with Mary in the Cenacle. It is important to wait and to cry out: "Come, Creator Spirit; come, Holy Spirit."
                               Pope Paul VI

4 comments:

  1. My favorite prayer to the Holy Spirit is from St. Augustine...Breathe in me Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy...

    I love that one. I keep it on my computer at work so I can pray it every day while I wait for the computer to warm up.

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  2. I too unfortunately neglect specific prayer to the Holy Spirit. I am consoled in that at least every time I bless myself before and after prayer, I am invoking prayer in the name of all Three.

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  3. Mary,
    Thank you for this beautiful reminder for our need to pray to the Holy Spirit. Since beginning giving my witness publicly, I find myself praying to Him more than I used to.
    Our Lord gave us the gift of His Spirit, we shouldn't neglect it.
    I love your prayer and the quote from Paul VI.
    Thanks again for sharing this.
    God Bless!

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  4. Anne,
    That's one of my favorites, too! I have it written on my "Out of Babylon" blog and I pray before I write on my blogs:)

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