There are times when silence is good....and there are times when silence is deadly. The days we live in contain far too little of the "good" silence that quiets the spirit and gives rest to the soul. Instead, the silence we see most often today is the deadly type - that of people afraid to "step out of the crowd" and speak up against the widespread abuses of personal freedom and the shroud of sin which darkens our world today. The silence today reminds me of these words from the Bible, "And Pilate, wanting to please the crowd, released to them Barabbas...." Mk 15:15
We all know what happened after that. Pilate, in his failure to use the authority given to him and in refusing to continue to speak up in defence of Jesus out of fear of the crowds, condemned an innocent man to death. One man's silence resulted in deicide. One might say, "But this had to happen. Even Jesus knew this." True, but, would you want to be Pilate? Would you have wanted to be the one who would go down in history as the man who had the power to save the Christ and refused out of fear?
Before the first Pentecost, the apostles were a fearful bunch, also. Peter denied Jesus and they all abandoned him when He was arrested. John managed to scrape up enough courage to return but the others were nowhere to be found. It wasn't until they received the Holy Spirit that they became the great leaders of the early Church. The Spirit gave them the courage to spread the gospel despite great adversity and the persecution they came under.
I wonder at our silence today. Especially the silence of Christians. There are still billions of Christians in the world and it seems to me that if more of them spoke up and used their voices, both in prayer and spreading the Gospel, and also in speaking out against injustices and evils, our world would change. I'll leave you with the heart wrenching words of Pastor Niemoeller, a Christian imprisoned by the Nazis, who talks about where this deadly kind of silence can lead to:
First, they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for me
...and there was no one left
to speak out for me.
The gift of fortitude (courage) is one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit and we are in great need of this gift living in the midst of the secular society that surrounds us today.
May the Holy Spirit pour upon all Christians the gift of courage and the wisdom to know when to speak up. May He also break the bondage of fear which is sealing the mouths of so many in our day.
Showing posts with label The Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Prophetic Words
The gift of prophecy is one of the charisms that the Lord gives to some people. Different people have different gifts and each gift fits into the "bigger picture" as a piece would fit into a puzzle. Prophecy is not always about the future, though it can be. Many prophetic words speak about the present time and may even draw on words from the past to "teach" or "warn" about the future. This is why sometimes you see an Old Testament passage given as a prophetic word for the present day. These are warnings and are meant to be taken seriously. Here is a link about the charism of prophesy - Prophetic Words.
Everyone who reads this blog knows that I believe we live in serious times. To make the "words" I (or at times others) have been given more easily accessible I have added a new feature to my sidebar with most of the links to the prophetic words given on my blogs. The links are all under the title "Words" for Our Times. These words are from 2009 and 2010 and they are more important now than ever. I will be adding to this list over time and linking to certain posts of other bloggers that I believe have this gift also.
Please remember that while reading these words that the reason God gives them to people is to help us not to frighten us. They are words from a loving God who sees his people walking blindly into grave danger spiritually and He is calling us to back to himself.
"God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him." 1 John 4:16
Everyone who reads this blog knows that I believe we live in serious times. To make the "words" I (or at times others) have been given more easily accessible I have added a new feature to my sidebar with most of the links to the prophetic words given on my blogs. The links are all under the title "Words" for Our Times. These words are from 2009 and 2010 and they are more important now than ever. I will be adding to this list over time and linking to certain posts of other bloggers that I believe have this gift also.
Please remember that while reading these words that the reason God gives them to people is to help us not to frighten us. They are words from a loving God who sees his people walking blindly into grave danger spiritually and He is calling us to back to himself.
"God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him." 1 John 4:16
Friday, May 13, 2011
Spiritual gifts that are much needed today
It's no great secret to those of you who read my blog posts that I believe we live in "spiritually" critical times. I also believe that each and every one of us, though some may be as yet unaware of them, have special gifts from the Lord that can be a great help today in leading people back to the Lord and these gifts include charisms. Over the years, I have heard it said that these "charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit" are no longer necessary - that they were only for the early Church in order to better spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and add to the community of believers...but this is absolutely untrue. Not only is it untrue but this false statement is detrimental to Christianity in this day and age.
The Holy Spirit is working harder than ever to bring people to Christ. Some of the reasons that we don't see the more obvious manifestations of these gifts of the Holy Spirit today and why some believe they haven't received any of these gifts may be due to:
- a lack of faith
- blockages in the spirit (this may be because we may need to forgive others...or even ourselves)
- unconfessed sin
- sinful patterns of living
- a lack of understanding the immense power of God
- a reliance on human understanding
- a lack of charity
- a refusal (can be an "unconscious" refusal) of the gifts due to false humility or because of inner wounds that need healing
In order to be open to the Holy Spirit's work in and through us we have to rid ourselves of the overly scientific views that have been impressed upon us in today's secular society. We are spiritual as well as physical beings and science rarely, if ever, touches upon this aspect of human nature. There is nothing wrong with science itself but it is prudent to remember that without God there would be no science and science should be put in its proper place. There are many incredibly brilliant scientists out there who are utterly lacking in "spiritual intelligence". Not all, of course, but quite a few.
God is beyond science. God is beyond human intelligence.
God is the great I AM.
When praying for the gifts of the Holy Spirit - wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, we should also be asking Him to stir up the charisms (meaning gratuitous gift or favor) He has given us. In other words, these charisms are freely given to those who love the Lord. We don't merit these gifts...they are given out of the pure goodness of God.
Above, I stated some reasons why the Charisms of the Holy Spirit may not seem to "work" in some people. In actuality, they "work" very well indeed but there may be something blocking their full manifestation. One of the obstacles is a lack of faith. Disbelief. Even though Jesus states in the gospels that His followers would do even greater deeds than what He did, some people don't believe it. Faith is not so much believing in God, but rather, believing God. And that, my friends, makes all the difference. St. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 12:7-11:
"To each individual, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another variety of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes."
I deliberately bolded "each individual" to point out that the gifts are for all, though they differ from person to person. St. Paul never wrote "to some individuals" but to "each". If the father of a family gathers his children around him one day and says that he has a gift for each of his children...he means all of them. Granted, the gifts may differ but they are still precious nonetheless and even more they "fit" the person receiving them.
You may be wondering why I mention faith first in regard to charisms and this is because a lack of faith is one of the largest stumbling blocks. How many times in the Bible does Jesus sigh over the lack of faith of his followers (see Mt 17:14-20, Mk 6:1-6 and Mk 4:35-40)? Many. He also often praises those who have great faith (see Mt 15:28 and Mk 5:34). This is just a small number of the scriptural passages which refer to faith or lack of it.
We could call the age we live in the "Age of Doubters". Many of us forget that God's laws supersede the "natural law". God's power supersedes man's power and man forgets this. This grieves God. We have lost our childlike awe of the mighty works of God. My prayer is that an outpouring of the Holy Spirit may come upon all believers.
There is a certain type of "spiritual snobbery" that exists today, sometimes seen among Catholics (but not limited to) and a number of people believe that they don't need these special gifts from the Spirit. Some even despise them and think that people today are "above" such things but the truth is that these charisms are meant to walk hand in hand with the other gifts and virtues God gives his children.
Why?
They are an enormous help in bringing others to Christ and they build up the Church. This in itself is the greatest reason of all.
I'll leave you with this quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church :
"There are furthermore special graces, also called charisms after the Greek term used by St. Paul and meaning 'favor,' 'gratuitous gift,' 'benefit'. Whatever their character - sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or tongues - charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the Church."
The Holy Spirit is working harder than ever to bring people to Christ. Some of the reasons that we don't see the more obvious manifestations of these gifts of the Holy Spirit today and why some believe they haven't received any of these gifts may be due to:
- a lack of faith
- blockages in the spirit (this may be because we may need to forgive others...or even ourselves)
- unconfessed sin
- sinful patterns of living
- a lack of understanding the immense power of God
- a reliance on human understanding
- a lack of charity
- a refusal (can be an "unconscious" refusal) of the gifts due to false humility or because of inner wounds that need healing
In order to be open to the Holy Spirit's work in and through us we have to rid ourselves of the overly scientific views that have been impressed upon us in today's secular society. We are spiritual as well as physical beings and science rarely, if ever, touches upon this aspect of human nature. There is nothing wrong with science itself but it is prudent to remember that without God there would be no science and science should be put in its proper place. There are many incredibly brilliant scientists out there who are utterly lacking in "spiritual intelligence". Not all, of course, but quite a few.
God is beyond science. God is beyond human intelligence.
God is the great I AM.
When praying for the gifts of the Holy Spirit - wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, we should also be asking Him to stir up the charisms (meaning gratuitous gift or favor) He has given us. In other words, these charisms are freely given to those who love the Lord. We don't merit these gifts...they are given out of the pure goodness of God.
Above, I stated some reasons why the Charisms of the Holy Spirit may not seem to "work" in some people. In actuality, they "work" very well indeed but there may be something blocking their full manifestation. One of the obstacles is a lack of faith. Disbelief. Even though Jesus states in the gospels that His followers would do even greater deeds than what He did, some people don't believe it. Faith is not so much believing in God, but rather, believing God. And that, my friends, makes all the difference. St. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 12:7-11:
"To each individual, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another variety of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes."
I deliberately bolded "each individual" to point out that the gifts are for all, though they differ from person to person. St. Paul never wrote "to some individuals" but to "each". If the father of a family gathers his children around him one day and says that he has a gift for each of his children...he means all of them. Granted, the gifts may differ but they are still precious nonetheless and even more they "fit" the person receiving them.
You may be wondering why I mention faith first in regard to charisms and this is because a lack of faith is one of the largest stumbling blocks. How many times in the Bible does Jesus sigh over the lack of faith of his followers (see Mt 17:14-20, Mk 6:1-6 and Mk 4:35-40)? Many. He also often praises those who have great faith (see Mt 15:28 and Mk 5:34). This is just a small number of the scriptural passages which refer to faith or lack of it.
We could call the age we live in the "Age of Doubters". Many of us forget that God's laws supersede the "natural law". God's power supersedes man's power and man forgets this. This grieves God. We have lost our childlike awe of the mighty works of God. My prayer is that an outpouring of the Holy Spirit may come upon all believers.
There is a certain type of "spiritual snobbery" that exists today, sometimes seen among Catholics (but not limited to) and a number of people believe that they don't need these special gifts from the Spirit. Some even despise them and think that people today are "above" such things but the truth is that these charisms are meant to walk hand in hand with the other gifts and virtues God gives his children.
Why?
They are an enormous help in bringing others to Christ and they build up the Church. This in itself is the greatest reason of all.
I'll leave you with this quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church :
"There are furthermore special graces, also called charisms after the Greek term used by St. Paul and meaning 'favor,' 'gratuitous gift,' 'benefit'. Whatever their character - sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or tongues - charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the Church."
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
A Spirit-filled People
We must be a Spirit-filled people. The Holy Spirit sanctifies and pours upon us the Spirit of adoption. We are God's children and I think many people have forgotten this. The world is confused and searching in all the wrong places for peace. Peace will be ours when we let the head knowledge we have about God pierce our hearts. Our hearts will never be satisfied with anything less than God. Never. We were made for love and God's love is the only thing the human spirit can't live without. We try to fill this spot meant for God with all kinds of things that weren't meant to be there. Only one thing fits...God. He is the piece of the puzzle that finishes the whole picture. If we do not have Him - we have nothing. The good news is that God does give Himself to us. He desires this even more than we do because that is the nature of pure Love.
I went to an intercessory prayer group on Monday. I was late because I couldn't find the place but once I did the group welcomed me. They stand in the gap for those who need the Lord. They were explaining it to me, but I instantly understood because I do this at home, too. It's more powerful in a group, though. We all need to do this. We have to stand in the gap for those who are hurting and can't find their way to our Lord. Our prayers are very powerful because the Holy Spirit gives us His own power. We are not left powerless and alone. This is Satan's lie. God never abandons us, He is constantly knocking at the door to our hearts... but we have to turn the knob and let Him in.
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 8:12
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of Truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees it nor knows it." John 14: 16, 17
"I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18
I went to an intercessory prayer group on Monday. I was late because I couldn't find the place but once I did the group welcomed me. They stand in the gap for those who need the Lord. They were explaining it to me, but I instantly understood because I do this at home, too. It's more powerful in a group, though. We all need to do this. We have to stand in the gap for those who are hurting and can't find their way to our Lord. Our prayers are very powerful because the Holy Spirit gives us His own power. We are not left powerless and alone. This is Satan's lie. God never abandons us, He is constantly knocking at the door to our hearts... but we have to turn the knob and let Him in.
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 8:12
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of Truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees it nor knows it." John 14: 16, 17
"I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Holy Spirit is busy today
Interesting day. Aside from the excitement at Church, the Holy Spirit has been quite busy today. This morning, after I prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Lord laid these words on my heart, "Rend your hearts, not your garments." I think He is simply confirming to me how important it is to circumcise our hearts this Lent as it is similar to the word He gave me yesterday. Love is what He desires most. The Lord's timing in these words doesn't surprise me as I am trying to work extra hard [with His Grace] on charity this year. These words are from Joel chapter 2. I decided to read the whole chapter. Here is part of it:
"The Lord raises his voice
at the head of his army;
for immense indeed is his camp,
yes, mighty, and it does his bidding.
For great is the day of the Lord,
and exceedingly terrible; who can bear it?
Yet, even now, says the Lord,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the Lord, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the Lord, your God."
The whole chapter is beautiful and well worth reading in this week before Lent. This Lent I will definitely be fasting but I will also be rending my heart with the help of his grace and love so that on Easter a new Mary will arise out of the ashes as the Holy Spirit burns the willfulness from my heart.
At Mass, my mom also received a word today.She has been under stress lately and has even been having little panic attacks before cantoring. She whispered it to me after the Rosary, " I sought the Lord and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." We both smiled at each other during Mass when the priest read,"Martha, Martha, you are anxious about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the best part and it will not be taken from her." (My mom can be a bit of a Martha.)The Lord reassures his people that we need not worry. We are safe in His Hands:)
Utterly Thine, O Lord! I praise Thee and adore Thee, my Lord and my God!
"The Lord raises his voice
at the head of his army;
for immense indeed is his camp,
yes, mighty, and it does his bidding.
For great is the day of the Lord,
and exceedingly terrible; who can bear it?
Yet, even now, says the Lord,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the Lord, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the Lord, your God."
The whole chapter is beautiful and well worth reading in this week before Lent. This Lent I will definitely be fasting but I will also be rending my heart with the help of his grace and love so that on Easter a new Mary will arise out of the ashes as the Holy Spirit burns the willfulness from my heart.
At Mass, my mom also received a word today.She has been under stress lately and has even been having little panic attacks before cantoring. She whispered it to me after the Rosary, " I sought the Lord and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." We both smiled at each other during Mass when the priest read,"Martha, Martha, you are anxious about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the best part and it will not be taken from her." (My mom can be a bit of a Martha.)The Lord reassures his people that we need not worry. We are safe in His Hands:)
Utterly Thine, O Lord! I praise Thee and adore Thee, my Lord and my God!
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
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
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