"...Let us ask ourselves..."

[MariaChristi]

...Let us ask ourselves: am I open to the action of the Holy Spirit, do I pray for it to give me light, to make me more sensitive to the things of God? This is a prayer we must make every day: “Holy Spirit, make my heart be open to the Word of God, that my heart be open to good, that my heart be open to the beauty of God everyday”. I would like to ask you a question: how many of you pray to the Holy Spirit every day? Probably few, but we must satisfy this desire of Jesus and pray every day to the Holy Spirit, so that he opens our heart towards Jesus.

Let us think of Mary, who "kept all these things and pondered them in her heart "(Lk 2:19.51). The welcoming of the words and truths of faith in order that they may become life, happens and grows under the action of the Holy Spirit. In this sense we must learn from Mary, reliving her "Yes," her total willingness to receive the Son of God in her life, which from that moment onwards is transformed. Through the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son come to dwell in us: we live in God and of God. But is our life truly inspired by God? How many things do I put before God?...
- Pope Francis' Wednesday Audience, May 15, 2013

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Blessed Feast of Pentecost to all! I've quoted the Pope again, above, and want to add the beautiful commentary from the Mass Readings for today's Feast:

Pentecost Sunday - Solemnity - Year C
Commentary of the day
John Tauler (c.1300-1361), Dominican
Sermon 26, 2nd for Pentecost (trans. Eric Colledge, alt.)

«They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak of the mighty acts of God» (Acts 2,4.11)

Today we celebrate the marvelous feast on which the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples and all who were with them, to bring back the priceless treasure which had been lost in Paradise through the cunning of the fiend and human weakness.

This was a wonderful event , even outwardly, but the spiritual reality hidden and contained in it surpasses everything that could ever be known or conceived by reason or feeling or any creature. It is past all telling. The Holy Spirit is so inconceivably great and immense that any created greatness and immensity, which our reason cannot even conceive pictorially, is as nothing in comparison. Besides it, heaven and earth and all those things one can grasp in them are as nothing... So it is that where the Holy Spirit is to be received, he himself must prepare the place; he himself must create man's capacity to receive him... There is no place for God save the ineffable abyss in which he dwells... where he fills the whole capacity, flooding every nook and cranny of the soul.

“And it filled the whole house” (Acts 2,2)... In one sense, the house signifies Holy Church, for she is God's dwelling place. In another sense, it means each person in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. Thus, just as there are many apartments and rooms in a house, so there are many faculties and senses and activities in us. Into all of these the Holy Spirit comes in different ways. When he comes, he persuades, inspires, and impels us, working upon us and bringing us light. However, we are not all equally aware this presence and activity in our souls. The Holy Spirit is in all people, but if we would experience his action and be capable or desirous of feeling and tasting his presence, we must gather our faculties within... in silence and in peace... As we give ourselves up more and more to recollection, we become increasingly aware of the Holy Spirit and he makes himself known to us more clearly, although he has been there all the time, given to us from the first.( Underlining is mine)

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the Faithful!
Our Lady of Light, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.
Jesus, we trust in You!

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Every breath we take is a prayer to the Holy Spirit, whether we realize it or not.

inspire == to breathe in

When we do realize it, we surely taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

 

[7armyrugrats]

Every breath we take is a prayer to the Holy Spirit, whether we realize it or not.

inspire == to breathe in

When we do realize it, we surely taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Beautifully spoken.

 

[MariaChristi]

Every breath we take is a prayer to the Holy Spirit, whether we realize it or not.

inspire == to breathe in

When we do realize it, we surely taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Dear Alan,

Thanks much for your reply. I think we need to be careful, however, in presuming too much, i.e. that the Holy Spirit will “work” in one who refuses Him, or that a person is always “praying”. Jesus did not work miracles in his hometown of Nazareth because of their lack of faith. So too the Holy Spirit will not force His wonderful work on someone who does not open to Him, it seems to me. God has tremendous “respect” for the free will He gave us. He wants us to love freely and not by constraint.

In the commentary I posted by John Tauler, he wrote:

… However, we are not all equally aware this presence and activity in our souls. The Holy Spirit is in all people, but if we would experience his action and be capable or desirous of feeling and tasting his presence, we must gather our faculties within… in silence and in peace… As we give ourselves up more and more to recollection, we become increasingly aware of the Holy Spirit and he makes himself known to us more clearly, although he has been there all the time, given to us from the first.( Underlining is mine)

St. Teresa of Avila further writes that attention and devotion are essential to prayer. If we are not paying attention we are not praying, according to St. Teresa and as I read the above quote from Tauler again, I believe he is speaking also of those who are attentive and actually devoted to receiving more from the Holy Spirit who is present by His Power in all people. If God were not present to us we would not exist, so the Holy Spirit is in all people, but not all experience his action. Some may be breathing in air and receiving God’s power to keep them alive physically, but spiritually they may remain dead in sin, unless they willingly turn to Him. God requires our part in our salvation. We cannot be completely passive. Perhaps you realize this but putting an equal sign between “inspire” and “breathing in” could be misleading to some people, it seems to me. Beautiful, of course, for those who are attentive and devoted, but for those who are not, we can pray they may soon be converted and know the experience God offers.