Zephaniah 3:14-18a, Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6, Luke 1:39-56

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS:  Zephaniah 3:14-18a, 

                                                                   Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6, Luke 1:39-56

Zephaniah 3:14-18a

Beloved, today the Church celebrates the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin, Your Mama and ours, to her cousinand Your aunt, Elizabeth.  Today we meditate and contemplate the beautiful hymn of praise that burst forth from her lips at Elizabeth's greeting when  she recognized that Mary was carrying the Lord of the universe in her womb.  Even the baby in Elizabeth's womb understood that he was in the presence of God.  Touched by the Holy Spirit he leaped for joy.

Jesus my Beloved, my Saving Warrior, there is no need to be afraid ever because You are now present among us always until the end of time.  Evil is vanquished, death is destroyed and we rejoice with Mary at the marvels that the Lord has done for her and for us through her fiat.

Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

Beloved, may we never cease to praise You always.  May we acknowledge before the whole world the marvellous things You have done for us.  May we offer You wholehearted and unstinted praise for You have saved, redeemed and sanctified Your people.  You have given us hope not only in this life but hope of perfect and eternal joy in the life to come. Amen.

Luke 1:39-56

Mama, you are the Mother of God and I am privileged to call you by that sweet name as well.  You are blessed among all women who ever drew breath on earth, blessed because God chose you, the Holy Spirit overshadowed you and you bore the Son of the Most High God in your womb.  You gave Him Form in the Flesh and collaborated with God to make His Word incarnate.  You carried Him for nine months.  He lived with you for 30 years, you were with Him at every hour of need and until the bitter end - when men tore at His Flesh and nailed Him in a bloody crucifixion.  After His glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven He continued to remain with you through His Holy Spirit until He carried you body and soul into heaven and there my mother, you plead for the rest of your children.  Your joy will be complete when we are all safe with you eternally in heaven.

The Magnificat is a true reflection of who you are in the eyes of the world and before God.  You recognized that you did not merit any of the amazing things that you received it was given to you by God.  You knew that it was He who raised you above all other creatures by granting you the extraordinary privilege of conceiving His Son.   Your perfect response is a response that we too are called to make to all that  God diesires and asks of us.,  'Yes' always 'Yes to all God desires of us.

1 Peter 1:18-25, Psalm 147:12-15, 19-29, Mark 10:32-45

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS:  1 Peter 1:18-25, Psalm 147:12-15, 19-29, Mark 10:32-45

"Whoever would be first among you shall make himself slave of all."  Mark 10:44

1 Peter 1:18-25

My Beloved, truly over the years I have spent too much of my precious and limited time here on earth on useless and foolish pastimes.  This is especially true of myself before my personal conversion and conscious acceptance of You as my Lord and Savior and the total commitment of my life to You.  However, once I understood how meaningless my life was before I truly understood all that the Father has given me in You, all that You have revealed to me of the Father and Your priceless Gift of Your Holy Spirit to me I began to comprehend the magnitude of God's unconditional love for me.

The Father held nothing back, You in turn hold nothing back and the Holy Spirit who is likened to Water, Fire and Wind also holds absolutely nothing back but cleanses, sanctifies and blows where He wills.  Each of the Divine Persons in the One true God gives me their all as they give each other their all in total and perfect self-giving.  Each gives and receives all to the Other without hindrance or reserve.  

The way to holiness is through interior purity, this becomes a reality when I obey the Truth.  A holy and pure life lived in perfect submission to the will of God will enable me to love as He loves - not in measure but totally.  The only commandment that we are called to obey is love - love of God and love of neighbor.  In obeying these two I fulfill the purpose for which He created me in love.  

The Word of the Lord, the Eternal Word who is Eternal Beauty, Truth and Love endures forever and HE IS MY BELOVED!!!!!! HE IS THE GOSPEL.   HE IS THE GOOD NEWS.

Psalm 147:12-15, 19-29

My Beloved truer words have not been spoken than these.  You strengthen me, You bless my children and You nourish me with the finest wheat in the Bread of Life which is Your Precious Body in the Holy Eucharist.

 Mark 10:32-45

My Beloved, we find that You either go ahead of us so we can follow or You walk beside us as our loving Companion and Friend.  We never hear of You walking behind us - if You did we would have to worry constantly about taking the wrong road.  As long as we can see You and fix our gaze on You we are safe.  

Once again You speak to Your Apostles about the terrible events awaiting You in Jerusalem.  You describe to them exactly what You will have to endure at the hands of Your enemies but You also tell them that You will rise again.  But all this is beyond their limited capacity to understand.  They are too preoccupied with other things.  They permits worldly concerns to cause anxiety of mind and discouragement in spirit.

If our goal in following You is to attain personal glory, to satisfy personal ambition we will be consumed by petty jealousies.  We can see this everywhere even in the highest echelons of the Church and in her hierarchy.  The mission given to us by You is clear we are called to serve with love in perfect imitation of You who are our Master, our Beloved, our Friend, our Savior, our Redeemer and our Bridegroom.

Teach me to serve gladly, joyfully, obediently, promptly and lovingly always.  Thank You.

1 Peter 1:10-16, Psalm 98:1-4, Mark 10:28-31

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS:  1 Peter 1:10-16, Psalm 98:1-4, Mark 10:28-31

1 Peter 1:10-16

My Beloved, the prophets of the Old Testament with the wisdom and knowledge received from the Holy Spirit spoke of things too marvellous to comprehend, without the insight that is now ours after You came to earth from heaven, to accomplish the mission given to You by Your Father.  A mission that culminated in Your Passion, Death, Resurrection, glorious Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles at Pentecost.

We live in exceptional times where evil and good live side by side and there is a great battle being waged by both sides.  There have always been times in the Church's 2000 plus years long history when evil seemed to be winning and times when it seems that good was poised for victory.  What is consoling is the fact that we know the end of the story.  Good has triumphed over evil and death has been defeated.  We are living the last age before Your glorious second coming.  

St. Peter, our first Pope urges us to allow the Holy Spirit to reign in us without any hindrance so we may be wide awake, full of confident trust in the grace that You will pour upon those who have answered Your call to fight the good fight and complete the race.

The benchmark for holiness is always You and therefore we who are weak have to follow Your example daily and strive to be holy in every way possible.  We fall far short of the ideal standard set by God but it is the daily faithful, tireless struggle that is so pleasing to You and has merit in Your sight.

Mark 10:28-31

My Beloved, because live in a world where the wicked often prosper and the powerful lord it over the weak and the poor who live godly lives it is perhaps understandable when people question like St. Peter does in today's Gospel passage. Like him they too may wonder whether it is worth it to give up everything for Your sake and the sake of the Gospel.  Your response to Peter is the same response that You make to and to all who choose to follow You unconditionally.  Your reply should reassure us; especially those men and women who gave up everything to live consecrated lives.  They are dedicated to serving You in their service to Your people and Your Church.  They are wedded to You and so they become spiritual fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters to Your people.  The possess land that is provided by You in order to serve everyone in need in their schools, colleges, hospitals, technical institutes, orphanages, old age homes etc.  And in eternity You promise that their reward will indeed be great.  We have, however, to guard against pride and disobedience for this is abhorrent to You.  The proud, the haughty and the disobedient spirit will fall and be crushed.  It is the humble heart and the obedient spirit that will triumph and shine with Your Light in this life and brilliantly in You in the life to come.

Psalm 98:1-4

The mission You have entrusted to Your Church and to all Your faithful followers has succeeded.  Twelve simple men empowered with Your Holy Spirit have indeed taken the Good News of salvation to the ends of the earth.  We rejoice with the angels and are glad.

1 Peter 1:3-9, Psalm 111:1-2, 5-6, 9-10, Mark 10:17-27

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS:  1 Peter 1:3-9, Psalm 111:1-2, 5-6, 9-10, Mark 10:17-27

1 Peter 1:3-9

Verse  8  "You have not yet seen him and yet you love him; even without seeing him, you believe in him and experience a heavenly joy beyond all words."

No my Beloved, my physical eyes have not seen You but I have seen You with the eyes of faith, I have heard You, I have experienced Your Presence in my soul. I have tasted the sweet honey of Your goodness and I love You with all that I am.  In Verse 9 St. Peter tells me the goal of faith is the salvation of the soul.  Yes, I believe and

in believing I am saved.  I love You Lord.

Psalm 111:1-2, 5-6, 9-10

Verses 2

 2 The works of the Lord are great

and pondered by all who delight in them.

My Beloved, I delight in Your creation for it reminds me of Your love for me.  All the beauty in the world is only a reflection of You who are True Beauty.  The power of the elements of nature are but a revelation of Your awesome power.  All human beings image You and the more we allow Your Holy Spirit access to shape and mold us, the greater will we resemble You.  Have Your way with me my Lord and do exactly as You will with my life.

Verse 10

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

prudent are those who live by his precepts.

To him belongs everlasting praise.

The more I  know You the greater will be my love of You and the more I love You the greater will be my fear of displeasing You who are all good and deserving of all my love and of all that I am capable of giving.  I am all Yours just as surely and certainly as You my beloved are mine,  all mine.

Mark 10:17-27

My Love, the rich man in today's Gospel passage represents so many Christians or maybe even non Christians who hear of You and are so attracted to You that their spirit not only perceives but longs for more of You and so they desire to make a greater committment.  But true discipleship calls for the laying down of one's life.  It means taking up the cross, it may mean persecution, hardship and death to self daily.  To be a disciple calls for disciplining the senses and the flesh.  It requires walking the narrow, rocky road where often there is only light sufficient to take one step forward, trusting in faith that You are accompanying us the entire way although we cannot see.

When You remind the rich man that only God is good, You wish to point out to him first of all that no human being is all good because the rich man sees You only as a man.  You want him to know that only God is truly good.  When he confesses that he has kept all the commandments, You know he speaks the truth.  He is like many Christians who observe all that You require, they know that there is more and they believe that they are ready for a deeper level of committmentm but once You reveal to them the true cost of discipleship, then many often pull back.  They are not prepared to submit completely by giving up all earthly security and trusting You implicitly to provide for all their spiritual and temporal needs.

It is easy to make a superficial check-list and tick all the appropriate boxes and feel self-righteous but there is a giving that hurts, that costs, that leads to the laying down of one's life for Your sake and for the sake of the Gospel and there are very few who are prepared to go all the way.  Truly, my Beloved, many are called but few have what it takes to be among the chosen.  We cling to the earth and to its fleeting fancies and amusements and we convince ourselves that we cannot give up our tawdry baubles.  But if we trusted and did give up everything for Your sake, we would discover what the saints discovered.  When we willingly and joyfully deny ourselves and deliberately pick up the cross and follow You we will receive far more than we gave up in embracing You wholeheartedly for we cannot outdo You either in generosity or love.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT - FEAST OF PENTECOST - ACTS 2:1-4,33-26; MATTHEW 16:24-27

27TH MAY 2012

 PENTECOST

ACTS 2:1-4, 33-26 

Beloved, today the Church celebrates the feast of Pentecost, it is her birthday and we rejoice at the marvels the Holy Spirit has accomplished in the Church ever since You poured out Your Holy Spirit on her and on her members after Your Ascension into Heaven where You are now seated at the right hand of the Father.  

The Church has received the same Spirit that the Father entrusted to You.  I(t is the same Spirit that we receive at Baptism.  It is the same Spirit that guides the Church and protects her from teaching error.  It is the same Spirit that transforms us and makes us like You, alter Christus, in the worthy reception of the sacraments.  Thank You for this most awesome Gift - the Gift of Your Holy Spirit to the Church.

Matthew 16:24-27

My Beloved there is no denying the Cross if one truly wants to be Your disciple.  Nobody wants to suffer Lord and yet You have shown us that there is no better way to become like You than by following Your example in embracing all that the Father wills for my life.  All the good things life has to offer and all the ways in one can indulge the senses may not be sinful and yet they do little to help form me into another Christ.  Sating the senses is self indulgent and leads to a dulling of the spirit - if I wish to be instrument of Your Holy Spirit then I need to discipline myself.  If I wish to receive a reward from Your bounty when You come again in the glory of Your Father then I must imitate You in all things all the time.  Help me Beloved.  Grant me a fresh outpouring of Your Holy Spirit in order that I may be always pleasing to You.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT - NINTH DAY - PROVERBS 8:1-9, LUKE 1:46-55

26TH MAY 2012

MARY THE MASTER WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

PROVERBS 8:1-9

To the Church has been given the wisdom, the joy and the privilege to contemplate Mary  and to find in her the perfect reflection of her divine Son.  She is called the Seat of Wisdom because Divine Wisdom played on her lap and was suckled at her breasts.  No earthly creature ever was or ever will be fashioned as Mary was, for God fashioned to perfection.  She mirrored the thoughts of God.  She was conceived sinless in her mother's womb through the merits of her Son because she was chosen and called by God to collaborate with Him in providing a Body for His Son and to nourish this Body with the milk that flowed from her breasts thus giving Him His Blood.  The same flesh and blood that we eat and drink at every celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

The Holy Spirit adorned His spouse Mary with a super abundance of spiritual grace in order that she may be a fit, perfect and beautiful dwelling place for Jesus, the Son of the Father.  When Jesus looked at His Mother He saw in her a reflection of His Father's love and the pristine wisdom of the Holy Spirit.  She is truly God's masterpiece.

LUKE 1:46-55

Beloved, Your mama could have been no more than 16 years of age when her heart burst forth in this magnificent song of praise to God in the Magnificat.  She understood with divine wisdom, the wisdom that can only come from the Holy Spirit, the marvellous thing God had done in choosing her to cradle the Eternal Word in her womb for nine months.  God touched her physically and intimately.  You are flesh of her flesh, Your Blood was provided by her.  Her body nourished You.

It is the Catholic Church that has recognized the unique privilege that was hers and has therefore accorded Mary, Your Mother and ours, the dignity, honor, respect and reverence that is her due.  

This hymn of praise that spills from her lips flows from a heart that is overwhelmed with joy and gratitude at the marvellous thing that God has done in choosing her.  It gives us an insight into her character and disposition.  She is without equal in the virtues of obedience, humility and purity.  Her love for God is an all consuming fire and she submits with perfect docility to all that God desires of her.  She was His to do with exactly as He willed. She was His little handmaid and she gave God complete authority over her will and her life.

This hymn of praise helps us understand how well versed she was in Scripture.  The words were woven into the very fabric of her life and they formed her thoughts and her words, they prompted her actions.  Mary, the Mother of God whom we too are privileged to call Mother because You my Beloved, are a generous Lover who shares all that is Yours with Your own.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT - EIGHTH DAY - ROMANS 8:12-16, JOHN 15:8-16

25TH MAY 2012

THE HOLY SPIRIT & THE CHURCH

ROMANS 8:12-16

M--- Mine, remember the flesh is weak and is subject to corruption and death.  Do not give way to the flesh for that is the way to ruin and destruction.  indulge the flesh and you will find yourself on the straight path to hell for the flesh, if you allow it to dictate how you live, can bring with it only decay.

If you call God Dad, Abba, with the ease and confidence of a child it is because the Spirit you have received from Me makes you a daughter of God the Father, My Father.  My Spirit in you makes you one with me.  It is union with me that makes you an heir with Me to the inheritance that I have received from Him.  my Spirit in you enable you to recognize who you are in Me.  You now belong to the family of God.  You belong to the chosen race, you are a royal priesthood and you are counted among the people set apart for the glory of God.  Sin no longer has dominion over you, neither can fear rule you for you walk in the Spirit who makes you free to live in the freedom that belongs to the children of God.

JOHN 15:8-16

If I bear any fruit, it is because the Spirit dwelling in me provides the grace that enables me to be fruitful.  This fruitfulness is not a reflection of my merits rather, it is the Holy Spirit who makes so in order that the Father may be glorified.  It is the Holy Spirit that gives the gifts that enable me to be fruitful in order that these fruits may be used to glorify God in the service that I am called to render in love.

Divine revelations is this, that the Beloved loves me with the same love, in the same degree, with the same passion and intensity and with the same abandon with which He loves the Father.  He does not force His love on me neither can he keep me in His love unless I freely choose to receive His love and remain in it.  How do I know that I have chosen to remain in His love?  What is the proof that I do so?  If I strive always to keep His commandments as perfectly and as fully as He kept His Father's commandment then I will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I have chosen to belong to Him.

Happiness is momentary the joy of the Lord however is perennial.  The source of joy is the Spirit who dwells in the sanctuary of my soul and from Him I receive every good and perfect gift.  When I love, I also yield my will to the Beloved.  I am His to command.  I submit so completely to His will that I am ready to do anything He asks of me, even to laying down my life in imitation of Him.  He has shown me that there is no greater love than this - to lay down ones life for ones friend.  I am His friend and He is mine.  If He commands it is not because He considers Himself my Master, although He is, but because He calls me His friend.

Another truth that I must always keep before me is this - He chose me, I did nothing to merit His friendship - the choice is His, the mission I receive is from Him.  The fruit I am called to bear is borne only through my collaboration with His Holy Spirit.  The crowing glory of all these marvels is this, He tell me that anything I ask His Father for in His Name is mine for the Father can deny me nothing if I ask in Jesus' Name.  Amen, alleluia and Amen.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT - SEVENTH DAY PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11, JOHN 20:19-23

24TH MAY 2012

CHRIST JESUS

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11

My Beloved, if there is one thing I know to be true it is this that God is humble and that we His creatures dare not be prideful about anything.  Pride is the deadliest of all the deadly sins.  You won our redemption and salvation through Your humility in bowing in perfect surrender and obedience to the will of Your Father.  The way that He planned to save mankind was to have You become as all men are in all things save sin.  You were tempted as we all are but You did not succumb to temptation.  You experienced poverty, rejection, misunderstandings.  You felt the sizzling heat of summer and the blistering cold of winter.  You felt the dusty, hot, hard road under Your sandals as You walked up and down the roads, hills, valleys and plains to preach, teach, pray and heal.  You suffered everything that men suffer so that You could understand when we came to You miserable, heartbroken, discouraged, afraid and weak.

The Father loved us so much that He wanted You to identify with us completely the reason being that when You pleaded for us You would do so understanding totally our anguished moans and groans which are often too deep for words.  You reign from the Cross and You draw all men through the ages to Yourself.  You offer perfect atonement for sin.  We know that if we are to enjoy eternity with You in heaven then we must imitate Your humility and obedience.  You plead for us night and day at the Father's right hand.  All creation bows down and bends the knee before You in worship and awe as we acclaim that You are Lord to the glory of God our Father.

JOHN 20:19-23

Beloved it is Easter Sunday, the frightened apostles have locked themselves in fear and shame ever since You were arrested.  They can barely look at each other since they all know how terribly they failed You.  It is now evening and as the Apostles are huddled in the room totally demoralised by all the events that led up to Your crucifixion, death and burial, they are filled with a hopeless dejection and sorrow.  It is finished or so they believe despite being told by You often enough during the three years that You were with them, of all that awaited You - the rejection, the suffering, the death as well as the glorious rising again after three days.  All that You predicted so often is just too much for their comprehension.

Fear clamps and locks the door to freedom and so the disciples had locked themselves in both physically and metaphorically due to their fear of the Jews.  But neither locked doors nor locked hearts can keep You out.  There You stood before them, there are no barriers for You have bridged the distance between heaven and earth.  Your greeting is one of peace,  Your gift is peace, for peace is the desire of every human heart and then You show them the marks on Your hands and side.  The marks of Your triumph over the world, the flesh and the devil.  You confirm the gift of peace that You bring by greeting them once more, "Peace be with you."  Once we are at peace with God then we cannot lock ourselves up but we have to accept the mission that You give us.  As the Father sent You, so You send us to take the good news to all.  We are not sent defenceless but armed with Your Holy Spirit who is our Guide, Healer, Consoler, Comforter, Counselor, Helper and Paraclete.  He will give us all we will ever need but first we have to forgive from our heart.  No work will ever succeed if we are unforgiving but once we are set free from unforgiveness either for ourselves or others only then can we truly labor fruitfully in Your vineyard.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT - SIXTH DAY - ISAIAH 11:1-2, LUKE 4:16-21

23RD MAY 2012

EXPECTATION OF THE MESSIAH AND HIS SPIRIT

ISAIAH 11:1-2

(IS 42:1, MK 1:10-11,  MT 3:16-17, LK 3:2, JN 1:32-34)

My Beloved, when God pierced time and You became incarnate of the Virgin, Mother Mary, it seemed to the chosen people that they were forgotten by Him.  Their most famous king David had long since been dead and his line of successors were now known only as those belonging to the house of David.  His descendants were without any sovereignty and did not wield any power.  Israel was under the oppressive rule of foreigners and under the thumb of the mighty Roman empire.  There seemed no hope at all for God's people.  Truly the stump of Jesse seemed like dead wood.  Then when all hope seemed futile and was at its lowest ebb there appears a tiny green shoot.  A little Babe is born of poor parents in  humble surroundings and the God of Contradiction came into the world.  All that man had ever conceived with regard to the coming of the messiah was in direct opposition to the reality of God's extraordinary plan to redeem, ransom and free man from a quite different form of slavery - the slavery of sin.

The Spirit that rested on You at Your baptism in the river Jordan is the very same Spirit that You, the Beloved Son, the Chosen One gives to Your disciples and Your followers, Your Namesakes - Christians.  It is from this same Holy Spirit that we receive the gifts and the fruits to enable us to go out into the world and preach the Good News by the day to day witness we give in our normal day to day living.

LUKE 4:16-21

The mission of Jesus is the mission of the Church and the mission of each one of her members.  If we are called sons and daughters of the Father through adoption by baptism, if we have died with Christ and have risen in Him, then we have to be like Him.  The same Spirit that is His is ours as well.  The same authority and power that was His has been handed down to us.  We are not helpless and powerless although we may act like it due to fear.  Often, we are too spineless to take God at His Word and step out boldly in the faith that God so readily blesses us with.  If we are powerless and ineffective, it is because we have not placed our full confidence and trust in Him.  God challenges us to be all that He is through the power of the Holy Spirit who is His perfect and most powerful Gift to us.

It is amazing what God in Christ Jesus calls His Church and His people to do.  Verses 18-19 spells it out clearly,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed 19 and announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”

The only fear that God's people must ascribe to is the holy and wholesome fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom as Proverbs 9:10 and Psalm 111:10 tell us.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT - FIFTH DAY - GALATIANS 3:24-28, MATTHEW 17:1-9

22ND MAY 2012
 

THE MANIFESTATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
 

GALATIANS 3:24-28

My Beloved, how good the Father is - until the perfect time had come when He would send You into the world God gave His chosen people the law.  The law that would enable them to know the difference between what was sinful and what was pleasing in Your sight so that they would willingly choose what was right and good.  In this way He prepared us for Your coming.  He would then give us the perfect way through which we are redeemed, saved and sanctified.  Faith in You.  Faith in all You have accomplished for all men Jews as well as gentiles.  The law made it clear to us that we were all sinners and therefore slaves to sin.  Faith in You assures us that we now enjoy the freedom that comes from belonging to the Father as His sons and daughters in You.   


(Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the assurance of what we hope for, being certain of what we cannot see .....   St. Thomas Aquinas says, “Faith is a habit of the mind whereby eternal life is begun in us making the intellect assent to what is non-apparent.”)

MATTHEW 17:1-9

It is only by soaring with the Spirit in stillness and silence we can meet You Face to face.  Peter, James and John were privileged to see Your transcendent glory for a brief moment so that their faith in You could be strengthened for the difficult times that were to follow.  The Law, the Prophets and the New Covenant of Love stood at Mt. Tabor.  The old would give way to the New - the law and the prophets would now find their fulfillment in You and the Father confirmed and affirmed Your mission.  He said,  “This is my Son, the Beloved, my Chosen One. Listen to him.”  If only we would listen and obey my Beloved it would hasten Your second coming in glory but the world seems to be drifting further from You every moment and we are being drawn ever deeper into the mire sludge and slush of sin in every shade and kind of evil.  It is hard not to give in to despair when we turn our gaze on the world, but then we are not called to look at the world Beloved but to look at You.  All fear and distress will vanish if we combat it with faith in You.  You will touch us and say, “Stand up, do not be afraid.”  You alone are all we need my Beloved may we keep our focus trained on You alone.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT - FOURTH DAY - Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7, Luke 1:26-38

21ST MAY 2012

THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION

Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7

My Beloved, You fashioned me from the dust of the earth, You breathed Your own Holy Spirit into my body and I drew breath.  It is the breath of the Holy Spirit I breathe day in and day out.  I have done so from the moment I was conceived.  The Spirit animates me and gives me life.  The Spirit gives me an awareness of who I am.  In the divine scheme of things, I have a place of honor given to me by God Himself.  God has a plan for my life.  He mapped it out for me as He brooded over me lovingly even before the dawn of creation.  He fashioned me in His mind and He conceived me in His heart long  before I came into existence.  I have been eternally with the Father and I will remain eternally with the Father in You His Beloved Son through the power of the Holy Spirit.  I shall not die I shall live in triumph with You my Beloved for You have purchased me with Your own most precious Blood.  Thank You.

Luke 1:26-38

"She who was barren is now in her sixth month for with God nothing is impossible."

God can create out of nothing something marvellous for His glory.  While I was a sinner I too was barren but when I confessed my guilt, when I offered God my repentant heart, my contrite spirit and I made reparation for my sins, once I understood how much my sins had offended God and how terribly they destroyed me, I received His forgiveness like the gentle rain. He washed me with the water and blood that gushed forth from His side.  His Holy Spirit came over me, the power of the most High God overshadowed me and the Incarnate Word was conceived in my heart, my soul, my body and my spirit.  Now I am called to bring Him forth in every thought, word and action. I am called to bring Him forth in my love and in my life.  He lives in me, moves in me and has His Being in me.

I who was once barren because of sin am now filled with His life, His love, His grace and as a catechist I am now a spiritual mother many times over even in my old age - for with God nothing is impossible.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT - THIRD DAY - ROMANS 8:6-11, JOHN 14:16-17, 26-27

20TH MAY 2012

THE NAME, TITLES SYMBOLS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

ROMANS 8:6-11

The flesh tends towards sin, corruption and death, the Spirit towards life, beauty, goodness, love, light and truth.  The flesh can avail nothing good for it drags you down into its shallow, murky pool of desires that are a base and cheap counterfeit of truth and love.  The flesh is a drag on the spirit and the more one indulges the flesh, the darker is the night in the soul.  It becomes a prison that is joyless and stifling.  However, my own true Beloved, this is not true of me.  I have received Your own Holy Spirit who makes my body His holy temple, my heart His sanctuary.  He lives, moves and breathes in me.  The same Spirit that raised You from the dead has been given to me through the Sacraments.  These are the channels through which grace streams abundantly into my soul and as a consequence of this grace, I rise time and time again.   With the new life that is perennially mine through You, the flesh no longer rules me although I am sorely tempted every day.  It is Your Spirit dwelling in me my Beloved that makes me triumphant and although I may fall a 100 times a day I always rise up with the help of the grace that Your Spirit makes available to me.  Thank You.

JOHN 14:16-17, 26-27

My Beloved, You have asked the Father and He has given me the Helper who is with me always.  He inspires me, He comforts me and He strengthens me.  He helps me not to become discouraged when I fall and fail which is often, for He raises me up, wipes aways my tears, and encourages me to begin anew.  Yes my Beloved, I know Your Spirit lives, moves and has His Being in me.  He is Your most precious Gift to me.

Thank You for giving me the priceless gift of peace. In a world full of strife and temptation I have to wage a constant battle with my flesh but no my Beloved, I shall be neither troubled nor afraid for Your Spirit is with me always. 

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT - SECOND DAY - GALATIANS 4:4-9, JOHN 17:20-23

19th May 2012  

THE JOINT MISSION OF THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

GALATIANS 4:4-9, 

Do I want to be enslaved to sin or do I want to soar to the highest heavens on the wings of the Holy Spirit of my Beloved Lord?  This is a question I need to answer myself.  Do I want to dredge the bottom of the ocean of weak, impoverished, created things or do I understand who I am -  my dignity as a daughter of the Father because the Spirit of His Son makes me His child and Whom I am now privileged to call Abba - the familiar name that a child calls its father? 

When the Father deemed that the perfect time had come to send His Son in order to reveal Himself to the world, to become tangible and visible to His creatures, prompted by perfect Love the Father sent His Son to us. Responding in perfect love the Son willingly obeyed the Father to become a man like us, subject to the laws of the created world, one like us in all things save sin in order that He may redeem me.  Jesus in turn sent His Own Spirit to live in me in order that I may be adopted in Him as a child of God and thus dare to approach the Father as His child and receive the inheritance that is mine through adoption.  I now receive freely and richly every grace and blessing that is available to the sons and daughters of God through the Sacraments instituted by Him and bestowed on us through His Church.

 JOHN 17:20-23

WOW!! All I can seem to say at this moment is wow.  How awesome.  I was included in this beautiful prayer You prayed to Your father before Your cruel passion leading to Your death and ultimately Your glorious Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven.  I am one in You and in being one with You I am one with the Father.  The same love of the Holy Spirit that binds You to the Father and the Father to You, binds me as well since I am one with You.  I share in Your glory, the same glory the Father has given You.  You promise that I shall reach perfection because I am bound in You, grafted on to You, a member of Your Body and the life of the Holy Spirit that is Yours flows from You to me.  Knowing and experiencing authentic, divine love why or why do I chase what is only make believe?  Grant me wisdom O Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son - for Jesus' sake Amen.

Acts 18:9-18, Psalm 47:2-7, John 16:20-23

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS:  Acts 18:9-18, Psalm 47:2-7, John 16:20-23

Acts 18:9-18

Verses 9-10

Do not be afraid M--- Mine for fear paralyses the soul and renders you incapable of walking in the freedom of a child of God who is filled with His Spirit.  Fear clouds the judgment.  Don't ever be afraid of men no matter how intimidating they seem to be.  Stand straight, tall and unafraid for you walk in Truth.

John 16:20-23

Beloved, there is a satisfying sense of accomplishment when one has labored sincerely and one sees the fruit of one's toil.  You have called me and entrusted me with the task of nurturing young souls and preparing them to receive the most awesome Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion.  It is a grave responsibility and one that cannot be taken lightly.  Sacrifices must be made, difficulties will most certainly be encountered, there may be times of frustration, times when I will stumble and seem to grope alone in the dark.  Yet, I know that I am never alone.  Help me to be faithful in fulfilling all that You ask of me and my reward will be to rejoice with You Abba Father in the Sweet Name of Jesus.  Give me Your Holy Spirit to remain with me always as my Guide, Consoler, Helper, Comforter and Protector.  Thank You.

NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT FIRST DAY - 1 Corinthians 2:9-12

18th May 2012 

I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

1 CORINTHIANS 2:9-12

I have received the Spirit of God in Baptism and I have been consecrated and commissioned by this same Spirit to be the bearer of the Good news, to live out my faith boldly and with complete confidence in Him who strengthens and sanctifies me in the Sacrament of Confirmation.  I am sealed in the Holy Spirit who declares that I belong to God because His Spirit abides in me.  I no longer belong to myself but to God.

It is because the Spirit of God dwells in me that I have the grace to see God's purpose in my life.  "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it dawned on the mind what God has prepared for those who love Him."  The Spirit of God probes everything even the fathomless depths of God because He is One with the Father and the Son.  I have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God Himself and through this awesome Spirit, I understand what He in His goodness has given me in adopting me as His daughter because I am grafted on to His Son.

Why then have I been swimming in shallow, muddy waters and wallowing in the flesh when I have been given the capacity to soar high on the wings of the eagle and to touch the Face of God in Christ Jesus?  What foolishness is this that I have been indulging in for so long and finding excuses for my foolishness?

Thank You O Holy Spirit for touching me and waking me up from the stupor that has dulled my senses for so long.  Now that I am awake, let me soar with You in order that I might live in the freedom that comes from belonging to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen

Acts 17:15, 22-18:1, Psalm 148:1-2, 11-14, John 16:12-15

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS:  Acts 17:15, 22-18:1, Psalm 148:1-2, 11-14, John 16:12-15

Acts 17:15, 22-18:1

St. Paul was taught personally by Your Holy Spirit.  The words and the testimony of St. Paul were powered by His Truth and Wisdom.  He was able to express himself lucidly so that his words were able to touch the hearts of those who heard him and to stir their soul to conversion.  He was passionately in love with You and he understood the great mercy that found him and transformed him.  The hope that was in him spurred him to spend his life in spreading Your Gospel.  Grant me my Beloved this same Holy Spirit as I toil doing what You have called me to do quietly but with conviction.  Doing all with His help to make You known and loved as long as I live.

Psalm 148:1-2, 11-14

 1 Alleluia! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heavenly heights.

2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

11 Kings of the earth and nations, princes and all rulers of the world, 12 young men and maidens, old and young together – 13 let them praise the name of the Lord.

For his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.

14 He has given his people glory; he has given a praise to his faithful, to Israel, the people close to him. Alleluia.

John 16:12-15

My Beloved, give me an undying hunger and an unquenchable thirst for Your Holy Spirit.  may I stand before Him in perfect submission - yielding completely and without reserve to all He wishes to accomplish in me and through me.  May I receive all that You desire me to have.  Grant me a full measure of Your Holy Spirit.  I am aware that my capacity to receive is as small as a thimble, even so, fill me to overflowing always so I will be constantly spilling over Your goodness and love over all those whom You will send into my life in order that they may be touched by Your love overflowing through me.  Thank You.

Psalm 9:2-3, 11-15, 19-21

DAILY MEDITATION:  Psalm 9:2-3, 11-15, 19-21

 

Psalm 9:2-3, 11-15, 19-21

2 Let my heart give thanks to the Lord, I yearn to proclaim your marvelous deeds, 3 and rejoice and exult in you, and sing praise to your name, O Most High.

11 Those who cherish your name, O Lord, can rely on you, for you have never forsaken those who look to you.

12 Sing praises to the Lord enthroned in Zion, proclaim his deeds among the nations.

13 For he who avenges blood remembers, he does not ignore the cry of the lowly.

14 Have mercy on me, O Lord. See how they afflict me. Oh, lift me up from the gates of death, 15 that I may declare your praise, that I may rejoice in your salvation in the gates of Zion.

20 Rise, O Lord! Do not let mortals pre­vail; let the nations stand on trial be­fore you.

21 Bring terror, O Lord, strike at them; let these pagans realize that they are but humans.

My Beloved, the psalms are prayers of praise, thanksgiving, desperate pleas, heartfelt longings, expressions of love.  They express the length and breadth of human emotions and experiences.  They provide much pause for meditation and they reveal the heart and mind of an awesome, all-powerful, all good and righteous God whose nature is love.  I revel in this love.