by Carmelo Puzzolo
May 11, 2018
Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 1
Springs of Living Water!
Dear Family of Mary!
Today we begin the Novena to the Holy Spirit which will culminate with the Feast of Pentecost! This year I want to keep the readings and prayers simple and short. We will consider a message from Our Lady of Medjugorje, read a scripture and then pray a prayer to the Holy Spirit.
Let’s ask Our Lady to guide us in this novena, preparing us as she prepared the Apostles in the upper room on that first Pentecost!
Our Lady spoke to us on April 2, 2014:
“Dear children, with a motherly love I desire to help you with your life of prayer and penance to be a sincere attempt at drawing closer to my Son and His divine light – that you may know how to separate yourselves from sin. Every prayer, every Mass and every fasting is an attempt at drawing closer to my Son, a reminder of His glory and a refuge from sin – it is a way to a renewed union of the good Father and His children. Therefore, my dear children, with hearts open and full of love, cry out the name of the Heavenly Father that He may illuminate you with the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit you will become a spring of God’s love. All those who do not know my Son, all those thirsting for the love and peace of my Son, will drink from this spring. Thank you. Pray for your shepherds. I pray for them and I desire that they may always feel the blessing of my motherly hands and the support of my motherly heart.” (April 02, 2014)
This reminds me of Jesus’ words in John, Chapter 7:
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, `Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'” Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (Jn 7: 37-39)
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our hearts become springs of living water, springs of the love of God, which flow out on those who do not know the love of Jesus. The Holy Spirit makes us capable of loving others. This is a great thing. We can change the world, if we learn to love and are empowered to love by the Spirit.
O Holy Spirit
Uncreated Love of the Ever-blessed Trinity,
you are living Water and living Fire.
Fill my heart with the streams of your grace,
and make it clean before you.
Fill my heart with the fire of your love,
and burn up all the dross in it,
that it may be bright in your eyes.
Lord Jesus, let your Holy Spirit
dwell ever more and more in my heart.
Amen
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018
