Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Saint Pancras
Dear Family of Mary!
Our Gospel readings continue to teach us about the Holy Spirit during these days before Pentecost. Today Jesus promises to send us the “Spirit of Truth”:
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:12-15)
What a comfort it must have been for the Apostles to hear these words. They had witnessed the controversy surrounding Jesus, a controversy that led to His Crucifixion. They knew it would be the same for them. The knew they would need God’s help to speak the truth and live the truth of Jesus in the days ahead. So Jesus told them He would send the Holy Spirit of Truth to guide them in the ways of truth.
Many years ago, Our Lady advised us to pray for that very same Holy Spirit to guide us in the ways of truth, truth in relaying her messages and in living our lives according to the Gospel. She knew we would also face scrutiny as her witnesses, and that to serve Jesus we would need the Holy Spirit of Truth:
Saturday, June 9, 1984 (Vigil of Pentecost)
“Tomorrow evening, pray to receive the Spirit of Truth. More particularly, you, members of this parish. The Spirit of Truth is indispensable to you in order to convey the messages, such as I give them to you, without adding or deleting whatever it may be. Pray, so that the Holy Spirit inspires you, a Spirit of Prayer, so that you may pray more. I your mother, find that you pray too little.”
Such practical advice. Our Mother is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. She knows how much we need Him to live a holy and fruitful life!
St. John Paul II wrote about the Holy Spirit of Truth in His Catechesis on the Holy Spirit in this way:
6. The Holy Spirit teaches the Christian the truth as a principle of life. He shows the concrete application of Jesus’ words in each one’s life. He enables one to discover the contemporary value of the Gospel for all human situations. He adapts the understanding of the truth to every circumstance, so that this truth does not remain merely abstract and speculative, but frees the Christian from the dangers of duplicity and hypocrisy.
To this end, the Holy Spirit enlightens each one personally, to guide him in his conduct, by showing him the way to go and by giving him just a glimpse of the Father’s plan for his life. St. Paul seeks this great grace of light for the Colossians: “the spiritual understanding” which can enable them to understand the divine will. In fact, he assures them: “We do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his [God’s] will through all wisdom and spiritual understanding, to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit…” (Col 1:9-10). For all of us this grace of light is necessary to have a good knowledge of God’s will for us and to be able to live our personal vocation fully.
Problems are never lacking and they sometimes seem insoluble. But the Holy Spirit helps us in our difficulties and gives us light. He can reveal the divine solution, as he did at the time of the Annunciation in regard to the problem of reconciling motherhood with the desire for preserving one’s virginity. Even when it is a question of a unique mystery such as the role of Mary in the Incarnation of the Word, the Holy Spirit can be said to possess an infinite creativity, proper to the divine mind, which knows how to loosen the knots of human affairs, even the most complex and inscrutable.
7. All of this is given and accomplished in the soul by the Holy Spirit through his gifts, the graces which one can carefully discern, not according to the criteria of human wisdom, which is foolishness in God’s sight, but with that divine wisdom which can seem foolishness in the eyes of men (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-25). Only the Holy Spirit “scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God” (1 Cor 2:10-11)
Catechesis by Pope John Paul II on the Holy Spirit
General Audience, Wednesday 24 April 1991 –
http://totus2us.com/teaching/jpii-catechesis-on-god-the-holy-spirit/
God knew we would need the Holy Spirit to enlighten each one of us personally, to guide us with His Light of Truth. We are such blessed children to have such a Father in Heaven!
Well, I am very excited to begin the Novena to the Holy Spirit that we will pray before Pentecost!! It starts on this Friday, May 14!! Let’s stay close to Our Lady in these next days, for she is the spouse of the Holy Spirit!! Who better to help us receive Him!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
(c)Mary TV 2021
