Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

The Holy Trinity

017rublev troitsa

Study:  Reflect on the strongest relationships in our lives.  What qualities and characteristics are present?

Pray:  Ask the Lord for the guidance to see where we can build and renew our relationships.

Serve:  Are there people around us that we need to forgive or assist?  What steps can we take right now to start this process?

Holy Trinity Readings

One God…Three Persons.

That’s the Trinity, and when you get right down to it, this central mystery of the Christian faith is just that – mystery.  I have heard and used many images as illustrations to aid in understanding the Trinity:

  • Shamrock – one leaf, three petals
  • Water – one substance, three states (solid, liquid, gas)
  • Numbers – one meaning, many languages (five, cinque, etc…)

These examples (and many like them) try to get at the notion of how something can be the same and different at the same time.  How unity and diversity can be present at the same time; how the individual and the communal are manifested simultaneously.

It’s a mystery.

And at the heart of the mystery we have a communion of Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – a revelation that God comes to us in communion and invites us to be communion with others.   We are not alone!  God (in communion) invites us into this communion to create communion with one another.

Where do we find communion in our lives?  Some obvious places:

  • Home & Family
  • Work
  • School
  • Neighborhood

You get the idea.  Wherever two or more are present, the opportunity for communion is possible.  The point: How strong is the communion we have have with God and one another?  How united are we in faith, hope, and love?

May we reflect on the current state of our relationships today and renew them, allowing the grace of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – to bless the communion we have with those around us.

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Trinity, Andrei Rublev; 1411-1427 (est.), Tempera, 142 cm x 114 cm, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

This post was originally published on May 26, 2015.


Pentecost: The Power of the Holy Spirit. Catholic Inspiration

Mass Readings – Pentecost Day

Like a power tool, our lives come alive with the power of the Holy Spirit when we:

  1. Stay connected to Christ
  2. Live each day with conviction
  3. Recognize the unique contributions of one another

Come Holy Spirit!  Fill our hearts with the fire of your love!

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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts


The Feast of Pentecost

Holy-Spirit-Dove

Study: Where in my life have I experienced God’s grace and strength?

Pray:  What particular needs in my life call for the help of the Holy Spirit?

Serve:  Where can I use the gifts God has given me to serve another right now?

Mass Readings – Vigil of Pentecost

Mass Readings – Pentecost Day

The image St. Paul uses in the 2nd reading this weekend is a body.  Composed of different parts which do unique and special functions, the body is united when all the parts come together.  So, too, all of us are united into the Body of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Look at these themes from Pentecost Mass Readings of the Day:

  • The Spirit gives power to communicate across barriers of race and tongue (1st Reading)
  • The Spirit gives life and renews the face of the earth (Psalm response)
  • The Spirit gives different gifts to people for different needs (2nd Reading)
  • The Spirit is breathed on the disciples by Jesus (Gospel)

In other words, the Holy Spirit unites people, renews life, provides unique gifts, and is granted to the Church by Christ.  This is the day that the disciples were empowered to continue the mission of Jesus; filled with the Spirit they will witness the Good News of the Lord through their words and actions.

Their example becomes our model.  The same Spirit that changed their lives comes to us.  The same Spirit that gave them the grace and strength to go forth gives us the power we need to offer our lives for Christ.  God continues to invite us to serve, and the Lord pours forth the Holy Spirit to help us carry out the work of this day.

Are there barriers in our life?  Come Holy Spirit!

Are there parts of life in need of renewal?  Come Holy Spirit!

Are there gifts we have that need to be used and directed?  Come Holy Spirit!

Jesus freely gave the gift of the Spirit to his disciples – may we turn to the Lord with conviction that as we call for the Holy Spirit in our lives we will be given what we need for the work of this day.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
V. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.


Daily Mass: Guided by the Holy Spirit. Catholic Inspiration

Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 6th Week of Easter

The Lord promises us the Holy Spirit, who will guide us in truth.  What challenges are you facing today?  Call upon the Holy Spirit for the guidance you need!

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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts


The Ascension of the Lord

Sunset

Study:  Transitions are a time of uncertainty.  Consider a time when you experienced a transition: how did it feel?  How did you face it?

Pray:  When faced with the unknown we come to the Lord for direction.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will send both wisdom (to know what to do), and strength (so you can do it).

Serve:  Who in your life is alone right now.  How might you walk with another in a time of transition and uncertainty?

Mass Readings – The Ascension of the Lord

There are moments in life when it is difficult to say good-bye.  Whether it is a relocation through work, the completion of school, or the death of a loved one, we know that these events challenge us to move on with the transitions in life.

The Feast of the Ascension marks one of these transitions in the Church.  This feast demands that we ask the question, “Now what?” as the Lord is taken from our midst.  The disciples must now discover the new ways that God is at work in their lives – especially now that Jesus is no longer with them.

But unlike other transitions, where people pass out of our lives and are separated from us by physical distances or death, Jesus leaves his disciples in a different way.  By ascending into heaven he does not move out of our lives, but rather he comes into contact with all life.  Through his ascension the Holy Spirit comes upon all people, and Jesus touches our lives in a new and mysterious way.

The mystery of the Ascension is closely connected to the Resurrection of Jesus.  The early Church recognized that the saving work which God did through Jesus included both of these events.  We say in the Creed, “…he rose from the dead…(and) ascended into heaven…” in the same breath – for these two events show that the Lord’s work is unlike anything else ever done before.

Through his Resurrection, death and sin no longer have power over Jesus Christ; his sacrifice on the Cross offers hope for the whole world.  Through his Ascension, all people can know Jesus and the Spirit; taken up to heaven, the Lord is now present to all people regardless of time or space.

This feast reminds us that Christ does not abandon his people.  The Lord is near, and we enjoy his presence even though we cannot touch him as the disciples did.  We know that God walks with us, and we trust that the Lord will give us the strength to carry out the mission of the gospel through the transitions we face in this life.

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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts

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This blog was originally published on May 5, 2013.


Daily Mass: Empowered by the Holy Spirit. Catholic Inspiration

Mass Readings – Thursday of the 2nd Week of Easter

Filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples boldly proclaim the Good News in the face of opposition…inviting us to call upon the Spirit to strengthen us in our moments of difficulty.

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6th Sunday of the Year: Choosing the Lord with all our heart

Response

Study:  Reflect on a time when you had to make a decision that had profound consequences.  What helped you decide wisely?

Pray:  Do you have a major decision in life right now?  Bring your concerns before the Lord for wisdom and guidance.

Serve: How can you empower another to make good and holy choices today?

Mass Readings – 6th Sunday of the Year

Let’s start with a quick recap of the readings:

  • 1st Reading – We have freedom to choose…good or evil, life or death
  • Psalm – “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!”
  • 2nd Reading – Wisdom comes from the Spirit, hidden &  mysterious
  • Gospel – Jesus establishes a new level of intensity for faith in God

The first reading from the Book of Sirach makes it clear that we have the freedom to make choices in our lives for good or evil, life or death.  This concept of Free Will – that we are so free that we can reject even God himself – comes with sobering consequences: Those who choose life will find it, and those who choose destruction will find it…

The Psalm response encourages us to choose the Lord.  As we seek to know the Lord through Prayer, Scripture, Fellowship and Sacraments we conform our hearts to Christ.  Following the Lord means that we seek instruction, learn God’s commands, and then apply our faith in all aspects of our lives.

The second reading reveals the mystery of God’s wisdom, hidden through the ages and revealed in Christ, which is granted to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is through the Spirit – requested by Jesus and given by the Father – that our minds and hearts receive the Good News and act on it with conviction and power.

Finally, in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus sets a new standard of living.  Using four precepts of the Law of Moses, the Lord demands that we go farther than what was formerly prescribed:

  • Thou shall not kill now extends to reconciliation for any offense
  • Adultery now extends to all forms of lust
  • Divorce takes on a larger context
  • Making an oath now changes to meaning “Yes” and “No”

The Lord makes it clear that he is doing something new, building upon the precedent of the Law and moving far beyond it.  Jesus calls his disciples to a deeper level of commitment, moving beyond the moral code to a morality that is written upon our hearts.  We find ourselves more aware of the destructive power of sin, turning away from its snare and embracing a life in Christ.

And thus we find ourselves back at the first reading.  We have a choice.  No matter what has gone before we can make a break from the past and choose life!  Today we seek Jesus and ask for the grace we need to choose Him with all our heart.

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Christmas Season: One mightier than I is coming. Catholic Inspiration

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Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast

Mass Readings – Christmas Season (Jan 6th)

John the Baptist proclaims that “one mightier than I is coming” into the world.  As we encounter the mystery of God we have the opportunity to let go of our need to control and receive the blessing of heavenly grace.


Daily Mass: Elizabeth & Mary. Catholic Inspiration

DF-13986 Nativity ,   May 18, 2006 Photo by Jaimie Trueblood/newline.wireimage.com To license this image (9556568), contact NewLine: U.S. +1-212-686-8900 / U.K. +44-207-868-8940 / Australia +61-2-8262-9222 / Japan: +81-3-5464-7020 +1 212-686-8901 (fax) info@wireimage.com (e-mail) NewLine.wireimage.com (web site)

Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast

Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 4th Week of Advent

The exchange between Elizabeth and Mary follows up the events we heard at Mass yesterday.  Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, recognizes Jesus as her own child (John the Baptist) leaps for joy in her womb.  May this Christmas offer us the opportunity to draw near to the Lord and be filled with the same Spirit!

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Photo Credit: The Nativity Story, Newline, 2006.


Daily Mass: Calling upon the Holy Spirit. Catholic Inspiration

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Fr. Andrew’s Daily Mass Homily Podcast

Mass Readings – Saturday of the 28th Week of the Year

We are reminded that the Holy Spirit will teach us in the Gospel today – guiding our words and actions as we draw closer to the Lord and one another.