Shepherd of Faith

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Tag: grace (Page 1 of 3)

Veni Sancti Spiritus!

December 10, 2020 / / 1 Comment
advent grace
Veni Sancti Spiritus!

Learn something new everyday


I guess it’s natural to learn more about yourself as you get older huh? I think it’s more about a new found awareness than actually learning anything new. For instance, garlic and bananas don’t agree with me. Yet, I’ve eaten them for years and have suffered the consequences. You’d think it would have occurred to me before the age of 50 that I shouldn’t be eating them. But……no! Life gets in the way and “ain’t no body got time for that!” Something else I’ve figured out – the idea of sewing overwhelms me (even though I do “attempt” to sew every now and then)! Go ahead and laugh MS! My latest epiphany………..WINTER is actually my favorite season!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Sure, Spring and Fall are each distinctly beautiful. It’s easy to love seasons that bring so much beauty, color and wonder to our senses. But there’s something to be said about the beauty of Winter with its bare trees and frigid temps.

Ever hear the phrase “less is more?” That’s how I feel about Winter. Less distraction, more introspection. It’s probably why I truly love the Advent and Christmas seasons. The idea of curling up in front of the fireplace with my Bible and other reads literally warms my heart and soul. During Advent and Christmas I look forward to spending my first few waking hours in stillness, strengthening my relationship with the Lord.

Unlike Spring and Fall, there’s not much to see or do outdoors in Winter. There’s less distraction – less desire to be outside in a world bustling with activity. Winter is for hibernation, not just for bears but, for us humans too. Unlike animal hibernation, human hibernation has more to do with an awakened state rather than a dormant state. Nature’s time to sleep is our time for awakening our senses to the Presence of God. How awesome is that?!

Id like to share something I recently read in Monastery Journey to Christmas by Brother Victor-Antoine D’Avila-LaTourrette (the headings are my own). It made me realize why I feel so elated during Advent. Advent graces!! Such comfort and joy!!

Sancti Spiritus

During these peaceful and calm Advent days, there is a mysterious presence felt in our prayers and readings, a presence of whom little is spoken. It is the subtle, mysterious, almost incomprehensible presence of the Holy Spirit. We know through faith that from all eternity, in the intimate council of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit was assigned the work of the Incarnation. It was by his mighty power that the Son of God became incarnate in the Virgin Mary. The Incarnation of God’s Son, willed by the Father long before the ages began and totally assented by the Son himself, is the particular and unique operation of the Holy Spirit.

Immersed in love

The more we immerse ourselves in the work of prayer, the more we come to discover something about the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. “It is one thing to believe in God,” Staretz Silouan used to say, “and another to know him.” It is in prayer, and by the direct action of the Holy Sprit, that we come to understand something of the mystery of the Incarnation, of the two natures of Christ: divine and human.

Infused with knowledge

Only the Holy Spirit can communicate to the praying believer something of that splendid union of two different natures and two wills. Infused divine knowledge is a gift from the Holy Spirit, and it is his divine power that opens our hearts and minds to this type of knowledge. It is through experiencing the Holy Spirit interiorly, deep, deep within our souls, that the mystery of Jesus Christ is revealed to us. The Holy Spirit confers on us both faith and grace to arrive at this divine knowledge.

Abundant grace

Advent is a special time to keep close to the Holy Spirit (though we know through faith, all times are his and belong to him!). But Advent and Christmas are periods of abundant graces that flow from the inner life of the blessed Trinity. These graces are channeled into our hearts through the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. Humbly, patiently, the Holy Spirit pursues each of us, gradually revealing his divine presence to us, eagerly preparing our hearts to become a worthy manger for the Savior.

Any relationship with God is impossible apart from the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who points us to the revelation of Christ. It is the light from the Holy Spirit that illumines our understanding and allows us to apprehend something of that love that instigated the Father to send his beloved and only begotten Son into the world. For indeed, God so loved the world that in the fullness of time, by the action of the Holy Spirit, he sent his Anointed one to be born of a humble maiden in the small forsaken village of Bethlehem.

Conjunction unction

As Christians, as humble disciples of Jesus, we live and have communion with God by unction from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit breathes Christ, the full Christ, into our lives. By this very fact he establishes us in that mysterious communion of love with the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. “Veni, Sancte, Spiritus.” (excerpt ends here)

Veni Sancti Spiritus

Tis the season to do what the song says “awake from your slumber, arise from your sleep……….let us build the City of God!” Let the Holy Spirit be your guide! Veni Sancti Spiritus. Fill our hearts with your grace. Awaken our senses to your Presence within so that your light may shine wherever we go! Amen. God bless you!

Everything is grace! St. Therese of Lisieux

September 23, 2019 / / 0 Comments
everything is grace!
Hail Mary, full of grace!

“Everything is grace!” said St. Therese of Lisieux, and I believe it! I stray today from my “camino lessons” to talk about something that’s been on my brain for the past two weeks. Yes, you guessed it: EVERYTHING IS GRACE! Before I realized that these words were attributed to St. Therese, they came to me one day as I recognized I was not being my best self. Here’s how it went down:

uncentered mornings

I laid in bed before a doctor’s appointment, I rose with not enough time, I drove behind what I perceived to be a “slow poke”, I grew frustrated at the slow poke, I made a wrong turn, extended my drive 10 minutes, arrived at the wrong facility 20 minutes late (although they accommodated me) and thus continued my day. As I sat in front of the TV in the evening, I found myself mocking the personality and woke up to my conviction: “what is wrong with you? You have not been your best self today!”

Immediately upon my self-conviction, I realized I had not started my day with prayer. I had not taken the time that morning to sit and contemplate Jesus, my faith and my blessings. I started my day frazzled and it continued that way! It was then that it hit me – EVERYTHING IS GRACE! I cannot do this thing called life all alone.

grace, THE THEME!

All good things come from God! Everything is grace. My peace, my courage, my strength, my patience. It all comes from Him and so everyday I must beg for grace because I can acquire none of it on my own. EVERYTHING is grace! It’s a gift freely given to me, as undeserved as I am. All I have to do is ask and it will be given.

As is so often the case with all things God – the “theme” continued for me everywhere I turned as the week progressed. First in my contemplative group and then in everything I read, including the Liturgy of the Hours.

SAVING GRACE

As I prayed the Liturgy of the Hours, the Hymn for the morning included these words: Eternal Father, through your Word, you gave new life to Adam’s race, transformed them into sons of light new creature by your saving grace! Saving grace – the unmerited love of God!

In my contemplative group we discussed the book Ocean of Light, by Martin Laird. On page xiii he writes: “Love plumbs depths that our thinking mind cannot and so must take love’s word for it.”

Of course, how can we comprehend the love God has for us. A love we do not merit and yet, it overflows. We do well to simply accept it, beg for it and take His word for it. We ARE most certainly worthy of that love because He created us and because He said so!

WHAT’S YOUR INTENTION?

The theme continued one Friday evening. I sat in Adoration that evening contemplating my intention. Why was I there? Was I there because I thought I could merit something? Was I there because I thought it was the right thing to do? Was I there because I wanted others to see me? Was I there because I wanted to seem holy? As I ran through all the possibilities, I was moved by the fact that none of the above were true for me. I was there because I LOVED HIM!

Of course, my analytical brain would not stop there. I then wondered WHY I loved Him? Was it because someone told me to? Was it because I didn’t know any better? After all, I’ve never seen Him. I continued to contemplate. Here’s what I came up with:

WHYYYYYY?

We contemplate not to merit anything from God but because we want to be in His Presence. We want to be in His Presence because we love Him – simply because we love Him. Most importantly, we love Him because He loved us first!

What’s your intention? Remember, everything is grace. It all comes from Him first! Your faith, your strength, your courage, your patience, your love, your peace! Remember to beg for it at the start of your day! God bless you!

Yesterday was the first day of the St. Therese Novena! If you’re interested, you can find it here.

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