As we reflect on Mary's Visitation to Elizabeth, what do we learn? First, the obedience of Mary to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Lord, may I be both attentive and prompt in...
Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. Nain is a small village in Galilee about six miles southeast of Nazareth. Was Jesus led...
What is the difference between despair, presumption and repentance? It is the place of hope. The o ne who despairs lacks hope that things can change. This person sees himself beyond the grasp...
"The best way to prepare for death is to spend every day of your life as though it were the last."(St. Philip Neri) It is not morbid to reflect on these words. For...
As I read the lives of martyrs, I wonder if I have the boldness they had. Many were not afraid of practicing their faith in a public way, even though they knew they...
"When I am weak, then I am strong." This paradoxical statement of St. Paul may be hard to understand. From early childhood we are taught that strength is better than weakness. To be...
Jesus was truly free. His freedom was rooted in his spiritual awareness that he was the Beloved Child of God. He knew in the depth of his being that he belonged to God...
Prayer: Novena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ May 20-28, 2016
By spiritaflame 11:44 AM PrayersNovena Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ – May 20-28, 2016 I thank You, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon the earth for our sake, and for instituting the...
"There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns...
Reflections on The Scriputre Feast of the Holy Trinity Gospel C
By spiritaflame 11:25 AM Reading ReflectionsJesus 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....
"Emptiness and fullness at first seem complete opposites. But in the spiritual life they are not. In the spiritual life we find the fulfillment of our deepest desires by becoming empty for God....
"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I...
“The Holy Spirit is the most perfect gift of the Father to men, and yet He is the one gift which the Father gives most easily.” (Thomas Merton) Jesus told us in Luke's...
Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Here are some excerpts from her messages. "The sins of the world are very great ... If men only knew what eternity is, they...
Jesus, you told us that, if we love you and kept your word, you and the Father would dwell within us. Mystery and revealed reality! You also said that you would be with...
"When we speak about the Holy Spirit, we speak about the breath of God, breathing in us. The Greek word for 'spirit' is pneuma, which means 'breath.' We are seldom aware of our...
The Holy Spirit is called by Jesus "another Advocate". Jesus is the one who stands by us to help and defend us. But He promised that when he would return to the Father, the...
Reflections on Scriptures: Feast of Pentecost: Gospel C
By spiritaflame 10:24 AM Reading ReflectionsOn the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said...
Holy Spirit, you are the teacher, sent by the Father and the Son to reveal to us the deeper insights of the sacred truths of revelation. Someone has used the illustration of the...
“It is by the Holy Spirit that we love those who are united to us in Christ. The more plentifully we have received of the Spirit of Christ, the more perfectly we are...
"The Holy Spirit makes us bold and urges us to contemplate God’s glory in our daily life and work. It spurs us to experience the mystery of Christ, to make the Word resound...
Reflections on the Scriptures; Ascension of the Lord Gospel C
By spiritaflame 2:06 PM Reading ReflectionsJesus said to his disciples: "Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be...
As we prepare to celebrate your Ascension and the coming of your Holy Spirit on Pentecost, help me, Lord, to reflect on your teachings concerning the gift of the Spirit. You said that the...
I plead and welcome a fresh outpouring and a renewed stirring up in me of your presence and gifts, O Holy Spirit. How can I be that witness of saved life and divine...
Novena to the Holy Spirit May 6-14, 2016 Opening Prayers All: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. Amen. V. Send...
"God became man so that man might become a god." (St Athanasius of Alexandria) What a profound insight into the plan of God for us! We are to become like him. Jesus made...
