As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit this Sunday, we ask for fresh infilling of the Spirit in our lives. At Easter we rejoiced in the Resurrection of Jesus...
We read in the Scriptures that Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Fear, in this sense, is not the normal understanding of the word. There are many experiences of human fear:...
Homily Solemnity of Pentecost Year A Lordship of Jesus and the Spirit
By spiritaflame 12:12 PM HomilyHomily Solemnity of Pentecost Year A Reading 1: Something has happened to the disciples prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit. Their relationship with Jesus had changed. The initial encounter with Jesus...
What is piety? There is a natural virtue of piety. It involves the reverence, obedience, respect, honor and love that is due to our parents and to those in lawful authority. On a...
Reflection of Scripture Pentecost Sunday The coming of the Spirit
By spiritaflame 10:15 AM Reading ReflectionsPentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-11 (Because we already reflected on the first part of today’s Gospel on the Second Sunday of Easter, we will focus on the First Reading instead.) When the time for...
Today, we will reflect on Fortitude or Courage as a virtue, a gift of the Spirit, a charism and a fruit. The human virtue of fortitude enables one to confront fear, uncertainty and...
We have been adopted as sons and daughters of God in Baptism. We share in God’s own divine life so that we can grow in holiness and one day be with God forever....
By nature we have the ability to understand, we have the intelligence to grasp the realities around us. But there is more to human existence than what we can see, feel and touch....
NOVENA TO THE HOLY SPIRIT May 22-May 30 First Day Holy Spirit, Lord of light, from your clear celestial height, your pure beaming radiance give. Come, Holy Spirit, come. Let us pray O God...
There is human knowledge which each of us is able to attain through experience, education and the use of reason. It is natural knowledge. Use properly this knowledge can lead us to some...
Homily Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Year A Reading 1: The Ascension of our Lord in his glorified humanity to sit at the right hand of the Father is the transitional...
There is human, natural wisdom and there is the spiritual gift of wisdom which comes from the Holy Spirit. Natural wisdom comes from human knowledge and human experience and is learned. Pope Francis...
Reflection on Scripture Solemnity of the Ascension Gospel A
By spiritaflame 10:28 AM Reading ReflectionsThe Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord Gospel A The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. · In Mathew’s theology, Jesus began his public...
Thought of the Day May 19, 2020 Faith as a virtue, charism, fruit
By spiritaflame 10:17 AM Thought of the DayYesterday we reflected on the difference between the virtues, charisms and fruits of the Spirit. We now begin to look at specifics. There is the human virtue of faith and the theological virtue...
In the spiritual writings there is a distinction made between virtues, charisms of the Spirit and fruits of the Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this about virtues: "A virtue is...
What does "living in the Spirit" mean? Gal 5 exhorts us "to live in accord with the spirit and you will not yield to the cravings of the flesh....If you are guided by...
Thought of the Day May 14, 2020 Fire power of the Spirit
By spiritaflame 10:18 AM Thought of the DayThe power of the Spirit is given to us and sometimes we settle for less. We need a fresh outpouring of the fire power of the Spirit to do the work God has...
Homily Sixth Sunday of Easter Year A Reading 1: During these days between Easter and Pentecost we have been focusing first on the encounter with the Risen Lord by the Apostles and the...
Through the Fire of Power we are equipped through the gifts of the Spirit to do the work God has missioned us to do. An engine needs the combustion power to operate properly...
Reflection on Scripture Sixth Sunday of Easter Gospel A. The Spirit and love
By spiritaflame 10:17 AM Reading ReflectionsSixth Sunday of Easter Gospel A Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. · Jesus links love and obedience. One’s obedience is a sign of one’s love. ·...
God gives us his promise that in the midst of our sufferings he will surround us with the Fire of Protection. The prophet Zechariah spoke these reassuring words in the name of the...
SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1From the beginning of Genesis until the end of Revelation a constant theme is that of God’s desire to share his life...
One of the symbols associated with the Holy Spirit is that of fire. In the New Testament, this is introduced by John the Baptist when he proclaimed that the One who comes after him...
Besides receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit in Baptism by which we share in God's divine life, we are again anointed with the oil of Chrism when we are confirmed. Jesus set...
Homily Fifth Sunday of Easter Year A Reading 1: The first five chapters of Acts reflect the ideal community. Everyone was of one mind and heart. It was like the honeymoon phase of...
Thought of the Day May 6, 2020 Dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit
By spiritaflame 10:53 AM Thought of the DayThere a number of symbols used to depict the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The image of the dove is one. To determine if it was safe to evacuate the Ark,...
Reflection on Scripture Fifth Sunday of Easter Gospel A The way, the truth and the life
By spiritaflame 10:40 AM Reading ReflectionsFifth Sunday of Easter Gospel A "Do not let your hearts be troubled. · What has Jesus said that could cause them to be disturbed? He has already talked about one of the...
As we continue to prepare for Pentecost and a fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit, we reflect today on the title given to the Holy Spirit in the Nicene Creed. We profess every...
As we reflect on the Holy Spirit, St. Cyril of Jerusalem gives us these words concerning the Spirit as light. “The Spirit comes gently and makes himself known by his fragrance. He is...
