Our Lady's May 25, 2016 Medjugorje Message through Marija:

Dear children! My presence is a gift from God for all of you and an encouragement for conversion. Satan is strong and wants to put disorder and unrest in your hearts and thoughts. Therefore, you, little children, pray so that the Holy Spirit may lead you on the real way of joy and peace. I am with you and intercede before my Son for you. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Opening to the Holy Spirit

FR. NNAMDI MONEME, OMV

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

So Jesus broke the chains of death, rose from the dead, threw open the stone at the tomb, sought His disciples who abandoned Him, and in today’s Gospel, He walked through closed doors just to bring them the Holy Spirit that He won for them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” One thing is clear – Jesus is powerful and He will do anything to give us a share in His Spirit.

There is only one thing that Jesus cannot and will not do – He will never walk through the doors of our closed hearts. Despite His power over us, Jesus will not attempt to force Himself on us in any way but will continue to knock incessantly on the door of our hearts, always bearing with Him the gift of His Spirit and moving us to freely open ourselves to Him. We have to freely open our hearts to Him if we are going to experience the powerful action of the Spirit that He bears.

Why is it so difficult for us to open our hearts completely to the Spirit and respond to His impulses? In the first place, we close our hearts to Him because we lack understanding of the Spirit’s mysterious way. In today’s First Reading, the crowd is stunned to hear their various languages being spoken from the lips of Galileans “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?” Secondly, we do not trust in the Spirit enough. We are not sure that He has our best interest at heart and that we will have what it takes to respond appropriately to His movements. Thirdly, we are holding on to and attached to our former way of life. The Spirit brings about a transformation by bringing us under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. St. Paul put it this way, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ expect by the Holy Spirit.” Our readiness to be transformed and to live truly with Jesus Christ as sovereign Lord of every aspect of our life is the key to opening our hearts to Him. Lastly, we are usually unwilling to use His gifts for the good of the entire Body of Christ and not just for ourselves. We must be willing to use these gifts selflessly because the Spirit is given “for some benefit” to the entire Body of Christ.

I have experienced these resistances to the Spirit’s movement. I had just begun to seriously discern my vocation to the priesthood and religious life. I was still at the stage of fear and anxiety about what the Spirit was moving me to do. Quit my job, give away lots of stuff, leave my friends and relatives, go to another city, and begin to study philosophy while living with other religious in preparation for consecrated life. Very scary stuff! I shared my discernment with a parishioner who replied, “My, would you be happy in such a life? How are you sure that this is from the Spirit?” I became more afraid. How was I sure that I was listening to the voice of the Spirit and that I would be happy in following His promptings? Couldn’t I as well serve God also as a faithful lay Catholic? Why was I being moved to choose consecrated poverty, chastity and obedience? How in the world am I to respond?

By the grace of God, I turned to Mother Mary when I recalled that she is indeed the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. I figured that, since she is the faithful Spouse of the Spirit, the secrets of the Spirit’s actions are written clearly in her heart as much as the Holy Spirit alone knows the secret of Mary. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal the secrets of Mary, His Bride, to us as He revealed her to Elizabeth, “And she was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed, ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’”(Lk 2:41-42)  As faithful spouse of the Spirit, Mary shares with her children the subtle actions and plans of the Spirit and helps them to respond appropriately.

However, I came to realize that, if I was going to respond faithfully to the Spirit’s impulses, my devotion to Mary was to be more than just speaking to Mary with confidence about the confusion that what I was going through; but I was also to look at Mary closely, listen to her with attention and learn from her virtues and attitudes if I was to open my heart to the Spirit and follow His inspirations. Looking at Mary in prayer, listening to her, and striving to follow her example, I began to see enough to take the next steps in my discernment process with greater confidence and peace, visit religious communities and share my discernment story with people who could guide me. I also began to sense that the Spirit was moving me to much greater sources of inner joy than I could ever imagine and I was moved more to embrace a life with Jesus as sovereign Lord and Savior. Lastly, I came to realize that I had been gifted by the Spirit to live for others and not for self and I would find peace only by living for Christ and for others.

The Apostles opened themselves trustingly to the work of the Spirit after Jesus Christ revealed to them the inner peace that awaited them by doing so, “Peace be with you.” They were ready to make use of the Spirit’s gifts for the sake of the gathering souls into the Body of Christ from the moment of Pentecost by their bold proclamation and witness of their lives. They grasped that they were now to live under the Lordship of Christ by serving as channels of His mercy to others, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, whose sins you retain are retained.”

This same Spirit abides in the Church until the very end of time. In Mary, His Spouse, we have a woman and our mother who has had to deal with the mysterious ways of the Spirit in her own life and had responded with unwavering fidelity. Mary did not completely understand the actions of the Spirit but she opened herself completely to the work of the Spirit and let herself by guided by the Spirit step by step. Mary also trusted completely in the Holy Spirit and His plan for her and she was open to be transformed from a chaste virgin to the virgin-mother of the God-man by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lastly, she was willing and ready to use His gifts for the good of God’s children as she shows in her loving intercession for the wedding guests at the wedding of Cana.

Devotion to Mary is the often neglected key to responding to the actions and movements of the Holy Spirit in our lives. She helps us open our hearts to the action of the Spirit as God’s beloved children, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,these are childrenof God.” (Rom 8:14) Children of God must know their mother in the order of grace and look to her for help, guidance, and example in opening to the Spirit of life.

In this age of the Spirit, the Spirit is moving us strongly. If we are reluctant to follow Him, unsure about His good intention towards us, resisting submitting to the lordship of Jesus Christ, or tempted to live for ourselves, we need to ask how authentic our devotion to Mary is. Is it stuck on the level of speaking to her or praying to her? Are we looking at her closely too for help and for guidance? Are we listening to her as obedient children just as Jesus obeyed her (Cf Lk2:51) or are we fixed in our old ways of living? Are we striving to imitate her obedience to the Father’s mysterious will, her fidelity to Jesus Christ and His saving mission up to the point of death on the cross, and her promptness and docility to the impulse of the Spirit? As long as we have the Spirit within us, He will continue to inspire us because He wants to do great things through us, with us and in us in our world today. Likewise we will constantly need His Spouse Mary to help us open to Him and respond with fidelity to His promptings.

In the Eucharist, Jesus comes with power to us and He brings with Him the same Spirit of power that He bestowed on the disciples on Pentecost. The desire of Jesus is that we all are filled with the Holy Spirit and become His faithful witnesses. Despite His power, He will not force us to open our hearts to His Spirit and He will not walk through the doors of our closed hearts. We must open the doors of our hearts from the inside.

Mother Mary is also waiting to help us open our hearts completely and follow the Spirit wherever He leads us and no matter the cost. We shall truly know the power of the Spirit when we choose to humbly look at, listen to, and learn from Mary, the ever faithful Spouse of the Holy Spirit.

Glory to Jesus!!! Honor to Mary!!!

Pope’s Pentecost Homily

‘Those who by faith are immersed into this mystery of regeneration are reborn to the fullness of filial life.’

MAY 15, 2016ZENIT STAFFPOPE AND HOLY SEE

CTV Screenshot

Below is the Vatican-provided translation of Pope Francis’ homily for Pentecost Sunday during Mass this morning in St. Peter’s Basilica:

***

“I will not leave you orphans” (Jn 14:18).

The central purpose of Jesus mission, which culminated in the gift of the Holy Spirit, was to renew our relationship with the Father, a relationship severed by sin, to take us from our state of being orphaned children and to restore us as his sons and daughters.

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians in Rome, says: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship, which enables us to cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Rom 8:14-15). Here we see our relationship renewed: the paternity of God is re-established in us thanks to the redemptive work of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is given to us by the Father and leads us back to the Father. The entire work of salvation is one of “re-generation”, in which the fatherhood of God, through the gift of the Son and the Holy Spirit, frees us from the condition of being orphans into which we had fallen. In our own day also, we see various signs of our being orphans: in the interior loneliness which we feel even when we are surrounded by people, a loneliness which can become an existential sadness; in the attempt to be free of God, even if accompanied by a desire for his presence; in the all-too-common spiritual illiteracy which renders us incapable of prayer; in the difficulty in grasping the truth and reality of eternal life as that fullness of communion which begins on earth and reaches full flower after death; in the effort to see others as “brothers” and “sisters”, since we are children of the same Father; and other such signs.

Being children of God runs contrary to all this and is our primordial vocation. We were made to be God’s children, it is in our DNA. But this filial relationship was ruined and required the sacrifice of God’s only-begotten Son in order to be restored. From the immense gift of love which is Jesus’ death on the cross, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon humanity like a vast torrent of grace. Those who by faith are immersed into this mystery of regeneration are reborn to the fullness of filial life.

“I will not leave you orphans”. Today, on the feast of Pentecost, Jesus’ words remind us also of the maternal presence of Mary in the Upper Room. The Mother of Jesus is with the community of disciples gathered in prayer: she is the living remembrance of the Son and the living invocation of the Holy Spirit. She is the Mother of the Church. We entrust to her intercession, in a particular way, all Christians, families and communities that at this moment are most in need of the Spirit, the Paraclete, the Defender and Comforter, the Spirit of truth, freedom and peace.

The Spirit, as Saint Paul says, unites us to Christ: “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Rom 8:9). Strengthening our relationship of belonging to the Lord Jesus, the Spirit enables us to enter into a new experience of fraternity. By means of our universal Brother – Jesus – we can relate to one another in a new way; no longer as orphans, but rather as children of the same good and merciful Father. And this changes everything! We can see each other as brothers and sisters whose differences can only increase our joy and wonder at sharing in this unique fatherhood and brotherhood.

The Medjugorje Message: Medjugorje... the fulfilment of Fatima

The Medjugorje Message: Medjugorje... the fulfilment of Fatima: Dear children! Today also I invite you to prayer, now as never before when my plan has begun to be realised. Satan is strong and wants to sw...

Children of Medjugorje

From the Desk of Sr. Emmanuel Maillard Medjugorje, May 13, 2016 Centenary of the apparition of the angel  to the 3 little shepherds of Fatima Dear Children of Medjugorje, Praised be Jesus and Mary! 1. On May 2, 2016, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross, in the presence of a fairly large crowd. After the apparition, she shared the following message:  "Dear children! My motherly heart desires your true conversion and a firm faith so that you may be able to spread love and peace to all those who surround you. But, my children, do not forget: each of you is a unique world before the Heavenly Father. Therefore, permit the continuous working of the Holy Spirit to work on you. Be my spiritually pure children. In spirituality is beauty. Everything that is spiritual is alive and very beautiful. Do not forget that in the Eucharist, which is the heart of faith, my Son is always with you. He comes to you and breaks the bread with you; because, my children, for your sake He died, He resurrected and is coming anew. These words of mine are familiar to you because they are the truth, and the truth does not change. It is only that many of my children have forgotten it. My children, my words are neither old nor new, they are eternal. Therefore, I invite you, my children, to observe well the signs of the times, to 'gather the shattered crosses' and to be apostles of the revelation. Thank you." 2. Shattered Crosses  Many people have asked us about the meaning of this sentence: "Therefore, I invite you, my children, to observe well the signs of the times, to 'gather the shattered crosses' and to be apostles of the Revelation." Mirjana asked that the phrase "gather the shattered crosses" be put in quotation marks; this means that the Blessed Moher is referring to something which is already known. An explanation can be found in the messages Bruno Cornacchiola received in 1947 at The Three Fountains, in the outskirts of Rome, where St Paul was beheaded. A brief flashback is required here: Bruno, who fiercely opposed the Catholic Church, devised a plan to kill Pope Pius XII by stabbing him. On the eve of the crime, Saturday April 12, 1947, he was with his family at The Three Fountains, where his children were playing near a cave. He was working on his book which spoke against "The Immaculate". When the time came to go home, his youngest daughter remained in the cave, so Bruno said to his son, "Go fetch your sister!" He went, but didn't come back. Bruno then sent his other son, but he didn't come back either. Bruno, who was angry, went himself and found all three of his children on their knees, hands joined in prayer and their eyes in ecstasy. They remained deaf to their father's call. Bruno was then thrust to the ground on his knees, against his will. When he raised his eyes, Our Lady was there, looking at him. She told him:  "I am she who is in the Divine Trinity. I am the Virgin of Revelation. You have persecuted me, now it is enough! Come back to the holy flock which is the Celestial Court on earth. God's promise is unchangeable and will remain so. The nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart, which your faithful wife persuaded you to observe before you walked down the road of lies, has saved you." Bruno shared how the Blessed Mother made a gesture with her right arm, pointing at the ground with her index finger.  Lying there at her feet, he saw a shattered cross, a piece of black cloth and a cassock.  The cassock thrown to the ground represents the abandonment of the priesthood by so many priests. She said, "this is a sign that my sons will leave their habits.... You, be strong in the faith!" (The "sons" Mary speaks about here are the members of the clergy). The broken cross, near the cassock, represents the martyrdom of priests who remain faithful to Christ in the persecution.The black fabric symbolizes that the Church will become a widow, left to the mercy of the world. Our Lady said to Bruno, "The Church will be persecuted, broken."  Then the Virgin Mary revealed to Bruno what was going to happen, especially the defection of so many priests, and how much he should love and serve the Church despite all that was happening. She added that, "even when priests are in an infernal whirlwind", said Mary, "they are dear to me. They will be trampled upon and massacred."  Bruno converted on the spot. He even became a fervent apostle and a great defender of the Church until his death in June 2001. (His cause for Beatification has been opened in Rome). During all those years, he received words from Our Lady, especially through dreams, like St. John Bosco. These messages are prophetic, they concern the near and distant future of the Church, and the internal tragedies the Church is experiencing, (See PS 2). Why is Our Lady telling us today about the shattered crosses we need to gather? It looks like she is flashing a warning light to us, who desire to serve Christ and His Church, amidst the great confusion and deep pain in this spiritual battle. Our world is swimming in murky waters. It is no longer just a single shattered Cross (that of 1947) but many shattered crosses (those of 2016)! Mary is expressing to us her immense pain at the defection of so many Christians, priests and lay people, the betrayals within the very heart of the Church herself and the widespread apostasy of our time. Mary revealed to Bruno the name by which she wants to be invoked in this place: "I am the Virgin of the Revelation". She held in her hands a little book: the Apocalypse of Saint John, also known as "The Book of Revelation". The Virgin of the Revelation invites us today to be the "apostles of the Revelation"!  She clearly indicates the characteristics of these apostles who will remain loyal in the midst of tribulation. "They do not complain, they keep quiet and they do not rebel." Didn't she herself experience these characteristics during her earthly life? The Book of Revelation is a partly sealed sacred text. It announces the fate of humanity and the victory of God over the Dragon and the Beast, after a terrible fight. How can we not open our eyes and see that indeed, today as never before, the fight against the Beast is violent and decisive? Satan knows that his days are numbered, and he is playing his last few cards with the energy of desperation. Does Our Lady want to tell us that we are in a key moment, a significant turning point in the life of the Church? A time when the realization of the Apocalypse is near and when everyone will have to take a stand, to be with Christ or against Christ? I believe so, because in her messages she never alluded to another apparition, (apart in August 25, 1991 when she referred to her apparition in Fatima). Why, this month, is she bringing up the key points of her apparition at Three Fountains? On this occasion, it is important for us all to re-read the Book of Revelation, especially chapter 12, where "The Woman" (Mary!) is present. She said to Bruno: "Before I withdraw, I say this to you: The Revelation is the Word of God and this Revelation talks about me. This is why I took this title, the Virgin of the Revelation." (Let me point out that it is the only Book of the Bible where a Beatitude is offered: "Blessed is he who reads these prophetic words." Rev. 1:3) It is also important to realize during a heart to heart fervent prayer, how much Our Lady is expecting us to make reparation for all the offenses against Jesus in the Eucharist and the Priesthood that He entrusted to men. "My Immaculate heart bleeds," she said on April 25. She is not asking us to "gather the broken Crosses" in order to criticize and make negative comments against certain priests and prelates, or to become discouraged. No, she is inviting us to do everything in our power to help them and to support them through our prayers and sacrifices. What a consolation we can bring her by uniting our hearts to her broken heart! Yes, her heart is bleeding, but it is also confident in the final victory and in her triumph that is drawing closer each day! That is why she is seeking souls that are willing to be at one with her soul! 3. Jolanda Cornacchiola        The wife of Bruno Cornacchiola, Jolanda, is an admirable example that will be a path to Holiness for many spouses experiencing hardship in their marriage. Despite Bruno's repeated betrayals prior to his conversion, Jolanda remained faithful to him, fervently praying, to the point that Our Lady herself praised her! "God's promises are and will remain unchanged" she said to Bruno. "The Nine first Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart which your faithful wife persuaded you to observe before you walked down the road of lies, has saved you!"  Isn't this beautiful? This simple devotion saved Bruno from perdition! (See PS3) The Blessed Mother never experienced this type of problem with her husband Joseph, thank God! But she came to the defense of Jolanda, asserting to Bruno that she had remained faithful to him and had never committed the sins of which he accused her. In fact he would beat her, probably unloading on her the remorse for his own infidelities, until the night that preceded the apparition. (One could suggest to the Holy See to beatify Jolanda at the same time as her husband!) And Our Lady continues saying, "The Ave Maria's that you pray with faith and love are like many golden arrows that reach out to the Heart of Jesus." 4. The Next Live Talk From Sr. Emmanuel In French   On June 3 at 9 pm I will speak in French about the message of June 2nd. The May 3rd live, which is about the message of the May 2nd and is also in French can be found here: http://www.enfantsdemedjugorje.fr/index.php/le-direct-du-3.html For English Speaking friends, watch the videos with my 10-minute "Pearls of the Gospel" which can be found on our website: https://sremmanuel.org/video/ PLEASE NOTE our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sr.emmanuelmaillard?ref=hl Dearest Gospa, please help us open our eyes and our hearts to the signs of the times, grant us the grace to follow in your footsteps and be a joy and a consolation for your Son Jesus! Sister Emmanuel + (Translated from French) P.S. 1. In China, my friend Father Joseph Zhang, the administrator of the Diocese of Zhaoxian wrote a beautiful letter to you, the Children of Medjugorje, especially addressing those who sent help for seminarians. Read it here:  http://www.enfantsdemedjugorje.fr/index.php/actualites.html P.S. 2. For those who read Italian, see Saverio Gaeta's book: "Il Veggente, il segreto delle Tre Fontane", Salani Editore. P.S. 3.  At Paray-le-Monial (France), in 1675, Christ gave Saint Marguerite-Marie Alacoque 12 promises for those who venerate his Sacred Heart especially during 9 first Fridays of 9 consecutive months. These are as follows:  I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.  I will establish peace in their families.  I will console them in all their troubles.  They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.  I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.  Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.  Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.  Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.  I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.  I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.  Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be removed.  The all-powerful love of my Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of 9 consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; my Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.  Conditions. In order to be worthy of these promises, it is necessary to:  1. To receive Communion in the state of grace: If you are in mortal sin, then confession is required.  2. Devotion must be continued for nine consecutive months. For those who leave out even one communion must start over.  3. The pious practice can begin on the first Friday of every month. P.S. 4. Please, can you pray that we may find a good English-French translator? Contact gospa.fr@gmail.com P.S. 5. Please, also, think of sending to a young person to the Youth Festival in Medjugorje, from August 1 to 6! They will come back changed.  P.S. 6. Write a letter to your Blessed Mother!  She will answer you during prayer! Mail it to "Queen of Peace", BP 2157, F-06103 Nice cedex, France. We will deliver it to a visionary. P.S. 7. Sister Emmanuel's Newsletter can be received in many languages! gospa.fr@gmail.com In Italian:  vannalvisepg@gmail.com In German: wolfgang@trautmann.ca In English: Commentscom@gmail.com In Spanish: gisele_riverti@gmail.com In Flemish: gclaes@scarlet.be In Croatian: djeca.medjugorja@gmail.com In Portuguese: medjugorje.portugal@gmail.com In Chinese: teresamedj@gmail.com If you are not receiving newsletters, please send us your email address again. Also, please check whether our messages aren't going into your spam box.

What the Holy Spirit Is Like

User's Guide to Pentecost Sunday

BY TOM HOOPES, REGISTER CORRESPONDENT Thursday, May 12, 2016 3:11 PM Comment

Sunday, May 15, is Pentecost Sunday. Mass Readings: Acts 2: 1-11; Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23

Today’s readings present a number of symbols of the Holy Spirit: strong, driving wind; tongues of fire; races united; and breath of Jesus on the apostles.

The Holy Spirit is like a strong driving wind, because the Holy Spirit has a clear direction and wants to take everyone there with it. A wind is an unseen force that refreshes; so is the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a tongue of fire; not a wildfire that destroys, not a stationary fire that we have to huddle next to, but a fire bestowed on us, which transforms what it touches.

The Holy Spirit unites people and breaks down barriers. When St. Peter speaks after receiving the Holy Spirit, he speaks with boldness, decisiveness, but also attractiveness, drawing many to the faith. He doesn’t condemn, insult and disperse the people because of their weakness; he challenges them and calls them to greatness, each in their own language.

The Holy Spirit is the breath of God in us. He breathes on his apostles and gives them the ability to forgive sins. He breathes on us, too, and we also become his representatives. “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit,” as the second reading says.

The Catechism (694-700) mentions other symbols of the Holy Spirit worth considering.

The Holy Spirit is like water. Water fills all things; it is gentle like dew or strong like a flood; it seeps into what will let it, bringing life, and pushes aside what will not.

The Holy Spirit is an anointing, a sacramental seal. The Spirit marks us as God’s, incorporates us into his family and connects us with his company of saints.

The Holy Spirit is like a cloud and light. The Spirit is like a cloud because God is a mystery and like light because “mystery” means he is too brilliant for us to fully comprehend.

The Holy Spirit is like a hand or a finger. He is a hand that works, reaches out, heals and blesses.

The Holy Spirit is like a dove. A dove can fly high or walk lightly and its beauty is subtle and calming.

You can also hear all of these symbols echoed powerfully in the 13th-century British prayer our students pray when my wife and I prepare them for confirmation. St. John Paul II prayed it when he visited Great Britain:

Wash what is unclean.

Water what is parched.

Heal what is diseased.

Bend what is rigid.

Warm what is cold.

Straighten what is crooked.

Tom Hoopes is writer in residence at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

His book What Pope Francis Really Said is available for preorder at Amazon.com.

In a special way, I am calling you: pray for peace

FLORIDA CENTER FOR PEACE [mailto:info@fcpeace.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2016 12:55 PM
To: fesquivel@fcpeace.com
Subject: EXTRAORDINARY MESSAGE IVAN MAY 9,2016

Mensaje extraordinario de la Virgen María en la Colina de las Apariciones por medio de Iván, lunes 9 de mayo, 22 horas. Medjugorje Bosnia Hercegovina. "Queridos hijos, también hoy de nuevo los invito: renueven mis mensajes y vivan mis mensajes. De manera particular los invito: oren por la paz. Oren por la paz, por la paz del mundo. Sepan, queridos hijos, que estoy con ustedes y les estoy cerca. Oren junto con la Madre: sean perseverantes en la oración, ¡no se cansen! ¡Gracias, queridos hijos, por haber respondido también hoy a mi llamado!" The following is Ivan's description of Our Lady's Prayer Group Apparition on top of Apparition Hill on May 9, 2016: "Dear children, also today I am calling you anew: renew my messages and live my messages. And in a special way, I am calling you: pray for peace, pray for peace, for peace in the world. Know, dear children, that I am with you and that I am near you. Pray together with the Mother. Be persevering. Do not get tired. Thank you, dear children, for also today having responded to my call."

Heritage-Holy Spirit Come Fill This Place

"RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT" (Jn 20:22)

"We have not so much as heard that there is a Holy Spirit." -Acts 19:2

Despite years of quality Catholic education, including receiving the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, I never gave much thought to the Holy Spirit. By God's grace, I stumbled upon a Life in the Spirit seminar at the age of twenty-one. Scripture passages I had often heard but never grasped suddenly came alive as Catholic men and women shared their experiences of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit taught me through them and made everything new and alive (2 Cor 5:17). It was as if I had never heard of the Holy Spirit before (Acts 19:2). People laid hands on me (see Acts 19:6) and I rejoiced to receive the Holy Spirit in a deep, personal, and life-changing way. Alleluia!

I might never have received the Spirit like this if not for people who cared enough to share the Spirit with me, teach me, and pray with me to receive the Spirit. Likewise, twelve Ephesian men received the Holy Spirit because St. Paul was not ashamed to share the Spirit with them and lay hands on them (Acts 19:6).

It is generally God's plan to pass on the Holy Spirit through personal ministry. Many people might never come to know and receive the Holy Spirit if they don't come to know you. As St. Teresa of Avila said, God has no hands but your hands. During this Pentecost novena, offer your heart and hands to the Lord as instruments for the Holy Spirit (see Rm 6:13). Sow in the seed-ground of the Spirit, and reap a harvest of eternal life (Gal 6:8).

 Holy Spirit, flow through me like a living stream, bringing new life and healing to many (Jn 7:38; Ez 47:1ff).

 "I tell you all this that in Me you may find peace. You will suffer in the world. But take courage! I have overcome the world." -Jn 16:33

Pope: 'the Holy Spirit makes us real Christians, not virtual ones'

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says it is the Holy Spirit that moves the Church but for many Christians today, the Holy Spirit is a stranger.

Speaking on Monday morning during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta the Pope urged believers to allow themselves to be propelled by the Holy Spirit whom, he said, shows us the way to freedom.He also had a special greeting for the Vincentian Sisters of Charity who work at the Casa Santa Marta and who are marking the feast day of their founder: St. Louise de Marillac. 

Drawing inspiration from the reading of the day which recounts the dialogue between Paul and the first disciples in Ephesus, Pope Francis recalled that the disciples told Paul that they had “not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit”.This is something, he said, that happens today as well as many who believe in Jesus do not know the Holy Spirit.

Many, he said, say they have “learnt through Catechism” that the Holy Spirit is “in the Trinity” but they do not know anything more and they wonder what the Spirit does:

"The Holy Spirit is the one who moves the Church, he said, the one who works in the Church and  in our hearts” making each Christian unique and yet, together with other Christians, a unit.The Holy Spirit, the Pope continued, opens the doors and invites us to bear witness to Jesus.

“At the beginning of Mass we heard the words: ‘you will receive the Holy Spirit and you will be my witnesses in the world’. The Holy Spirit is the one who moves us to praise God, to pray the Lord, the one who is within us and teaches us to see the Father and to call him ‘Father’. The Holy Spirit frees us from this ‘orphan-like’ condition which the spirit of the world wants to put us in” he said. Pope Francis said the Holy Spirit is “the protagonist of the living Church” and he warned against the danger of not living up to this mission of the Holy Spirit thereby reducing faith to "morals  and ethics”.

It is not enough, he said, to just respect the Commandments and do “nothing more”.Christian life, Francis reiterated, “is not just an ethical life: it is an encounter with Jesus Christ.” And it is thanks to the Holy Spirit that this encounter takes place:

"But we keep the Holy Spirit as a ‘luxury prisoner’ in our hearts: we do not allow the Spirit to push us forward, to move us. The Sprit does everything, knows everything, reminds us what Jesus said, can explain all about Jesus. There is only one thing the Holy Spirit can’t do: make us ‘parlour’ Christians (…) The Holy Spirit cannot make us ‘virtual’ Christians who are not virtuous. The Holy Spirit makes real Christians. The Spirit takes life as it is and prophetically reads the signs of the times pushing us forward (…), the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity” he said.

Pope Francis urged all faithful this week to reflect on the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives and to ask ourselves whether we have the courage to go out into the world bearing witness to Jesus. And inviting us to prepare for the upcoming Feast of Pentecost, the Pope said we must think of the Holy Spirit who is within our hearts and ask for the grace of obedience and docility to the Spirit:“This is what we must do this week: think of the Spirit and talk to Him”.

Fr. Jozo's Prayer to the Holy Spirit

 

 Fr. Jozo's Prayer to the Holy Spirit in Siroki Brijeg October 3, 2000

Come, O Most Holy Spirit, come to us today. We need your love, because we desire to go on the new way to return to the Father, to take the step to the Father. O Come, Holy Spirit, You who makes all things new. Today grant a miracle in us and through us. Change our hearts. Take from us our hearts of stone and give us a new heart, a heart that knows how to love, how to pray, how to forgive. A heart that knows how to embrace the cross and recognize the will of God and carry it to the end. Come, O Most Holy Spirit, You who are our peace, come fill us with peace. You who are love, fill us with love and blessing and salvation. We are not here accidentally. We have been called, that we may be able to recognize our call and our mission. We ask You to come O Most Holy Spirit, that our masks may melt away, that our true face may be revealed before You. Come, O Most Holy Spirit, may a miracle happen today: the beginning of our conversion, the beginning of our true devotion. Come, O Most Holy Spirit pour out Your grace and Your strength on Your Church and convert us. Sanctify us. Change us. Come, O Most Holy Spirit, we are the Church united together in prayer with the Mother. As the disciples at the very beginning, united together with Her in prayer for the gift of Your Spirit, for the gift of love, that we may be freed from selfishness and hatred, that we may be freed from every evil, and that we may start to love, that we may start to forgive and to pray, that we may start to fast. Come, O Most Holy Spirit. Come bless us. Come, change us. You who are prayer, come and anoint us with prayer that we may become the Church that believes in the power of prayer. Come, Most Holy Spirit, renew prayer in us, that we may become the renewers of family prayer.Come, O Most Holy Spirit, come heal us, come bless us, come convert us. O You who anoints with Your Peace, with Your Joy, with Your Love. Come anoint us. Come, O Most Holy Spirit. Come, pour Yourself out upon us.

Medjugorje: Request from Our Lady

"Dear children! Tonight I wish to tell you during the days of this novena to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on your families and on your parish. Pray, and you shall not regret it. God will give you gifts by which you will glorify Him till the end of your life on this earth. Thank you for having responded to my call." Message of (June 2, 1984)

The Nine Day Novena to the Holy Spirit. Can be said anytime.

Day 1 to Day 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSRTXTybsIc&feature=related

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SONG--Come Holy Spirit  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2X10P4yNpI

Reminder

Friday, May 6, 2016 we begin nine days of prayer, just as did the disciples at the first Christian Pentecost. We must pray for our Confirmations to be renewed. We must stifle the flesh and be stirred up in the Spirit, instead of the opposite (Gal 5:17). If we don't pray to receive a new Pentecost now, we will continue in the futility of Athens. Mary, the other saints, and the angels are praying for us to receive the Holy Spirit. Let's join them and pray in these next days as never before. Jesus promises: "If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him"  Come, Holy Spirit!

*Anything can change.  Anything can be accomplished.  As the Virgin of Medjugorje said, "The most important thing in the spiritual life is to ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes, then peace will be established. When that occurs, everything around you changes. Pray for the Holy Spirit for enlightenment. Ask the Holy Spirit to renew your souls, to renew the entire world. Raise your hands, yearn for Jesus because in His Resurrection He wants to fill you with graces."