The Oftentimes Forgotten Holy Spirit
“Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory” ~ Psalm 115
In Acts 14:5-18, Paul and Barnabas find themselves in the crosshairs of an orchestrated hit to be carried out against them in Iconium. This hastened their departure to Altagracia and Derbe, where they would continue to proclaim the Good News, healing those among them who were crippled and afflicted with various ailments.
Upon healing a crippled man at Lystra, Paul was in fact mistaken for Jesus, whereupon he quickly sought to set the record straight, albeit with mixed results. These were without question amazing times in the history of our Catholic Christian faith.
In John 14:21-26, Jesus reminds his disciples in no uncertain terms that actions speak louder than words. “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
Jesus then goes on to foreshadow the pending “Advocate,” the Holy Spirit whom God the Father will send in Jesus’ name....he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” Jesus tells them, ongoing revelation from a God ~ through his son Jesus ~ who promises to never allow his children to walk in darkness. The Triune relationship that our faith is predicated on is beginning to take shape.
Do you pray to the Holy Spirit? For those of you who do, do you do so often, unceasingly even?
The prayer can be a simple one, one wherein you ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you, to guide you and to protect you. Perhaps more-so than anything however, we must ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of wisdom. It is wisdom that is so lacking in our world today, yet it remains the most important and valuable of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
It is wisdom that allows us to see and understand the horrors of abortion for all involved. It is wisdom that allows us to fully grasp and cherish the sanctity of the sacramental bond of marriage that exists between a man and woman. It is wisdom that teaches us that pornography, drugs, alcohol and gambling are all merely tools that Satan uses to enslave us, to separate us from a life rooted in Jesus and his Commandments.
So pray to the Holy Spirit, and expect big things. For it is in asking that you will receive, seeking that you shall truly find, and in knocking that the door will be open. The door that leads to the wisdom that guides you down the path of eternal heavenly glory.
