Pentecost Novena - Day 9

Saturday - The Outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost

"Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.
   All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as
   the Spirit gave them the ability."     Acts 2: 3-4

Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love.
Set our lives aflame with your gifts.
Grant us wisdom to choose what is good and true;
understanding to embrace your plan of salvation;
right judgment to act according to your will;
courage to share our faith with others;
knowledge to live as disciples of Jesus Christ;
reverence to respond faithfully to your grace each day;
and wonder and awe in your presence.
Inspire us with enthusiasm for our Catholic faith.
Grant us boldness to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ,
and help us to bring the transforming power of the gospel to our world.
We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord.      Amen

1 Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Pentecost Novena - Day 8

Friday - The Fruit of the Spirit

"By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against
such things."     Gal. 5:22-23

Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love.
Set our lives aflame with your gifts.
Grant us wisdom to choose what is good and true;
understanding to embrace your plan of salvation;
right judgment to act according to your will;
courage to share our faith with others;
knowledge to live as disciples of Jesus Christ;
reverence to respond faithfully to your grace each day;
and wonder and awe in your presence.
Inspire us with enthusiasm for our Catholic faith.
Grant us boldness to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ,
and help us to bring the transforming power of the gospel to our world.
We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord.      Amen

1 Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Pentecost Novena - Day 7

Thursday - One Spirit, Many Gifts

"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services,
but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who
activates all of them in everyone."     1 Cor. 12:4-6

Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love.
Set our lives aflame with your gifts.
Grant us wisdom to choose what is good and true;
understanding to embrace your plan of salvation;
right judgment to act according to your will;
courage to share our faith with others;
knowledge to live as disciples of Jesus Christ;
reverence to respond faithfully to your grace each day;
and wonder and awe in your presence.
Inspire us with enthusiasm for our Catholic faith.
Grant us boldness to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ,
and help us to bring the transforming power of the gospel to our world.
We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord.    Amen

1 Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Pentecost Novena - Day 6

Wednesday - Understanding Comes Through the Spirit

"Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from
God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God."  1 Cor. 2:12

Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love.
Set our lives aflame with your gifts.
Grant us wisdom to choose what is good and true;
understanding to embrace your plan of salvation;
right judgment to act according to your will;
courage to share our faith with others;
knowledge to live as disciples of Jesus Christ;
reverence to respond faithfully to your grace each day;
and wonder and awe in your presence.
Inspire us with enthusiasm for our Catholic faith.
Grant us boldness to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ,
and help us to bring the transforming power of the gospel to our world.
We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord.      Amen

1 Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Pentecost Novena - Day 5

Tuesday - Life Through His Spirit

"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal
bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you."    Romans 8:11

Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love.
Set our hearts aflame with your gifts.
Grant us wisdom to choose what is good and true;
understanding to embrace your plan of salvation;
right judgment to act according to your will;
courage to share our faith with others;
knowledge to live as disciples of Jesus Christ;
reverence to respond faithfully to your grace each day;
and wonder and awe in your presence.
Inspire us with enthusiasm for our Catholic faith.
Grant us boldness to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ,
and help us to bring the transforming power of the gospel to our world.
We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord.    Amen

1 Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Pentecost Novena - 4th Day

Monday - The Spirit Gives Life to Dry Bones

"Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live."   Ez. 37:5

Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love.
Set our lives aflame with your gifts.
Grant us wisdom to choose what is good and true;
understanding to embrace your plan of salvation;
right judgment to act according to your will;
courage to share our faith with others;
knowledge to live as disciples of Jesus Christ;
reverence to respond faithfully to your grace each day;
and awe and wonder in your presence.
Inspire us with enthusiasm for our Catholic faith.
Grant us boldness to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ,
and help us to bring the transforming power of the gospel to our world.
We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord.    Amen

1 Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be

Pentecost Novena - 3rd Day

Sunday - The Need to be Born of the Spirit

"Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God
without being born of water and Spirit"     Jn 3:5

Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love.
Set our lives aflame with your gifts.
Grant us wisdom to choose what is good and true;
understanding to embrace your plan of salvation;
right judgment to act according to your will;
courage to share our faith with others;
knowledge to live as disciples of Jesus Christ;
reverence to respond faithfully to your grace each day;
and wonder and awe in your presence.
Inspire us with enthusiasm for our Catholic Faith.
Grant us boldness to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ,
and help us to bring the transforming power of the gospel to our world.
We make this prayer through Christ, Our Lord.      Amen

1 Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Pentecost Novena - 2nd Day

Saturday - Jesus' Promise of the Advocate

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth."   Jn 16:13

Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love.
Set our lives aflame with your gifts.
Grant us wisdom to choose what is good and true;
understanding to embrace your plan of salvation;
right judgment to act according to your will;
courage to share our faith with others;
knowledge to live as disciples of Jesus Christ;
reverence to respond faithfully to your grace each day;
and awe and wonder in your presence.
Inspire us with enthusiasm for our Catholic faith.
Grant us boldness to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ,
and help us to bring the transforming power of the gospel to our world.
We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord.    Amen

1 Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit - 1st Day

Friday - You will receive power

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."     Acts 1:8

Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your love.
Set our lives aflame with your gifts.
Grant us wisdom to choose what is good and true;
understanding to embrace your plan of salvation;
right judgment to act according to your will;
courage to share our faith with others;
knowledge to live as disciples of Jesus Christ;
reverence to respond faithfully to your grace each day;
and wonder and awe in your presence.
Inspire us with enthusiasm for our Catholic faith.
Grant us boldness to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ,
and help us to bring the transforming power of the gospel to our world.
We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord.       Amen

1 Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Peace at all cost

I read a post earlier today at Mark Mallett's Blog and the truth in it struck me. We have become a nation of "yessers" that walk mindlessly down a road little realizing that the light grows dimmer and dimmer on this path. We are adjusting to the "lack of light" and this concerns me. I have noticed this "peace at all costs" mentality and realize that this type of peace is a lie. It looks pretty on the outside but is filled with inner rot.

Spirit Daily article - Interesting!

http://www.spiritdaily.com/stockbroker.htm

A much needed bath

http://www.markmallett.com/blog/?p=547  I have said this before but it bears repeating: I believe Mark Mallet has a true prophetic gift. While reading a number of his articles I have received confirmations that many of his words are true. I was interested in this one because I get words about " a warning", also.  I feel the purification of the Lord picking up speed - both in myself, others and the world. Many Christians are picking up on this and wonder what is going on. It's pretty simple really:
The Lord is cleaning us up :)

Sin- a silent cancer spreading

Sin continues to spread like a silent cancer across our nation and our world. Back in July or August I wrote about a word my mother had received http://openingthefloodgatesofmercy.blogspot.com/2009/07/gross-is-heart-of-this-people-they-will.html . I went back and read this word again. One was a word of knowledge - "The whole earth is groaning." This groaning is the result of  sin in the world. As sin increases worldwide not only do our spirits groan but even the earth groans with the weight of our sins. This was the diagnosis. Immediately after, the Lord gave her this word, "I live in the praises of my people." This is a word of wisdom. It is the "cure" for the problem. Praise. So simple and so necessary. The reason I decided to look at this word again is because someone from the prayer group I attend received the same word. This came from a person that I do not know but I had a witness in the Spirit as she spoke. The Holy Spirit often confirms a word by giving it to more than one person. He witnesses to the truth in the word.

Spirit Daily - A thinning of the veil?

http://www.spiritdaily.com/fathermark.htm  I read this article with interest because I believe that we live in unusual times and God is sending us extraordinary graces and soon will be flooding us with them beyond measure. Remarkable things are happening throughout the earth and in the souls of God's people. Many are noticing it, too :)

Forgiving yourself

I read this article  by Michael Brown at Spirit Daily and was struck by the truth it contained. It underlines the importance of forgiveness - forgiving others and ourselves. It is well worth the read.

Silence

Silence is important in the life of every Christian. Here is a short article on the importance of cultivating silence in your daily life.  I am posting it on this site rather than The Beautiful Gate because I believe silence opens our spiritual ears and makes us more receptive to the voice of God. This helps draw us "Out of Babylon" (worldliness). The more often we practice this, the easier it becomes . Here is the link:http://thesinnersguide.com/2010/02/18/silence-and-the-radical-chrisitian-life/

Purification begins at home

Purification begins at home. The Church has been undergoing a purification for years and this will continue until the Bride of Christ is spotless, without stain or blemish. We, too, are in the midst of a purification. Can you feel it in your hearts?  Here is a link to an interesting article on Spirit Daily which discusses this issue:http://www.spiritdaily.com/churchcleansing.htm. Often purification is looked upon with dread but we should actually be praising God for this. Purification only hurts the ego; it helps our souls. Our pride is sometimes punctured and the truth about ourselves can come as a shock, but we have a wonderful physician who heals the wounds of sin. The medicine may taste bad but it's effects are powerful :) Trust Him. The world will fail you... but Our Lord never will.

Utterly Thine, O Lord!

"Do not quench the Spirit"

As Christians, we live, not naturally, but supernaturally. The Holy Spirit lives in us to lead us, guide us, love us and transform us. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19 it says:
"Do not quench the Spirit."
I was thinking about this passage and it is clear that we CAN put out the fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Unconfessed sin is like pouring water over the fire of the Spirit, especially grievous sin. Our lives were meant to be lived knitted to the Spirit. He is the Advocate promised by Jesus. Nothing separates us more from God than sin...unconfessed sin. Even venial sin gradually begins to harden our hearts and leave us less open to the inspirations of the Spirit. Verse 22 goes on to say:
"Refrain from every kind of evil."
That a big request. EVERY kind of evil. Lack of charity, lies, unjust anger [let's face it - most anger is unjust]. This is why regular confession is important. Ask the Holy Spirit for light and confess your sins. I go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation about once a month on average and I also ask forgiveness immediately during the course of the day if I've noticed I have sinned. This seems to keep the Holy Spirit shining brightly in my soul. Confession pleases Him. Prayer helps, too.

"Lord who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins, and mercifully, kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit. Take away from me this heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore Thee, a heart to delight in Thee, to follow and to enjoy Thee, for Christ's sake. Amen"
[I am not sure which saint wrote this prayer, St. Gregory maybe?]

A link I wanted to share

http://www.spiritdaily.com/oddopposition.htm  I think many Christians will be able to relate to this article as they try to get closer to the Lord..

Humility and Simplicity

http://www.spiritdaily.com/humilitysimplicity.htm