Promises of the Holy Spirit

Old Testament and New Testament

God saw our need to have His Holy Spirit, otherwise we would be doomed. For this reason He made a promise in the Old Testament which was fulfilled with the coming of Christ, He spoke through different prophets as follows:

Old Testament

Ezequiel 36:23-28 | The Holy Spirit will rest upon the Son of David

Ezequiel 36:23-28

23 And I will sanctify my great name , which was profaned among the Gentiles, which you have profaned in the midst of them: that the Gentiles may know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord of hosts, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

24 For I will take you from among the Gentiles, and will gather you together out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25 And I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols.

26 And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit in the midst of you: and I will cause you to walk in my commandments, and to keep my judgments, and do them.

28 And you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Let us examine this passage:

I will sanctify my great name

Jesus came to reveal in Himself the splendour of the Father, the image of the invisible God and the power of His Holy Name [Philippians 2:10-11]. So that we should bend our knee at the mention of the holy name of Jesus, because it is only through the power of His name that we can be saved. [Acts 4:12] Jesus also taught us to pray to our Father in Heaven saying "Holy be your name" [Matthew 6:9]

I will take you from among the Gentiles

The gentiles were considered pagans or people without God, whereas the Israelites were the chosen people of God. Salvation is offered to every one who accepts Christ as their Saviour and Lord, the Holy Spirit is for all. [Romans 16:25-27].

I will pour upon you clean water

John the Baptist came baptising with water but Christ baptises with Living Water and with the Fire of the Holy Spirit [Matthew 3:11]. In the waters of baptism we come to meet Christ, we are immersed in the cleansing living water of the Holy Spirit, water that gushed forth from the heart of Christ. We receive the fire of the Holy Spirit, which is a spark of the divinity, the sanctifying grace that will lead us to Salvation [John 3:5].

I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you

Jesus died for our sins by giving his life in exchange for ours, He extended this gift making it a perpetual sacrifice "Take this and eat it, this is my body, take this and drink this is my blood" [Matthew 26:26-28], in a way God has given us the heart of Jesus as food for our souls in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The pierced heart of Jesus is also his personal gift to everyone, as we let our hearts be pierced with remorse for our sins we receive a new heart, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we will have a heart that is not longer ours but the heart of God. This of course is incomprehensible doctrine for the learned and the wise, this is only meant for the little children since those are the ones who can possess the Kingdom of Heaven [Matthew 11:25-26].

What is the good of a heart if it doesn't give life? But with the heart of Jesus comes also His Precious Blood that gives us life for eternity. He has also given us His Holy Spirit which He sent from Heaven the day of Pentecost. The Spirit of God the Father and the Son is the new Spirit for us, which replaces the old human spirit of sinfulness and self love.

I will put my spirit in the midst of you

After the Resurrection of Our Lord, He appeared to his disciples bringing with Him the Peace of our reconciliation with God the Father. He then breathed on the apostles in order to give them new life and He said : "Receive the Holy Spirit" [John 20:22]. So He put His Holy Spirit in them, even though they only experienced the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, days after the Lord had ascended into Heaven.

The Holy Spirit descended in the shape of tongues of fire which were seen over the heads of the apostles. This was a baptism of fire with the Holy Spirit, we should also feel a similar experience when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

In baptism we receive the Holy Spirit and we are cleansed with the waters of Salvation, the spark of Divine Love within us keeps burning with desire for the Holy Spirit of God to completely possess us but it is up to us to fan that flame of Love within, to stir up the Grace of God for our own spiritual growth [ 2 Timothy 1:6].

It is the Lord who personally puts His Holy Spirit within us, since we are His temples, we must live our lives in humility before His Presence [1 Corinthians 3:16-17].

Through our devotions we supply fuel for the fire of our Faith and the Holy Spirit responds to us by filling us with yearning for God.

You shall be my people, and I will be your God.

We are the people of God, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) ; we belong to Christ and we must proclaim that He has saved us.

In the past we were not God's people, but now, "we are the people of God". In the past we did not receive His Mercy , but now we have received God's Mercy through Jesus Christ Our Lord. In the mystical body of Christ He is the head and we are the body [1 Peter 2:9-10].

God has called us his people, furthermore in Christ we have become his adoptive sons and daughters, therefore we have become the children of God [Ephesians 1:5].

The Holy Spirit shall rest upon Jesus Son of David.

David son of Jesse . Jesse Son of Abraham [Genealogy of Christ Matthew 1:1-17].

In the book of the prophet Isaiah we learn that Christ will be a descendant of Jesse, the son of David and that the Holy Spirit will rest upon Him [Isaiah 11:1-2] with his seven gifts:wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

He will be the Saviour, He will give us living water to drink and with joy we will draw that water from the well of Salvation [Isaiah 12:3] . That will be the sanctifying water of baptism to deliver us from original sin, and it will be also the Living water of the Holy Spirit which will be given to us after the death of Our Lord [John 16:7].

The Lord tells us through the prophet Joel [Joel 2:28] :

And it shall come to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

The Holy Spirit in the New Testament

The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and She conceived by His Power Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ [Luke 1:35]. While She was visiting her cousin Elizabeth, at hearing the voice of Mary St. John the Baptist was sanctified by the Holy Spirit in the womb of her mother and leaped for joy.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and said who am I that the Mother of my Lord should visit me, among all women you are blessed and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Mary answered by praising God in the beautiful song of the Magnificat [Luke 1:39-56].

Before Jesus started his public ministry, He went to the Jordan river where He was baptised by John the Baptist. Then The Holy Spirit descended upon Him and was visible to John in a form of a dove. He then went to fast in the desert for forty days, where he overcame the temptations of the devil. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit as promised in the book of [Isaiah 11:1-2] and began His ministry calling everyone to repentance, preaching the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven, healing the sick, and casting out devils. John the Baptist said to everyone I baptise you with water for repentance of your sins but Jesus will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire [Matthew 3:11] .

Jesus taught that all sins shall be forgiven except sins committed against the Holy Spirit [Luke 12:10].

He also taught that we only have to ask and it shall be given, knock and the door will be answered, search and we shall find, and that if a father here on earth, even though being wicked knows how to respond to the need of his children, how much more will our Heavenly Father give us the Holy Spirit if we ask !, so the Holy Spirit is the gift of the Father and the Son that sanctifies us and we must ask for it. It is the most precious thing that we can ask for and our good Heavenly Father will grant us our petition if we ask, knock and search for it.

We are temples of the Holy Spirit and to be filled with the Spirit of God we must cleanse our temples with the waters of repentance through baptism. However we are supposed to stop sinning in order to receive the fire of the Holy Spirit. So this promise of God is conditional to our repentance. A humble and contrite heart is the place where God wants to dwell [Isaiah 66:2] .

God the Father and God the Son will come to dwell in Spirit in those who love Jesus and keep His Word [John 14:23]

Jesus promised that whenever we are put on trial for proclaiming the Good News we will speak what is given to us by the Holy Spirit [Mark 13:10-11].

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Repentance

The key to the reception of the Holy Spirit is repentance. John the Baptist was preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins and as preparation for the coming of the Messiah. He was baptising with water as a symbol of cleansing, but He said that the Messiah would be coming after Him, baptising with fire and with the Holy Spirit.[Matthew 3:11]

After the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, Peter spoke to the people and exhorted them to repent and to be baptised, so that their sins would be forgiven and that they could receive the Holy Spirit [Acts 2:38], so this is why we must repent and turn to God, and produce fruits consistent with our repentance.[Acts 26:20]

We are baptised as infants when we have not committed any sins, so baptism infuse us with the Grace to become children of God redeemed by Christ. Further on in our lives, we must repent of our sins to allow the Holy Spirit to continue working in us with His sanctifying Grace.

Just as John the Baptist was someone preparing the way for the Lord in the Spirit of Elijah, repentance comes to prepare a path of contrition and sorrow for the coming of God the Holy Spirit.

There can not be an experience of the Holy Spirit, unless we have repented. For the purpose of our study, and for our own sanctification, we will study this topic from God's point of view through the Holy Scriptures and through the experience of repentance.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me,and seek out my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.

Now therefore amend your ways, and your doings, and hearken to the voice of the Lord your God: and the Lord will repent of the evil that he hath spoken against you. [Jeremiah 26:13]

Therefore will I judge every man according to his ways, O house of Israel, saith the Lord God. Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities: and iniquity shall not be your ruin. [Ezekiel 18:30]

In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the desert of Judea and saying: Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. [Matthew 3:1-2]

After being tempted for forty days in the desert, Jesus was baptised and was filled with the Holy Spirit. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say: Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. [Matthew 4:17]

Unless you repent, you will all perish [Luke 13:3]

The Apostles were sent to preach repentance [Mark 6:12] It is our duty to become disciples of the Lord, and follow the steps of the apostles transmitting the message of repentance to everyone. We will be judged for not telling others to repent as in the case of the prophet [Ezekiel 3:18 - 21]

[James 5:19-20 ]
19 My brethren, if any of you err from the truth, and one converts him:
20 He must know that he who causes a sinner to be converted from the error of his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.

After the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, Peter was filled with courage to proclaim the gospel, while he addressed the crowds and exhorted them to be saved from their perverse generation, he also said these words concerning repentance:
Do penance, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. [Acts 2:38]

God has overlooked the times of our ignorance, [we don't really know how bad our offence is when we sin] , so He has commanded all men everywhere to repent [Acts 17:30]

In order to repent we must subject the passions of the flesh and all our human weaknesses to the power of the Holy Spirit, we must suffer as we amend our lives and change [2 Corinthians 7:10], but the Lord will reward us for coming to Him like the prodigal son.

We must produce fruits in keeping with repentance [Matthew 3:8], fruits that will lead us to holiness, then we must continue with perseverance otherwise we may lose the privilege that the Lord has conferred us [Revelation 2:5]

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We must confess daily our sinfulness and we must acclaim the holiness of God by contrast [Psalm 38:18]. We are sinners by nature, God is divine and holy by His own Grace.

How can we come to Him feeling that we are good when it is by our own sins that we have crucified His Son? [Genesis 6:12] With Adam and Eve we feel the guilt of our sinfulness and the eyes of God pierce through the nakedness of our souls accusing us of our impurities and imperfections, therefore we need to humble ourselves before the Majesty of God in order to receive His blessing .

We are unworthy to be in His Presence, should we see God's face we would die [Exodus 33:20], we have an eternal debt that we can not pay, except with our Love for Christ and our thanksgiving to the Father. In baptism we are clothed with Christ and by His Grace we are dressed with the robes of Salvation, however as we all have sinned, we have desecrated that Holy Presence of God in us, so we must repent. We must turn away form evil and darkness, from sin and death and we must choose Goodness, Light, Grace and Life.

The Lord says unless you repent you will all perish [Luke 13:5]. Most of us come to confession to confess the same sins that we repeatedly confess every time. Have we really repented? Are we justifying our sins and playing games with our Salvation? Are we not supposed to come shedding tears like Mary Magdalene for our sins? The reason for our behaviour is that we confess our sins without sufficient remorse, without feeling any guilt, without pain of having crucified our Lord.

We must confess not only our sins, but also our guilt, yes because our sins have crucified the Lord. [Zechariah 12:10]

We cannot become saints until we eradicate sinfulness from our lives. Whoever is born of God, commits no sin: for his seed abides in him, and he can not sin, because he is born of God. [1 John 3:9]

To be a saint means to become a son of God, we must strive for the purity of the holy angels, everything we do must be done in the Presence of God. We live before Him in the nakedness of our souls but our guilt is removed because the tears of our repentance demand His Mercy.

The saint is prepared to rather die than sin. To live to sin is a curse for Him, therefore He suffers in the flesh until He can be called to be in God forever [1 Peter 2:24].

Contents

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Jesus is the fruit of the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Out of this marvellous relationship between God and Mary, the Holy Spirit produced His fruit in the Incarnation of the Word of God, who became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. So out of this spiritual marriage of the Holy Spirit with Mary, She became the tree of life, whose fruit is the food for our souls. We are called to imitate Mary in order to bear good fruit, consistent with our repentance.

We are compared to trees on many occasions, in order to understand the purpose of our existence which is to be fruitful. John the Baptist came preaching repentance and with Him the threat that the axe is ready: every tree that does not bear fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. [Matthew 3:10] The Lord confirms that in [Matthew 7:19].

Our Blessed Lord manifested His anger at the fruitless fig tree, which dried out and died after his curse.[Matthew 21:19] , Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches, those who cut themselves off the vine by not abiding in Him, are cut off, they die and are thrown into the fire.[John 15:6]

The Lord says that the Kingdom of Heaven will be given to those who produce the good fruits of the Kingdom [Matthew 21:43], He also says that prophets will be known by their fruits [Matthew 7:16]. So the spiritual fruits that we produce are caused by the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, they are the fruits of Salvation through the power of the Holy Spirit and our faith in Him.[2 Thessalonians 2:13]

So according to the tradition of the Church the fruits of the Holy Spirit are: "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity." [Galatians 5:22-23] These fruits are produced in our souls by our yielding to the gentle persuasions of the Holy Spirit.

In order to produce the fruits of the Spirit, we must be rooted on the firm soil of our faith, fertilised with the nourishment of the sacraments and devotions, watered with the Living Water of the Holy Spirit and pruned by our sufferings and trials. It is called the fruit of the Spirit, not so much our fruit, because it is produced directly by the Holy Spirit, so that we should not become proud. We must allow the Spirit of God to lead us to holiness, the Master Builder will construct a spiritual house in us for His pleasure and Glory. [Psalm 127- (126 D.Rh) ]

It is for the Glory of God the Father that we become the fruitful disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ [John 15:18]

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Proverbs 8:19
For my fruit is better than gold and the precious stone, and my blossoms than choice silver.

Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the just man is a tree of life: and he that gaineth souls, is wise.

Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 Blessed be the man that trusteth in the Lord, and the Lord shall be his confidence.
8 And he shall be as a tree that is planted by the waters, that spreadeth out its roots towards moisture: and it shall not fear when the heat cometh. And the leaf thereof shall be green, and in the time of drought it shall not be solicitous, neither shall it cease at any time to bring forth fruit.

Ezekiel 47:12
And by the torrent on the banks thereof on both sides shall grow all trees that bear fruit: their leaf shall not fall off, and their fruit shall not fail: every month shall they bring forth first fruits, because the waters thereof shall issue out of the sanctuary: and the fruits thereof shall be for food, and the leaves thereof for medicine.

Contents

The twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit

Charity

Love finds its perfection in Charity, since we love God but we don't see Him so we can prove to Him our Love by loving others. The new commandment of Our Lord is "Love one another as I have loved you" that manifestation of Love compels the soul to do acts of charity for others. God is easily found in the needs of the poor, in the marginalised, the oppressed, the persecuted, the lonely, the outcast, those who suffer and all those who are last. No wonder the Lord has said that the last will be the first. On the day of Judgement, the Lord will reward us according to the way we treated our brothers and sisters, because in the same way we indeed treated our Lord.[Matthew 25:34-40]

Our Lady was a living model of Charity, as soon as She was filled with the Holy Spirit, She felt the need to go out of her way to help her cousin Elizabeth.

Joy

St. Paul recommends that we rejoice in the Lord always, [Philippians 4:4] and again He says rejoice. Joy is a gift to keep even in the middle of our trials and sufferings, because joy is the anticipation of the greater gift of eternal bliss.

We have good times when we naturally rejoice, but this joy is perfected when we appreciate that it comes from God and we thank Him. Whenever we suffer, we must be also thankful for the crosses we are receiving and rejoice spiritually because the reward for our crosses will be our crowns.

Do we thank God for all the joys we receive? Do we take it all for granted or do we realise that God is the source of our joy?

Peace

Peace is the sign of God's Presence in our lives. Peace is the fruit of the reconciliation between God and man through the death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The first words that the Lord pronounced after His resurrection were "Peace be with you" [John 20:19], the same words He repeated again before saying to the apostles "Receive the Holy Spirit"

With the gift of Peace, the Apostles then received the breath of the resurrected Lord and the power to forgive sins, which continues in the sacrament of Penance. As we are reconciled with God in this holy sacrament we are healed of the wounds of our sins and we receive God's peace, fruit of our reconciliation.

The Peace that we receive from the Lord is different to the peace of this world, it is the peace of the soul finding itself pure before God.

Patience

With this holy attitude, a person is prepared to deal with all the different situations and persons that otherwise would cause annoyance or distress. Being patient means understanding the individuality of other people and adjusting to their needs, knowing that God has sent them into our lives for a purpose, perhaps to make us humble or to make us realise how weak we are.

We can not change events that have already taken place, it is too late to be impatient as if by our lack of virtue we would change anything at all. Impatience can only make things worse. As a matter of fact, impatience leads to anger, which leads to hatred, which uncontrolled can lead to murder. This is why we must produce this fruit of the Holy Spirit which is part of the very important foundations for holiness.

The Patriarch Job was an excellent example of this holy virtue of Patience, He was put to the test by the Lord who allowed satan to tempt Him. One day while he was at home he received different messengers telling him the bad news that He had lost all his cattle, that they had killed his servants and that the roof of the house where his seven daughters and three sons were staying had collapsed killing them all. This is how He responded to this situation:
[Job 1:20-22] 20 Then Job rose up, and rent his garments, and having shaven his head fell down upon the ground and worshipped,
21 And said: Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as it hath pleased the Lord so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord.
22 In all these things Job sinned not by his lips, nor spoke he any foolish thing against God.

Kindness

Many times we feel down but we are cheered up by the kindness of others. This beautiful disposition of the soul makes people very charmy and useful to others, it is not the artificial smile that makes us welcome, but the sincere disposition of a good heart.

For whosoever shall give you to drink a cup of water in my name, because you belong to Christ: amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. [Mark 9:40 - 41]

Goodness

God is the source of all goodness, He is the giver of all gifts, He wants us to imitate Him.

Imitation of Christ involves being good, being a reflection of Christ in our lives to others. Our behaviour reflects how we are keeping the commandments.

The first three commandments teach to love God, to respect His Holy Name and to keep holy the Sabbath day which for us Catholics is Sunday.

The last seven commandments refer to the way we must treat others. We must be good to our parents, we must protect our lives, the lives of the unborn and the lives of others because God is Life and life is good. We must respect our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit avoiding all corruption and impurity, we must respect our neighbour's goods, we must respect our neighbour's reputation, and we must respect our neighbour's wife.

Generosity

To love is to give. God loves us and He gives us everything. There is no greater friend than He who is prepared to lay down his life for another.[John 15:13] It is indeed a gift to be generous, because it takes a lot to decide not to keep what is rightly ours to give it to another, specially to a stranger.

When we give we truly deny ourselves, as the Lord has requested. Generosity must be done in silence in order to merit Grace from God and not merely the thanksgiving of men. It is very easy to be generous to our relatives or friends but that is not generosity since we will be repaid for that with friendship, thanksgiving and praise. Generosity must extend to the poor and the needy, it is a quest for justice as if we have the work of God to provide for those who don't have.

[Luke 14:13]
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind;
14 And thou shalt be blessed, because they have not wherewith to make thee recompense: for recompense shall be made thee at the resurrection of the just.

For whosoever shall give you to drink a cup of water in my name, because you belong to Christ: amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. [Mark 9:40 - 41]

Gentleness

The Holy Spirit is a gentle Spirit that works very smoothly directing us to do what is pleasing to God. Under His action we can be meek and humble in everything we do; there is no violence nor corruption in a soul depending on the gentleness of the Spirit of God.

Our Lady is the perfect model of gentleness, her human actions had a touch of the divine because She is the spouse of the Holy Spirit.

We are the Church, the bride of Christ and we must bear resemblance to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the bride of the Holy Spirit. Through the action of the Holy Spirit we must become Immaculate in order to appear as virgins before the bridegroom on the day of the great marriage of the Lamb. [Revelation 19:7]

Faithfulness

God is infinitely surrounded by His faithfulness. He has committed himself to His creation, first by creating it, then by redeeming it through Christ our Lord and then by sanctifying it through the Holy Spirit.

The work of God is to believe in the one whom He has sent, namely our Lord Jesus Christ [John 6:29], by being faithful to Jesus we remain in Him and He remains in us, we become witnesses of the way, the truth and the life.

Our Loyalty to Christ involves becoming his disciples and doing the same works that He did; we must remain faithful not only to his teachings but to the Church that He founded on Peter the rock.

We must remain faithful to the teachings of our Church, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. [1 Timothy 3:15]. We must walk in the path of truth if we are to remain faithful to God.

Modesty

Jesus Christ the King of Kings, the ruler of the universe was born in a very poor cave, the son of very poor parents and surrounded by poverty. Mary our Mother replied to the angel that bore the good news of the coming of the Messiah: I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word. By her modest response, She didn't become proud of such gift, she actually never told Joseph that She was to be the mother of the Son of God, She kept it to herself risking to be divorced publicly since She was a virgin. Joseph found out in a dream through the message of an angel that Mary had conceived the Saviour of the world through the action of the Holy Spirit.

Modesty is an essential base for humility, it may appear mediocre in the eyes of man but not in the eyes of God. By this holy fruit of the Holy Spirit one learns to be contented with what is just required, one doesn't harbour any ambitions, nor take pride in any achievements since they appear commonplace.

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble [James 4:6], therefore we must conduct our lives with humility, not claiming any credit for ourselves, but giving all credit and thanksgiving to God and accepting His Holy Will.

Self-control

Man must become the master of his body, his body must not master him. The carnal man despises the Holy Spirit and doesn't exercise self-control.

By self control we must overcome all the passions of the flesh, since he who produces the fruits of the Holy Spirit belongs to Christ and has crucified the flesh with all its passions.[Galatians 5:24]

One good way to overcome the flesh is fasting and prayer, by overcoming the desires of the body for food, the soul learns to be deprived by the authority of the will and the result is self-control.

Couples can agree to exercise self-control only for set periods of time, say during lent, during holy days of obligation or Fridays as an act of penance, but always remembering that they must not deprive each other of their conjugal rights. The husband's body belongs to the wife and the wife's body belongs to the husband, otherwise satan may lead each other to lose self-control.[1 Corinthians 7:3-5]

Chastity

The union between a man and a woman is sacred, it is bound in the sacrament of matrimony. Two become one flesh, therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.[Matthew 19:6]. God hates divorce [Malachi 2:16]

In the same manner an unmarried couple is not consecrated to God, they are committing adultery, they are parading their wickedness, they are living an illegal relationship.

The sexual relationship between husband and wife is a gift from God, it is the binding expression of the great unitive value of love. It is given as a gift from God, primarily for the transmission of life, and secondarily for the joy of the couple. The man and the woman should treat their bodies with due respect, remembering that they are temples of the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 6:19]. Lust is a disorderly passion that can creep into the relationship of the couple, therefore it is advisable that they practice chastity during certain monthly periods, they should also agree not to do it on holy days, perhaps Fridays in honour of Our Lord's passion or to practice whatever method of controlling passions within marriage. The pure purpose of marriage should be to love one another, to pro-create children for God and to maintain a pure relationship of fidelity and love.
People should not get married based on physical attraction only, they must understand each other and genuinely be willing to love one another for life.

Sex before marriage or outside marriage is adultery, masturbation is also a sin because it is either inciting the body to commit adultery or denying the other partner what belongs to their common joy. The chastity of the youth is equal to the purity of the children and is most precious in the eyes of God.

Virginity is the most excellent gift that the couple can offer to one another on their honey moon, it proves to them that they were truly made for one another.

Unfortunately these values have been lost nowadays, there are so many false teachings and so much bad example on television and the media; what can we say to our children? We are responsible before God for their conduct, because if we don't alert them to these dangers of unchastity and impurity, we will be held guilty for our negligence.

Homosexuality is a totally perverted expression of sexuality. It is a terrible abomination before the eyes of God, the man or woman engaged in this conduct is fighting against God's Will Who has made woman for man and man for woman [Genesis 2:24].

This sin caused the chastisement of Sodom and Gomorrah, because the Lord forbids a man to lay down with another man, or a woman with another woman [Leviticus 18:22-28]

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

We have been created in the image of God, we are His children. We are still infants in our faith, because we love God only by faith; we can not enjoy our relationship with Him to the fullest because we are sinners still in the flesh. To help us in our Salvation God has sent His Son Our Lord Jesus Christ to die for our sins on the cross. To sanctify us He has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us and to teach us to know Him, love Him and serve Him.

To exist is the first gift that we become aware of, it is from God and it is eternal. The creation around us is filled with beauty and harmony, everything that God has created reflects His perfection and Glory.

We have the gift of love first from our parents, who love us and make us respond with love to them. As we grow older, we become intelligent and by reason and faith we accept God as our creator.

We have been adorned with gifts, both physical and spiritual. We have a mind to think and to reason, a body to contain all the different organs within.

The heart is a wonderful organ that beats continuously until we die, it ticks every time as if God was telling us : I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you..............

The eyes can contemplate the beauty of creation, they alert us to danger and they are wonderful companions. The nose allows us to enjoy beautiful fragrances and also warns us from bad smells. The ears help us to hear, to take part in different activities, even to enjoy music and other noises. The mouth helps us to speak and to communicate with others through the intelligence of the mind. It is also the door to our food intake, which also gives us pleasure when we eat. The arms and the legs, and in fact the whole body has been designed in such a fantastic way that it is the perfect machine. I provides us with enjoyment, it is useful, it is the place where our souls live.

We also have the senses of the soul: we must think with the mind of Christ, we must see with the eyes of the Spirit, we must listen to His Word, we must eat the bread of life that He gives us, we must speak the Word of God, we must work for the Kingdom of Heaven and we must walk along the path of His Holy Will.

Every morning as we wake up, we should bless and thank the Lord for all His blessings, because He loves us so much that we exist, we must thank the Lord that we are better off than many other disadvantaged human beings, no matter how bad we may feel at anytime.

So, we are filled with gifts. And yet these are only temporal gifts compared to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. God has wanted to sanctify us through His Spirit but He has complained that we don't even know how to deal with what does not belong to us, so how can we expect to enjoy the gifts that truly belong to us since we are His children? [Luke 16:12]

All the gifts of the Holy Spirit are ready for us as a Christmas tree surrounded by gifts. We must merit those gifts first, then we must ask for them and most important we must open them and put them to good use.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are for our sanctification and for the uplifting of the body of Christ, the Church.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. In their fullness, they belong to Christ the perfect man, the Son of David [Isaiah 11:1-10].

There are many more gifts of the Holy Spirit as explained by St. Paul although they all derive from the seven gifts mentioned previously: [Romans 12:4-13], [1 Corinthians 12:7-11], [1 Corinthians 12:28-31], they help us to grow and and to make others grow spiritually.

For the faithful they are the Divine help that perfect virtue and aid in the edification of the body of Christ. All those who are baptised receive these gifts in small measure, we must cultivate them and make them grow by living a Christian life.

Contents

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Wisdom

[Read Proverbs Chapter 8]

Wisdom is one of the three main attributes of God: Power, Wisdom and Love, corresponding to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and to the three theological virtues of Faith , Hope and Love.

Jesus is the incarnate Wisdom of God, He is the Word of God made flesh, He is the way, the truth and the life. Bestowed upon Him is the plenitude of Wisdom, which desires to live in every heart.

One who is full of God is full of Wisdom, with Jesus He can claim the prophecy of Isaiah which was fulfilled as Jesus read it. [Luke 4:18-21]

[John 15:4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me.

A definition of Wisdom is found in the book of Job [28:28] Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil, is understanding.

[Psalm 111:10] the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding to all that do it: his praise continues for ever and ever.

[Romans 11:33 ] O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways!

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written: I will catch the wise in their own craftiness. [1 Corinthians 3:19]

Understanding

And God gave to Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart as the sand that is on the sea shore. [1 Kings 4:29-30 (3 Kings in D. Rh)]; understanding is the ability to discern what is from God and what is not. It is also the gift of understanding the meaning of the Holy Scriptures.

With the gift of understanding the disciples on the road to Emmaus were given the light to understand the Holy Scriptures and their hearts burned within as the Lord spoke to them.[Luke 24:30] The apostles understood about the yeast of the Pharisees being their wicked doctrine [Matthew 16:12], when the Lord told them that Elijah had come but they had done with him whatever they pleased, the apostles understood that Jesus was referring to John the Baptist [Matthew 17:12-13]

Understanding is also the gift of being able to perceive the hidden spiritual meaning of the Holy Scriptures, either by reading and meditating them or by listening to someone who has the gift of preaching.

Counsel

Those who desire to acquire wisdom must accept that they don't know everything, they should seek counsel from the elders and learn from experience and wisdom.

In the old days, kings used to consult the prophets and the men of wisdom before taking important decisions. God gives counsel to those who come to Him, therefore we should consult the Lord before we take any important decision, He will respond by giving us a clear mind full of wisdom.

With this gift we learn to help those who are confused, we lend a hand to those suffering depression, we advise those who are about to do something wrong and we minister the great wisdom of God, we normally receive counsel from God [Psalm 16:7] when we are sleeping.

[Psalm 32.8-9]

8 I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct thee in this way, in which thou shalt go: I will fix my eyes upon thee.
9 Do not become like the horse and the mule, who have no understanding. With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws, who come not near unto thee.

Fortitude

Our Lord Jesus Christ had this great gift from God the Father so that He was able to endure the hardships of the passion.

God gives us the cross but He also gives us the strength to carry it [1 Corinthians 10:13]

It is not by human strength that we have to do our spiritual battles, therefore we need to be reinforced being strong in Him and in the strength of His power, putting on the armour of God and fighting the good battle.[Ephesians 6:10-17]

Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened: seek his face evermore. [Psalm 105:4]

In fortitude we learn to endure and persevere through all our difficulties, I am able to do all things in Him who strengthens me. [Philippians 4:13]

Knowledge

The gift of knowledge is the ability to know future events and to read the minds of others, mainly to read the soul of another person; as Our Lord demonstrated knowing how the samaritan woman had had different men [John 4:18-19], He read the mind of those who were saying to themselves how can this man forgive sins when only God forgives sins [Luke 5:21-23], He knew that Lazarus was dead when the apostles came to tell Him, He also knew that Judas was going to betray Him and much more.

This gift of the Holy Spirit has been present in the lives of the prophets and the saints, it is given so that others may be warned or that they strengthen their faith.

In a weak form this gift is the same as intuition. For those who practise the spiritual life, this gift comes sometimes in visions that represent a message of something that is either going on or that will happen, also as a reminder to pray for a particular cause or person.

Piety

This is a great gift of faith that gives a person the ability to spend time in prayer and devotions, it is like a fire that always wants to grow and it receives fuel in prayer.

On the way to Calvary Jesus met the pious women of Jerusalem, they followed the example of Mary our Blessed Mother. Pious people can be found today attending mass daily and praying for other people. They feed their piety by praying the Holy Rosary daily, by seeking knowledge in religious books and by practicing their religious devotions.

Most priests and religious have had this strong vocation of serving the Lord, they were motivated by piety. They have accepted hardships and persecutions and somehow they have become fools for Christ like St. Paul [2 Corinthians 12:10-11] because in our weaknesses we discover the strength of the Lord.

In baptism we receive an infusion of all these gifts of the Holy Spirit, but like gifts under the Christmas tree, they must be opened and put to good use.

Fear of the Lord

Holy fear of the Lord consists in fearing to offend God by our indifference and sinfulness.

In fact fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom [Proverbs 1:7], The fear of the Lord hates evil: I hate arrogance, and pride, and every wicked way, and a mouth with a double tongue says the Lord . [Proverbs 8:13]

Not much is taught about fearing God any more, the concept is that God is so good that we should not fear Him, but if we look at the Holy Scriptures we will see that even the Holy Name of God inspired so much awe and respect that the Israelites did not pronounce it completely for fear of offending Him.

We must not fear God because He is going to punish us, this indeed would be to think that God is a punitive God waiting for a chance to teach us a lesson. We must fear God because our lives depend on Him and if we sin, we ourselves separate from Him and risk to be on our own.

A branch cut off the vine withers and dies [John 15:1-6], so if we turn away from God who is Light, we give ourselves to the prince of darkness, the devil and He becomes our Father [John 8:44] . This would be enough reason to have fear of offending God.

So we must trust and remain in our faithful God, who is our strength, the light of our lives. We must remain faithful to Him and avoid the risk of losing Him for lack of Fear of God.

Romans 3:10

10 As it is written: There is not any man just.
11 There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God.
12 All have turned out of the way; they are become unprofitable together: there is none that doth good, there is not so much as one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have dealt deceitfully. The venom of asps is under their lips.
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery in their ways:
17 And the way of peace they have not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

The seven gifts | Contents

Charismatic gifts

Overview

Besides the seven gifts found to perfection in Christ and which everyone who is baptised possesses in different degree for his own sanctification, there are also spiritual gifts for the edification and sanctification of the whole Church.

These gifts are received for the purpose of helping others, they are supernatural gifts that help the faith of those who are benefited by them, usually not the person who receives them but the person or persons affected by them.

For example Prophecy is the highest of these gifts, it has the power to convince others that what is being said is truly the Word of God, it is not so much prophesying coming events, but expanding the Holy Scriptures with Wisdom that touches the heart of those who listen.

The gifts of healing and miracles, are a response of God to the prayers of intercession and while they heal one person, others become convinced that the Lord is truly there in the prayer group, and encourages to pray for healing.

These gifts can be received when a person receives the experience of the Baptism of the Spirit; an experience which is not another baptism, but a very strong physical and spiritual confirmation of the Holy Spirit. The person must be a very strong believer of the Words of Christ and must have repented of his sins with true sorrow and contrition.

Normally this experience is received through the laying of the hands by one who has received the Holy Spirit anointing, we are supposed to receive this experience in the Sacrament of Confirmation, but that is not normally the case. The anointed person lays hands on a person who is repenting of his sins and surrendering himself of herself to the action of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit responds to the purity of intention of the ones involved. It is common to see people responding with tears in their eyes, feelings of joy, speaking in tongues and being slain in the Spirit.

Those who receive this experience of the Holy Spirit become thirsty for God. They continue to attend prayer meetings, where they begin to get involved in preaching the gospel, praying over the sick and committing themselves to the Work of God.

The Spiritual gifts were present in the early Church as we learn from St. Paul [Romans 12:4-13] and then have manifested at other times to the saints and to those who seek God.

Nowadays, we are experiencing an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. [Joel 2:28]

Prophecy

To prophecy means to speak in the name of the Lord, in other words it means to speak God's Word to others, namely the Gospel. Every one who is baptised is called to be a witness of Christ by word and action. John Paul II is the prophet of our times, He speaks the Word of God in all his encyclicals the same as all the other popes.

Bishops and priests also receive this gift, although not all of them open themselves to the influence of the Holy Spirit, since when speaking in prophecy one is the instrument of God, but some actually having the opportunity to prophesy become obstacles of the message of God.

As a gift from the Holy Spirit, prophecy is given as a message of the Lord for His people. The person receives an interior locution, a very strong desire to say what is given to Him and the words just come [Jeremiah 20:9].

There is nothing to be revealed since all revelation has been given to us through the Holy Scriptures, so prophecy is a sign from God that He is present in the prayer group or the Church assembly.

Most prophecy is heard in Charismatic groups, since many other groups and apostolates in the Church reject the approach of the Charismatic movement.

However not all Charismatic groups are totally acceptable since some tend to deviate from the teachings of the Church, and neglect the Sacraments, specially Confession before the priest, some others neglect the attention that is due to Mary the Mother of God, therefore they dedicate themselves to the study of the Holy Scriptures and in a way they become very much like Pentecostals.

We must remember that the first Christian and Charismatic was Our Lady, because She was totally anointed with the Holy Spirit, in such a way that She bore in her womb the Incarnate Word of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, She spent thirty years of the private life of Jesus in His company and She went all the way to the holy mountain of Calvary to offer her Isaac to the Lord in sacrifice.She offered the true lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world; and that, makes Her the mother of our faith. If we can not find place for Our Lady in Charismatic prayer meetings, then we are not dealing there with the Holy Spirit.

So future Charismatics: Beware ! - Remember, the Holy Spirit is found where Mary is found. If they don't pray the Rosary in your Charismatic prayer group, be sure of suggesting how important it is to be in the company of Our Lady like the Apostles on the day of Pentecost.

Deliverance

In my name they will cast out devils, they will speak in tongues ..etc [Mark 16:17], these are signs that accompany the believers.

People do not believe in evil spirits any more, they laugh about the idea of the devil, they accept the evil in the world and they don't reject it. So in a way to be able to deliver evil spirits one must believe that they exist, and one must have a very strong conviction in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Unless you believe that the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and unless you are in a state of Grace, do not dare to rebuke evil spirits from another person, in fact if you try, you will end up having a terrible experience if the person is really possessed. Officially the Church only grants permission to exorcise to certain gifted priests.

According to the Words of Christ, we must truly believe to be able to receive that power of God to cast out devils, to heal, to perform miracles etc [Mark 16:17-20]. We must believe in the Holy Spirit as the Creed says: I believe in the Holy Spirit, that means I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit, I believe that I am a temple of the Holy Spirit and that I have been commissioned to bring the Presence of God to others.

Evil Spirits will leave at the command of one who is anointed with the Holy Spirit. There will be signs to confirm that the success of the exorcism has taken place.

Come Holy Spirit - Charismatic movement

Tongues

On the day of Pentecost, the apostles received the gift of tongues, they were able to speak to peoples of different nationalities who would understand them in their own languages.

However this gift does not only refer to languages that can be interpreted by others only, St. Paul says that if someone speaks in tongues there should be another person who would interpret what he is saying for the benefit of the whole group. There are also tongues of praise and adoration, which are the most common. These are very beneficial for the soul. They are as the language to express communication only between the soul and God [1 Corinthians 14:2] St. Paul recommends that once we receive the gift of tongues one should strive to possess the gift of Prophecy because tongues build the individual while Prophecy builds the whole Church. He says do not forbid speaking in tongues [1 Corinthians 14:39].

We don't know how to pray and we need the help of the Spirit, so He makes His presence to us in sighs, moans, tongues or any other manifestation that expresses our deepest feelings of love for God [Romans 8:26]

Many healings take place at the moment of laying hands on the persons being prayed over, specially when tongues are being said [Acts 19:6]. There is mystery in this gift, since only God knows the language of the Spirit. Visions are also reported to be seen when the Lord is being praised in tongues.

Those who do not have this gift may laugh or criticise those who have it, let me assure you that this is very real [Isaiah 28:10-11]. When I received it I was in tears every time that I used it, as a result I praise the Lord in tongues every day.

I want to relate to you my personal experience with this gift. I prayed over my seven year old daughter who was asking me about this gift and who genuinely desired to praise the Lord in tongues, while I was driving my car with one hand I layed hands on her with the other, a few minutes later She was praising God in tongues, and She was crying saying to me I don't know why I am crying, but I am certainly speaking in tongues.

However we must be cautious even with this gift, since some people possessed by an evil spirit may speak also in tongues and can deceive others. So instead of praising they might be cursing God. We must therefore pray always for discernment.

Teaching

This is a very useful gift that permits people to expand the Holy Scriptures and to transmit the true teachings of the Church. This is not just confined to priests or religious, everyone is supposed to be a witness of the truth.

Apologetics do a very good job putting together parts of the Bible combined with the teachings of the Church to explain certain Topics of fidelity to the Catholic Church.

Teaching can be the passing of acquired knowledge or it can be also the gift of expressing the supernatural in natural words, namely the preaching of the Majesty and Glory of God, the mysteries of His Creation, the exaltation of the Son of God, and all the beautiful teachings about Our Lady.

By the teachings of Wisdom, great mysteries can be expanded. The mystery of the Holy Trinity for example would be appreciated more when learned from someone who is anointed with this gift. There are no human words to explain mysteries, because that is what they are, but they can be put in words that will touch the soul and somehow the Holy Spirit will make up for what is lacking in meaning.

Healing - Miracles

Healing takes place when we have a change of heart and repent, when we pray to the Lord and ask for His Mercy. The Lord is our healer [Exodus 15:26].

Healing can only take place after repentance and forgiveness. That is the obstacle of many who are seeking to be healed, the reason is that they may still have some resentment against someone, against themselves or against God.

The Lord heals first the soul, then the body [Matthew 9:2-6] as we recall in the healing of the paralytic.

When we refer to the gift of healing we speak of people who have the gift of praying for the healing of others and the response of the Lord by healing them.

Those who are engaged in this kind of intercessory prayer, must pray fervently that the Lord will forgive the sins of the sick person. If you can bring a person to repentance of his sins, then there is a great possibility of healing.

We must be proclaimers of repentance, unafraid of criticism. We must advise people to go to confession when they sin or at least once a month, so that we don't lose the sense of sin.

As we pray for another, we must bring that person before the Lord in humility and contrition which are the doors to His Presence, we must ask the person to live the prayers, we must confess our sins to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. We must forgive everyone in our lives, even those that we don't remember. We must thank God the Father for the gift of His Son, whom we confess to be Our Lord, God and Saviour. We pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ His Son. We must pray that the Precious Blood of Jesus will deliver the person from all evil spirits. We must ask through the merits of the sufferings, agony and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of His holy wounds. We should always seek the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and ask through the merits of her most holy tears.

The person being prayed over, must renounce satan, the world and all those things that lead to sin. All these prayers are submitted to the Holy Will of God and depend on His Will, not our wills. At the end of the prayers, we must thank God again for answering our prayer, we must believe that the Lord is granting us our request because trust in Him is the vessel of His Mercy. We conclude our prayers with praise and adoration.

After the prayers, we must present these petitions to the Lord as we receive Him in the Holy Eucharist and ask Him to cover them with His Precious Blood.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is truly present with us, specially as we proclaim His Word [Mark 16:20].

Many miracles have taken place in our humble ministry following this preceding prayers. Thanks be to God!

Discernment

By this gift, we receive a feeling inside that tells us wether things are right or wrong. It is very useful when we have to pray for someone, because somehow we receive a special light to guide us in prayer.

Discernment is also very useful when we deal with someone for the first time, or when we listen to a prophecy. There are many voices in the world, we must know which ones we must avoid. We must pray daily for this gift because the devil is the father of lies and he is always trying to find ways to deceive us.

We are bombarded continuously with heresies, blasphemies, lies, false stories and distracting words.

As disciples of Jesus, we must listen only to one voice, His Word. Solomon prayed for Wisdom, and great discernment was given to Him [1 Kings 4:29-30]. Likewise we must pray that God who is Wisdom will fill us abundantly.

Apparitions

Very common during this century is the occurrence of Apparitions of heavenly beings, such as angels, saints, Our Lady and Our Lord.

Throughout the centuries, Our Lord and Our Lady have appeared mainly to the saints in order to pass very important messages or doctrines, such us the doctrine of the Sacred Heart revealed to Sr. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Divine Mercy revealed to Sr. Faustina. Our Lady in the main apparitions such as Lourdes revealed that She was the Immaculate Conception and in Fatima She said that She is Our Lady of the Rosary and that Jesus wants us to have devotions to Her Immaculate Heart.

The Lord prophesied through , [Joel 2:28] And it shall come to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your
old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

In the Spirit of Elijah, these apparitions are taking place in order to bring people to repentance, to show them the reality of God Who is denied and blasphemed. The Lord in His great Mercy does not want to condemn us but He sends His mother or comes Himself to warn us.

Commonly angels precede the apparitions of Our Lord or Our Lady in order to prepare the visionaries for those great encounters.

This phenomenon has multiplied in this last century, the main theme of the messages is that people must return to God, that they must amend their ways and come to the Sacraments.

Our Lady has been requesting that we pray the Holy Rosary, because this great prayer is a miniature presentation of the main teachings of the New Testament, where we learn to know and love Jesus throughout His life, passion, agony, death, resurrection and Glory.

We are given these devotions to Our Lady in order to also come to know Her Who is our Queen and our Mother, our great Advocate before the Lord; then we can humbly come to Jesus through Her.

As Catholics we have the choice of believing or rejecting these apparitions especially before they are approved by the Church. After approval, we are invited to learn from this heavenly experiences in order to benefit our souls. However the Church teachings are not based on apparitions but on the direct teachings of the Holy Scriptures and the traditions handed out to us through the centuries.

Messages

We must be careful regarding messages and apparitions, since the devil is also at work trying to deceive and destroy.

For messages to be authentic, we must make certain that they don't contain anything contrary to the teachings of the Church. The safest way to discern is to accept those messages which have received the imprimatur or approval of the Church.

We don't sin if we accept apparitions and messages which are not approved officially by the Church but we may fall into disobedience by promoting them.

There are three marks pertaining to good Catholics, they are :

Love for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Love for Our Lady . Devotions of the Holy Rosary.
Love for Holy Father and acceptance of the official teachings of the Magisterium of the Church.

Any messages and apparitions must conform with these points in order to prove their authenticity and loyalty. Obedience and humility must support them as well. No desire for money or fame must be involved, since that would prove hidden false motives.

Besides the messages received directly in apparitions, there are also messages received in the Spirit of Prophecy, such as dictations or interior locutions. There are also many visions given to those who are seeking the Way, the Truth and the Life, they are all part of the training that God is giving to His people in these times of His great Mercy.

Other phenomenon associated with apparitions and messages is the stigmata, which is given to special victim souls who have the privilege of carrying in their bodies the marks of the passion of Our Lord. [Galatians 6:17] . By sharing in the sufferings of Our Lord many sins are atoned, victims souls contribute with their suffering in the purification of others and they are great intercessors before the Lord.

Charismatic gifts | Contents

The Charismatic movement

One of the results of the II Vatican Council, was to acknowledge the Charisms of the Holy Spirit as a very important part of our Christian Life. The Charisms of the Holy Spirit are invaluable in the work of the new Evangelisation of the Church and they provide the faithful with the zeal of the Holy Spirit to praise God, to worship and to live with the great joy of knowing that Jesus is Alive.

Groups of enthusiastic worshippers have gathered since then and have discovered that prayer, praise, worship, and togetherness are truly a renovating force breathed by the Holy Spirit. The Charismatic movement has obtained the approval of the Catholic Church and is flourishing in many parts of the world. Many priests take part in this movement.

One of the negative aspects of the Charismatic movement is the similarity to Pentecostalism, but the true Charismatics remain faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church and must promote the Sacraments, especially Reconciliation.

The movement has encountered a lot of opposition from very Orthodox Catholics who see it as a threat to traditional teachings. However the Church has given it approval provided the movement maintains fidelity to the Church.

On a general audience with Pope John Paul II, March 9, 1994 the Pope spoke about the Charisms of the Holy Spirit:

The Apostolic Exhortation Christi fideles Laici also stressed the "no charism dispenses a person from reference and submission to the Pastors of the Church." These norms of prudence are easily understandable and apply to all, both clerics and lay people.

That having been said, we would like to repeat with the Council and the Exhortation cited above the "charisms should be received in gratitude both on the part of the one who receives them, and also on the part of the entire Church." For these charisms there arises "for each of the faithful the right and duty of exercising them for the good of men and for building up the Church." [Pope John Paul II, General Audience, March 9, 1994]

Slain by the Holy Spirit

This is one of the experiences in the Charismatic movement that defy the traditional beliefs of many Catholics. When someone prays over another person, sometimes He or She receives a touch of the Holy Spirit and falls to the ground. The person is filled with great Peace, it is an encounter with God in a very serene atmosphere. Somehow the person is disconnected with reality and enters into a state of joy in the Lord.

Of course we must not believe everything we see, specially when some people fake the experience or when some of the people who pray push the others to the ground. We are not talking about this here.

To be slain in the Spirit is a true experience when the right people are involved and when the Holy Spirit makes His manifestation; the ways of the Lord are above our ways and the wind of the Spirit blows where it pleases [John 3:8]. It is very easy to condemn what we don't know says St. Peter.[2 Peter 2:12]

David and the high priests fell on their faces when they saw an angel standing between earth and Heaven [1 Chronicles 21:16]

Ezequiel came before the Presence of God and He fell upon his face [Ezekiel 1:26-28]

Daniel also had a similar experience, He lost his strength [Daniel 8:17-18]

When St. John the Apostle had his encounter with Our Lord, he fell at His feet, feeling as dead. [Apocalypse 1:17]

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

We believe that there is only one Baptism and through it we have received the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

What is called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience that a baptised person may have if they open their hearts to the influence of the Holy Spirit, it is a very common experience at a Holy Spirit Seminar or at Charismatic prayer groups. It is like an awakening to the reality that we indeed have gifts but that we are supposed to open them and use them.

To have such a "Freeing of the Spirit", the person has to go through the stages of Repentance and belief in the Promises of the Holy Spirit. Then, the imposition of hands [not always necessary] helps to bring about this experience.

This "Fullness of the Spirit" is similar to an experience of the early Church in Corinth as related in the Acts of the Apostles:

[Acts 19:1-6]

1 And it came to pass, while Apollo was at Corinth, that Paul having passed through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples.
2 And he said to them: Have you received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? But they said to him: We have not so much as heard whether there be a Holy Ghost.
3 And he said: In what then were you baptised? Who said: In John's baptism.
4 Then Paul said: John baptised the people with the baptism of penance, saying: That they should believe in him who was to come after him, that is to say, in Jesus.
5 Having heard these things, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had imposed his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

Contents

Growth in the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit fills us with the gifts we need to produce good fruit, to grow in holiness, and to proclaim the Good News of our Salvation [Colossians 1:10].

We must submit our lives to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, He is the Advocate, the Paraclete, the Spirit of Peace, Love and Joy. In Him we can rest and be fed. He is our teacher, He will always tell us what is right and what is wrong, because He speaks through our conscience. We must remain obedient to the teachings of the Church and open ourselves to the direction of the Holy Spirit. God is with us, but we must come to Him.
The Holy Scriptures say that we will be taught by God [Isaiah 54:13], we have received the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ Who has sent His Holy Spirit to guide us.

As a baby depends on its mother, we must also depend on God, St. Peter invites us to drink that spiritual milk [1 Peter 2:2] that will make us grow in the knowledge of Our Lord.

The Holy Spirit does His work silently as a gentle breeze, all we have to do is to believe and to submit ourselves to His direction.

[1 Corinthians 3:6] I have planted, Apollo watered, but God gave the growth.

Prayer meetings

The Lord says that where there are two or more gathered in His name, He is in their midst. We come together to pray in the name of Jesus and for His greater Glory.

I don't recommend any prayer meetings where the Rosary is omitted, in fact we must emulate the apostles who were together in prayer with the mother of God when the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost.

If you can not invite into your life the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, then there must be something wrong with you. Mary is the Mother of the Son of God, and She is also our Mother. As mother of the children of God, She has received the task of caring for us.

Through her intercession the Holy Spirit descended to the apostles on the day of Pentecost, and it is also through her intercession that the Grace of the Holy Spirit descends to us in a very powerful way.

With the company of the Blessed Mother of God we can safely proceed to conduct a Charismatic prayer meeting where there will not be deception by the enemy.

The prayer meeting may last several hours depending on the enthusiasm of those involved and on the length of the healing ministry at the end. Sometimes it concludes with a healing mass.

Parts of a typical Charismatic prayer meeting

The Holy Rosary

Normally we pray five decades of the Rosary daily, but when a great fervour is reached, the prayer of the Holy Rosary goes through the entire life of Our Lord and Our Lady which is contained in the fifteen decades of the Rosary.

Before the recitation of the Rosary, we should always list all the intentions that we are praying for. We should pray at the end for the intentions of the Holy Father.

Praise and worship

This section is destined for singing songs of Praise and Worship to the Lord, St. Augustine says that when we sing our prayers, we pray twice over. This creates an atmosphere of Joy in preparation for the rest of the meeting. A section of the group takes care of preparing the songs, this is called the music ministry, some members can use their musical talents, in any case everyone is invited to sing joyfully.

Praise can be done also by reading Psalms and other parts of the Bible or by sharing spontaneous prayers, praising in tongues, etc.

Deliverance

It is important to command all evil spirits in the name of Jesus to leave the place and the people in the prayer meeting.

Repentance

The group must pray for repentance, usually there are leaders who say the prayers, they can be taken from prayer books but it is spiritually healthy to allow the Holy Spirit to grant them spontaneously.

Calling of the Holy Spirit

This is a time to invoke the Holy Spirit, usually singing a "Come Holy Spirit song". After that, there should be a period of praising in tongues if the gift is present, otherwise any ejaculations of praise are sufficient, such as:
" I love you Jesus, I praise you Jesus, come Lord my God, I worship you Lord, Come Holy Spirit, come Fire of Divine Love. Come Spirit of Peace and Wisdom, fill our hearts.
Thank you Jesus, we praise you Jesus, we love you Jesus. Amen. Alleluia.

After that there should be a moment of silence in which everyone will open themselves to the action of the Holy Spirit.

Sharing

It is most important for us to cultivate this intimacy among brothers and sisters in Christ which let us know how the Lord has affected the lives of others.

By sharing our experiences we bind ourselves in communion with one another, we convey the faith we have, we grow as we learn of the growth of others and we learn about the things that we must pray for. We also become bold witness of the great things that the Lord has done for us. Our Lady shared the great things the Lord had done for her [Luke 1:49].

Petitions

Since we feel the Presence of the Lord in our prayer group, it is very important that we express our petitions with thanksgiving to God for the Graces we receive. Members of the prayer meeting are encouraged to speak and to make their petitions known so that we can all pray to the Lord for the same intentions, although these intentions can be expressed in silence too.

Healing Ministry

Many miracles have occurred during the prayers done at this section of the prayer meeting. Those who are given the gift of prayer and healing, can lead others to pray for those who are sick, everyone is invited to extend their hands and raise their spirits in supplication to the Lord for the prayers to be answered.

Those who are more gifted, can lay their hands on the ones being prayed over. Remembering that the most effective way to obtain healing from the Lord is to bring those being prayed over to repent of their sins, to forgive those they resent, to forgive themselves and to accept the Will of God. Only the priest has the power to forgive sins here on earth, so we should recommend everyone to go to confession in order for the healing effects of the prayers to take place.

St. James recommend that we anoint those who are sick with oil, although this is separately a Sacrament administered by the priest, any lay person can also anoint someone with oil, preferable blessed by a priest, and the good intentions of the heart and the prayers of a just person can obtain healing for the sick. [James 5:14-16]

The Healing Ministry is a great manifestation of the Spirit of Charity working within us moving us with compassion and love for those who are suffering. Our ministry is not only confined to the prayer meeting, we must pray for all those people who suffer, we must pray for peace, we must pray for the gift of life to be preserved, we must pray for those who are contemplating something evil to stop. We must pray for one another because caring in this way is the same as loving one another. We can pray over the phone, we can pray on the street when we know that people need prayers, we can pray for sick people in hospitals, in fact the whole world is is need of prayer, so let us pray for one another.

It is not for us to see the result of our prayers straight away or for all prayers to be answered according to our needs or petitions, when we pray we don't come to give directions to God, because that would be a sin, so we come humbly to present to the Lord the needs of those who are suffering. We always leave our petitions in the hands of Our Lord and we wait confidently and patiently for the results.

If God answered our prayers every time, we would be filled with pride thinking that we are saints, so we have to accept first the Will of God, and if the healing is to contribute to that person's salvation, and if it is according to His Will, the Lord will respond positively.

Many times, the Lord gives a sign when someone is being healed, even as we pray, the person may experience tremendous heat as if they were on fire. Other times a word of knowledge or a vision may be received in regards to the healing of the sick. Whatever happens, the Lord always hears our prayers. Amen.

Contents

Becoming instruments of the Holy Spirit

To be able to assist the Spirit of God and to merit ourselves to become instruments of His Holy Spirit, we must be disciples of Jesus. It takes self denial, acceptance of His Holy Will and imitation of Christ. We must truly diminish humbly so that the Lord may grow in us [John 3:30], we must be quiet within, so that we may hear the voice of the Spirit, we have to forget ourselves in order to think of God all the time, we have to leave the world behind in order to find the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, right within our hearts.

When we allow the Spirit of God to possess us, it is unimportant to speak about us any more, we just want to speak about God. We must reject all the credit that is given to us for our good works otherwise we will be paid here not in heaven [Matthew 6:2], we stop worrying about all the things of this world and start living the spiritual things that Jesus is teaching us in His gospels.

The spiritual person has to overcome the world, the devil and the flesh. The Sacraments of reconciliation and Holy Communion must be received frequently so that the person remains in a state of Grace. God doesn't listen to sinners [John 9:31], so how can we pretend that we can intercede for others when we ourselves need more prayers than them?

To become instruments of the Holy Spirit, we must become holy, we must listen to the command of God to be holy [Leviticus 11:45]. We must be clean containers of the Living Water that saves us, we must burn with the pure flames of the fire of Love.

We must have a pure conscience, a pure heart, a pure intention for everyone. We must live not for ourselves but for Christ, we must count everything as rubbish in order to possess Christ [Philippians 3:8].

So to merit this great gift of the Holy Spirit we must come to a stage where we can say with St. Paul, it is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me [Galatians 2:20].

Contents

Life in the Spirit

We are invited to live a life in the Spirit of God, this calls for renunciation of the earthly life, detachment from our material world, possessions and the ego.

We must die to the old self to experience the new self which is empowered by the Holy Spirit to live according to the Will of God.

This new life creates new commitments to God, which involve more time for God than before, we are encouraged to participate in different types of prayer meetings, we may practice different devotions, we may be called to receive the Lord daily in the Holy Eucharist, we may decide to pray the Rosary daily and many other activities which did not make sense before.

We are the new apostles of the Lord, apostles of the last times, we must pray for the unity of the Church, we must proclaim the Good News to everyone and be living witnesses of the truth.

Pray that the gifts the Lord is giving you will be given to everyone, pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit continually.

Those experiencing the action of the Holy Spirit may receive visions, locutions, dreams, knowledge, wisdom, shakes, moans or sighs when they pray, etc. They are little consolations but we must not seek them, they can become weapons of the adversary to make us believe that we are doing very well spiritually. Beware friends in Christ, pray continually to the Holy Spirit for discernment and to Our Lady to protect you from the enemy. Pray the Holy Rosary.

Those who are receiving the gifts of grace from the Lord will also experience the attacks of the enemy who comes in our dreams or during events of our lives tempting us, humiliating us and trying to discourage us.

Whatever we do in the new spiritual life, let us us always do in the name of Jesus, thanking our Heavenly Father for His gifts and living our lives consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The Holy Spirit and Mary

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the most perfect of all creatures, She is the Immaculate Conception, in other words She reflects perfectly the image of God that Adam and Eve reflected before they committed sin. She was conceived without sin by a very special Grace of God Who made Her full of Grace, She grew in that Grace and later was requested to become the Mother of the Word of God Who took flesh and blood from Her and became man. The Conception of Our Lord happened by the action of the Holy Spirit in the virginal womb of Mary [Luke 1:35].

This spousal between the Holy Spirit and Mary is the most intimate encounter between God and man. Out of this fruitful union came Our Blessed Lord Who being God humbled Himself to clothe Himself with our humanity, remaining a prisoner in the womb of the Blessed Virgin for nine months and accompanying Her during thirty years of His life.

By the spousal with the Holy Spirit, Our Lady was anointed and sanctified, She cooperated with the Holy Spirit in so far as becoming His most perfect instrument. No one can claim that they could be as useful to God as Mary is. This is why Our Lady says humbly, The Lord has done great things in me and holy is His name. All generations shall call me blessed. [ The Magnificat - Luke 1:46-55 ]

By the action of the Holy Spirit, Mary became the tree of Life. The fruit of this tree is first of all Our Lord Who is the bread of life. As we accept Christ into our lives and live a Christian life fulfilling the promises made in our Baptism, we become the children of God who by precedence have the same spiritual mother as His Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord. So we are the children of the new Eve, we have been conceived in the spiritual womb of Mary which is Her Immaculate Heart.

No wonder Our Lord said, you must be born again: " You must become a child of Mary".

The Holy Spirit begets the children of God in Mary, He did that first with Our Lord, we are also children of God, children of Mary.

In revelation 12:17 we are told that the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil was very angry with the woman who conceived the child who rules all the nations [Revelation 12:5] whose enmity was stated in [Genesis 3:15]. He, the devil went out to make war to the woman and the rest of her children [ who accept Mary as Mother ] , those who keep the commandments [Revelation 12:17] and accept the teachings of Jesus Christ.

So this great privilege of being the spouse of the Holy Spirit is unique to Our Blessed Mother, and yet God has made us all temples of His Holy Spirit so that we can be united to Him and love Him as Mary does.

We must become like Mary in order to receive these great gifts of God, we must learn to love God the way She loves Him: as a perfect daughter of God the Father, as a perfect mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ and as the perfect spouse of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Prayers to the Holy Spirit

Prayer to the Holy Spirit | Consecration | Come Holy Spirit, come

Prayer of healing | I believe [Charismatic Creed]

Prayer to the Holy Ghost

Holy Spirit, come into my heart; draw it to Thee by Thy power, O my God, and grant me charity with filial fear. Preserve me, O ineffable Love, from every evil thought; warm me, inflame me with Thy dear love, and every pain will seem light to me. My Father, my sweet Lord, help me in all my actions. Jesus, love, Jesus, love (St. Catherine of Siena).

(Anyone who has consecrated himself to Mary according to the formula of the Blessed Grignion de Montfort, and then also to the Sacred Heart, will find great treasures in a repeated consecration to the Holy Spirit. The whole influence of Mary leads us to intimacy with Christ, and the humanity of Jesus leads us to the Holy Spirit, who introduces us into the mystery of the adorable Trinity. )

Prayer of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

O Holy Ghost, divine Spirit of light and love, I consecrate to Thee my intellect, my heart, my will and my whole being for time and for eternity.

May my intellect be ever docile to Thy heavenly inspirations and to the teaching of the Holy Catholic Church of which Thou art the infallible Guide. May my heart be ever inflamed with the love of God and my neighbour; may my will be ever in conformity with the divine will, and may my whole life be a faithful imitation of the life and virtues of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father and thee, Holy Spirit, be honour and glory for ever. Amen.

(Indulgence of 300 days once a day, applicable to the souls in Purgatory -- Pius X. This consecration may be renewed by repeating only the first paragraph of the form. )

COME HOLY SPIRIT, COME

by Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary your well beloved spouse.

Come Holy Spirit, come, enkindle the hearts of your faithful.

Come Holy Spirit, come, we have received the body and blood of Jesus, fill us with His spirit, His purity and His goodness.

Come Holy Spirit, come, penetrate with your light the deepest part of our souls, empower us with great faith, clothe us with your love and enlighten us with your wisdom.

Come Holy Spirit, come, renew our minds and our hearts, make healthy our bodies and our souls.

Come Holy Spirit, come, saturate us with your presence and sanctify us.

Come Holy Spirit, come, make every beat of our hearts a song of praise, blessing, thanksgiving and glory to God.

Come Holy Spirit, come, replace our cold hearts with living furnaces of burning love for God.

Come Holy Spirit, come, make every cell of our bodies a holy altar of worship and service to God.

Come Holy Spirit, come, let peace reign in our midst, the peace that Jesus has given us.

Come Holy Spirit, come, make us aware of the living presence of God at all times. Come Holy Spirit, come, enlighten our minds with wisdom of the heart.

Come Holy Spirit, come, prepare our souls as living tabernacles of the Holy Trinity. Come Holy Spirit, come, take over our lives: act in us, think in us, will in us, for the glory of God .

Come Holy Spirit, come, increase our faith, hope and love, give us the grace to do always the will of God.

Come Holy Spirit, come, increase our dependence in the Sacred hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Come Holy Spirit, come, teach us to open our hearts and our lives to the Will of God.

Come Holy Spirit, come, make us keep the Word of God constantly.

Come Holy Spirit, come, inspire us to be holy and perfect.

Come Holy Spirit, come, teach us to surrender to God, remind us constantly to imitate Mary your worthy and beloved spouse.

Come Holy Spirit, come, pray for us at all times even if we don't understand it, praise God without ceasing, teach us to worship in spirit and in truth.

Come Holy Spirit, come, Spirit of Jesus the Sun of Justice. Let your healing rays touch our hearts, our bodies and our souls and heal us of all wounds that prevent our perfect relationship with God .

Come Holy Spirit, come, baptise us with your healing consuming fire of love.

Come Holy Spirit, come, touch the hearts of all unbelievers and all sinners, convert them to Jesus, fill them with repentance and the spirit of conversion.

Come Holy Spirit, come, enkindle the fire of worship and adoration in lukewarm souls.

Come Holy Spirit, come, teach us to love one another as Jesus has loved us.

Come Holy Spirit, come, fill us with your goodness, teach us to share and to be compassionate.

Come Holy Spirit, come, anoint us with your purity, make us live holy lives for the glory of God.

Come Holy Spirit, come, fill us with understanding, patience, faithfulness, trustfulness, mercy, self control, humility, kindness, charity, obedience, piety, surrender and joy.

Come Holy Spirit, come, fill us with the Word of God.

Come Holy Spirit, come, make us truly new creatures in Christ, help us to shine his light where there is darkness; to bring his peace and joy where there is unhappiness. Come Holy spirit ,come, Teach us to glorify Jesus by evangelising and becoming his instruments of love.

Come Holy Spirit, come, animate us with your holy presence. Fill your temples: take possession of our bodies, our souls, our minds and our wills; which we submit to you to glorify God.

Come Holy Spirit, come, fill us with the Power of Faith. With the great Love of God. With holy Wisdom. With abundant Grace. With innocent Purity. With everlasting Peace and with the Light of God.

Come Holy Spirit, come, dwell in us forever, with the Father and with the Son. Amen.

Heal me Lord

by Joseph of Jesus and Mary

HEALING PRAYER

Lord, hear me....	
Lord, anoint me with Your Divine Spirit...	
Inflame my heart with the fire of Your Love.....	
Flood my being with Your Majestic Presence.....	
Please attend the call of my soul...........	
Lord,  forgive me all my offences.....,  	
purify  me  and  heal  me of all  the  resentments  
that  I may have contracted in my ignorance........	
Forgive me for all the times that I have despised You.........	
when I have sinned and haven't felt any remorse........	
Deign  to  fill me with the gift of Forgiveness.......	
so  that at this moment I can  forgive all the people  that  have 	
offended me, and that I can send my love to them .......	
and so that they forgive me too...........	
Lord......Heal  my self inflicted wounds for lack of  pardon  and 	
understanding for my brothers........	
Heal me Lord.........	
Purify  my  soul,....  so  that  I can feel  that  I  have  no 	
resentments against anyone....or against myself......or against	
You.........	
Fill me with Your Peace.........	
Saturate  my being with Your Divine Love,  to undo the walls  of 	
pride and selfishness......	
Teach  me  to  love You and others ....  as I  have  never  loved 	
before......	
Transform me into a sun of Eternal Love .......to light up all 	
hearts with tender rays of love........	
Heal me Lord............. 	
Fill me with Your Light.......	
Fill me with Your Love........	
Fill me with Your Peace.......	
Amen.............

I BELIEVE

( Charismatic Scriptural Prayer - by Joseph of Jesus and Mary )

I believe in the Most Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, three persons, one God. I believe that I must love you my God with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my soul and with all my strength , I believe that I must love my neighbour as myself and that I must forgive him. I believe in the ten commandments, I believe in the Holy Scriptures. I believe in you Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Son of the Living God, my God, my Saviour, my Redeemer. I believe that you are the Word of God, who is eternally present with the Father, I believe that you came to the world and became flesh through the Blessed Virgin Mary and that you were conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. I believe in your Word, I believe in the power of your Gospel, I believe that your words are words of everlasting life. I believe that your Word opens the Kingdom of Heaven in all hearts. I believe that you are the Light of the world and the Way to follow, you are the truth and you are the Life. I believe that every word of your gospel is for me and that I can be moulded by it if I accept it with my heart. I believe that if I keep your Word I will have eternal life, that you and your Father will love me and that you will reveal yourself to me and make a dwelling in me because I am a temple of your Spirit. I believe that if I keep your word , you will accompany me with signs and wonders because you have said so, and that I can do the same things you did because this is your Will.
I believe that you are my personal Saviour and Lord and that you died personally for my sins suffering the greatest torments, I believe that you took upon your crucified body all the sins of humanity, past, present and future and that by your wounds we are healed, by your death we have life, and by your resurrection we live eternally. I believe in your Mercy which is unfathomable, I believe that you drew all humanity to yourself on the cross and that I must come to you to offer the Heavenly Father your sacrifice as the atonement for all sins. I believe in your healing power which is the power of the Resurrection. I believe that after your death you rose again and that you ascended to the Father to intercede for us and to prepare a place for our souls. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father and your Spirit whom you sent on Pentecost to unite us in your mystical body as the Church, I believe that you baptize us with the fire of your Holy Spirit which makes us new creations, true children of God. I believe in the Holy Catholic Church and all its teachings, I believe that the Sacraments are encounters with you and I believe in the infinite power of the Holy Mass which is the unbloody reenactment of your sacrifice in Calvary. I believe that your Will is that we become saints for our Salvation and for your Glory. I believe in the purity and holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary your Mother, I believe that you have raised Her above all creation, I believe that She is our Mother and that She has great power of intercession to help us and that She has great power over the devil to protect us. I believe in the power of intercession of the saints and I pray that you increase our faith, our trust in you and our charity.

Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Prayers to the Holy Spirit

Veni, Creator (hymn)

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (Veni, Creator)
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
And in our souls take up your rest;
Come with your grace and heavenly aid
To fill the hearts which you have made.

O Comforter, to you we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
And sweet anointing from above.

You in your sevenfold gifts are known;
You, finger of God's hand we own;
You, promise of the Father, you
Who do the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our senses from above,
And make our hearts o'erflow with love;
With patience firm and virtue high
The weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
And grant us your peace instead;
So shall we not, with you for guide,
Turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may your grace on us bestow
The Father and the Son to know;
And you, through endless times confessed,
Of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
With you, O holy Comforter,
Henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.

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