Come Holy Spirit!

Veni Sancte Spiritus!

At the end of the Easter season we celebrate one of the most significant feasts of the Church year - Pentecost, 

the feast that commemorates the birthday of the Church, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that, 

“The Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit”.

Just as Jesus filled the disciples with His Holy Spirit that Pentecost day, He will also send us this same Spirit. 

This same Holy Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead and anointed the disciples can transform us, providing we make room for Him in our lives.

Like the disciples going to the upper room, we must go to a place where the Holy Spirit can appear to us. Such a place might be at our Parish, the prayer space in our homes, but it could just as well be the silence of our heart.

As Pentecost comes and goes we need to try and clear our mind and heart to receive the Holy Spirit not only just at Pentecost but every day.

Hearts and minds that are full of other wants and desires are like busy places with no time left to receive visitors. 

We must make room in our hearts for the Holy Spirit.

Come, Holy Spirit! Enkindle in us the fire of your love!

I personally am heaps excited about Pentecost, I was struck by the words of St Basil the Great in the readings from the Divine Office (Prayer of the Church) leading up to Pentecost.
'From the Spirit comes foreknowledge of the future, understanding of the mysteries of faith, insight into the hidden meaning of Scripture, and other special gifts.'
These words reminded me of my first experience of the Holy Spirit (baptism in the Holy Spirit) when scripture came alive, my faith strengthened and I received a few of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Reading this and the lead up to Pentecost gave me a sense of excitement of how much more God has in store for us. I am particularly keen on praying for a few more of His 'special gifts'. I think I'll be like St Therese of Lisieux and 'choose all'.

Happy Pentecost

Bless you billions,

Therese

The Reason for Living

The reason for living is coming!

In the midst of this Holy Week we are on the eve of the greatest celebration for the human race. Indeed, the very reason and purpose of being human is about to be looked upon, unpacked, pondered, sung about and celebrated throughout the world.

Pope Benedict XVI at the beginning of this week on Palm Sunday in St Peter’s Square in Rome, said the drive and goal of every human being was to reach the heights of God himself.   This desire we have to ‘be like God’ and attain divine heights is part of what it means to be human. And yet, as we know, there is a tremendous force of gravity which pulls us down. We know our limitations, we know our capacity for doing evil. So this is the human experience - our eyes are upward striving and longing for goodness, purity and freedom whilst a dark gravitational force forever pulls us downward.

Can we break free of this struggle ourselves? No! God himself must draw us up.

While we strive for pure hearts and clean hands, Pope Benedict says we should express our desire to God and cry to Him, “Draw us upwards! Make us pure!”. Would God ignore a cry like this? Never.

By descending to our human depths in the form of Jesus, the Man, God meets us in our flesh. And through the humblest and most extreme of loves, He draws us upwards.

So this Holy week we enter into the upward/downward/upward motion of the Easter season. God coming down to earth into our sin. Our desire going up to God. Jesus lifted up on the cross, then laid down in a grave. Jesus rising up from the empty tomb, us being drawn up to Heaven by His love. This is the motion of redemption!

The reason you are a daughter, a wife, a worker, a mother, a woman is going to be shouted from the rooftops (or at least from the churches) over the next few days. Salvation has come and His name is Jesus!

I’m about to head off to Light to the Nations, the Easter retreat run by the Disciples of Jesus at Galong. If you are going, I will see you there and we can celebrate together this astounding reason to be alive.

In the joy of the risen Lord.

Selina

Waiting for the King

During Lent (and Advent) our churches are decorated with the colour purple and purple vestments are worn and so this colour has come to be associated with penance & fasting. But the use of purple has a more ancient & meaningful symbolism. Purple dyes were once extremely expensive, and the colour became associated with wealth, power & royalty. This ancient association with royalty is the reason that purple used during the seasons of Lent & Advent. They are both liturgical seasons when we are waiting for Christ the King. Purple is intended to remind of us of the one whom we are waiting for.

But how do we prepare ourselves for the King who has already come to earth, comes to us everyday in prayer, the Eucharist and each other, and will also have a final coming.  We are given lots of clues in the Gospels, but Jesus speaks plainly to us about this in Matthew 25:31-46, which we read from on the first Monday of Lent. In this passage Jesus declared that he has a rich heritage for all those who saw him hungry and gave him food, naked and clothed him, welcomed him when he was a stranger, and visited him when he was sick and in prison. So what does this mean for us. I don't think that it means that we should all rush off to Long Bay or Goulburn gaols after Sunday morning mass, although if this is your thing then get on our there. But it is call to all of us to have generous & open hearts. Hearts that are generous with time & kind words & deeds that welcome others into our lives. St Benedict talks about welcoming the guests of the monestery as though they were Christ. Many spiritual writers talk about welcoming all people, both friends & strangers, as though they were Christ. Each of us are called to live out his Gospel in our own special way. Parents have an amazing opportunity to live out this Gospel because they get to feed the hungry & cloth the naked everyday & are often caring for the sick. But all of us are called to do this within our sphere of influence (which Selina spoke to us about at Summer School this year).

So how do I grow in generosity & hospitality to others? The answer is always prayer & practice. If you're struggling to pray this Lent then try meditating on the Gospel passage we have just been talking about. Try reading it several times & letting things jump out at you, just like we did together at Summer School or our retreat in August. In your practice, start out small with those around you like your friends, family, collegues, spouse and don't forget your grandparents. If your planning to go further afield it can be easier to work on this with a friend. Welcoming strangers say in your Parish can be daunting, especially if your parish isn't very friendly, but a bit of help from one of your gal pals or your husband or boyfriend can make a big different.

It is these acts of charity that the Church asks us to practice during Lent that prepare our hearts to receive Christ the King everyday & in a special way during the Easter season. So as we piece together the symbols & practices of Lent we can begin the see that Lent is a microcosm of the spiritual life.

Until next time, Sarah.
Women of Grace Team

Lent

Lent seems to be such a misunderstood season in the Church calendar. I know many people dread the coming of Lent. Its fasts & penance fill some with a sense of drudgery. But for me, I love Lent. Yes its true. I actually look forward to the beginning of Lent. Why? To me its the time that I try to get rid of some of the things that are holding me back in my relationship with God.

While penance & fasting can serve to draw us closer to God during Lent, they are only a means to an end. Lent is about returning to God. Its a time set aside by the Church for us to be more free to focus on the One who is our first & greatest love. Its a special time in which our relationship with God can be restored. The readings of the Liturgy during Lent are a reminder & a call to come back to God. I really look forward to Ash Wednesday when we read from the Book of Joel. I love hearing the words: "Come back to me with all your heart." Its like God says to us: "I've missed you, where have you been hiding." The prophet Joel also proclaims: "Let your hearts be broken not your garments torn, turn to the Lord your God again." He wants our hearts to be broken open so that He can fill them with His love. Our Lenten penances should serve to break open our hearts to God. So if your Lenten observance is filling you with thoughts of drudgery & dread then cut it out. Instead pray & ask God to help you give up one of the things that is dividing you from Him. Perhaps he's not asking you to give up anything. Perhaps he wants you to take up doing something this Lent. Open your hearts & let yourself be surprised by God this Lent.

Until our next blog, let the grace flow, Sarah.

Welcome

Welcome to our inaugural blog for "Women of Grace." This blog is for all you Women of Grace out there who want to continue & stay connected with the work that God is doing through "Women of Grace."

This blog has been a long time in the making, but Lent seems to be the perfect time for launching the blog as it ties in with our aim of journeying together with God. Just like the Israelites journeyed together in the desert hoping to reach the promised land, we hope that this blog will provide inspiration for prayer & spiritual refreshment & remind us of our greatest longing.