Crossed The Tiber

An Evangelical Converts to Catholicism

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Location: Pennsylvania, United States

I was born into the Catholic faith. At 14, I was "born again" and found Jesus personally but lost His Church. After thirty years as an evangelical protestant, I have come full circle to find that He has been there all the time, in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I wish others to find the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith as I have found.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Waiting for The Holy Spirit


In the nine days between the ascension of our Lord and Savior and the coming of the third person of the Trinity, the nascent Church waited and prayed in obedience to Christ. These nine days of waiting and praying form the basis of what is now known as a novena prayer.
2000 years later we can still have the opportunity to wait on God in these nine days and seek Him and the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit in our life. Our pastor reminded us today to pursue the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of bearing fruit.

From the Catechism:

1830 The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

1831 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David.109 They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.

Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.110

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.111

1832 The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity."112


Though it is a little late to start a full 9 day novena, The Church reminds us to wait and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to come fill our lives for His glory and purposes.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

"O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen."

2 Comments:

Blogger NanaR said...

TJ:

The Novena to the Holy Spirit for the 7 Gifts was the first Novena I ever attempted. I prayed it last year in anticipation of Pentecost Sunday, and I felt very blessed by it.

I managed to remember to pray it this year too. I never cease to be amazed at the great depth and beauty of Catholic prayer, and this Novena is no exception.

Pax,

Ruth

May 04, 2008 5:45 PM  
Blogger Russ Rentler, M.D. said...

Hey Nanar
Sounds to me like He answered your prayers!
God bless you

May 04, 2008 8:06 PM  

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