His Silent Voice

"An interior soul gradually arrives at the point where its whole life - prayer as well as activities - is under the direction of the Holy Spirit...Sometimes...we try to correct our faults and practice the virtues with the intention of pleasing God, while remaining, as it were, aloof from Him. We labor alone, almost forgetting that there is Someone within us who cannot only help us, but can do the work better than we can. Our activity resembles that of a sailor who is so busy rowing that he pays no attention to the wind, and thus receives no help from it. Certainly personal efforts are not to be neglected, but they should be expended in a more interior manner, that is in a theological way, depending more upon God and the action of the Holy Spirit. Rather than aim directly at correcting a fault or acquiring a virtue, it would be much more profitable for us to maintain a continual dependence on the interior Teacher, and to act only after listening to His intimate, silent voice. In short, it is a question of acting always in conformity with the interior movement of grace, with the inspirations of the Holy Spirit; thus we transfer the reins of our interior life from our hands to His, entrusting it completely to His direction."
-- from Divine Intimacy, #199 (p. 593-4)

Ordinary Time

I was struck this morning that we have 4 weeks for Advent, 40 days for Lent 50 days for Easter -- what about Pentecost? Then I realized that the season for Pentecost is Ordinary Time -- the rest of our lives. So here is the Pentecost Sequence as a reminder:

The Pentecost Sequence

Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from your celestial home shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor! Come, source of all our store! Come within our bosoms shine.
You, of Comforters the best; You, the soul's most welcome guest; sweet refreshment here below.
In our labor, rest most sweet; grateful coolness in the heat; solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine; shine within these hearts of yours, and our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught; nothing good in deed or thought; nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew; on our dryness pour your dew; wash the stains of guilt away.
Bend the stubborn heart and will; melt the frozen, warm the chill; guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful who adore and confess you evermore in your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue's sure reward; give them your salvation, Lord; give them joys that never end.
Amen. Alleluia.

Open wide the doors

"But if the Holy Spirit is an impulse of love that comes into us to sanctify us and bring us to God, why do we not all become saints? The mystery of human responsibility enters here...Although He is eager to enter our souls and to possess it, He will not act thus unless we give Him free access..."God does not force anyone, He takes what we give Him; but He does not give Himself wholly to us, until we give ourselves wholly to Him." (St Teresa in Way of Perfection, ch 28) If we do not become saints, it is not because the Holy Spirit does not will it -- He was sent to us and comes to us for this very purpose -- but it is because we do not give full liberty to His action. This is the point in which we fail: we do not use our liberty to wholly yield our soul to His powerful, loving invasion. If our will would open the doors wide, the Holy Spirit would take us under His direction, and, with His help, we would become saints." from Divine Intimacy, #188 (p.563)

Fruit of the Spirit

Thou, on those who evermore
Thee confess and Thee Adore,
in Thy sevenfold gift, Descend;

Give Them Comfort when they die;
Give them Life with Thee on high;
Give them joys which never end. Amen.

Meditation for the Ninth Day—"The Fruits of the Holy Ghost":
The gifts of the Holy Ghost perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Ghost, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Ghost. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.

Prayer for the Ninth Day:Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service of God, but, by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration, may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.

Hail Mary
Our Father
Act of Consecration
Prayer for 7 Gifts

Wisdom

Bend the stubborn heart and will,
melt the frozen, warm the chill.
Guide the steps that go astray!

Meditation for the Eighth Day—"The Gift of Wisdom":
Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom, it is written "all good things came to me with her, and innumerable riches through her hands." It is the gift of Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish things divine, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, whilst the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words of the Savior: "Take up thy cross and follow me, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light."

Prayers for the Eighth Day:
Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power, and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen.

Hail Mary
Our Father
Act of Consecration
Prayer for 7 Gifts

Counsel

Heal our wounds--our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Thy dew,
Wash the stains of guilt away.

Meditation for the Seventh Day—"The Gift of Counsel":
The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. "Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth."

Prayers for the Seventh Day:
Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long.

Hail Mary
Our Father
Act of Consecration
Prayer for 7 Gifts

Understanding

If Thou take Thy grace away,
nothing pure in man will stay,
All his good is turn'd to ill.

Meditation for the Sixth Day—"The Gift of Understanding":
Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Ghost, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion. By faith we know them, but by Understanding, we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to "walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Prayers for the Sixth Day:
Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and, in the light of glory, to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.

Hail Mary
Our Father
Act of Consecration
Prayer for 7 Gifts

Knowledge

Light immortal! Light Divine!
Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,
And our inmost being fill!

Meditation for the Fifth Day—"The Gift of Knowledge":
The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth--in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. "Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it."

Prayers for the Fifth Day:
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.

Hail Mary
Our Father
Act of Consecration
Prayer for 7 Gifts

Fortitude

Thou in toil art comfort sweet,
Pleasant coolness in the heat,
solace in the midst of woe.

Meditation for the Fourth Day—"The Gift of Fortitude":By the gift of Fortitude, the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to undertake without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. "He that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved."

Prayers for the Fourth Day:Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.

Hail Mary
Our Father
Act of Consecration
Prayer for 7 Gifts

Piety

Thou, of all consolers best,
Visiting the troubled breast,
Dost refreshing peace bestow.

Meditation for the Third Day—"The Gift of Piety":
The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect, for His sake, persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.

Prayers for the Third Day:Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.


Hail Mary
Our Father
Act of Consecration
Prayer for 7 Gifts

Fear of the Lord

Come. Father of the poor.
Come treasures which endure
Come, Light of all that live!

Meditation for the Second Day—"The Gift of Fear":The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. "They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls."

Prayers for the Second Day:Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever; help me to shun all things that can offend You; and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God, world without end. Amen.

Hail Mary
Our Father
Act of Consecration
Prayer for 7 Gifts

First Day—"The Holy Ghost"

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light!
From Your clear celestial height,
Your pure beaming radiance give!

Only one thing is important--eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared--sin. Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts, He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation, we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us."

Prayers for the First Day:Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given us forgiveness of all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen

Our Father
Hail Mary
Act of Consecration
Prayer for 7 Gifts