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Monday, May 16, 2016

The Monday after Easter, and We're back in Ordinary Time: 10 ways to keep the Spirit alive in Your Hearts after Pentecost

We've completed one of the extraordinary times of the liturgical calendar:
the Easter Season
which takes us from Lent through the shortest season of the liturgical year,
the Triduum
to the celebration of 
Easter, 
culminating in the feast of 
Pentecost.

As intense as the time is from Lent to Pentecost,
we enter a time of refreshment,
a time when we learn about
and are given the opportunity of conversion,
of imitating the life of Jesus.


Once in ordinary time, it's easy to forget the sacrifices of Lent and the glory of Easter.
The gospels and other readings tell the story of Jesus when He walked the earth, the prophesies of the ancients of Isreal, and the covenant God made with His people.
Lest we forget.  We need to find ways to keep the Spirit of God alive in our hearts.

1) Invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts daily.  Open your heart to Him.  Ask Him to love you, to teach you, to guide you. 

2) Ask the Holy Spirit to help you learn about Him.  He is a person of the Trinity.  Each of the Persons has a different personality.  Ask the Holy Spirit to let you get to know Him.

3) Pray each day to the Holy Spirit for others.  Ask the Holy Spirit to bless them and convert them.

4) Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see other persons the way He sees them.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you love them in the same way He does.

5) Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you to bless other people.  Ask Him to remind you to say, "God bless you," when you greet others or when you leave them.

6) Ask the Holy Spirit to light a fire in your heart that cannot be quenched, no matter what.

7) Ask the Holy Spirit for His gifts.  He will give you the ones you need to complete your mission in life.

8) Thank the Holy Spirit for working in your life.  Ask Him to help you better recognize your encounters with Him, then praise Him for His work in you and in your life.

9) As you get ready for bed, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you through your day.  Ask Him to help you remember where you could have done better and ask Him to show you where He was pleased with your actions.


10) Right before you go to sleep, invite the Holy Spirit into your soul as you sleep. Ask Him to heal the hurts that need healing, and ask Him to forgive the attachments you cling to in your soul, especially those which nurture anger and resentment.

The Holy Spirit loves you and wants to get to know you, but He waits for your invitation.
Don't delay.  Ask Him now.

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
Renew my soul.
My life is in your hands.
Amen.



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