Dear Friends in Christ,
May has to be my favorite time of the year, full of growth and new life not just in the natural world, but also in the life of the Church. The month of May is an important ‘’sacramental season,” in which we celebrate Easter, prepare for Pentecost, and celebrate many First Communions and Confirmations. And what, or who, is the thread that runs through all this new life? It is the Holy Spirit.
With Pentecost only weeks away, we hope you will find our latest Study Circle Guide In the School of the Holy Spirit a great resource to deepen your relationship with him. The Study Circle Guide is designed to accompany the small book by Fr. Jacques Philippe, In the School of the Holy Spirit.” Like almost all of his books, it has become a kind of modern classic, translating age-old Catholic wisdom about spiritual growth into language and concepts that speak to contemporary lives.
Pope Francis addressed the unique role of the Holy Spirit: “You can follow a thousand catechism courses, a thousand spirituality courses, a thousand yoga or zen courses and all these things. But none of this will be able to give you the freedom as a child (of God). Only the Holy Spirit can prompt your heart to say ‘Father.’ Only the Holy Spirit is capable of banishing, of breaking that hardness of heart and making it … soft? No, I don’t like that word, … ‘docile’. Docile towards the Lord. Docile when it comes to the freedom to love.”
We find a singular model of docility to the Holy Spirit in the person of Mary, who we also celebrate in the month of May. All grace ultimately comes to us from God the Father, who continues working through Jesus the Source of all grace, who came into the world through Mary by means of the Holy Spirit. As we turn to Mary, let us remember that we imitate the apostles who gathered with her after Christ’s resurrection, for Mary was both “mother and teacher, a role she continues to carry out for Christians of all times.” (Pope Benedict XVI)
Let us ask the Holy Spirit for his help, strength, and inspiration, remembering that it is “the Holy Spirit, who entirely animated the life and ministry of Jesus, [who] is the same Spirit who now leads Christian existence, the existence of [every] man and woman who say they are and want to be Christians.” (Pope Francis)
You can explore all of our Study Circle Guides by clicking on the Study Circle Guides tab on our homepage.
We sincerely hope you make time this month, and every month, to feed your soul and share the truth of our faith with others. Our Study Circle Guides, our Retreat Guides, and our Ask a Priest service are created to help you do just that. Keep enjoying them, so that God can keep strengthening you through them with new insights, blessings, and graces.
With the assurance of my prayers,
God Bless
In Christ,
Lucy Honner
Director, RC Spirituality
lucy@rcspirituality.org
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