(c)Mary TV 2013
The sweet voice of the Holy Spirit!
The sweet voice of the Holy Spirit!
J.M.J.
May 23, 2013
Dear Family of Mary!
"Dear children, also today, in a special way, I invite you in this time of grace to open your souls to the Holy Spirit. Dear children, do not permit the world to lead you. Therefore, may the Holy Spirit lead you. Pray, persevere in prayer, that the Holy Spirit may descend upon your families who are in darkness. The mother prays together with you, intercedes before her son for you. Thank you, dear children, for responding to my call today." (Message given through Ivan on May 20, 2013, on Apparition Hill with his prayer group)
Our Lady tells us: "Dear children, do not permit the world to lead you. Therefore, may the Holy Spirit lead you."
She seems to think that we are probably being led by something or
someone! This is a function of how we are made. We have a desire deep
within us for the good and we try to find it and follow it. But there
are many counterfeits and number one on the list is the world. We know
the kind of pressure there is to follow the world. We are constantly
tempted and teased and even bullied by the corporate world to desire
their products. We are lured by celebrities and movie stars to want to
live like they do, to own what they do, and to look like they do.
Politicians want us to vote for them, and to value what they value.
Educators want us to think like they do and trust their opinions. The
world is presented by the media, in all its power and hype. We can't
get away from it.
Are we being led by
these forces? Do we desire what they offer? If so, we are probably being
torn apart by them. We are being led into slavery through them, slavery
to selfishness, idolatry and emptiness.
Yet we cannot just
shut down. We cannot live only in the negative. We know we are born to
journey somewhere. We need to be moving forward, but if not towards the
successes of the world, then what?
Of course, we know the
answer. We are moving towards God and eternity. And the only way to get
there is by being led by that very God we are seeking. Our Lady wants
us to learn to be led by the Holy Spirit, because He wants to bring us
into our eternal reality, our heavenly kingdom where every true heart's
desire is fulfilled!
How does the Holy
Spirit lead us to our heart's desire, true goodness? Through
inspiration! He gently nudges us forward, suggests to us the road we
should take, the turn at hand, the choice before us! He is our companion
and friend on the way we need to go. He speaks to our hearts moment by
moment.
Fr. Jacques Philippe writes:
Before
going over the criteria that enable us to discern the motions of the
Holy Spirit, there is one important point to emphasize here. Ultimately
what will help us to recognize and respond to God's motions most easily
and promptly is the interior development of a sort of "spiritual sense,"
which to begin with we may not have at all or may have only in a very
rough form. We can develop this sense by experience, and especially by
faithfully and resolutely following our Lord.
This
"spiritual hearing" is a kind of ability to recognize, among all the
multiple, discordant voices that we can hear inside us, the unique,
unmistakable voice of Jesus. This sense is like a loving instinct that
makes it easier and easier for us to distinguish the voice of the
Spouse, in the chorus of sounds that greet our ears.
The
Holy Spirit uses, for each of us, a "tone of voice" that is his alone.
It has particular gentleness and power, purity and clarity, which, when
we are accustomed to hearing it, gives us near-certainty in singling it
out. Of course, the devil, aping what he can of God's ways, can
sometimes try to imitate the voice of the Spouse. But if we are truly
accustomed to the voice of the Spirit by loving familiarity and by a
constant, pure seeking after God's will, we will easily distinguish the
voice that, even if it's a good imitation, sounds wrong in some way and
so is not the voice of Jesus.
In
St. John's Gospel Jesus promises us that the Holy Spirit will give this
spiritual sense to us progressively. Speaking of himself as the good
Shepherd, he says: "The sheep follow him, for they know his voice. They
will not follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know
the voice of strangers." (John 10:4-5) (Fr. Jacques Philippe. "In the
School of the Holy Spirit." p. 45-46)
We need to recognize
the voice of our Shepherd so that we can follow Him. The Holy Spirit's
tone of voice will become familiar to us as we spend more time in
prayer, and practice responding to His inspirations. The fruit will make
it clear to us! The voices of the world will pale in comparison to the
beauty of the voice of God! We will find ourselves in peace, guided by
His gentle leading!
Come, Holy Spirit! Lead us!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2013
"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world!"
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