“The Spirit we have received is not the world’s spirit but God’s Spirit, helping us to recognize the gifts he has given us. We speak of these, not in words of human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, thus interpreting spiritual things in spiritual terms. The natural man does not accept what is taught by the Spirit of God. For him, that is absurdity. He cannot come to know such teaching because it must be appraised in a spiritual way.” -1 Corinthians 2: 12-14.
PROMISE & CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
The whole discussion on the discernment of spirits or recognizing God’s voice and presence in our lives hinges on the gift of the Holy Spirit from the Father that Jesus offered us on the eve of his crucifixion and death. In John, chapters 14 and 16, Jesus describes the characteristics and function of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He begins by telling us that the Holy Spirit will be another Advocate who will be with us always! (John 14:16). Like Jesus the Holy Spirit will be an advocate who will stand in our corner and go to bat for us. The Holy Spirit will be intimately committed and deeply concerned about our welfare as children of God. And this commitment will go on forever, always, with no let up! The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot accept or recognize (John 14:17), because the world’s spirit and modus operandi is diametrically opposed to the Spirit of God. As disciples of Jesus we will recognize Him because He remains with us and will be within us (John 14:17)! In a very real sense, then, the Holy Spirit will be Emmanuel, God-with-us. And the Holy Spirit will dwell within us, making us temples of the Holy Spirit. In John 14: 23 Jesus says, “Anyone who loves me will be true to my word, and my Father will love him; we will come to him and make our dwelling place with him.” In other words, we will truly be temples of the Trinity!
In John 16 Jesus tells us a lot more about the Holy Spirit. In John 16: 7, Jesus tells us the sober truth that if He does not return to His Father the Holy Spirit will never come to us. After His Ascension, Jesus will bring glory to His Father in heaven, with the heavenly hosts joining Him in continual adoration, praise, and glorification of His Father. And on earth the Holy Spirit will fashion us into the Body of Christ through our participation in the Risen Jesus’ Eucharistic Prayer of praise and adoration of His Father in heaven!!
The Holy Spirit’s function will be to prove the world wrong about sin: the refusal to believe that Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world! (John 16:9); about justice: even though Jesus was found guilty and apparently died in disgrace, in reality justice has triumphed because Jesus rose from the dead and has returned to His Father! (John 16:10); about condemnation: Satan, prince of this world, has been condemned through the risen Lord’s triumph over death! (John 16:11).
Finally, in John 16: 13-15, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will guide us to all truth. The Holy Spirit will not speak on His own, but only what He receives from Jesus. And He will announce to us the things to come! In other words they will always act as ONE! And just as Jesus sought constantly to bring glory to His Father by always doing His Father’s will, in the same way the Holy Spirit will give glory to Jesus! In summary, then, the Holy Spirit will be our divine Mentor and Guide, forming and transforming us into Christ! Our lives are intimately and inextricably intertwined with the life of the Trinity in and through the power of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is continually forming us into the Body of Christ or Church!
COMMITMENT TO GOD’S WAYS:
In light of the Holy Spirit’s role and purpose in our lives, what then would be some of the underpinnings of prayer? The obvious disposition would be that the disciple seeks an intimate relationship with God. Intimacy cannot be had without honesty and transparency. In seeking intimacy with God the disciple makes a sincere commitment to live according to God’s ways, under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. Prayer thus takes on a serious dimension because it petitions God for help to do right and avoid evil, and asks for repentance when one has sinned. In accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord, the disciple begins to grow in the ways of God. The Holy Spirit is not the world’s spirit but God’s Spirit as Paul tells us in the passage from 1 Corinthians. Thus prayer has become a serious and elevating experience as it transforms life and conduct. The disciple, indeed, hears and recognizes God’s voice and presence. Saint Teresa of Avila’s opinion is that a serious relationship with God can only begin when the disciple has made a serious commitment to avoid all deliberate sin. Until then the relationship with God will be half-hearted and lukewarm. Without a sincere commitment to God, prayer will be superficial and tenuous, lacking real connection with God. A willingness to surrender totally to the hegemony of the Holy Spirit is the bedrock of serious prayer and discipleship!
EXPERIENCING CONSOLATION:
Saint Ignatius of Loyola observed carefully the different movements in his soul as he developed in his relationship with God. Before long, it became clear to him that God responded in a very personal way in our lives. The Holy Spirit was indeed our Counselor and Advocate who dwelt among us and within us. Ignatius discovered that when he was following God’s ways in everyday life, the Holy Spirit made known the divine Presence through consolations. Movements like peace, joy, trust, patience, and similar sentiments would be present in him moving him in God’s direction. The Holy Spirit acted like a cheerleader making things easy and giving him strength and courage in difficult situations. In other words, the disciple was not alone in this journey into the heart of God. The Holy Spirit was an itinerant mentor and guide.
MAKING DECISIONS IN CONSOLATION:
Ignatius realized as well that he could resist the promptings of the Holy Spirit and slip into desolation or movements in his soul that took him away from God. When he was under the influence of desolation, he was attracted toward tendencies that were evil and dissipated his commitment to God. Prayer was a chore and naturally resisted because he would have to confront himself. Slowly he understood that when he made decisions in a state of desolation, they never bore good fruit because they originated in confusion, reaction, and turmoil. On the other hand, when he made decisions in a state of consolation, they bore good fruit because he was influenced and strengthened by the Holy Spirit in his decision-making.
CONSOLATIONS COULD LEAD TO COMPLACENCY:
In a state of consolation it is easy to hear God’s voice and feel God’s presence. Still there is the lurking presence of our deviousness even in this sacred space! Instead of treating our consolations as gifts, and offering our gracious God thanksgiving and praise, we could quite easily succumb to the temptation of thinking that these consolations have come to us through our own merits and consequently we can produce them at will. Such a conclusion would put us in the unenviable position of judging others unfavorably and making us our own saviors! The Spirit of Truth will not tolerate such foolish complacency and conceit! When we indulge in conceit and arrogance we run the risk of slipping into desolation.
HELPFUL ATTITUDES FOR PRAYER:
· Like Jesus the Holy Spirit will be an advocate who will stand in our corner and go to bat for us. The Holy Spirit will be intimately committed and deeply concerned about our welfare as children of God.
· This commitment will go on forever, always, with no let up!
· The Holy Spirit will be Emmanuel, God-with-us. And the Holy Spirit will dwell within us, making us temples of the Holy Spirit.
· Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit here on earth will continue to fashion us into the Body of Christ, through our participation in the Risen Jesus’ Eucharistic Prayer of praise and adoration of His Father taking place continually in heaven!!
· Our lives are inextricably intertwined with the life of the Trinity in and through the power of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is continually forming us into the Body of Christ, into Church!
· Decisions made in a state of consolation bear good fruit because they are influenced and strengthened by the Holy Spirit in the discernment process.
GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER:
· Be faithful to your time of prayer, and make it between 20 and 30 minutes daily.
· Begin every prayer session with an earnest prayer to the Holy Spirit like the one I have composed for you: Come, Holy Spirit, and overshadow me with your gentle wisdom and power as I endeavor to sit at the feet of Jesus during this period of prayer. Purify my mind and heart as I seek to make the teachings of Jesus my priority in life, thinking, speaking and doing as He desires. You are the keeper of my soul, leading me into God’s heart. May I be docile and submissive to your wisdom and guidance. May my life be a pleasing offering in your sight. Amen.
· Take one of the passages suggested for prayer. During the week you might want to ponder the question, “Has the Holy Spirit truly become Emmanuel for me and have I become the temple of God’s Spirit?”
· Lastly, during your prayer make sure you also address God directly and listen for the Holy Spirit’s responses.
· You can end your prayer with the following: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for your gracious companionship. I praise you for being my Creator, Savior and Lord. May I take your blessings to my day, and may your presence envelop and permeate all my thoughts and actions. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PASSAGES FOR PRAYER:
John 14: 16- 17; 26: Promise of the Holy Spirit.
John 16: 7-15: The Holy Spirit’s job description
Romans 8” 1-13: The Flesh and the Spirit
1 Corinthians 2: 12-14: God’s Spirit of Truth
Galatians 5: 16-26: Proper Use of Freedom
SPIRITUAL READING:
The Imitation of Christ:
After the Bible, this classic is the most widely read. There are four books and 114 chapters in all. You could savor this book three times over if you read a single chapter each day of the retreat. For this week the following chapters might be useful:
Book IV: Chapters 23, 24, and 25, 42.
The Bible:
It would be even more important for you to become familiar with the Bible, especially with the New Testament. For this week choose a few passages from the New Testament. You could read Jesus’ Great Discourse.
John 13-17.
JOURNALING:
- Journal for a few minutes daily about your experience with God in prayer and during the day.
- Your journal will help you with your sharing in spiritual direction
- Gradually patterns of insights, themes, consolations, and resistance to God’s promptings will emerge.
- Your journal will help you appreciate the Holy Spirit’s action in your being.
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