Introductory Prayer -- Come, O Holy Spirit! Enlighten my understanding in order to know your commands; strengthen my heart against the snares of the enemy; enkindle my will ... I have heard your voice, and I do not want to harden my heart and resist, saying, “Later ... tomorrow.” Nunc coepi! Right now! Lest there be no tomorrow for me.
O Spirit of truth and of wisdom, Spirit of understanding and of counsel, Spirit of joy and of peace! I want whatever you want; I want because you want; I want as you want; I want whenever you want ...
Ref: St Josemaria Escrivà, “Prayer to the Holy Spirit”. In Postulation for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization, “Historical Registry of the Founder of Opus Dei” 20172, p145.
The Apostles persevered in prayer
Prayer was the chief occupation of the Apostles and disciples during the nine days after the Ascension. (Acts 1:14) How did they pray? With great faith, a keen sense of the presence of God; consequently, with great exterior and interior recollection. Since his Ascension, Jesus was no longer visibly present with them.
As man, Jesus was parted from them; but as God, they knew he was still in their midst, seeing, hearing everything. They, therefore, observed the greatest reverence and modesty in all they said and do.
Behold here the first conditions of acceptable prayer. Attended by a lively faith and firm conviction that God sees and hears us. His eye pierces the recesses of our hearts; reads our most secret thoughts.
Do we have this faith? If so, we will always be modest and reverent; attentive to our words. It follows that, if we pray without this reverence and attention, we have little faith; our prayers can avail but little.
The prayer of the Apostles and disciples was accompanied by a deep humility and great confidence. Their humility proceeded from the remembrance of their past infidelities, and consciousness of their own weakness and inability to accomplish the work entrusted to them. On the other hand, this very weakness led them to place great confidence in the efficacy of prayer, which their Divine Lord had told them would obtain all their desires and supply all their needs.
‘The prayer of him that humbles himself shall pierce the clouds’, says the Wise Man. Have our prayers often failed for want of humility? And yet what motives we have for humility! Our past sins, frequent infidelities, and uncertainty of final perseverance. If we keep them constantly in mind, we shall always pray with a humble and contrite heart; and will increase both our confidence and fervor.
The Apostles prayed with perfect resignation regarding when it might please God to send his Holy Spirit. They knew he would be granted to their prayers; but being ignorant of the day and hour, they resolved to persevere for as long as it should please their Lord. Their perseverance was rewarded. On the tenth day they received the gifts of the Holy Spirit in full.
Have we perhaps, implied certain conditions to our prayers with regard to time? We have abandoned it because our prayer was not granted at once. Our failure in resignation and perseverance is the cause of our prayer remaining unanswered -- our own fault.
Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp279-80
In virtue of the Spirit, Mary becomes Mother of God
All of Mary’s greatness is in the fact that she is the ‘Mother of God’; the central point of all the Virgin is in herself and relative to believers. The Spirit is present and effective in a most precise way in this divine maternity. We are indebted to the Spirit for that event.
Let us pause and meditate on ‘how’ Mary ‘virginally’ becomes the Mother of God. The Holy Spirit, in the present economy of salvation, is always the ‘precursor of Christ’. Without the previous descent and activity of the Spirit, there can be no visible presence of the Word.
‘The Anunciation to the Virgin’ is the most evident and most important event in this process of the divine economy. This salvific fact in which ‘our salvation began’ already represents a pentecost.
The Spirit descends on Mary in an effective way to make the Son of God a human being. Mary asked, How can this be ...? How can I virginally conceive a baby? The angel replied: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you; the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” (Luke, 1:35)
The Creed professes that Jesus ‘was born of the Virgin Mary by the work of the Holy Spirit’. The Holy Spirit, ‘he who gives life’ descends on Mary; surrounds her. It is he who has made known the Word of God.
In the fullness of time, the Son of God, is made man in the womb of the Virgin. Fathers of the Church affirm: ‘When Mary gave her answer to God, she received the Spirit, who molded in her that flesh equal to God.’
Why, we may ask, does this ‘becoming flesh’ of the Word, his becoming man, take place in the very womb of Mary, the Virgin of Nazareth? Why has such involvement between a human creature and the Holy Spirit never happened at any other time in human history? In Mary all this took place with the least resistance.
Ref: Cf Theological-Historical Commission, “The Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life”, 83-4, 1997
Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
“O Lord Jesus Christ, who before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in Your apostles and disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in me the work of Your grace and Your love.
“Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may not cling to the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal.
“Grant me the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth.
“Grant me the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven.
“Grant me the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that hinder my salvation.
“Grant me the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect like the saints.
“Grant me the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable.
“Grant me the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him.
“Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit.
“Amen.”
Ref: Rev James Alberione, SSP in “Pray Always”, Pauline’s Publishing House
Concluding Prayer
Holy and divine Spirit! Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, your spouse, bring the fullness of your gifts into our hearts. Comforted and strengthened by you, may we live according to your Will and may we die praising your infinite mercy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ref: Fr James Socias, ‘et al’ (Editors), “Daily Roman Missal”, 1989, p2080
• The chronicle relates that in the year 1428, Our Lady of Haut, in Hainault, restored a child to life, who had been dead several days, that he might receive baptism; that he lived five hours after receiving that sacrament, and then melted away by degrees, like snow, in the presence of seventy persons. — Justus Lipsius (History of Our Lady of Hal, ch. 21). (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com)
• Our Lady of Haut, Hainault, France (1428). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html); (http://mariedenazareth.com)
• Another feast of Our Lady of Haut (in Hainaut, France). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html)
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