The Holy Spirit Secret to Holiness and Happiness
Pastor’s Column
Pentecost Sunday
June 9, 2019
Who in this world doesn’t have problems? Who in the world has the answers to these problems? The Holy Spirit will help us navigate the daily joys, sorrows and opportunities life brings us each day if we invite him in. The Holy Spirit knows exactly what is best for us; which decisions we ought to make; how to handle even the gravest of difficulties in our lives. So how do we access this knowledge?
In this column, I want to share with you a bit of wisdom that my spiritual director shared with me a while back. I keep this quote in my prayer book and read it daily. These words are easier to say than they are to do! Pentecost Sunday is the perfect time to begin living a new life in the Holy Spirit. Here, in his own words, is the daily spiritual exercise recommended by Cardinal Desire-Joseph Mercier who was the Archbishop of Malines, Belgium from 1906 until his death in 1926.
Father Gary
“I am going to reveal to you the secret of sanctity and happiness. Every day for five minutes control your imagination and close your eyes to the things of sense and your ears to all the noises of the world, in order to enter into yourself. Then, in the sanctity of your baptized soul (which is the temple of the Holy Spirit), speak to that Divine Spirit, saying to Him:
'O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do. Give me your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your Will.'
"If you do this, your life will flow along happily, serenely, and full of consolation, even in the midst of trials. Grace will be proportioned to the trial, giving you strength to carry it, and you will arrive at the Gate of Paradise laden with merit. This submission to the Holy Spirit is the secret of sanctity."
Cardinal Desire-Joseph Mercier
