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Partly because of the visual drama, this is one of my favorite scenes from the Bible: " 1 When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. " And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, 2 and it filled the entire house in which they were. " Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, 3 which parted and came to rest on each one of them. " And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, 4 as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. " ( Acts 2:1 - 4 ) It's also part of what we read during Mass this morning: Acts 2:1 - 11 ; 1 Corinthians 12:3 - 7 , 12 - 13 ; John 20:19 - 23 .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America

This quote is the opening portion of a beautiful prayer to be recited during the Liturgy of the Hours, Morning Prayer on the Solemnity of Pentecost. The line "with the power of a mighty wind" has always given me pause. By inviting the Holy Spirit into our lives, things will never be the same.  A mighty wind's power transforms the landscape in ways that cannot be imagined in advance.  This Pentecost, let us ask the Father to send the Spirit to transform our lives according to his good plan!  Click here for more Pentecost Quotes!

Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter 2014: Acts 8:5 - 8 , 14 - 17 1 Peter 3:15 - 18 John 14:15 - 21 Sixth Sunday of Easter 2014 By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas May 25, 2014 In an anonymous e-mail, we are told a story we need to hear on this Memorial Day weekend. It's about an old man and his wife sitting in the parking lot of a supermarket. The hood is up on their car. Evidently they were having engine problems. A young man in his early 20s with a grocery bag in his arms walks in the direction of the older couple. The older gentleman emerges from his car and takes a few steps in the young man's direction. He points to the open hood and asks the young man for assistance. The young man puts his grocery bag into his expensive SUV, turns back to the old man and yelled at him: "you shouldn't even be allowed to drive a car at your age." And then with a wave of his hand, he gets into his car and speeds out of the parking lot. The old gentleman pulls out h

We all know that I am married to an atheist. Who gasped? Really, it's something that we work on in our marriage like anything else. Granted it was hard and there was arguing in the beginning. I even  ruined some tongs over it . A lot of it is a delicate balance of respect and a whole lot of  Holy Spirit intervention and trust! What does this have to to with Ash Wednesday ? It's a perfect example of that balance I wrote of earlier. We always try to compromise on the little stuff so it's easier to when the big stuff comes. Usually, when he compromises, I can tell, because he says funny things like "I accept you, and I love you", with a grin, especially when I come downstairs in the morning looking particularly groggy, or scratch my very dry legs while watching a basketball game, and even...burp! That last one doesn't happen often anymore. See, (tangent coming) I thought when you didn't let the burp out, no one could hear it. My husband finally fill

It's been another crazy week. Preparing for an NFP talk scheduled for next week, really praying it will go well and asking all my peeps to please pray for Ben and I, as well please pray for our audience, that they will be open and willing to receive our the message. As always I will be keeping the Holy Spirit close to me as I prepare to talk and then of course throughout the talk. Honestly, the message of pro life, anti-contraception, pro-NFP, is never easy to deliver. to read more click here  http://www.yearsofmilkandhoney.blogspot.ca

“Perfect as the wing of a bird may be, it will never enable the bird to  fly if unsupported by the air" -Ivan Pavlov S imilarly, we can try to perfect ourselves by our own efforts but we will never be able to fly in the Spirit, no matter how holy we seem, without the wind of the  Holy Spirit lifting and filling us with the Presence of God Isaiah 40:31  (NASB) Yet those who [ a ]wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up  with  wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. Teresa of Avila once explained the difference between what we do and what the Spirit of God does. We can build a stone aqueduct but then we must wait for rain to fill the reservoir and fill the channel with living water. Sometimes God will insert a geyser or an instantaneous fountain but usually we have to build an aqueduct and wait for His timing.

The words prayer and contemplation intimidate many people but the reality is that prayer is simple, so simple that it eludes many adults. Rest in God and enjoy God in the silence. Sometimes we need to simply cease our activity, live in the moment and breathe in God. This is reality. When the Spirit flows in and through us we are in sync with everything and everybody. We are part of the Trinity, part of the human community and part of the communion of saints. How do we relax into this state? In and through prayer. Have you ever noticed that every liturgy begins with a blessing of peace and simultaneously a call to prayer because they are intricately connected. L: “Peace be with you” P: “And also with you.” L: “Let us lift up our hearts to the Lord” P: “We lift them up to the Lord” L: Faithful and gracious God, we seek to draw nearer to you in this time of devotion and prayer. Open us to your word that we might be guided in your Spirit toward all truth and love,

 I was just thinking that I had not shared about my pain, struggle or suffering, only about the joy of mothering, the joy of living as a daughter of God. I friend also pointed out to me the other day that I never really talk about the long, dark periods in my life. I guess it is because joy always triumphs in the end in my life, I tend to forget about the painful years. The love of little people, strong tea, laughter and the Presence of God in the midst of chaos seems to crack anxiety and stress but yes, I have been shattered by the demands of mothering . Yet God always manages to use those moments when I am shattered to crack my heart and soul open to more of His presence and healing. It is like childbirth, the pain is forgotten when I hold my newborn but on the other hand if there is no pain, there is no baby or new growth in the Spirit.  For me God speaks through books as well as my spiritual director and the written word has  often  changed my life, flipped an inner switched b

A relationship to the living God is child’s play.  Children are open to the Spirit in a simple and natural way; their spirituality is not only taught, it rises from within them as they listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in their own hearts. St. Paul assures us that all men have the basic laws of God carved into their hearts. In modern language, we all have an awareness of good and evil or a conscience.The problem is tapping into and living out from my core where God has inscribed a moral code on my heart. It is  hidden in my deepest self. Actually, first we must recognize that our own ego and selfishness are a barrier between us and God. Thank God for Christ because He offers an easy way to love and easy way to live in His Spirit as saints. Relax.  Give up striving in your own strength, self-righteousness and pride and accept that you need Jesus as your Saviour. St. Paul understood that only Christ had the power to deliver him from himself. In Romans 7: 24 …. Wretched ma

Why do  Faithful American Catholics Label  Pope Francis: A Modernist Heretic? Every time Pope Francis speaks, the papers are filled with sensational headlines; he does not emphasize many of the popular, hot issues like abortion and homosexuality, issues which often simply serve to divide voters into an  us  and  them  mentality. When did these issues become  the  only  issue that concerns the Church? Yet when the pope reminds us that our life in Christ is so much more, vocal advocates become extremely angry, denouncing the pope as the anti-pope. How ridiculous! Why such a strong reaction? Perhaps many Americans do not like this South American because Catholics in America were taught that God loves capitalism and that Greed is Good. The Pope has made some pretty negative remarks about the freebooter capitalism that has flourished since the 1990′s and that will make him very unpopular with the freebooters in the US. Some of his comments about greed, avarice, and freebooter capi

It was Padre Pio da Pietrelcina’s feast day, yesterday, September 23. 40 years after his death, Padre Pio looks like this. Padre Pio quotes  “Don’t allow any sadness to dwell in your soul, for sadness prevents the Holy Spirit from entering freely.”​ “Joy, with peace, is the sister of charity. Serve the Lord with laughter. ”  “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. read more>

The more I study icons, the more they draw me into the heart of God. Of course this is exactly the reason an iconographer prays and paints.  He paints with, through and in the Holy Spirit so that everyone who gazes on his icon with an open heart will be touched by God . The enduring spiritual power of icons. Icons have been objects of faith, controversy and fascination for centuries.  read more  

The worst possible fate for me would be to die and discover that I had lived an existence similar to the allegory described in Plato’s Cave. Plato describes man’s condition similar to living in a cave, chained, only seeing shadows on a wall cast from a candle. Yet the human race believes that this is all there is to life. When one person manages to break free and stumbles out into daylight, he realizes that what he thought was real were actually shadows of real objects. After this messenger makes his way back into the cave to explain this revelation of the real world, no one believes him. No one else has any reference point; they simply cannot grasp this alternate reality. When I speak with someone who is curious about the faith, I realize my revelations about the spiritual life in the Mystical Body of Christ are completely foreign. I might as well be a fantasy character explaining life in an alternate reality. Psychologically speaking, people need to hear a completely new concep

At the request of Jesus, the Holy Spirit has been given to us. Do we really know what that means? What does a life lived in the spirit look like? “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.” ~John 16:7 The Holy Spirit is supposed to be so significant in our lives that it is better than if Jesus were to be here, right now! A life lived in the spirit is radically different. It is imbued with wisdom, grace, and virtue. It longs to do God’s will and live in accordance with His edicts—and is able to do so because it is under control of the Holy Spirit and does not follow selfish desires. “And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation.” ~John 16:8 The Holy Spirit is a bit like electricity or gravity—you may not be able to understand or explain either of them but that doesn’t change their reality. The truth is not subjective—it is objective. At the heart of the Holy Spiri

Father was a no show at the 8 a.m. Holy Mass today.  The old man stood at the back door waiting for him, he said he had talked to Father and that he had said he would be there.  At 8:02, we decided to have a communion service.  Jim, wonderful servant of God, did the service for us.  One of the men came up to me and a woman that I was speaking to after the service.  You never saw this man without his rosary in his hand.  It gave me such hope to see one so faithful every day to the Rosary of our Blessed Mother.  He came over and speaking to the woman spewed a derogatory comment about Father.  My heart dropped.  The woman agreed and joined in the bashing.  This isn't the first I had heard of this, and every time I hear it, it broke my heart.   They invited me to McDonald's for breakfast, I declined and said I would stay and pray.  The woman said to me, "Well he needs it!" (Meaning Father.)  What she didn't know was that most of my prayers would be in suppl

“So basically you are a ‘vanity press,’” was the question posed to me that really sounded more like a statement of fact—and an unattractive one at that. “Well, we offer a variety of publishing services and some of those services are that authors do, indeed, pay to have their books published with us,” were the words I said that didn’t even begin to cover the true response. What I’ve come to see over these past six years working with different authors is that there isn’t a vain one among them. In fact, what I’ve come to know and be blessed by are the men and women who have made the conscious choice to answer the call the Holy Spirit has put upon their hearts to bring a work of fiction or non-fiction to fruition. These are men and women who have taken the “new springtime of evangelization” to heart and have responded. They aren’t in positions of power where their names can open doors; rather, they are the simplest and most humble of people who have prayed and discerned to know God’s c

I've had quite a lesson this weekend. Yesterday I was very tired after cleaning Mum's old flat, and consequently feeling rather grumpy (tiredness and grumpiness often go hand-in-hand with me!) As a result, when I went to see Mum in the afternoon, I found myself being rather short with her on occasion, not realising this until my daughter (God bless her!) pulled me up about it afterwards by saying "I thought you were a bit bossy with Grandma today" . As soon as she said it, I looked back and realised that all my responses had been wrong...  It made me realise that it doesn't matter how I'm feeling , whether grumpy, tired, out-of-sorts, the important thing is how I treat other people . With a little effort and a lot of the Holy Spirit, I could have been more pleasant, patient, forgiving, accomodating, compassionate and understanding. If I look at the Fruit of the Spirit: love , joy , peace , longsuffering , gentleness , goodness , faith , meekness ,

By Allison Salerno Last night, when I walked into a house with our teen in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York City, I saw something I've never witnessed: a living room with 30, no maybe 40 happy teenagers, playing guitars and singing. This was a 17th birthday party for a young man in GS (Gioventù Studentesca), the youth group of CL (Communion and Liberation. ) The happy birthday boy was at the electric piano, with his father by his side on the guitar. Where does all this beauty come from? To me, it is a sign of the Holy Spirit moving among us.

I have always thought of Pentecost as an ending because it concludes the great season of Easter. However, today I was reminded by the priest at Mass in his homily that Pentecost is actually a beginning; it was one of those aha moments .  With the coming of the Holy Spirit, something new was started~first and foremost the Church. But something new was begun in each of the Apostles as the gift of the Holy Spirit was breathed into them by Christ. They went and did things they never had before, probably never thought of before. I somehow suspect that like most things Jesus told His Apostles, they probably didn't quite get what He meant when He told them He would sent another Advocate, the Paraclete. It probably wasn't until after Jesus ascended and after Pentecost that they understood more fully what He meant. As Father reminded us in his homily today, there are no endings in Christ. His Passion, Death and Resurrection conquered death. He tells us that He makes all things new and

Those poor Apostles. Even now after spending the last forty days with Jesus since His Resurrection, they still don't quite "get it". Our Lord still hears their doubts; they question Him about what He will do, will He go now to restore Israel? Jesus' Passion, Death and Resurrection did and does restore, perhaps not nations, but hearts and souls. The Apostles would need the Holy Spirit to understand what Jesus' mission was about, and in a few short days they would receive His Holy Spirit to continue His mission of spreading the Gospel. We too need the Holy Spirit, given to us at our Baptism and Confirmation, to spread the Good News of Jesus in our own parts of the world. As we celebrate Our Lord's Ascension in glory to His place at the father's right hand, let us not gaze toward the sky seeking heaven, but to Jesus present in the Holy Eucharist, for He is the promise of heaven. Holy Spirit, Enliven in us Your gifts so that we may come to know God and