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Are You Ready for the Holy Spirit

by Catherine Doherty

Are you ready for the Holy Spirit? You know that he comes to you as he came to the apostles, and you can all be filled with the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is really something. He explains everything to you. Remember what Christ said, "What you don't know, the Advocate will explain to you" (Jn 14:26).

When you want to understand something, why don't you pray to the Holy Spirit? Sometimes you get to know something better from him than from any of us. You should be praying to the Holy Spirit constantly, especially if you are in a seminary, because he is a special friend of the priests. He looks after the priests in a very special way as he did the apostles.

The Holy Spirit gives answers to your questions. From my own experience, when I can't solve something, I begin to pray to the Holy Spirit, and receive answers in my thoughts. I advise you to do that.

And don't be afraid to call upon him if you are in danger. He keeps you safe. I remember once I had to go out at night to nurse somebody in Harlem and I saw two guys coming toward me and I knew exactly what they were going to do. I didn't have any money, but they didn't know that. They were coming toward me and I said, "Holy Spirit, help me because they are going to attack me." And you know what? They came up to me and said, "How are you? I hope, okay." And they passed me by! Now there you are.

The Holy Spirit is there for you under many conditions. Sometimes you are confronted with a very vital situation and you feel that you should talk to the Holy Spirit about it because what you think seems all right might be all wrong.

Suppose your people want you to take a job some place and you don't feel for sure that it is a good spot to go. Well, pray to the Holy Spirit and he will give you an answer. At least he always does for me. When I was deciding to give up everything and follow God directly, it was quite a struggle, you know. So I talked to the Holy Spirit and asked him what he thought about it. At that time I had a strange answer: "Do it." So I did it, and here I am. Yes, here I am. It is astonishing, absolutely astonishing.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit is indicated regularly, because people forget him. They pray to Jesus Christ and they pray to the Father, but they forget the Advocate who teaches us. So pray to him quite often. It is impossible to tell you how wonderful he is, and how important. The average Catholic may not think he is important, but he is very important.

For the Spirit, the divine Consoler, has come to us as he came to the apostles and gives us inward light, as he did them. He was sent to help them to grasp the mysteries revealed by Jesus. He does the same for us. He was sent to enable them to expound the inexhaustible depths of those mysteries to us. With his help we in our own way can both live those mysteries and expound them to others.

Thanks to the Holy Spirit we are now dwelling in God's light that purifies us from the darkness in which the world delights. It gives knowledge and a taste for the things of God. It is the light that enkindles our understanding, a light that discloses a new world to us.

But the Holy Spirit has come to cast fire on earth! Our hearts are transformed if we receive him with an open heart! In those who receive him, the Holy Spirit infuses a burning charity. For Christ desired that the lives of Christians would set people's hearts on fire. That is why the Spirit came the first time in the shape of tongues of fire.

The first preaching of the apostles was but the beginning of a missionary work which is to know no limit and no halt until the end of time. People of all races, of every country and of every generation are drawn into it. And so are we. Alleluia!

We celebrate Pentecost yearly but I think Pentecost could be celebrated every day. Each day he is with me and holds me tight. All of me. He is like my cloak that covers me up and I am safe. And you too. Yes, he keeps you really safe. So I hope you are going to pray to him. It is so very important that you do.

Catherine Doherty (August 15, 1896 – December 14, 1985), born in Russia, was foundress of Madonna House and a prolific writer and teacher. Her passionate zeal impelled her to pass on her faith in God, and she is now being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church. Visit www.CatherineDoherty.org for more information.

Copyright: Madonna House Publications – With Permission under a Creative Commons License.