Help me Holy Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord

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A voice proclaims:

In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD! Isaiah 40

Help me Holy Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord in my life!

Help to find a place for the Lord in my house,

a corner, a chair, a sofa or my room to have a quiet time with the Lord.

Help me Holy Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord in my life!

Help me find a place in my calendar of this busy time to reserve a daily moment for the Lord.

Help me Holy Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord in my life!

Help me to let the baby Jesus to enter in my heart to think like a child of God, and to recognize and accept His love.

Help me Holy Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord in my life!

Help me to share not only presents with my family and friends, but to share your love with service and prayer.

Help me Holy Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord in my life!

Help me to remember that Christmas is your birthday, and you deserve the present of my adoration.

Help me Holy Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord in my life!

Help me to prepare the way of the Lord in the lives of the people in need of my help and of your love.

Help me Holy Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord in my life!

Help me to see the ways of the Lord in my life as He prepares me to the ways of His coming.

Amen

Susana Kearney

 

Prayer to the Holy Spirit in every need

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Holy Spirit,

my Light, my life, my love, my Strength,

be with me now, and always:

in all my doubts, anxieties and trials,

come, Holy Spirit;

in hours of loneliness, weariness and grief,

come, Holy Spirit;

when others fail me, when I fail myself,

come, Holy Spirit;

when I am ill, unable to work, depressed,

come, Holy Spirit;

now, and forever, and in all things,

come, Holy Spirit.

Source: Devotions to the Holy Spirit, Brain Moore, SJ

We have faith

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WE HAVE FAITH

We have faith because we connect our daily lives with God through the Holy Spirit. We have faith because we are being liberated each time we invoke the name of God and we believe that He is with us.

We need to move beyond the ordinary of our daily lives because we know that this life is not all, that it will pass, that is why we have faith. With faith we acknowledge the presence of Jesus in our lives that clarifies our lives without the possibility of uncertainty. With faith we let the Holy Spirit to inspire us to pray, to meditate in the teachings of Jesus and to accept His love.

Faith is a gift of God given to all of us like a seed planted in our hearts. Learning about God’s love with the scriptures, following Jesus teachings and praying we make it grow.  Faith is a gift and a privilege, a donation and a transformation, a bond with Heaven and a connection with this world; it’s the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Faith never ceases to grow, we are not better or worse because of how faithful we are, we have faith and only God knows how deep, sincere and humbly is our faith. The Holy Spirit and the Church are helping us to nurture our faith to lead us closer and closer to God.

Therefore, trust! Because in this path of faith the Holy Spirit is with us!

Decalogue of Pope John XXIII

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My Mother was a faithful devout of John XXIII from the first years after his death.  Pope John XXIII called the Second Vatican Council, his pontificate was only four years, and he was declared “blessed” in year 2000. For my Mom and all our family John XXIII was always our Pope, the “good Pope John” who was the pope of the missing things and happiness.  I copy out the Decalogue of Pope John XXIII that it was present in our home for years, and it’s treasured and prayed for me.

Decalogue of Pope John XXIII.

  1. Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.
  2. Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behavior; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself.
  3. Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one.
  4. Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.
  5. Only for today, I will devote ten minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.
  6. Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it.
  7. Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices.
  8. Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision.
  9. Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world.
  10. Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for twelve hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation where I to believe I had to do it all my life.

To conclude: here is an all-embracing resolution: “I want to be kind, today and always, to everyone.”

Blessings,

Susana

What is faith?

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In this year of faith we are called to enter through the “door of faith” which is always open for us calling us to a life in communion with God.

On November 3rd I had the blessing of sharing the Magnificat Day of Faith with two thousand five hundred people at the beautiful Crystal Cathedral recently renamed Christ Cathedral by the Diocese of Orange, California.  It was a beautiful day of praying and reflection with great speakers who talk about faith from different perspectives. Among then, Father Peter Cameron defined faith in long, but entertaining speech.

What is faith?

As Pope Benedict says, faith is the center of all things that takes us to salvation and it’s an escape from our own inability.

Father Peter Cameron defines faith as a divine gift that enables to open our hearts and mind to God’s world, it makes us to desire, know and love God, and to receive his love as a gift. Faith makes clear our life’s paths without the possibility of uncertainty. Father Cameron described faith as a liberation that gives me the conviction that I am accepted, that I have a task in history, that I am loved, that it is good that I exist, that is good to be human being even in hard times.

I want to reflect on his description of faith since it’s meaningful and revealing for many of us. He said that,

Faith is a divine gift because is God who calls us to have faith and open our hearts to His world, to desire Him, to know more about Him, and to accept His gift of love;

Faith clarifies our lives with certainty, that there is no room for mistakes because we are call to live in the light of God’s wisdom;

Faith is a liberation that frees us from the burden of this world, so we are convinced that we are accepted when the world rejects us;

Faith is a liberation that gives us the conviction that we have a task in history to spread the Kingdom of God in this world;

Faith is liberation because we are loved by the Father who loves us with perfection;

Faith is liberation as we know that it is good that we exist because we were created by our Father who sent us to this world with a mission;

Faith is a liberation that reminds us that is good to be human being even in hard times because our humanity is perfected in hard times;

Be joyful and faithful proclaiming Mary’s words: “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior… The Almighty has done great things for me.”

Blessings,

Susana

Do you have wisdom?

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Do you have wisdom?

Sure you have wisdom, and the wisdom of God! You received the gift of wisdom through the Holy Spirit. Through wisdom we can grasp the purpose and plan of God for us and for the world, and see the world from His point of view.

Have you ever wonder if you see the world from God’s eyes? This is the first step to use the wisdom that you were given, then pray and ask for wisdom.

When we decide and we act we will distinguish if it comes from God or not, because He is in you and you are in Him. In some cases is easy to know, but when all options look good it’s hard to decide.  Certainly, through prayer and spiritual advice we can find the right decision even when it takes time and patience. For some people it took years to “see” from God’s point of view, for others is faster, but in general  it requires asking to the Holy Spirit the wisdom of God.

Next time you have to make a decision or you have to say something try to discern in the light of the text in the book of James,

“17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy.”

Are your words peaceable?

Are your intentions pure?

Are your words gentle?

Are your prayers easy to be entreated?

Are your acts full of mercy and good fruits?

Is your life without variance and without hypocrisy?

I pray that these questions don’t discourage you, but they invite you to “see” your life with the wisdom of God.

Blessings,

Susana

Charism and natural talents

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Charisms and natural talents

Charisms or spiritual gifts are not inherited; they are given to us by the Holy Spirit. They are also supernaturally empowered, and they are supposed to be given away. Natural talents are the skills and abilities inherited from our parents that combined with our personalities, education, and life experience are used for our benefit and for others.  However, these natural talents can become supernaturally empowered charisms when they are transformed by the Holy Spirit.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit – wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord- and the fruits of the Holy Spirit – charity, joy ,peace,  patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity – are given to us to grow in faith, but the charisms are given us to share.

Examples of charisms are administration, celibacy, craftsmanship, discernment of spirits, encouragement, evangelism, faith, giving, healing, helps, hospitality, intercessory prayer, knowledge, leadership, mercy, missionary, music, pasturing, prophecy, service, teaching, voluntary poverty, wisdom, writing and more. These are the most common, easier to discern, and permanent.

We may suspect that we have one or more of these charisms in us, but we need to discern them in the presence of the Holy Spirit through spiritual exercises of workshops for this purpose. I took a  workshop named “Called and Gifted” by The Catherine of Siena Institute in my parish (see blog  “When I was called”) that changed my life forever, and I recommend for all those who are wondering about their called to further the Kingdom of God. Visit http://www.siena.org/Called-Gifted/called-a-gifted to find more details.

I hope you can discover the treasures that the Holy Spirit gave you, I hope that you feel rich and loved when your charisms appear, and please share them with all the people.

Blessings,

Susana

When I was called…

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When I was called…

I was a Spanish teacher for 7 years in a Catholic middle school in Southern California. After the seventh year, I was told that my program was going to be canceled, and the school wasn’t sure that they could call me for the next school year. They called me for the 2009-2010 school year! , but I already had a magnificent called that summer. I realized that even I was serving kids in schools, God was asking me to do something else, and to reshape my life.

During July and August of 2009 I began to pray to the Holy Spirit asking for guidance in my professional career. I wondered if I had to teach something else and finish the courses to complete my Social Studies credential.  Actually, it was what I did. During 2009-2010 I completed all the courses to obtain my Social Studies Credential in order to have more opportunities to teach. But, more and more teachers were laid off in California, and the opportunities to get a job were decreasing.  So, I decided to put more effort in my travel business that was hit by the economic crisis of recent years, and I re-organized my home-based travel agency to help more people to travel.

Meanwhile, I continued praying and looking for guidance, so I attended a workshop on charisms that was facilitated by The Catherine of Siena Institute named “Called and Gifted” offered in my Parish Santiago de Compostela.  During this event and in the weeks after, I confirmed charisms of knowledge and teaching, and I discovered my interest for leadership and prayer.  Within the process suggested in the workshop I spent many days praying, meditating and discerning about God’s call in my life.

Once in a while I go back to the workbook that was provided to discern,  to confirm and discover new charisms given by God. For example, since English is my second language I had a hard time writing in English, so I have never thought that I would be writing this blog about the Holy Spirit and my own faith experiences. Here I am, only with the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the will of the Holy Spirit writing to you.

God wants us to discover His gifts in us to bring the Kingdom of God to this world and take people to His love.  I hope you have the opportunity to discern your own gifts and put them to work; you can’t image the great peace that they bring to you and your life.

Blessings,

Susana

PS: if you experienced calls similar to mine or others, please share your experience with us with a comment. Thank you!

Do you know your gifts?

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Do you know your gifts?

Do you believe that God gave you special gifts? Do you believe that you are a valuable part God’s plan? Do you sing? Do you like to welcome people? Do you like to talk in public? Are you a good administrator? Do you like to be in the backstage?  Analyze your likes, make a list of things that you like to do. These skills or abilities may be related to your life choice or vocation or not, but they are present in you and the Holy Spirit is ready to empower them.

Are people telling you that you are good doing something? Are they telling you that they like what you say or how do you say it?Try to remember all the times that someone highlighted your abilities or skills. Have you ever thought that you may be good for an activity or role in society or your parish? You may be surprised finding that there are certain skills that are hidden in you ready to be discovered. You may already chose your career in life in which certain skills are not been used, you don’t know it.

Different from the natural talents, gifts are a grace of God that impacts other people out of the ordinary. These God-given gifts are also called Charisms, and show how God is using you as an instrument of his peace, and are ”supernatural, focused outward, received and lasting” (Discerning Charisms, Eryn Huntington, Sherry Anne Weddell).

Discerning your gifts is not easy, takes times and help of people who are involved in discerning gifts, but it is a beautiful process that will give purpose to your life, and will show you how much God loves you.

Blessings, Susana

God takes you away…

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When we feel we are out of place, lonely, sad, far from your love ones, or just in the wrong place… we have to pray. God is taking us away to talk to us, so we have to listen. Sometimes the noise of life is preventing us to listen the soft voice of God. Away from the source of distractions we feel lonely, sad, and sometimes abandoned, but even when we don’t notice God is filling us with His Presence. So we have to pray, to open our hearts to His presence and let Him talk. How do we listen when we are suffering? We have to pray because praying is a way to quiet our hearts, to slow down our hectic lives and to place ourselves in the presence of God. Praying is the first step to return to the Word, to the source of all things, to the Eternal love. It’s hard to say “here I am, I am afraid, I don’t understand what you want God, but I trust in you because you know what it’s better for me”, but I found myself saying this praying in times of distress and I found many answers after a while. I still remember certain prayer moments when I realized that I was wrong and that I had to silence my mind and my heart to listen. I hope that you pray when the Holy Spirit takes you away to a lonely place with feelings of sadness and confusion. I hope you find the loving peace of God in your hearts in those moments, and I hope you listen what God is telling to you and only you.

Susana