Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Come, O Holy Spirit:
enlighten my understanding
to know your commands;
strengthen my heart
against the wiles of the enemy; inflame my will...
I have heard your voice,
and I don't want to harden my heart to resisting,
by saying 'later... tomorrow.'
Nunc coepi! Now!
Lest there be no tomorrow for me!
O, Spirit of truth and wisdom,
Spirit of understanding and counsel,
Spirit of joy and peace!
I want what you want,
I want it because you want it,
I want it as you want it,
I want it when you want it.
- ST. JOSEMARIA
June 26th Feast Day Mass Locator
June 26th is the feast day of
St. Josemaria Escriva.
Around the world, Masses are celebrated in his honor and everyone is invited!
Articles
Our Rebirth in the Spirit: A Homily for Pentecost
By Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
"'The doors were locked,' but 'They rejoiced when they saw the Lord.' The disciples were afraid—afraid of being harmed, insecure about the future. Better not let anybody in. This is how we are at times: Jesus stands knocking at our door and we are barricaded on the inside, afraid of something new, different, or unexpected. We’ve had bad experiences and learned our lessons the hard way. But Jesus passes through the locked door, stands in their midst and solemnly proclaims: 'Peace be with you!'"
Vigilant Listening
By Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
"When we feel within ourselves resistance against God’s will; when the conflict between our spiritual ideals and the reality of our attachments is strong, we know that our anguish can only be relieved by one stronger than ourselves who understands our struggle. There is no shame in seeing that we need to be lead by the hand, that we need someone to guide us according to God’s plan for our lives. Such a one is the Blessed Mother. We become more her children the more we rely upon her help."
Seeking the Face of the Ascended Lord
By Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
"At several points in the Gospel, Jesus sensitively anticipates the longing that His ascension will leave in us: 'The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it' (Luke 17:22). What is worth meditating on, though, is the Lord’s insistence that it is better for Him to go away from us than to remain under His natural, human appearances—and that it is better for us to live in a state of longing. It seems so counterintuitive to us. We are human through and through, and identify those whom we love by such things as the sound of the voice and the look of the face. More than by bodily sight, the ascended Savior wants us to be drawn to Him by desire, a desire born of faith and the Holy Spirit prompting us from within."
Interview: The Faithful Traveler
By St. Josemaria Institute
In our latest inerview, Diana von Glahn, “The Faithful Traveler”, shares with us the inspiration behind the exciting travel program she cofounded with her husband, David. With the Marian month of May upon us, and summer just around the corner, we are very grateful to Diana for taking the time to speak with us about her faith-filled travel experiences and the meaning and impact of pilgrimages today.
The Love that Converts Work into Prayer
By Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
"People in general almost instinctively drive a wedge between religion and ordinary life. Outwardly, they do seem very far removed from each other: Religion typically expresses itself in quiet and restraint, work in busyness and activity. We who are disciples of the 'carpenter’s son' claim to know how to make both go together. Our baptismal rebirth changes how we see and approach everyone and everything. Although, 'man is born to work as the birds are born to fly' (cf. Job 5:7), yet the Christian is reborn to do all things, including work, with a profoundly changed motivation (cf. Friends of God: "Working for God,” 57)."
The Paschal Christ: The Living Sign of Divine Mercy
By Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
"For all of our sinfulness, for all of our rationalizations, for all that we have picked up from the modern mentality which always places self at the center of everything, today Jesus commands us to touch Him, to put our fingers and hands into His wounds. He will not let us go until we do this."
Our New Life is Born in the Empty Tomb
By Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
"Mary Magdalene was doing the best thing possible on Easter morning: seeking Jesus. But she could not find Him in her way. Her plans to enter the tomb and anoint Him had to be set aside. God’s power had accomplished something far greater and holier than she could have planned for. And what is most impressive is that as soon as she saw that her plans had to change, she changed."
Interior Struggle
By St. Josemaria Escriva
"The liturgy of Palm Sunday puts these words on our lips: 'Swing back, doors, higher yet; reach higher, immemorial gates, to let the king enter in triumph!' Anyone who barricades himself in the citadel of his own selfishness will never come down onto the battlefield. But if he raises the gates of his fortress and lets in the king of peace, then he will go out with the king to fight against all that misery which blurs the eyes and numbs the conscience. 'Reach higher, immemorial gates.' The fact that Christianity requires us to fight is nothing new. It has always been that way. If we do not fight, we will not win and if we do not win, we will not obtain peace. Without peace human joy is illusory, fake, barren, and it is not translated into service of men, or works of charity and justice, of pardon and mercy, or the service of God."
Lent as a Season of No Kidding: Where are We Behaving as the Crowd?
By Deacon Keith Fournier
"We can hear or read the Gospel accounts on many levels. That is part of the reason why the Scriptures are such a treasure. They need to be read, re-read, prayed over, and read again and again and again. I suggest we take the Gospel account presented today as an invitation to ask ourselves a sobering question - and to answer it honestly. Where are we refusing to allow Jesus into our own lives? Where are we, in effect, driving Him out of our own neighborhood?"
Saint Joseph: The Love of His Heart and the Work of His Hands
By Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
"Are there more important 'facts' to know about a man? The love of his heart, the work of his hands—that’s all we really need to know. You can tell a man’s character by the love of his life and the work of his hands. The woman he chooses to love and to marry and to stay with for life; the quality of his work, however humble and hidden it might be. That is what makes a man a man. But what makes a man not only good, but a Saint, is how he responds to God."