Day 106: He Sends His Spirit
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I'm Fr. Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars with Renewal, and this is the Rosary in the Year podcast. We're through prayer and meditation. The Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world. The Rosary in the Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 106.

To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text R-I-Y to 33777. You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month and it's a great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to the podcast is in the Ascension app. There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full rosary. No matter what app you're listening in, remember to tap follow or subscribe for your daily notifications. Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the third glorious mystery.

the descent of the Holy Spirit to Pentecost, with help from a writing from St. Ambrose entitled "On the Holy Spirit." And now our excerpt here: "Who then can doubt of the Godhead of the Holy Spirit? Since where the grace of the Spirit is, there the manifestation of the Godhead appears, by which evidence we infer not a diversity, but the unity of the divine power.

For how can there be a severance of power where the effect of the working in all is one? What then is that fire? Not certainly one made up of common twigs or roaring with the burning of the reeds of the woods, but that fire which improves good deeds like gold and consumes sins like stubble. This is undoubtedly the Holy Spirit who is called both the fire and light of the countenance of God.

The end of the reading. Thanks be to God. So we're going to go ahead and talk about the Holy Spirit. This episode might be a little bit more maybe theological than devotional, at least compared to some of the other episodes up to this point. First and foremost, the Holy Spirit is not a placeholder for Jesus. He's not like a teacher's aid who's helping us while the professor is elsewhere. As St. Ambrose says,

There is no doubt of the Godhead of the Holy Spirit. And again, he goes on to say, by which evidence we infer not a diversity, but the unity of the divine power, one in the power of God. The Holy Spirit is God sharing in the fullness of the Godhead of the most Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Holy Spirit fills us with theological faith and hope and charity. All of that is to say is that God is,

dwells in us and god filling us with his very self inflames within us faith and hope and charity the holy spirit is god and worthy of worship and adoration at pentecost as the holy spirit descends it is the one true god anointing and flaming the disciples with tongues of fire here's what the catechism catholic church says about the holy spirit

consubstantial, of one substance, of one divine substance, consubstantial with the Father and the Son. The Spirit is inseparable from them in both the inner life of the Trinity and His gift of love for the world." The Catechism goes on to say, in one of my favorite sayings, "When the Father sends His word, He always sends His breath." When the Father sends His word, capital W referring to Jesus, He always sends His breath, capital B referring to the Holy Spirit.

"in their joint mission, it is Christ who is seen, "the visible image of the invisible God, "but it is the Spirit who reveals Him." I love that quote where the Father sends His word, He always sends His Spirit. And I think the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it also touches on and kind of gets ahead of a potential sort of question or curiosity, doubt maybe we'd call it. 'Cause it's clear, right, that Jesus gets so much more of our attention than the Holy Spirit.

And the question is like, is that a problem? Is that something we need to like significantly address? I think actually the answer is no. And here's why. What is true and needs to remain true is like the Holy Spirit must be worshiped as God. That's who the Holy Spirit is. But also I do believe it's part of the mission of the Holy Spirit to generally remain hidden and to keep our hearts and our minds focused on Jesus and focused on the Father.

Here's another quote from the Catechism touching on this: "The Spirit, who has spoken through the prophets, makes us hear the Father's word, but we do not hear the Spirit Himself. We know Him only in the movement by which He reveals the word to us and disposes us to welcome Him in faith. The Spirit of truth, who unveils Christ to us, will not speak on His own, such properly divine self-effacement." The Holy Spirit

moves with the divine self-effacement, a divine humility and a hiddenness. Remaining hidden, not really trying to draw attention to himself, but keeping us focused on hearing the word of the Father and continue to unveil the Son to us while also transforming us and bringing us in a greater and deeper union with the Son.

So I'll say this, like in kind of in conclusion is the Holy Spirit is God. And it's so important for us to continue to come to the Holy Spirit, knowing His power, that He's consubstantial with the Father and the Son, sharing in the one divine mission, the one divine power. This is the Holy Spirit who is alive in us. So we worship Him and we adore Him as God. But at the same time, if a lot of our prayer is focused on Jesus, focused on hearing the scripture, the Father's word,

That's okay, that's actually the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in us. And so the Holy Spirit is gonna continue to remain hidden, again, known more by His movement than the direct experience of hearing His voice, seeing Him being manifested, et cetera. I do believe this is true, and I believe this is confirmed by the Catechism, which makes Pentecost, I'll say, a particularly important mystery or moment for us to focus on the Holy Spirit and adore Him

Again, he remains so hidden for most of his work and most of his mission. Here at Pentecost, there's a bit of a manifestation of the Spirit. Again, as he's revealed his tongues of fire, beginning this great movement in the church here as he sets aflame the apostles, particularly Peter. So let's just go ahead and take a moment today as we pray and as we conclude with our time of prayer of just focusing on the Holy Spirit.

And just having a moment here of just worshiping the Holy Spirit, giving thanks to the Holy Spirit for the many ways in which He is at work in our lives, the many hidden ways in which He is bringing us to know and to be more conformed to the Word, to Jesus Christ. And now with Mary, let us pray. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. All right. Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. All right. Poco a poco, friends. God bless all.