Novena to the Holy Spirit

May 29, 2019 by Lauren Gates Leave a Comment

Did you know that the very first novena in our Catholic tradition dates back to the very first Pentecost?

From EWTN’s website: “The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost! It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.”

As the Easter season draws to a close and Ordinary Time begins, join us in praying this powerful novena for the next nine days as we wait for the Holy Spirit to renew our hearts!

You can find the prayers for the novena here.

Watch today’s video featuring Andy Lesnefsky:

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Come Holy Spirit

June 1, 2017 by Andy Lesnefsky 5 Comments

Sometimes I wonder what if the apostles had know what was about to happen at Pentecost, would they have run away? When the Holy Spirit comes everything changes. Their lives are never the same.

I am excited to share with you this great video from Dave VanVickle about Pentecost. He talks about what that change is that happens when the Holy Spirit comes.

Both in the few days leading up to Pentecost and those following I want to challenge you to invite the Holy Spirit in. The traditional prayer to the Holy Spirit says:

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

“Fill the hearts of your faithful” are the words I challenge you to pray and truly mean when you say them. Let the Holy Spirit make this pivotal change in your heart that Dave speaks of. Give him permission when you pray those words.

Come Holy Spirit - Dave VanVickle

How is the Holy Spirit working in your life? Share below!

What is God Doing?

May 24, 2017 by Andy Lesnefsky 2 Comments

While we wait, what is God doing? That is the question that Dave VanVickle considers in this week’s #ShareJesus video. We also want to invite you to join us in a Novena to the Holy Spirit.

Did you know that on May 4, 1897, Pope Leo XIII said: “We decree and command that throughout the whole Catholic Church, this year and in every subsequent year, a novena shall take place before [Pentecost}, in all parish churches.”

The Pentecost novena is the original novena celebrating the nine days between Ascension and Pentecost.

Join Christians all over the world in praying for a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit starting on Friday.

Novena to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit, Lord, and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray, O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of your faithful;grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through the same Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Holy Father, in the name of Jesus, send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

Come, Spirit of Wisdom, detach us from the things of earth, and pour into us a love and desire for those of heaven. Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

Come, Spirit of Understanding, illumine our minds with the light of eternal truth and enrich them with holy thoughts. Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

Come, Spirit of Counsel, make us docile to your inspirations and guide us in the way of salvation. Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

Come, Spirit of Fortitude, give us strength, constancy, and victory in the battle against our spiritual enemies. Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

Come, Spirit of Knowledge, be teacher of our souls and help us to put into practice the things you have taught us. Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

Come, Spirit of Piety, come dwell in our hearts to possess and sanctify all our affections.
Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

Come, Spirit of reverent Fear, reign in our wills and make us always ready of suffer any evil rather than sin. Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

O God, through the gift of the Holy Spirit you guide believers to the full light of truth. Grant that in your Spirit we may taste true wisdom and rejoice always in your consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Waiting for the Next Big Thing

May 17, 2017 by Andy Lesnefsky Leave a Comment

Thought for the Week:

Easter can seem like a distant memory, but we must not forget we are still in the season of Easter. It’s a time to reflect on what God is doing in our lives. As we journey towards Easter we are called to wait upon the Lord. Too often this is a foreign concept to us, but when we wait upon God we are never disappointed. Easter reminds us that the Holy Spirit is coming. Get ready for new life…

Quote for the Week:

The folly of not waiting for God is that we forfeit the blessing of having God work for us. The evil of not waiting on God is that we oppose God’s will to exalt Himself in mercy.- John Piper

Prayer for the Week:

Jesus, thank you for what you have done in my life. Thank you for what you are doing in my life. Teach me what it means to wait. I can be so impatient, but help me to wait trusting that your promises are true. I love you. I give you my life and all of me today. Amen

This Week’s #ShareJesus Video:

Abandoning False Hopes this Easter

April 19, 2017 by Andy Lesnefsky 16 Comments

I would love to wake up tomorrow and find out that I won the lottery. It would be particularly lucky for me since I don’t play the lottery and didn’t buy a lottery ticket. To say I hope to win the lottery would be a false hope.

Jesus is risen indeed! Easter isn’t one day. It’s the greatest reality of our lives as Christians. While Easter reminds us to have hope, I think we need to abandon our false hopes this Easter.

What are some areas in your life you would like Jesus to transform? Is there a sin you are struggling with? An addiction you want to overcome? A relationship that needs repair? Some past hurt you are working through? Are you struggling with depression? Do you feel distant from God?

Wouldn’t it be nice if you woke up tomorrow and that struggle was completely gone or that need filled? While sometimes God can do the miraculous in an instant, normally the miracle of Easter plays out in our lives in a gradual unfolding. Like hoping to win the lottery without buying a ticket, we hope for God to do something new in our life without giving God the space and permission to work in our lives.

If you want God to heal you, tell him. Show up regularly in prayer. Ask for his help. Trust in him. This isn’t the same thing as resolving to change or trying harder. In some ways healing begins when we surrender. The Paschal Mystery – the Passion, death and resurrection – reminds us death doesn’t have the final word. God is bringing about new life but it takes going through the passion and death.

Like the disciples during the Easter season, we wait upon the Holy Spirit. Where do you need to invite the Holy Spirit into your life? Ask him to teach you to pray. Ask him for the words you need to say to a friend. Ask him for the grace you need to forgive someone. Ask him to help you be more receptive to God’s love and grace.

Tomorrow you aren’t going to win the lottery but today you can experience Jesus, the risen Lord. Make time to experience him. Be vulnerable and honest. Surrender.

Do that today. Do that tomorrow. In some ways, Lent was a time to recognize our wounds and start to treat them. This season of Easter is a time for us to rip off the bandages and expose those wounds so God might heal them. It might even be a little painful. It’s going to take time, but know that healing and true freedom are possible. Jesus comes down to us in order that we might fully experience his divine life. This is exactly what Easter and the hope of Easter is all about.

Surrendering to God is better than any lottery ticket. The resurrection gives us a sure hope that God will act. The question is, will you allow him? If you do your hope is more real than the air that you breathe. Happy Easter.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what hope means to you this Easter. Share below.

Novena to the Holy Spirit

Thought for the Week:

Quote for the Week:

Prayer for the Week:

This Week’s #ShareJesus Video:

I would love to connect with you.