O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul I adore you.
Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me.
Tell me what I ought to do,
then command me to do it.
I promise to be submissive in all that You ask of me,
And to accept all that You permit to happen to me; only show
me what is Your will.
Amen.
If you have ever been an expectant parent, you have, no
doubt, spent countless hours thumbing through baby name books, searching for
the perfect name for your child. This name will say something unique about your
child. For example, my son Michael is named after his father. His father was
named after his Italian grandmother, Michelina, meaning “who is like God”, as
with Michael the Archangel, warrior of Heaven,
defender and protector. I think this name suits both my men.
In the Jewish culture, a person’s name is chosen to represent
the essence and character of the person.1 When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary
(or “Miriam,” as she was called in Hebrew), he called her “full of grace”. The
state of her soul was pure. She was preserved from the stain of original sin.
She was full of love, and humble obedience to God, caring for all that was
entrusted to her.
“I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according
to your word” Lk 1:38
Her “yes” proclaimed in humble submission to the will of the
Father, allowed redemptive grace to enter the world and alter the destiny of
mankind.2
Just as Mary was called by God to carry Christ in her womb,
so are you and I called to carry Him “in the womb of our heart” and to bear Him
to others given our particular state in life. For me, I believe that I am called to
bear Him to my husband, my children and grandchildren. I am to bear Him to my
neighbors at home and at work through means of kindness, silent prayer for their
families and hospitality. Maybe you are thinking of your own call right now.
Everyday,
you and I have a choice to say “yes” to God’s call
for us, just like Mary did. Every single day is a new beginning; we can
make a difference. And, if we do say “yes”, we can be assured that we
will
be empower with His Holy Spirit, making us channels of grace for the
life of
God to enter the world.3
I love this meditation, Daily Grace. I love the Holy Spirit prayer in the beginning . . . is that the one from Cardinal Mercer? Then I love your reflection on Mary, and your thought for how we can follow her example with a fresh yes each day, to channel the Holy Spirit's grace.
ReplyDeleteColleen, that is from Cardinal Mercer; it's a beautiful prayer, one of my favorites....Yes, everyday we have a new chance to say yes to God's plan for us. I think it was Eleanor Roosevelt that said "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, today is a gift". Since gifts are for giving, I want to give Him the gift of my today.
ReplyDeleteGod bless
Beautiful! And you are so right ... how different each day would look if we had this perspective!
ReplyDeleteGod bless you!