[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″ custom_padding=”||0px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.3″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Day” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ header_font=”|700|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#e02b20″ header_font_size=”40px” animation_style=”fade”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.3″ custom_padding=”65px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.3″ animation_style=”flip”]On Day 5, we quoted from St. Francis de Sales, \u201cWhen we profit from an inspiration that our Lord sends, he then sends another, and thus our Lord continues his graces as long as we continue to profit from them.\u201d When we talk about \u201cdivine empowerment\u201d now, the concept is similar to the graces referred to by St. Francis de Sales. Divine empowerment is only granted to us at the time we need it, not in advance. If we are faithful to the inspirations of the Spirit by taking steps to act on them, divine empowerment will be \u201creleased\u201d to us at the time we need it. We will then be supernaturally empowered to do the will of God that we are unable to accomplish on our own.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ background_enable_color=”off” width=”50%” width_tablet=”70%” width_phone=”75%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” max_width=”75%”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/quotation-mark.png” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ animation_style=”bounce”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Quote” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ header_font=”|600|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#ffffff” custom_padding=”|20px||20px|false|false” animation_style=”zoom”]<\/p>\n
(2 Timothy 1:7)[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”\u53cd\u601d” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ custom_padding=”1px|||||” animation_style=”fold” locked=”off”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.3″ background_color=”#ed374e” width=”100%” max_width=”100%”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Title” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ header_font=”|600|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#ffffff” animation_style=”zoom”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.3″ custom_padding=”65px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.3″ animation_style=”flip”]At the Last Supper, Jesus told His Apostles, \u201cIf you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another <\/strong>Advocate to be with you always<\/strong>, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you<\/strong>.\u201d<\/em> (John 14:15-17)<\/p>\n Paraclete, the Greek origin for the translated word \u201cAdvocate\u201d, has the meaning to accompany, console, protect, <\/strong>and defend<\/strong>. The Holy Spirit, being our lifetime faithful companion and consoler<\/strong>, can always be turned to for anything we need. Note that Jesus described the Holy Spirit as \u201canother\u201d Advocate, because Jesus Himself is also our Advocate. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son to be our Advocate in Jesus' place after He had physically departed from this world. But Jesus is NOT out of the picture. Not at all! In fact, now with the Father, Jesus is our Mediator and Advocate in heaven. How privileged are we, as mortal beings, to have both an Advocate in Heaven and another Advocate on earth! We can see how God has made Himself so accessible to us!<\/p>\n With the dwelling of the Spirit within us, we should feel super charged and energized! And there should be an intense longing to receive this divine power from the Spirit! The burning desire within us should turn us into a dynamic Catholic, charged with a mission to bring more people to Christ and in doing so, change the world in a powerful and supernatural way. However, there is still one real danger that can prevent us from being faithful to the Spirit's inspirations and from receiving divine empowerment.<\/p>\n As we follow the Spirit closely, we also attract the attention of Satan. He will surely do anything he can to destroy our relationship with God! Satan can \u201cget hold of\u201d us in many different ways, but in particular, through our sins. Attachment to sins makes ourselves \u201cinhabitable\u201d for the Spirit, which prevents us from receiving divine empowerment.<\/p>\n As we prepare to celebrate the upcoming Solemnity of the Pentecost this Sunday, let us go to confession beforehand if it is possible. If we can't due to the pandemic, at least we should thoroughly examine our conscience with a contrite heart to recognize (the pattern of) our sins; then confess our sins to God and resolve to mend our lives to detach ourselves from all sins (and go to confession as soon as you possibly can). As our friendship with the Holy Spirit is restored, we become more faithful to the inspirations of the Spirit and more ready to receive divine empowerment from Him.<\/p>\n Dear Holy Spirit, let your fire fall upon me, cleanse me from within. Make me realize how privileged I am that you dwell within me forever. Strengthen my determination to renounce any spirits that lead me to sins so that I am always ready to receive your inspirations and divine power. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen![\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”\u8056\u795e\u4e5d\u65e5\u656c\u79ae\u79b1\u6587” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ custom_margin=”-6px|||||” custom_padding=”3px||0px|||” animation_style=”fold” locked=”off”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.3″ background_color=”#ed374e” width=”100%” max_width=”100%”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.3″ header_font=”|600|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#ffffff” animation_style=”zoom”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.3″ custom_padding=”65px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.3″ animation_style=”flip” hover_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Invocation Prayer to the Holy Spirit<\/strong><\/p>\n Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, and console me. Tell me what to do, direct my every choice.I promise to submit myself to all you desire of me and to accept all that you permit to happen to me. Let me only know your will.Grant this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.<\/p>\n Day Eight Receiving the Spirit\u201c Submission\u201d Hebrews 12:9:<\/strong> If we respected our earthly fathers who corrected us, should we not all the more submit to the Father of spirits and live? Romans 5:3-5: More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God\u2019s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.<\/p>\n Meditation:<\/strong> I believe that complete surrender of my life to God is the foundation to serenity. God has prepared for us many mansions.I do not look upon that promise as referring only to the after-life.I do not look upon this life as something to be struggled through in order to get the rewards of the next life.I believe that the kingdom of God has begun within us and we can enjoy eternal life here and now.<\/p>\n Prayer for the Day:<\/strong> I come before you on my knees Lord, for I believe in my heart that you raised Jesus from the dead and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord of my life.Lord, you promised that as many as receive you, you give them the power to become children of God, who are born of God. In submission to you, I receive you as Lord, and I pray to be filled continually with your Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ the Lord.Amen.<\/p>\n Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit<\/strong><\/p>\n O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Day 8 Detachment from SinsOn Day 5, we quoted from St. Francis de Sales, \u201cWhen we profit from an inspiration that our Lord sends, he then sends another, and thus our Lord continues his graces as long as we continue to profit from them.\u201d When we talk about \u201cdivine empowerment\u201d now, the concept is similar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holy-spirit-retreat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4942"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4965,"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4942\/revisions\/4965"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pentecost.fll.cc\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Novena to the Holy Spirit:<\/h1>\n