Let the Holy Spirit Guide You
Two Saints to Help Us Stay on Track this WeekIn the Gospel today John shares Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit as a guide and to remind us how to live. God also puts holy souls and saints before us to help our troubled hearts and learn from their example.
As Catholics we received the Holy Spirit at Baptism to shape us, accept God’s love, and show love to others.
At Confirmation our relationship with the Holy Spirit intensifies.
However, in the course of life’s journey we inevitably become confused and lose sight of the Spirit within us.
Thankfully, we don’t have to look far to get back on track to be reminded of the fruits of the spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – they are evident in the saints. The Holy Spirit flourishes in the saints’ wisdom, words, writing, and works. The saints had their fair share of shortcomings and faults like us, but they let the fruits of the Holy Spirit grow within them and inspire them in their vocations.
Two saints to honor this week – St. Bede the Venerable, and St. Philip Neri.
Today, we honor St. Bede the Venerable, who lived in the 7th and 8th century. He was a Benedictine monk and priest and an early Doctor of the Church for his many writings, translations, and homilies.
Of his works, two quotes stand out to help us today as we renew the Holy Spirit in us. “I was no longer the center of my life, and therefore, I could see God in everything,” he wrote. And giving advice to all the faithful he penned, “Unfurl the sails, and let God steer us where He will.”
On Monday, we honor St. Philip Neri (1515-1595) a priest and founder of the Oratorians– a community of priests and lay brothers. He is known for his sense of humor and compassionate spiritual direction. He was often a spectacle wearing goofy clothes, shoes, or even sporting a half shaven beard to teach lessons in humility and the importance of not taking yourself too seriously. Today we share a few quotes from the book Maxims and Sayings of Philip Neri.
• “There is no surer or clearer proof of the love of God than adversity.”
• “He who continues in anger, strife, and a bitter spirit, has a taste of the air of hell.”
• “Our enemy the devil, who fights with us in order to vanquish us, seeks to disunite us in our houses, and to breed quarrels, dislikes, contests, and rivalries, because while we are fighting with each other, he comes and conquers us, and makes us more securely his own.”
