LIVING LIFE ENKINDLED

By Alison. N.G. Fernandes

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It is but the Grace of God that I have been inspired to write this book. All Praise and Glory to the Holy Trinity for inspiring me to write about something that was wanting to be written.

Thanks to my daughter- Hannah and my husband- Floyd who’ve been my pillars of strength throughout the process of giving birth to this creation.

I owe my gratitude to Sr. Lovenia Almeida (f.c.) ex- Head-Mistress at St. Joseph’s High School, Byculla- Mumbai, who was also my boss at the very same school. Sr. Lovenia has been an inspiration to me, at a professional as well as personal level. For encouraging and entrusting me with umpteen opportunities to write commentaries for the various school programmes and short skits. I’m grateful to Sr. Lovenia for the faith she has had in my abilities as a teacher, in and out of the classroom; this faith which is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Having watched her, I have learnt faith- in myself and others. Her intimacy with God through the Spirit of Joy is what Sr. Lovenia exudes and this is what I have imbibed from my interactions with her.

In gratitude to my anonymous friend who has been a great source of encouragement to me as this book was being written.

INTRODUCTION

Living Life Enkindled is about my journey of faith with the Holy Spirit. It has been directed specifically to the youth and young adults who would need to understand the importance of the Holy Spirit in their life. Writing this book has been a journey of awakening within myself and has deepened my relationship with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit.

I’m hopeful that by the Grace of God, as you read this book you will yourself be enlightened and transformed. In Jesus Name, Amen!

1) In The State of Grace.

As Spiritual Beings embodied as humans, we tend to be weak in mind and body, considering that we most of the time work on the level of only the mind and body ignorant of the fact that we have the Spirit of God within us which we could use to our advantage in order to live a fuller and richer life.

If we could take a peek into our lives and see how we could alter our whole outlook towards every aspect of our being, we would need to first put things into perspective. Contrary to what has been taught to us, and our pre conceived notions, we must know that we are Children of God the Father- Abba, through the death and resurrection of his only Son Our Lord Jesus Christ. This affirmation that we belong to the Divine is itself a ticket to the State of Grace.

This State of Grace has been gifted to us at the time of our Baptism. The best gift a Father can give his children has been given to us. In my own experience in life, having fallen in sin and darkness and having given into hopelessness to the point of wanting to end my life, I can boldly say that God loved me, in those moments of despair, more than I loved myself. He had found me, has rescued me, redeemed me and brought me back into His fold of the privileged 100! That’s when I once again received the State of Grace. This for me would mean true resurrection. The State of Grace for me is a place of hope, a surety knowing WHO I am and most importantly, WHOSE I am.

Now, knowing that I have been blessed with this State of Grace, I definitely wouldn’t want to take it for granted (who would?) knowing that I am in a privileged position of being God’s favourite child (the best deal in life!) So, how do I take this position seriously?

For one, I’d begin reading more about Jesus and trying to understand what He requires of me. Reading His Word in the Holy Bible would give me increased knowledge and great wisdom about the kind of person He is and how I ought to become more like Him in the process, whatever the outer circumstances. Another most important thing would be acting on what I have read and understood about Jesus. Herein lies the real challenge. Doing takes courage, it takes a lot of grit and determination to do what you ought to, because Jesus wants us to have courage- the courage to be different; to be the Children of the Light. To take the challenge we need the Holy Spirit who gives us courage and strength, power and might to do all that we need to in order to build God’s Kingdom here on earth.

Looking at the life of Jesus we know that ever since His birth, He has never had it easy! Then how can we as Children of the Light have anything but an easy life! Human as we are, we tend to get distracted and lose sight of our goal, which is to become more like Jesus and to build God’s Kingdom here on earth. Therefore, in order to stay focussed on our goal we need to feed on the Holy Spirit, asking Him for guidance every day, knowing that He is in us and He helps us when we call to Him. The state of Grace can enable us to stay united with God. The state of Grace is the place wherein The Holy Spirit takes control of every activity, making the very action itself Grace- filled and bringing victory as a consequence.

When I was about 13 years old, I was always the quiet, shy child because I wanted to obey my elders though this made me passive and unassertive, it did teach me something very important. As time passed by and I became a young adult, circumstances changed and I understood that it was good that I was brought up with least resistance because this made me more accepting of whatever came my way, making me adhere more closely to the Will of God and depend completely on Him.

Yes, there have been times (three times, to be precise) when I’ve been a little disobedient, in the sense that in my love for people and emotional attachment to them (which I thought was love) I lost the power and grace to do God’s Will and could not completely accept what lay in front of me, making me feel angry towards myself and the world around me.

As I see it today, the Holy Spirit had left me and the spark that was within me had blown off, leaving me just to exist- Dead woman walking- so to speak. Now, what could I do? What would I do? And specifically at these times, I had no one except, Jesus. Yes, I did have my close family, but not everyone understands what the other is going through. Only Jesus can truly understand what we are without Him!

So, at my breaking point the Holy Spirit spoke to me and I slowly but steadily and surely got back on my feet with the assurance that no matter what, I would get back my spark and enthusiasm to live life.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, I got my prayer life back in action. Attending regular weekday mass with enthusiasm, (initially, Sunday mass was only to fulfil obligations) weekly prayer meetings became part of my routine, I was also given the opportunity to be part of the weekday choir- my Spirit (rather the Holy Spirit) took flight. Jesus brought me back on track.

Just as He had promised His disciples of a helper in His absence, just after His Resurrection and before His Ascension, Jesus delivers His promise to us and anoints us daily… yes daily with His Holy Spirit, because He knows how urgently we need the Holy Spirit and how necessary the Holy Spirit is for us to walk every step in daily life in the Truth of God. With the Holy Spirit beside us, making difficult decisions becomes slightly easier and heavier burdens become lighter with renewed strength.

How then do we invoke the Holy Spirit? For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Bible, Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God”

One technique that has stood the test of time for me is: when I wake up in the morning, before jumping out of bed, I sign myself with the Holy Cross and just sit still. I let my mind be calm (very difficult prospect at first). Initially, your thoughts will run a rat race, such that you won’t know where to start, but the purpose here is to control the mind and see how you can enslave it and bring it the desired elasticity, pushing it to the brink to achieve its goal of listening to you.

It takes 21 days to build a habit and yes it did for me. So, its relentless practise that will build this habit and allow you to come closer to the Holy Spirit. In this union with the Holy Spirit, people are gifted with powers to discern and make judgements correctly, speak the right words, think the right thoughts and all the good things the Father God can give. This brings peace and joy all through the day, even in the midst of challenging circumstances outside.

That apart, all through the day, we need to be constantly aware God’s presence within us as this will help us understand our own feelings within ourselves thereby assisting us to make right choices by accepting every moment as it is. This will also bring about a change in perception in the way we see the world around us eliminating negativity thus springing up a positive outlook in life. This precisely is the state of Grace. It takes a great amount of courage to see things in the light of positivity. Looking at the bright side of every circumstance at every moment is not everyone’s cup of tea. Only a few Spirit –filled souls have the faith and courage to tread the path of light. We must endeavour to be Spirit- filled so as to walk the path of light; for we must walk by faith and not by sight.

This said, I can relate to this situation when, even as I write this, because at the moment the situation that has come to me, seems hopeless, I know that just like in the former days, this too shall pass and the God of Hope will fill my life with His blessings in abundance. But unlike the past, I have learnt to see hidden blessings in my perceived troubles. Why is this so? Because God has my back, having given me His Peace and Strength. And I live in the State of Grace.

Having experienced the state of Grace not very early in life, I can imagine how much peace I’d lost just thinking and worrying about things that shouldn’t have really mattered.

The state of Grace is the attitudinal change that puts every little thing in God’s Mighty Hands and then just moving on with a positive outlook. It is the faith that He will accomplish what He promises to do. This is true salvation. What a blissful moment. The book called A Course in Miracles would call this the Holy Instant.

One need not be overtly religious to practise and be in the State of Grace. To site an example, my late maternal grand- uncle and foster father was this kind of a man; not religious at all (in terms of being a practising catholic) but he most definitely practised spirituality every step of the way. When we’d (me and my sisters) lost our parents to an untimely death, it was he who took up this great challenge of bringing up the three of us. It was by all means a daunting task but he never really let that get to him. As I see it today, my foster father lived Psalm 23, showing God’s Glory in his life by having looked after us wonderfully well, albeit with minimum resources; yet mind you he gave us the best! He rarely got tense about anything, working very hard as a microbiologist at a Municipal hospital in Mumbai. He somehow had the lasting faith and trust that God the Father would come to his aid. This is what even The Holy Bible would teach… practising faith and I learnt this at hindsight, from my foster father.

Living in the State of Grace challenges us to let go of old thinking patterns and old ways of existence, bringing us to an entirely new pattern of real living; accepting God’s Will, wishing everyone well and making life’s journey on the wings of a dove; in the freedom of the Holy Spirit.

Living in the State of Grace will also give you knowledge and Wisdom about the kind of friends you must make and keep. The Holy Spirit will guide you when you ask for assistance. Unlike human friends, as soon as you dial in you get your response; and He promises this in The Holy Bible in the book of Jeremiah 33:3 where he says, “Call to me and I will answer you and I will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” His answer may not exactly be what you want, it will be what you need!

Yes, it will be difficult to digest, but inspired by the Holy Spirit like Mother Mary one can say: “… May it be done to me according to Your Will”

Then and there, begins an amazing journey of knowledge, Wisdom and discernment with the Holy Spirit. Yes, you will pass through deep waters and storms which are inevitable, but the boat ride will be peaceful because you will have the answers through guidance from the places to which the Holy Spirit will lead you. You will be led to have meaningful conversations with Spirit- filled relatives and friends who will reveal pieces of the puzzle in your journey. Sometimes, you will be driven to attractive options which are actually temptations; just like Jesus was driven into the wilderness to be for forty days after His Baptism, which He successfully resisted with His Wisdom and Discernment from the Holy Spirit. Likewise, you will need to use discernment and check the values instilled in you by your parents and teachers to understand the situation and deal with it effectively. You will also need to keep your ears attuned to what your heart tells you- listen to the inner voice! When you make it a point to regularly get in touch with yourself through morning meditation, the inner voice will become clearer and the false banter on the outside will decrease. This will give you entry into the State of Grace.

2) Fanning the Flame

Look at a candle! It has all the ingredients required to light itself up and dispel darkness… but can it light itself on its own?... it needs an outside source to inflame it.

Right from the day my father passed away one September, the Holy Spirit has been connecting with me to lead me where He wanted me to be - always in His presence and One with Him. Thereafter, I have been encouraged many times by Spirit filled people to join prayer groups, I was enthused but did not receive support from home. Yet, I persevered, especially when I was in college, I began attending mass on a daily basis. Though participating in mass was not really a religious ritual, it was more to enjoy fresh air in the Gloria Church compound, (Byculla) to be honest!

Time went by and I got to understand the seriousness of the Eucharistic celebrations, when I myself would make the effort to read the Daily Flash and its reflections, the night before and then read the Word of God a few times at mass also having participated in the choir- singing solo. I tell you all this to give God the Glory and to make you aware of how he attracted me to Himself. Jesus is truly charismatic! Once you know Him, you can’t get enough. Think of it in terms of a new person you may have met, who seems super attractive and you want to know the person closely, so you’d try to have weekly/ daily conversations and then possibly feel the vibes and develop a new friendship.

Sometimes, human as we are, we get easily distracted and get attached to things of this world, it may either be the positive or the negative. This leads us to waver from what is truly necessary and important to us- listening to Jesus through the Holy Spirit who resides in us.

The ego attachment to the negative events of life makes us angry, irritable and sometimes desperate and then we forget our true essence which is being the Child of God. As soon as we remember whose we are, we ought to come out of the negative mind set and walk in the way of the Lord. Here’s where the flame diminishes and we need to take time to sit with ourselves or just take a moment to ourselves and connect with our inner being. This is the point where our answers will come. We will reset our focus on our priorities- doing what God wills us to do, forgiving and letting go of our false beliefs and thoughts. This will help us to grow in mature understanding of ourselves and our mission to create a more authentic world.

Fanning the flame of the Holy Spirit would also mean that we ourselves sometimes ought to lead by example. There are many opportunities in a day for us to go forward and help people around us- firstly in our own homes, where we can render a helping hand to our mum or the maid working in the kitchen by vouching to cut vegetables or clean the kitchen table, making a difference to the one who is doing the routine chores. Even at school/ college, you could help your classmates assisting them to understand some topic they do not understand in a particular subject. This is in keeping with what Jesus asks of us when He calls us to be the Light of The World and the Salt of The Earth. These are examples to show that The Holy Spirit is working in us to bring about a change in the world. These are baby steps that you will take towards evangelisation making people around you aware of how Jesus is working in you.

Looking at the lives of saints we understand that the people God chose, to be His followers, had the spark in them which Jesus caught and helped them develop that spark into a flame. The disciples then worked in union with the Holy Spirit and led a life of humility and detachment. They followed Jesus radically, without being bothered about what the others spoke about them. Even when they were on the brink of death, they had no fear in dying for the name of Jesus. All they wanted was to do God’s Will radically.

When I look at things from my angle, I can say that like all Catholics/Christians, I had been blessed with the Holy Spirit at my Baptism, which was latent (because I was obviously baptised at a month old). As I grew older and mingled with my Parish community, attended Sunday school and learnt about Jesus, The Holy Spirit lit the spark in me, attracting me to go closer to Him and to understand Jesus.

Thus, I was very fond of praying the Rosary to Our Lady and attending mass. Sunday school was of course very exciting and one thing that struck me the most during one of my Sunday school sessions was the statement: “I am created in the image and likeness of God.” This was one of the pages that I cherished with all my heart and coloured it neatly. I began to wonder if Jesus was like me or was, I like Him. Having a rather low self - esteem, I thought maybe I could become like Jesus, mighty and powerful, full of joy and love.

As I grew older and having lost my parents in the course of time, The Lord compelled me to depend totally on Him, but circumstances were somehow not in favour of allowing me to build my faith, thus I remained meek and timid which was detrimental to my self- esteem and I had completely forgotten my life’s tag line. Obviously, the spark had been put off!

Being someone who is stubborn and doesn’t get weighed down easily by my circumstances, I entered Sophia College and immediately joined the CSA (Christian Students Association) As a member of the CSA I was blessed with confidence to interact with the senior students at college and understand their perspectives of life and I saw how Jesus works in the lives of others even through their difficulties.

Here at Sophia College, I kind of found my wings with Jesus. Got an opportunity to attend first Friday mass every month, pray every morning in the chapel, felt one with God and His Presence at all times, even though sometimes I may have gone through moments of confusion. I was so close to Jesus and vice-versa that I wanted to join the convent; I somehow thought I had the calling. At hindsight, I think it was the Holy Spirit trying to stir itself in me! But by the end of my graduation from University, I became more career oriented (nothing bad about that) but I lost focus. The Man who was always by my side was side- lined. As St. Paul says in his letter to the Colossians, “Set your mind on the things above not on things of the earth.”

Thereafter monotony set in. In the routine of everyday life, trying to find my feet in the teaching profession, which was a means to earn a living, but my heart was yearning to find meaning in what I’d be doing. During that time, a chance meet with one of batch mates from college, sent me to SNDT University to complete a certificate course in counselling. I enjoyed the experience and I knew right there, that therein lies my forte. The next thing on my mind was joining a school as a teacher for experience, though I already had a short stint in teaching during the summer holidays at the time of my graduation. Here’s when I knew where my bread and butter would come from! But I also love my burgers and cocktails so I had an alternate career option already in mind. So going back to my bread and butter, I had to run towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God. (Phillipians3:14)

Doing the Will of God was primarily on my mind. Even though I was so wanting to pursue school counselling, I thought that a teacher training course would provide me an easy access to the world of counselling considering I would learn child and educational psychology which would be a means to an end.

With some certainty as to where I have to tread, I began my journey (metaphorically and literally) towards St. Teresa’s Institute of Education, Santacruz, Mumbai. This was definitely the narrow road that Jesus talks about in His Gospels. To the uninitiated, a teacher’s training course is one of the most rigorous professional training experiences in human resource management. One has to toil day and night and literally burn the midnight oil to thrive and succeed in this race for marks and a place in the professional arena. The practical aspect of the course, wherein the trainees have to give practice lessons in specific schools chosen for them. Teaching the content is a piece of cake, but the catch lies in the fact that these lessons involve basic concept formation of students which entails that the trainee teacher prepare charts, flash cards and the like to enhance the explanation of a lesson; more akin to a drama or a movie, where acting and mouthing the dialogues is fairly simple, but the complex part is getting ready to essay the role with dress, make- up et al.

This, as you can see, was the narrow path that I had to tread in order to earn my bread and butter. And on this narrow path I found the Lord Jesus and heard His Holy Spirit speak to me asking me to do His Will rather than running away and resisting His Plans.

Challenges being old acquaintances, I kind of knew what was in store. Unfortunately, I was never a good learner and thought that things would not be very difficult and I would breeze through the course of study which as stated above was nothing less than a roller- coaster ride.

Through all that, one thing was certain, God was with me. Jesus held my hand at all times. I was blessed with friends who helped me through the entire academic year. One such friend was a certain Ms. Mahim who was genuinely nice and caring (and so was her lovely family!) It was an extension of my own family. Coming from an unusual family setting of my sisters, my foster father and me, I got a chance to learn the workings of a traditional family. The group dynamics did not surprise me. It was much the same as in my home. And not surprisingly God was the centre of it all, inspiring me and preparing me to take charge of a family of my own, albeit 6 years later. For an introverted extrovert like me, I got to learn how different relationships can train you and shape you into a person completely different and better than you were. I began now to understand that Jesus had taken me to St. Teresa’s Institute of Education so I could learn the art of communicating with Him. A vivid picture comes to my mind of how, there were incidents of theft taking place on a regular basis at the institute and how Sr. Lilian Rosario, Principal of the institute at that time used simple but powerful words during the assembly prayer time to help us find our lost goods. Whether anyone found their lost property remains a mystery, but one thing is certain: I learnt the art of communicating with God. Communication is an art and a two-way traffic. To make it simple, we call it prayer. Then again, prayer doesn’t just mean rattling prayers that have been taught to us from time immemorial. Rather, prayer is using these traditions of praying subsequently using a two-way communication with God in Jesus Christ, wherein besides putting forward our petitions to the Lord, we take time to listen to Him, trusting and obeying what He needs of us to do. (Which is sometimes difficult and not easily acceptable to us.) This is exactly what I learnt. Walking in His footsteps as His Disciple, I’d need to carry a heavy cross which I would have to accept in order to gain victory eventually.

To be honest, as I stated earlier, travelling from one end of Mumbai to the other was physically and emotionally draining. I, therefore had to develop a relationship with Jesus. This was again a slightly difficult task considering my mind was working in negativity all day 24*7. Yet, I was blessed with the Grace of visiting the Blessed Sacrament at Gloria Church, Byculla, and almost every morning on my way to the institute. This visit to the Blessed Sacrament, though short was always fruitful considering I would not feel as tired or weak at the end of the day as I cast my cares on Him because He cares for me. (1 Peter 5:7) This time spent at the Blessed Sacrament was one of the ways to fan the flames of my faith in my Lord Jesus.

3) PRAYER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

One of the best things we learn from the Holy Spirit is the ART OF PRAYING.

Praying is not just sporadic speech, rather it is both, the art of speaking and listening. When we speak, we put our cares at the feet of the Lord. We lighten our burdens. But is it sufficient only to speak of our difficulties? Will it be fair in a human situation wherein, there is only a one-sided conversation of speaking, not listening? So it is in our time of prayer, we need to listen attentively! This is a major task when all we want to do is to be heard. In this kind of communication, we make God out to be our businessman, with whom we only do business when we need.

On the other hand, if we took God in Jesus, as our friend, we would know that prayer is more of a relationship guided by the Holy Spirit. This would bring about a change in our perspective towards prayer and how we relate to God. As the years went by after having completed my training and becoming a full-time teacher, I learnt and applied this lesson, even more strongly in most aspects of my life.

Fear gripped me when I found certain lessons (more so) in English Grammar difficult to explain especially when we would have supervision of our lessons by the principal. Then, I “Called to the Lord and He answered me, with His strength He strengthened me” (Psalm 138) So although the supervisions did take place and I was nervous, yet I’d teach the lesson well and get applauded, both, by students and the principal. This would definitely raise my confidence and motivate me to learn the nuances of teaching English Grammar.

Being a teacher seems to be a cakewalk. Not so. It was more of an emotional roller coaster. Because teaching not only entails giving knowledge, it also would mean my rapport with the students and my colleagues which had to be well maintained, concerning my predisposition as a quiet and shy person who doesn’t get along with everyone from the start. Not only in my teaching, but also in my relationship with my colleagues, Jesus was always supportive. Most of the time, I’d be stressed not knowing how to go about dealing with stuff that wasn’t in the purview of my teaching skill. To cite an example, as a class teacher, it would be mandatory for me to organise a class canteen which to me, was something I had never done. So, this to me, was a herculean task. What should have been my response in such a situation? I could have worked out strategies where work could be distributed to the students in my class. This would have helped lighten my burdens. But, being slightly arrogant and with a little bit of pride in my abilities (something not very nice) I went on and mostly did the work on my own, even still (pride and arrogance as partners) Jesus never left my side, sending my colleagues to my rescue (His way of telling me to humble myself and seek help when needed) Here’s where Jesus worked in my life, bringing me closer to my colleagues (3 of whom are now good friends). I cannot say this was the answer to any prayer, because I never prayed about this (pride again). God being merciful, I learnt the ropes of the teaching profession and was blessed with a very fruitful 10 -year teaching career during which time, my daughter, Hannah, (now 8 years old) was born.

Motherhood is never an easy journey and I had it even tougher, considering, I never had my own mother! Add to that, I suffered post-partum depression, which confirmed my fears and anxieties that come with the vocation.

Here’s where my faith in God went flying out of the hospital window! The events that followed did not do much for my faith. It seemed (actually, I was certain) that God had abandoned me!

Here’s where my downward spiral in prayer life had begun.

Lack of prayer or literally no prayer led to a feeling of hopelessness, add to that people around me weren’t very supportive. This lack of support only increased my anger towards myself for one of the most terrible decisions that I had taken during my pregnancy. All said and done, I had to get back up on my feet. It took me almost 2 and a half years to get rid of the mental and emotional struggle. Thankfully, I had my career to divert my mind from the emotional trauma I suffered at home. I had very kind and supportive colleagues who’d understood me and helped me through my pain.

Yet, there was no real communication with Jesus. Unconsciously rattling prayers, I had learnt, was the only talk I had with God, that too only once a day with great difficulty.

But come January 2016, with the help of my sisters, I took matters in my own hands and began taking psychiatric pills for reducing mental stress and inducing sleep (without Jesus I couldn’t even enjoy sound sleep). Gradually, life picked up pace and I worked on building my relationship with Jesus. The Holy Spirit helped me to be focussed on my primary goal of motherhood and by the end of 2016, I knew what I needed and more importantly, what my daughter needed.

The Word of God in 1 Samuel12: 22 says, “The Lord has made a solemn promise and He will not abandon you, for He has decided to make you His own people.”

And acting on His Promise, in 2017 January, I decided to take a year’s unpaid leave, though I was a little sceptical and had my apprehensions. But God worked wonderfully even through my fears. He gave me Grace and strength to walk the unknown path. This was possible only through a relationship that He allowed me to build with Him. It definitely wasn’t an easy ride. Only with His help was I able to do what I had set out to do. I’m not saying that I used to pray 24*7. Definitely not! My prayer was my vocation of motherhood. I had just begun to learn the ropes of taking care of a home as a full-time mum. It was with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that I was able to overcome the anxiety of the snide remarks that were hurled at me for following my heart. (Consider the fact that now we had one income less; people would talk as though they would do anything for me financially or otherwise. You’ll find such people any time you want to take the road less travelled.) Regular prayer and daily mass were the soothing balm for the hurts that I occasionally felt. I knew that God was the only person who was my support apart from my husband. Knowing that my only strengths were Jesus, my Hannah and my Floyd, I worked on developing my relationship with my strengths. What I thought would be routine, was in fact an opportunity to explore my talents and indulge in my hobbies of reading, writing and cooking.

So, my time was being taken up by experiments in cooking and my guinea pigs were my people at home. Feeding my family showed me that I can love my family better by cooking simple meals and having fun enjoying those meals with them, the privilege that I denied myself for 3 years after Hannah was born.

Staying at home was a real blessing. The Lord rewarded my trust with His faithfulness of blessing us with the favour to travel and live abroad (in the U.K.) for two years on a work visa. This was one of the best blessings God could have ever given us considering our financial circumstances in childhood.

Living in the U.K. was a different ball game altogether. With differing time zones and missing my loved ones back in India, I also had to deal with not so loving people on the streets of England. Somehow, I managed to deal with the situation. Now, England to me was an alien feeling, having no friends around and being alone all day with erratic weather conditions, I slowly slipped into depression. Though I had folks telling me that they had my back, it apparently wasn’t that way!

Having to deal with Hannah adjusting to a completely new situation- school, weather, et al; gave me the jitters, but truly only Jesus had my back.

Five months after being in UK, I realised that I was slowly slipping into depression. To escape this feeling, I started writing my experiences and emotions. My husband being away at work for long hours, got me frustrated. My daughter was my solace but that wasn’t enough.

Soon, God came to my rescue. By May 2019, I found a ray of hope as God led me to the Living Word CCR Prayer Group at Hounslow, England. Here’s where I learnt some of the greatest secrets of Christianity / Catholicism, not only as a religion but also as a spiritual practice. This gave birth to small, yet significant changes in my life! I learnt the art / fruit of patience. There were times when I couldn’t see things clearly (life’s vision was getting bleak). Those were the times I’d want to tear my hair off my head as I was going bonkers! This seemed to be a breaking point for me. Yet, Jesus never left my side. To me, in all probability at that time, this seemed to be my hour of darkness. But today as I look back, I know that it was potential for spiritual growth as the Holy Spirit navigated my life towards the right persons at the right time. Here Romans 5: 20 held true. My anger towards dark times, made me fall into sin, but God’s Grace abounded in as much as His Holy Spirit helped me find my way!

4) The Holy Spirit Guides

Plants grow only in favourable conditions, that of air, sunlight, water and soil. Similarly, humans also grow physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually when given the right kind of love and attention.

By June 2019, the Holy Spirit was guiding me towards growth, abundance and love, through the people that crossed my path- people who were authentic and true to themselves in the first place; self-aware and kind. Slowly but surely, I also imbibed these values of self-care, helping me respect myself as I respected the needs of those around me. Awareness of other people’s boundaries and respecting their requirements moulded me on the path of selflessness, where thinking of the needs of others became priority, yet I understood that prioritising others should not come at the expense of looking after my own needs. The more we care for ourselves, the more we will care for others.

Here is where the need for quiet time comes in. This is the time that the Holy Spirit guides us with the help of our subconscious mind. One can reflect on certain Bible passages so as to remain calm and focussed on the positive aspects of the day. Just as St. Paul says in Galatians 5:16 “Let the Spirit direct your lives and you will not satisfy the desires of human nature.”

During the time of uncertainties and difficulties, our reaction to a situation is to get distracted from the problem at hand because it causes us pain and emotional upheaval. This distraction looks more attractive than the problem at hand and comes in the form of an addiction- to TV, mobile phone, computer games, wrong friendships which can be harmful to your psycho- spiritual well-being. Here’s where we need to question our priorities. Is this activity that looks more attractive, worth my time? Since my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, is this activity bringing destruction to my body and grieving the Holy Spirit?

In these difficult moments where we cannot accept the situation, we need to sit and look at the situation to see what best can be done to find an appropriate solution. Better still, think of what Jesus would have done at such a time- He would first wake up early in the morning and sit in prayer in order to receive the Guidance of the Holy Spirit and to seek the blessings of God the Father. If we would do likewise, there would be a smooth sailing solution to many of our problems.

For this, we need to work on developing a one-to-one relationship with God in the Holy Spirit- which would make it imperative for us to listen attentively to the voice of the Holy Spirit, meaning that it would make you more intuitive towards discerning and dealing with the situation. The Holy Spirit will lead you to places where your talent will be recognised, where people will show faith in you. And this can happen only when we have a deep connection with Jesus.

One needs to spend time in God’s presence, this will increase the power of discernment allowing you to be joyful and free at all times, no matter how difficult or annoying the task or situation at hand may seem.

When we are united to the Spirit of God, we are aware and acknowledge that we are the Lord’s masterpiece, chosen for God’s specific purpose- anointed with the Grace of the Holy Spirit to fulfil the Divine Plan of God in our individual lives for collective salvation.

Here is where we must understand the transformational powers of the Holy Spirit. Day after day and year after year, many people journey in and out of our lives. Do we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us so as to touch these people’s lives and make even an iota of a difference? Or do we let our past experiences determine how we would relate to certain people in certain situations? It would be most appropriate (yet difficult) to remember that you as a Child of God have a responsibility to bring people closer to God and therefore be a mirror image of God by just being kind whenever necessary.

Let me reiterate that you would need to actually sit with God and discern about the kind of people, He would want you to influence, you can’t go about thinking that you can change everyone, since not everyone is endowed with God’s Grace for self- transformation. You need to be as humble as a dove and as shrewd as a serpent.

5) The Sacraments- The Grace of the Holy Spirit.

As per the definition, a sacrament is a Christian rite believed to have been ordained by Christ and held to be a means of divine grace or to be a sign or symbol of spiritual reality. These sacraments have a particular importance or significance. Thus, sacraments signify God’s Grace in a way that is outwardly observable to the participant.

In my personal experience, the sacraments have been my strength. In the last 1and ½ years since the lockdown and churches having been closed for worship, the Gift of Holy Communion was not accessible, thus we had to prau the Spiritual Communion Prayer whilst we would watch the mass online; I could feel the hollow, the emptiness within!

To me, the joy of attending mass is in receiving Holy Communion, where Jesus becomes one with me, through the Holy Spirit, thus guiding me during the course of the day, enabling me to live a spirit- filled life! Even in difficult situations (Pandemic or otherwise) the reception of Holy Communion has kept me strong, thereby increasing my faith in the unseen.

Everyone loves a clean house and so does Jesus. So, the first step to receiving Holy Communion is the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. Once we have made peace and reconciled with God, repenting for our past actions, only then can we humbly receive Him in our hearts. When we receive Holy Communion, we must understand the intention with which we were meant to receive it.

At the Last Supper, Jesus said “Eat My Body and Drink My Blood, in memory of Me.” What does “Do this in memory of me” exactly mean? It means that more than we love and want Jesus, He loves and wants us. He wants us to be with Him and He wants to be with us. It is because He loved us first that we are able to love Him. The essence of Holy Communion is to allow Jesus not only to live spiritually, but truly Sacramentally.

Receiving Holy Communion in a State of Grace is an absolute must, as it means that the Holy Spirit is within us during this state of Grace.

The Holy Spirit can reside within us through the Sacrament of Baptism. Giving a brief background of the Sacrament of Baptism, we know that, every human being born on this planet except Jesus and Mother Mary, have been born with the stain of original Sin. The Sacrament of Baptism is a chance to be born anew. To Baptize means “to immerse” in water. The one who is baptised is immersed into the death of Christ and rises with Him as a “new creature” The church baptises infants because they are born with Original Sin. The Sacrament of Baptism cleanses them from the powers of the evil one and brings them into the realm of freedom, making them children of God. The individual to be baptised makes a profession of faith. This is done personally in case of an adult and by the parents and the church in case of infants. The baptised person becomes a participant in the Divine Life of the Trinity through sanctifying Grace, the Grace of justification which incorporates one into Christ and into His church. It bestows the theological gifts of the Holy Spirit and makes the person belong to Christ forever.

Another important aspect we need to understand is that the name is important because God knows each one of us by name, that is, in our uniqueness as persons. Sometimes, children/ adults are given the names of saints so as to have a model of sanctity and an assurance of his/ her intercession before God.

As we progress, I’d like to throw light on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist is the sacrifice of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ instituted to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages until He returns in Glory. Jesus instituted this Sacrament on Holy Thursday. The Eucharist is the source and summit of all Christian life. In the Eucharist, the sanctifying action of God in our regard and our worship of Him, hold the highest position. Communion with Divine Life and the unity of the people of God are both, expressed and effected by the Eucharist. Through the reception of the Holy Eucharist, we have a foretaste of Eternal Life.

In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ becomes the sacrifice of the members of the Body. The Eucharist is offered for all the faithful, living and dead, in reparation for the sins of all, to obtain spiritual and temporal benefits. The Holy Eucharist is the paschal banquet in as much as Christ sacramentally makes present His Passover and gives us His Body and Blood offered as food and drink, uniting us to Himself and to one another in His Sacrifice.

When one receives Holy Communion, one must be in a state of Grace, i.e.; fully aware of the mortal sins and therefore one must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before going to Communion. To reiterate my point, Holy Communion increases our union with Christ and with His church. It makes us grow in love for our neighbour, strengthens us in charity, wipes away venial sins and preserves us from mortal sin in the future.

As already stated, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is also known as the Sacrament of Penance, assures recovery of the State of Grace, remission of the eternal punishment merited by mortal sin and remission, at least in part of the temporal punishment as a consequence of Sin.

The Anointing of the sick is another one of the healing sacraments that can be received by any member of the Christian community as soon as s/he begins to be in danger of death because of sickness or old age. This Sacrament can be administered more than once especially if the illness becomes worse or another serious sickness affects them. The celebration of this sacrament possibly takes place after individual confession on part of the sick person. This Sacrament can be administered only by priests and Bishops. This Sacrament confers a special grace which unites the sick person more intimately with the passion of Christ for his good and the good of the church. It gives comfort, peace and forgiveness if the person is not able to make a confession. Sometimes if it is the Will of God, the Sacrament even brings restoration of physical health. Whatever the case, the Sacrament prepares the sick person for the journey to the Father’s House.

Moving on to the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we need to know that it is composed of 3 degrees which are irreplaceable for the organic structure of the church: the episcopate, the presbyterate and the diaconate. The Anointing of the Spirit seals the priest with an indelible spiritual character that configures him to Christ the priest and enables him to act in the name of Christ, the Head. He is consecrated to preach the Gospel, celebrate divine Worship, especially the Eucharist from which his ministry draws its strength and to be a shepherd of the faithful.

The Sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred in each of its 3 degrees by means of imposition of hands on the head of the ordained, by the bishop who pronounces the solemn prayer of consecration. With this prayer, he asks God on behalf of the ordained for the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit and for the gifts of the Spirit proper to the ministry to which he is being ordained. Only validly ordained bishops can confer this Sacrament. Ordained priests are celibate practising Catholics who live for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Coming to the next Sacrament of Holy Matrimony which was instituted by the Creator Himself, is by its very nature ordered to the Communion and good of the couple and to the generation and education of children. According to the original divine plan, this conjugal union is indissoluble, as Jesus Christ affirmed, “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder”. The Sacrament of Matrimony establishes a perpetual and exclusive bond between spouses. God himself seals the consent of the spouses. Therefore, a marriage which is ratified and consummated between baptised persons can never be dissolved. Furthermore, this Sacrament bestows upon spouses, the Grace necessary to attain holiness in their married life and accept responsibly the gift of children and provide for their education.

The Christian family is a consequence of the marital union between spouses. It is called the domestic church because the family manifests and lives out the communal and familial nature of the Church as the family of God. Each family member according to their own role, exercises the baptismal priesthood and contributes towards making the family, a community of Grace and of prayer, a school of human and Christian virtue and the place where the faith is first proclaimed to children.

I, as a Catholic and a Christian can vouch for the efficacy of the Sacraments that I have received. The Grace received through the Sacraments is immense. The feeling of God’s Holy Spirit uniting with mine after reception of the Sacraments is the evidence of the Spiritual healing and wholeness that I have received through the Sacraments.

6) STEWARDSHIP THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

St. Paul tells us that, apart from being children of God, we are servants of Christ and we ought to obey Him. We, as children of God are called to serve and build God’s Kingdom.

In our everyday journey, we are called to serve in more ways than one. Selfless service is a sign of freedom. When we are spiritually free, we have the ability and the love that allows us to serve others. This is basically freedom from fear- fear of being judged about how and why one is doing something.

Service to man is Service to God, as the saying rightly goes. Selfless service is a vocation, a calling. Every person on this earth is called to selfless service, but few are chosen probably because not everyone can stay true to their calling due to the storms of daily life. The chosen are those who stay true to their calling in spite of the rough and tumble of life. One can always spot a twinkle in their eyes with the fruits and joy of perseverance in what and how they do a particular task. Persecutions notwithstanding, one can go about in selfless service building God’s Kingdom. Not everyone is called to be a St. Teresa of Calcutta; but even as a mother one can greatly help in building the kingdom of God by raising God fearing, love- filled and joyful children. By my own example, having been a working mother for about 3 ½ years after my daughter was born, I somehow felt and understood that God was calling me to the vocation of motherhood. Having had to give up a lucrative teaching career (the very thought of it, brought me enormous anxiety) But as months passed, I found alternative ideas to spend my time effectively, I’d begun reading the Holy Bible, novels, autobiographies, books in different languages which helped my personal growth. I started understanding myself better, thus giving more of myself in most areas of life rather than just confining myself to teaching.

It is often said that true love lies in giving of oneself unconditionally. The same holds true for the Stewardship of God. Here, I am reminded of the hymn “Love it was that made us and it was love that saved us. Love was God’s plan when He made Man. God’s Divine nature is love”

From here we can understand that through His Will to allow us to love, He wants us to be saved and free to receive His unconditional Love. Love is transcendental. We need to just surrender to His Will and the action of Love will emerge out of the passion for your calling.

As mentioned above, my calling lay in motherhood. The passion for being a mother and doing God’s Will, made me realise that I can love even when I am just as I am! I don’t need to be doing “anything” to prove to my family, more so, my daughter, to show them that I love them. There was no guilt attached to it. I completely enjoyed every bit of the roller-coaster because I had the opportunity to concentrate completely on my home and my daughter. This was indeed a blessing which would not be possible if I was working. This to me is more of a combination of self -care and selfless service. Because I was able to care for myself, I was able to serve selflessly.

This is a process! When one looks after themselves, fully- body, mind, emotions, spirit and soul, one can give fully of themselves, without a feeling of guilt or having “sacrificed” something in order to meet another’s need.

To further reiterate, we need to understand that it is through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, that our service to humanity can bear fruit. Our role as stewards and servants is to “seek the kingdom of God and His Righteousness and thereafter inherit God’s blessings

The sacraments are a reminder and a command for stewardship leading to eternal salvation. Here is where the Holy Spirit takes charge and helps us accomplish the Lord’s personal mission in our lives!

St. Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians that the Lord has entrusted us with many gifts through the Holy Spirit and we ought to use these gifts for the good of the community and spread the message of Jesus bringing people closer to the values of heaven and making them more God-like in their conduct.

Our role as stewards and servants is to “seek the kingdom of God and His Righteousness and thereafter inherit God’s blessings.” In order that our stewardship be effective, we need to completely surrender to the Holy Spirit. People who are blessed with the Holy Spirit carry with them the presence of the Holy Spirit all through their lives for the evangelization of humanity in their thoughts, words and actions. We are involved in complete dedication of the task at hand. This would imply unconditional love of the person and task at hand which would make working easier. Work or task involving stewardship needs immense amount of passion for the work concerned and complete focus on the task. This focus would mean undistracted complete focus. Herein, the task at hand is given importance and when we give priority to something it means we are giving unconditional love. This is not a one day or a one-month project. This stewardship is lifelong love for the vocation leading to a huge amount of sacrifice of time, sleep and energy needed to be put into the task.

The strength that needs to be gathered would mean allowing oneself to focus completely on the mental, physical, emotional and psychological faculties, thus enabling 100 % work and giving one’s best to the task, not seeking immediate results but putting in consistent effort for long- term satisfaction.

The Stewardship of God enables us to understand where our priorities lie in the worldly and spiritual realm thus enabling us to know our ministry and calling. It may or may not reap financial benefits, but definitely will bring emotional satisfaction.

This can happen through total surrender to God’s Will and obedience to the Holy Spirit bringing about the Greater Good of Humanity.

7) The Holy Spirit and Obedience to God’s Will

Obedience in any form is not easy. It is a product of discipline. When we are disciplined, we focus on our goal and when we are disciplined, we remain focussed on God’s plan for our lives. God’s plan for our lives is thar we use our gifts and talents given by Him, to the optimum potential, so as to build the kingdom of God. Sometimes, the circumstances may seem overwhelming, producing anxiety about how we are supposed to go about using our gifts and talents. Sometimes, its fear of failure or even actual failure (which is inevitable- considering we aren’t perfect beings. At times, it is simply laziness and our attitude towards our goals which are stumbling blocks towards fulfilling God’s Will.

When we think about obedience to God’s Will, the first thing that comes to our mind (as Christians) would be- the Crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Even in the midst of temptation, Jesus did not turn His back on the will of God (the need of the hour for human salvation) Jesus did this because He loved the Father and He trusted that He would share in the Father’s Glory.

Similarly, in the midst of temptation, obedience to God’s Will becomes difficult, but we must constantly remind ourselves of the sacrifice that our Lord Jesus made for us at Calvary, which is nothing but a symbol of unconditional Love for and Obedience to God’s Will.

We must understand that if Jesus being Son of God, could resist temptation, we too being children of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus, can effectively overcome and resist temptations.

The BIG QUESTION IS: HOW? Difficult though it may sound, we must constantly surrender ourselves to what the Lord wants us to do, that is, to the present moment… focus on the NOW… It is important and imperative for us to understand that God resides in us through the Holy Spirit. We can manifest the power of the Holy Spirit through silence from the mental chatter that takes place in our day to day lives. This time of silence leads to invoking the Holy Spirit leading to our complete SURRENDER TO THE NOW- THE PRESENT MOMENT. This surrender can and should take place even during the time of our normal activities during the day; where we stop and reflect on the steps that need to be taken to complete a task whether spiritual / temporal

This conscious reflection during quiet time of meditation or as noted above, any time of the day (a minute to declutter our minds) helps us to obey God’s Will effectively. The Holy Spirit having been given to us in the sacraments, dwells in us and only needs to be manifested in silence for its power to have an influence on us.

The times of temptation and testing are the most challenging times. These are the times when we doubt God’s presence in our lives.

Take for example, a mother who has just delivered a baby and is going through post – partum depression due to the temporary absence of her husband and other not so positive circumstances around her. Can anyone imagine what she must be feeling like at that moment? She is a first- time mother… late nights followed by early mornings can be extremely stressful (especially if you love your catnaps and afternoon siestas) She wonders if she has done the right thing at all (having the baby) and whether God Himself is around to help her confirm the choice…

What will be her response (or should I say reaction) in such a situation? As a reaction (which seems natural) the new mother will give into despair and hopelessness. At such a time as this, she could accept the situation as it is (easier said than done) and get on with looking after her child and herself. All she could do is just take a minute of silence, breathe consciously and invoke the Holy Spirit to guide her so as to avoid the feeling of giving into the temptation of negativity and despair.

This moment of being surrounded by unwanted circumstances is God’s Will for her to test the amount of pain she can endure. But as St. Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians, “The Lord does not allow us to be tested more than we can endure” Therefore we need to be aware of the fact that The Holy Spirit is in us and therefore we need to develop a positive attitude and be steadfast in this goal of being in unison with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides and leads us in the right direction as He is in our hearts and we need to deeply and consciously listen to the quiet inner voice which is THEVOICEOF THE HOLY SPIRIT… thus enabling us to obey the Will of God effectively.

Our busy schedules sometimes hinder us from listening to the voice of our heart and so we must make an effort to find time in our busy schedule to give one minute every hour, every day to declutter our minds so that with our open minds we may be able to listen deeply to his soft prompting throughout the day.

When we look at the life of Jesus, Mother Mary, St. Joseph and all the saints in the Catholic Church, we can understand that fulfilling God’s Will can be a challenging experience. Every good news or beautiful experience has an equally challenging situation in direct proportion to it. When Mother Mary and St. Joseph received the Good News of the conception of their baby Jesus, they had to fight the demonic wrath of King Herod. Similarly, as we have seen above, Jesus , who was the promised Messiah to the Israelites, had to die a gruesome death on the Cross to save the chosen People( both, Jews and Gentiles) Yet, Jesus and His parents remained focussed on their goals- which was to do God’s Will. They surrounded and surrendered themselves with and through prayer. They focussed on the Present Moment. This Present Moment is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. In these moments faith and trust turns around fear.

Obeying God challenges us to become just like Jesus – being fully dependent on God more so, child- like; trusting that whatever each moment brings, we grow to our full human and spiritual potential- building the community and society at large in thought, word and action, thus giving Glory to God.

Obeying God’s Will which is, unconditional surrender, is the only way to Wisdom and The Wisdom of surrender (a gift of the Holy Spirit) is the only way in which we obey God’s Will. So, we see that Wisdom from the Holy Spirit is an important aspect of the obedience to God’s Will.

8) The Virgin Mother Mary and The Holy Spirit.

“She, who at the start of the Redemption, gave us her Son, now by her most powerful intercession obtained for the new-born church, the prodigious Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit of the Divine Redeemer who had already been given on the Cross- Pius XII, Mystici Corporiss, 29th June 1943.

When the Angel Gabriel greeted Mary: Hail, full of grace (Luke 1:28), The Virgin Mary was already possessed by the Holy Spirit and filled with His Grace. And at Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended upon The Blessed Virgin Mary and she received it with unique fullness because hers is a most free heart and it filled her soul in a new way.

The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you (Luke1:35) This makes Her, beloved daughter of the Father and temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this sublime grace, she surpasses all creatures- both, in Heaven and on Earth (Lumen gentium 53- the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church)

The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost prepared Mary and the Apostles for their respective post- Ascension missions.

Christ did not send His Apostles forth immediately following His Ascension. He directed them to the ground of the Upper Room- where He had instituted two key sacraments for the birth of the church: The Eucharist and Priesthood / Holy Orders. Christ sent them to the Upper Room to be near Mother Mary who would prepare them to receive and respond to the Holy Spirit in an altogether new way of holy conviction.

We cannot separate what God has joined together- Mary and the Holy Spirit are espoused and always work in communion for the sanctification of souls.

Having read this we can understand that whatever we are in need of anything, we can send our request to Mary, Our Mother who like at the wedding feast at Cana will direct our request to Jesus through the Holy Spirit and in keeping with the Father’s Will in His beautiful time, the request will be granted.

All our good works, every prayer that we offer, the promptings and desires which impel us to be better, the necessary help to realize the inspirations of God, is the work of the Holy spirit, our sweet divine guest, comforter and sanctifier.

Many instances in the Bible show us how the Holy Spirit has helped Our Blessed Virgin Mother to do the Will of God and completely trust Him. This encourages and motivates us to do the same that is align us to the Will of the Holy Spirit. Through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, we are endowed with His Gracious Gifts and Fruits. Here’s where the Trust and Courage factors come in.

The life of the Virgin Mary is a pathway for us to grow in love with the Holy Spirit who has been sent to us by Christ, the Son of Mary.

• What accounts for Mary’s special relationship with the Holy Spirit?

St. Maximillian Kolbe says, ‘’ It is Mary’s Immaculate Conception which was accomplished through the direct work of the Holy Spirit.

With Mary’s Immaculate Conception, God the Father and the Son, willed that Mary be united to their common Spirit of Love in such a close and intimate manner that would allow the Holy Spirit to bring about the incarnation of the Word within her womb, making Mary the mother of God; and further, that this union would enable Mary to be the instrument through which the Holy Spirit would distribute all the graces merited by Christ.

In his last writing, Kolbe says that while Mary is the created Immaculate Conception, created through the Love of God and the work of the Holy Spirit to be a creature uniquely filled with grace and destined to be the Mother of God, the Holy Spirit is the uncreated eternal Immaculate conception who is “conceived” from the love which flows eternally between God the Father and the Son; a love so perfect that it is personified. Hence, Kolbe says that Mary is the created Immaculate Conception and she is so by the work of the Uncreated Immaculate Conception. Both conceptions are fruits of God’s Love, the former created and in time; the latter uncreated and eternal. Significantly, it was here in his last words that Kolbe first gave the name “Uncreated Immaculate Conception’ ’to the Holy Spirit and first distinguished this ‘’Immaculate Conception’’ from Mary’s created Immaculate Conception.

“To conceive, as Kolbe notes, can be used in two ways in regard to the divine processions. First as an act of intellect whereby one ‘’conceives’’ an idea or a concept (to describe how the Word proceeds from the Father). Second, as an Act of Will, (which describes an impulse and a movement towards an object)

The end of this Act of Love flowing eternally between the Father and Son being perfect because it is divine, is personified. Kolbe calls this ‘Person who is Fruit of Divine Love’ by the proper name of Eternal Uncreated Immaculate Conception.

And St. Maximillian clearly states this sublime truth in his last writing when he says: ‘’He (the Holy Spirit) makes her fruitful from the very instant of her existence all during her life and for all eternity. This eternal “Immaculate Conception” (which is the Holy Spirit) produces/ conceives in an immaculate manner divine life itself in the womb (or depths) of Mary’s soul, making her the Immaculate Conception (the Human Immaculate Conception). And the Virginal womb of Mary’s body is kept secret for Him; there He conceives in time- the human life of the God- Man”

Thus we can grasp that the Holy Spirit, immaculately produced/ ‘’conceived’’ in Mary’s soul at the instant of her conception , the singular grace which preserved her from all stain of Original Sin; and through this singular grace he united Mary to Himself in a most ineffable manner and communicated to her, a creature , the capacity to become ‘’ the dwelling place of all God’s Grace’’ The singular grace which unites Mary so closely to the Holy Spirit enables her to reflect within her soul the Holy Spirit’s most essential attribute: Love that is super abundantly fruitful.

Here we can see Mary as an image of the Holy Spirit and understand that the main and most important fruit of the Holy Spirit which is Love comes through Mary who because of the Love of the Will of God , gave us… Love Himself- Jesus – the symbol of Unconditional Love.

For us Catholics, the Rosary is the best way to connect with the Holy Spirit through contemplation of Our Lord’s Life, Death and Resurrection in the Mysteries. Here, Mary Our Mother intercedes for us and while we recite the Our Father and the Hail Mary, the Holy Spirit comes through in a beautiful exchange of Love from our Heavenly Mother- giving us fruits of Love, Peace, Joy along with Spiritual and Temporal Healing.

In our daily life, we must understand that without Mary, the mother of Jesus our journey is empty and lonesome… just like it can be without an earthly mother. But Jesus has given His Own Mother to be Our Mother to guide and direct our path of life and help us attain salvation. If we dwell deeper, guidance and direction can be found through the Holy Spirit with Mother Mary playing a salvific role in our lives.

In my personal journey towards Jesus, Mother Mary has been my guide, especially through the recitation of the Holy Rosary. Whenever I have felt scared or insignificant, My Heavenly Mother has assisted me and given me her reassuring love and confidence, again through the recitation of the Holy Rosary.

9) The Holy Spirit is Faith and Love in Action

When we reflect on the life of the Virgin Mother Mary- the mother of Jesus and the saints we are naturally directed towards observing that they have lived a life of faith and love.

It was Mary, who, out of faith in God and love for God, said “YES” to The Father’s Plan for Humanity. The Holy Spirit has always been active in the development of humanity, ever since the time of Adam and Eve - though probably they never had the Grace to use the gift of the Holy Spirit of Wisdom and Faith to obey God’s Will.

The power of the Holy Spirit enabled Mother Mary and St. Joseph to faithfully, obediently and lovingly bring up Jesus- the Christ, the Messiah against all odds. Mother Mary and St. Joseph took action on the faith that the Father had set them for. Through daily prayer and perfect unshakable faith, the Father and the Holy Spirit, enabled the Holy family of Nazareth to grow close to God and fulfil His mission for human Salvation.

The very same Holy Spirit gave Jesus the courage and inner resilience to fight the Devil’s temptation, just before His Crucifixion. We can see the working of the Holy Spirit in the faith that Jesus exhibits, by telling Satan that Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. – Matthew 4:4

Faith in the Lord is truly manifested in these words mentioned above by Jesus. This completely surrendered faith shows how Jesus- in all His Humanity- loved the Father and trusted in His salvific plan for the world.

This helps us understand that faith – truly unwavering faith and love in action is the work of the Holy Spirit

• Faith is Love Itself

We, as Christians have faith in God because we love Him. Unwavering trust and mountain- moving faith are signs that we truly love the Triune God. Without faith Love cannot endure.

If a person says that he/she has love for God but has no faith that a hopeless situation can change through the power of prayer, the power of the Holy Spirit is absent (to some extent) in that person… because Unconditional Love = Unwavering Faith.

In terms of general spirituality, we would understand the situation like this: We see a person who does not want to change his/her behaviour, we give them unconditional love and accept them as they are trusting that someday, through fervent prayer and unconditional acceptance they will change and become loving persons because in the first place, we ourselves have become accepting of who they are and have loved them unconditionally. Truly, the Holy Spirit can guide us as well as the other person towards a more fruitful and loving journey with God.

As for the saints, it is the Holy Spirit who has given them gifts and fruits to carry on God’s mission faithfully and lovingly, here on earth. We ourselves as ordinary people have the power to be small / anonymous saints in our families, societies and in the world around us by invoking the Holy Spirit for its gifts and fruits and putting them to use for the building of God’s Kingdom and His Greater Glory here on earth.

Furthermore, in St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians (chapter3) we learn that the Holy Spirit comes to us because we believe and have faith in Jesus- listening to and understanding the Gospel which is God’s truth. Jesus died on the cross so that we might receive the Holy Spirit in and through faith.

God gave Abraham and his descendent – Jesus, (specifically mentioned as “descendent” in the scriptures) a promise. The Covenant with Abraham was made 430 years after the angel gave the law to Moses. Yet the Law is not against God’s promises.

If God would send us a law that would put us right with God by obeying it, everyone would be saved. But all humanity- the entire world is under the realm of sin (disobedience) therefore, God chose to send Jesus (who himself had faith in and obedience towards His Father God) to save the world and in turn God promised to give us the Holy spirit through faith or if we believed in Jesus and / if we have had faith in Jesus.

Now, the present moment – this age (or even in our meditations with God) is the time that the Holy Spirit has come with the gift of faith through which we are all God’s children. As Christians, in Baptism and in our life in Christ, there is no difference between gentiles and Jews, men and women, free and slaves. We are all one in union with Christ. Thus, if we belong to Christ, we are descendants of Abraham and will receive what God has promised- true life in the Holy Spirit.

And as Jesus rightly sums up, “I have come in order that you might have life- life in all its fullness.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tolle, Eckhart, The Power of Now, Vancouver: Namaste Publishing,1997

Catholic News Agency

Liberia Editrice Vaticana, Compendium Catechism of the Catholic Church, Dindigul : Vaigarai Publishing House (The Catholic Hierarchy of India), 2006

www.catholicexchange. Com (The Virgin Mother Mary and the Holy Spirit)

By Alison. N.G. Fernandes