"Let your heart be more attentive than your head; it is the heart that the Lord looks at." St Paschal Baylon

Recall the words of Jesus, when he said that from the heart comes evil deeds. In a sense, thoughts enter into our head, but what we do with them flows from the desire of our hearts. Paul reminds us to take captive our thoughts. The desires of the heart acts as a filter system. What is that filter but love of God and neighbor. That is what God looks for in our decision. Were we motivated by love of him and others or by an inardent love of self? Though we may try to live in denial, the truth is known to God. Do all out of love and you will be in right relation with God and self.

 "Take care of your body, as if you are going to live forever. Take care of your soul, as if you were going to die tomorrow." St Augustine of Canterbury

Notice the balance! Both are gifts from God. Both are meant to share in the glory of God eternnally. But it seems that many people are more concerned about their body, even to the point of neglecting their soul. How much time and energy are spent in trying to prevent the natural process of aging? The consumer market thrives on this. Meanwhile the soul is deprived of the spiritual nourishment it needs for its journey. The life of the body will come to an end, but the life of the soul is eternal. Depending on how the soul was cared for, it be eternally with or away from God.

 "Late have I loved you, O beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you; now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace." St. Augustine

How long did it take to recognize and respond to the One who loves us for who we are? How many dead ends did we have to experience before we realize that the One we were seeking was within us? In his great love and mecy God waited for us. He never forced his love but offered it freely. Even after we have found him and stll grasped for other pleasures, he never left us. He waits for us to respond to love with love, so that our life can really begin.

 "The Apostle tells us to rejoice, but in the Lord, not in the world. Whoever wishes to be a friend of this world, says Scripture, will be reckoned an enemy of God. As a man cannot serve two masters, so one cannot rejoice both in the world and in the Lord.

Let joy in the Lord prevail, then, until joy in the world is no more. Let joy in the Lord go on increasing; let joy in the world go on decreasing until it is no more. This is said, not because we are not to rejoice while we are in this world, but in order that, even while we are still in this world, we may already rejoice in the Lord...So, brethren, rejoice in the Lord, not in the world. That is, rejoice in the truth, not in wickedness; rejoice in the hope of eternity, not in the fading flower of vanity. That is the way to rejoice. Wherever you are on earth, however long you remain on earth, the Lord is near, do not be anxious about anything." St. Augustine

What an attitude and practice to begin each day and maintain throughout the day! It is easy to become so caught up with the things of this world that we fail to rememember our true destiny. It is not the grave but life in Christ eternally. That is the reason we are be a joyful person. We have been redeemed and adopted by God and given an inheritance that .does not fade or vanish. We have to travel through this world with its struggles and difficulties. During this time, we are called to rejoice in the Lord always, so that we don't lose our way.

 "In her new motherhood in the Spirit, Mary embraces each and every one in the Church, and embraces each and every one through the Church." St. Pope John Paul II

It is appropriate that the day after the Solemnity of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, that Mary should be recognized as Mother of the Church. Her role as Mother stems from the last words Jesus said to her from the cross. "Woman, behold your son...Son, behold your Mother." As Mary awaited the birth of her Son, so she awaited with the Disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit in power. Her Son came to saved the world; the Spirit came to sanctify. anoint, empower and mission those saved as they form other disciples. In all this, Mary fulfills her role as Mother of Jesus and Mother of the Church.

 "It can be easily shown from examples both in the Old Testament and the New that the Spirit changes those in whom He comes to dwell; he so transforms them that they may begin to live a completely new kind of life." St. Cyril of Alexandria

Sometimes people are satsfied with their life, because they feel in control. Most have made a mess of their lives, but they continue on the same destructible path. It is uncomfortable to give our life to another and for us to take a back seat. Yet, when we invite the Spirit to come and guide us, he leads us to a new and more fulfilling life. An example of this is seen in the community of believers after Pentcost. They came together for Apostolic teaching, for prayer, for community and for the Eucharist. They were of one mind and heart. What made the difference? The coming of the Spirit into their lives. He can do the same in us when we invite him to take over.

 "Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Holy Sprit needed to fulfill the task at hand." St Bernadine of Siena

Reflect on this in your own life. Whatever your vocation is, God has called you to this. Yes, you have benn gifted with natural gifts and talents, which you use. But he also gifted you with the spiritual gifts of his Spitit. Are we aware of them and do we exercise them in times of need? How often have we been faced with situations that are beyond our natural gifts and have become frustrated. Did we ask God to stire up the spiritual gift to address the problem? For instance, when you don't know what to say to aid another person, ask God for the gift of counsel for the words needed. He is there for us, but many times we try to do things on our own.

 "Since we have our accuser, we need an Advocate as well." St. Irenaeus

Who is our accuser? The father of lies, the fallen spirit, who seeks to destroy us. Who is our Advocate? While on earth, Jesus. Now that he has returned to the Father, he promised to send another defenderin, the person of the Spirit. the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who leads us to life everlastng. This is one  way Jesus fulfills another promise to be with us always, both in his Eucharistic presence and in the gift of the Spirit. As long as we believe in the Lord as our Savior and turn to the Spirit as our Advocate, our earthly journey will be secure.

When we read about the grace of the Holy Spirit in the life of Peter and Paul, we recognize multiple gifts: gifts of discrnment, healing, deliverance, prophecy, exhortation, raising the dead to life. In each, they steped out of their comfot zone, enabling the Spirit to work in and through them. Each of us in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation have been anointed and empowered by the same Spirit to do the same ministry of witnessing. Are we ready to step out of our comfort zone in faith to be instruments of the Spirit? Renew your yes to Jesus as Lord and surrender to the move of the Spirit. 

"The Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, simple and indivisible, apportions grace to each man as he wills. Like a dry tree which puts forth shoots when watered, the soul bears the fruit of holiness when repentance has made it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit never changes, the effects of this action, by the will of God and in the name of Christ, are both many and marvelous."  St Cyril of Jerusalem

As we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost--the Feast of the Holy Spirit--we need to open our hearts to receive a fresh out pouring of the grace the Spirit desires to give us. As we see from the Acts of the Apostles, the community was anointed on Pentecost and prayed for a fresh outpouring sometime later. In both cases, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Are we filled with the Holy Spirir? Is not this the plan of Jesus, revealed to the Apostles? For the work of the Gospel and the call to be holy can only be achieved by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  It is the difference between empowered with water or high octane gasoline. Water represents our power. The high octane gasoline represents the Holy Spririt. What is our engine running on?

"The Church recognizes two kinds of life as having been commended to her by God. One is a life of faith, the other a life of vision; one is a life passed on pilgrimage in time, the other in a dwelling place in eternity; one is a life of toil, the other of repose; one is spent on the road, the other in our homeland; one is active, involving labor, the other contemplative, the reward of labor." St Agustine

Now, becase of the grace of Baptism, we were rescued from the road of destrction and lifted to the road of faith in God. This road has a different end point, the fulfillment of our destiny in God. It is not a easy road to travel; it is not an shoe-in. It is beset with many obstacles and false short cuts. But if we persevere in faith with the eyes of hope and the deeds of love, one day we will find ourseves on the road of contemplating the glory of God. How blessed will that moment in our lives will be. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard what God has prepared for those who love him."

 "Nothing is so strong as prayer; nothing is so useful for all good things." St. John Chrysostom

The prayer he is talking about is not the prayer of the lips but the prayer of the heart.  It is easy to say words. It is more meaningful to be thoughtful and intentional when we pray. It is easy for one to say I love you. But if those words do not come from the depth of our heart, then they have no meaning. God sees the heart of the person who prays. He knows our inner thoughts. He is not impress with our words. What pleases him is what is behind our words. 

 "You think that by worrying too much you will be able to keep up. Woe to the man who does not lean on God but lives thinking whether it will rain a lot or it will not rain." St. John of Avila

Not leaning on the Lord means that we depend on our own efforts to be in control of everything in our life. The more we attempt to push forward on our own, the more we lose ground. But like the man in folk lore, we contine to try to push the boulder up the mountain incline unsuccessfully. God smiles, but waits for us to turn to him in our need. He doesn't remove the boulder but gives us the grace to accomplish his will,  What we can't do on our own, we can do in him. Give the control to God and watch how life will become more meaningful.

 "Whoever has the truth and does not profess it or behave accordingly to it is trapping the truth in injustice." St John of Avila

We have heard the truth of God's revelation and we know right from wrong.  But do we not only profess it on our lips but live it in our lives? There are many baptized people. How many are on fire for their faith in God and how many are lukewarm? How many are on  the narrow road to salvation in comparison to those on the wide road to destrction? I think Jesus indicated few on the former and many on the latter,  Pray for the grace to proclaim and live the truth in our daily lives, even if it goes against the culture of society.

 "I must have a great trust in God and believe that his grace will be sufficient to emable me to fulfill his holy will, however difficult it may be, provided the Holy Spirit is truly calling me. I shall know this by listning to the advice he will permit me to receive." St Louise de Marillac

One of the roles of the Holy Spirit promised to us by Jesus is to lead us to the truth conccerning God's will for us. But before we can be open to this grace, we need to fully trust ourselves to God. "Lord, into your hands I commend my spirit." This decision to trust in God's will for us enabes us to have an open heart to receive God's word. Mary's "Let it be done according to your word," enabled the Holy Spirit to conceived within her the Savior. God awaits our "yes" before he will act in our lives.

 "Let us live as the Blessed Virgin lived: loving God only, desiring God only, trying to please God only in all that we do." St. John  Vianny

For Mary, God was the begining of all her thoughts and actions. The more we imitate her, the closer will be our relationship with God, the more our heaven experience will begin on earth. Jesus himself taught us this in his emphasis on the Commandment of love. By doing the will of God, we express our love. By expressing our love, we enter into union with God. By entering into union, our joy will be complete. How more simple and focus our life will be. 

 "From Mary we learn to surrender to God's will in all things. From Mary we learn to trist even when all hotpe seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God." St. John Paul II

Jesus surrendered to the will of the Father, even when it meant suffering crucifixion for our salvation. Mary embraced the will of God, calling her to virginal motherhood. She said: "Fiat, let it be done according to your word." Jesus on the cross trusted the Father to raise him up. Mary, standing under the  cross, put her trust in the plan of the Father. Jesus was motivated by his intimate love of the Father. Mary loved the Father and Jesus. Do we need any other models to follow in surrendering to the will of God, to trust in the plan of God for us, in loving the One who loves us unconditionally?

 "For God is good--or rather, of all goodness He is Fountainhead, and itis impossible for one who is good to be mean or grudging about anything." Si Athanasius

His goodness sets the model for us, who share in his life. How can we be mean or hold grudges and still consider ourselves to be in union with Him?  He dosen't separate Himself from us. We do, Is this what we want? Then, follow the way that Jesus sets before us. Sharing in the goodness of God, forgive those who offend us; blees those who persecute us; turn the other cheek instead of retalliating. Then you will prove that you are children of the Good Father. Counter culture to the world, but in line with relationship with God.

 "He (Jesus) became what we are that He might make us what He is." St Athansius

Jesus was by nature the Son of the Father. God willed us to be His adopted sons and daughters, so we can share in His divine life eternally. But because of Original sin, we became alienated from God, deserving of eternal alienation. Yet, God loved us too much. So the Son became like us in all things but sin to restore us to right relalionship. He gave his life, so that through the waters of Baptism we might be washed clean and become children of God once more. Shown so much love, should we not cherish this gift? How ungrateful we will be that after so much love, we would choose to separate ourselves from God eterally.

 "If you invoke the Blessed Virgin when you are tempted, she will come at once to your help, and Satan will leave you." St John Vianny

It is good to remember one of the reasons Jesus from the cross entrusted us to Mary.  He knew that though he broke the bondage Satan had over us, the Evil one will still come after us. Mary is the Immaculate Conception, who crushed the head of Satan. Thus, the Tempter is afraid of her. Invoking her in times of temptation is like raising a protective wall between us and the the father of lies. Mary, help of Christians be our protector against the the Evil One. 

 You must not be discouraged or let yourselve become rejected if your actions have not succeeded as perfectly a you intended. What do you expect? We are made of clay and not every soil yields the fruits expected by the one who tills it. But let us always humble ourseleves and acknowledge that we are nothing if we lack the Divine assistance." St. Padre Pio

I can do all things in him who strengthens me. The work is the Lord's. I am his servant. Everything I am and have comes from God. The good I do is because of him and for his glory. These are some basic truths of my life, while I am on earth. To take the credit for any sucess is not to live in the truth that sets one free. Humbly acknowledging my total dependance upon God keeps me in right relationship and opens me up to the more God wants to accomplish in and  through me. I am only the instrument in the hands of the Master Builder,