Recent journal entries:
Into God's
Broad Graciousness
Risen as
Crucified
Being Led
Where We Want to Go
Mercy Like
the Air
Bottled
Tears
For a reflection on
the Feast of Our Lady of the Cenacle, see "Nurturing
the Mystical Body."
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The Consolation and the Challenge of the Holy Spirit Praying in
Us
The following is by Sister Elizabeth Hillmann.
It was originally presented as a talk to the Christian Meditation group
which meets at the Cenacle in Gainesville. You can view the video
here: "The
Consolation and the Challenge of the Holy Spirit Praying in Us," or
on YouTube (see link in left-hand column).
. . . . . . . . . .
We know from Romans 8:26-27 that the Holy Spirit of
God prays in us, with groans and sighs:
Likewise the Spirit helps us
in our
weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very
Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches
the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
However we are praying, in our weakness or our
blindness or our selfishness, the Holy Spirit is praying In us according
to the will of God.
This is a great consolation. What matters is that we
pray, whether it be a groaning prayer, a rote prayer, any way of
praying. We can trust that our prayer is transformed by the Spirit to be
in accord with the will of God.
I love the words in Psalm 86:
Teach me your
way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name for ever.
For great is your steadfast love towards me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
(11-13)
There is also a challenge to us to open our hearts
and minds to let God heal our divided hearts. We can spend some time
each day praying without an agenda, without seeking to achieve anything,
without intending to look good in our own eyes. We sit and say a simple
prayer quietly, even repeating it slowly, so that we are open to what
God wants to do with us. We accept the mystery that God is truth and
beauty and goodness and we entrust our whole being into the hands of God
for this short prayer time.
Let us pray.
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Journal content copyright © 2008
by the Cenacle Sisters
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Image: Pentecost scene located above the altar
in the Cenacle, Lyon, France
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Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the
Bible,
Copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cenacle Journal normally
offers a new meditation every two weeks.
Suggested Scripture passages are included for your prayer and
reflection.
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