Alive in the Spirit

Jesus, Lord, Savior and Companion

2011-08-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

This is an entire message in itself. I guess St. Paul could have said that if anyone is trusting Jesus he is doing it by the Holy Spirit --- in the same way that "nobody can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Spirit."

I'm trusting Jesus in the details -- and right now in the detail of publishing this onto the blog. Actually, that is not a "silly" thing to do. Jesus is Lord of ALL -- and that does include the details. of our day, or our actions, of our thoughts and of anything and everything.

Trusting in Jesus -- that's something that we can learn from Mary. What was that like for her in the day-to-day details? I'm finding that the Spirit of Jesus is entering more and more into those details. What is your experienceon God's involvement in the ordinary moments of each day?

Perseverance and Faith and Results

2011-08-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Perseverance -- truly a gift from the Lord and definitely a gift of the Holy Spirit (under many titles I'm sure). I could see perseverance coming through by the work of the seven gifts of the Spirit. Think about that: how wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, filial devotion to our God and awe for who God is. That certainly wil bolster perseverance.

Then there is Faith -- the inner vision of seeing the invisible as the real thing (or as St. Paul says, "what is not seen"). There's no doubt that faith is a firm anchor for perseverance.

Results come -- with dependence on the Spirit of God IN FAITH and with a steadfast rsolution to keep our eyes on Jesus as we move forward to the goal before us.

2011-08-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

I'm praising the Lord on this feast day of the Queenship of Mary. My other blog got lost somewhere in cyberspace. So, again, I praise God for Mary and look to her as Queen and Mother for all of us.

God's Love -- Sharing It with Others

2011-08-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

I wrote a posting the other day (tried it several times) but it never "took." As usual, I don't know why between clicks and sing-ins the "normal" route doesn't always happen.

Now I can't remember what I actually had to share with others.

But I'm trying again -- on the end of the feast day of the Queenship of Mary. It would be great to have an opportunity to look at "queen" in the light of the gospel and in the manner in which Jesus looks at nobility: the servants of all.

Mary, Queen of Apostles, (one title that has to go under her "Queenship") is teaching us to be just that -- apostles at our best, servants from our hearts, docile to the Spirit in our response, and obedient to the Word Made Flesh - Jesus the Lord.

What is your take on Queenship and on servant, on reigning and on humble obedience?

The Holy Spirit -- Alive and Active

2011-02-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Today -- quickly moving on -- we celebrated the feast of the Presentation of Jesus and of Mary's Purification. Both moments of consecration and of dedication to God alone!
Now that is a CHALLENGE to us -- to receive the gift of being consecrated to our God through Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. IT IS NOT OUR WORK! YES, we do respond to such a gift and to such divine love, but it is God who takes that first step in a movement of loving surrender to us. And that is happening in the daily, expected events: in the details of our lives.

As we read this event in Luke's Gospel, we are reminded of what God is doing in our own lives. We DO celebrate Jesus and honor Mary. We ARE thrilled with Anna and Simeon (regular people like us) who are able to recognize the Messiah in this ordinary baby and a "highly favored woman" in this ordinary person. We are comforted by the presence of Joseph chosen to be their protector and ours.

February 2nd -- a special feast-- and a special reminder of how graced we are.

The Baptism of Jesus

2011-01-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

Alive in the Spirit -- That's what the Baptism of Jesus is all about! So Jesus reminds us that because of what he has done for us, our own baptism is a marvel of grace and of divine love. Like John the Baptism, we also hear the words of God -- "This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And how do we follow Jesus, God's beloved Son.? It is through the Holy Spirit who transforms us and all our abilities to be able to listen to Jesus, but in a way that changes us into his own likeness.

How has the Holy Spirit entered the details of your life up to now? And how has Jesus shown us the wonder of his presence in our daily experiences? The Baptism of Jesus is a great opportunity for us to celebrate God's gift to us --- as the children of God. It's the perfect time to remember who we really are - God's beloved son and daughter!

Gratitude to God -- Really ALIVE

2010-11-24T07:09:00.000-08:00

What about real gratitude for the Spirit of God??? St. Paul reminds us of one of the many reasons to be grateful for God's presence within us: (Romans 8:9-11 from The Message)

"But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. .... For you who welcome him, in whom he dwells -- even though you still experience all the limitations of sin -- you yourself experience life on God's terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he'll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's!"

For our own sharing: How do we experience the "alive-and-present God" within us during the day? What does that look like? And what does that feel like? What are some things that have helped you to become more aware of the God who lives and breathes in you?

The Spirit - Alive in Our Teens

2010-11-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

CYO teens -- on a weekend retreat in Putnam Valley, New York. A great experience for me to see the Holy Spirit working through them and to see the depths of their love for Jesus Christ: both the teen directors and the teen participants. Now, that is what the Holy Spirit does, as St. Paul reminds in letter after letter.

So, let's start looking more closely to what God is doing in our young people and stop concentrating on what we think is negative. Look around (and go around) those circles where teenagers are growing in their relationship to Jesus and are being the real apostles of our day. Take note of what they are doing.

Let's share this good news of the Pentecost power that is being revealed to us.

The Assumption of Mary - a Triumph of the Spirit

2010-08-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

When we look at Mary, the Handmaid of the Lord, we see the magnificent work of the Holy Spirit. Remember that when Mary asked, "How can this be done?" the answer was so simple and yet so amazing: "The Spirit of God will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." And the result of all that was JESUS.

Now, let's take a look at ourselves and see the same amazing answer to our own question of "How will this be done?" The same Spirit of God will come upon us and the same power of the Most High will overshadow us. And there will be the same result: our oneness with Jesus.

The Assumption of Mary is a reminder of our present and future life -- all bound up in the Infinite Love of God. That is something to celebrate!

The Spirit of God -- Aive and Active

2010-08-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

We are alive in the Spirit because the Spirit is alive in us -- actually the source of life in the entire world. So, how much do we expect of that same Spirit of God in the details of our lives?
A great point for sharing!!!

Moved by the Spirit - God's Power at Work in His People

2010-08-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

A book that will companion us in our growth in the Holy Spirit: Moved by the Spirit (God's Power at Work in His People) by Kevin Perrotta,The Word Among Us Press, 2009. Check it out at the bookstore or on the Internet. It is from a series entitled "The Word Among Us -- Keys to the Bible"
We are beginning a six-week series at Queen of Apostles Center in Monroe, New York, beginning on Tuesday, October 5th, 2010: 10:00 am to 11:30 am. We hope to make instructions and insights available on the blog so that anyone who has the book - but is at a distance or unavailable in the morning - can still follow, make comments and share via this blog. Any questions on this, just comment on the blog and I will respond.

Romans 8:26-28 - as Holy Spirit Novena

2010-07-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Itself goes to meet our supplication and pleads on our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.

And The One Who searches the hearts of all people knows what is in the mind of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit intercedes and pleads in behalf of the saints according to God's will.

All things word together for good for thos who love God.

Teresa of Avila - Wisdom on Prayer

2010-07-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

A terrific definition on prayer. Another area that we can comment on in OUR OWN wisdom.
"Prayer is not just spending time with God. It is partly that -- but if it ends there, it is fruitless. No, prayer is dynamic. Authentic prayer changes us -- unmasks us -- strips us -- indicates where growth is needed. Authentic prayer never leads to complacency, but needles us -- makes us uneasy at times. It leads us to true self-knowledge, to true humility."

Good News - The Mustard Seed and the Yeast

2010-07-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

Alive in the Spirit -- with the mustard seed and the yeast in today's Gosepl: Matt. 13:31-35.

If that isn't the work of the Spirit of Jesus -- with God at work through Jesus and the Holy Spirit! A little mustard seed becoming the "largest of the plants" and a little bit of yeast mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened. That is GOOD NEWS and that is what we can expect of God in faith. Imagine, we plant the little seed and get a harvest of plenty! I know that this is the Spirit's word to you and me today. Let's do it and maybe we can share how this works out in our daily experiences.

Sr. Carmel Therese

Loving Surrender to our Loving God

2010-07-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Talking About the Spirit at Work
St. Vincent Pallotti quote: "Put yourself into God's hands ... everything will go well."
Now isn't that the way of the Holy Spirit at work in us -- REALLY being alive in the Spirit.
Sr. Carmel Therese

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you ....

2010-07-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

From the Gospel of Luke - "Plugging into the Power"
Let's do some sharing on how the Lord is moving among us in our time -- in 2010!
Luke, Chap 1: To the question of "How can this be....?", the angel gives Mary the answer:
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you."

What is our experience of this ongoing work of God in our lives?
I would welcome your own experiences in the Lord in this journey of faith.
Sr. Carmel Therese

Correction on google maps address

2009-11-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

Concerning the "School of Prayer" at Queen of Apostles Center, 98 Harriman Heights Rd, Monroe, New York 10950 -- for directions go to http://maps.google.com/maps
Our poster/flyer left out the final "s" in google.com/maps

I just want to repeat our invitation to join us to explore different prayer styles -- to grow in our relationship to our Infinitely Loving God -- as we offer the first of a series on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009 - from 2 to 5 pm. It is, after all, one important to be more and more alive in the Spirit.
Come -- and spread the word.

If you want more information, email us at newapostle98@yahoo.com.

2009-11-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

School of Prayer - Journey with Jesus the Christ - Sun. December 13, 2009
Sharing Information on an evening for those who wish to learn more about spirituality and prayer styles. This is the first of what we hope to be a series. It will be held on Sunday, December 13th at Queen of Apostles Center, 98 Harriman Heights Rd., Monroe, NY 10950 from 2 pm to 5 pm. Directions should be available at http://maps.google.com/map. We entitled it "Journey with Jesus the Christ."

Your are welcome to make this journey with us. For more information call Sr. Carmel Therese Favazzo, CSAC at 1-845-492-5075 or Sr. Judy Frasinetti SMR, Sr. Gerry McCullagh, SMR at 1-914-376-3245.

You are also welcome to be a part of this in your prayer for us and with us. A great way to be involved through the process of actually walking the journey together!