"Great is the dignity of man, that God the Father sent the Holy Ghost, on Pentecost, in the name of His Son, for the sake of our salvation. The Father "so loved the world, as to give His only-begotten Son; that whosoever believed in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting." And when the Son, after having performed the work of our redemption, had returned to heaven, the Father gave us the Holy Ghost, to take the place of the Son. — God the Son is come into the world to seek and to save that which is lost, and has loved us unto the end. And when He was to take possession of His heavenly kingdom, He left us not as orphans, but prayed the Father to send in His stead the Holy Ghost to accomplish in His elect the work of sanctification. . . . Therefore let us listen to the voice of the Holy Church, whose teacher is the Spirit of Truth; let us never fear for the future of our Holy Church, because the Paraclete will never forsake her. "I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you forever." Repertorium Oratoris Sacri.
"Devotion to the Holy Ghost is a most natural offspring of Christian faith, because the Holy Ghost is the very life and soul of the Christian dispensation. The Holy Ghost is the infinite love of God, proceeding from the Father and the Son, and perfecting the Being of the Adorable Trinity, according to that sublime utterance of St. John, "God is Love." It was through love that God created and redeemed us; therefore it is that the Holy Scripture shows us that the works of creation and redemption, wrought by the power of the Father and the wisdom of the Son, are finished and perfected by the action of the Holy Ghost. . . . According to Our Saviour's promise, the Holy Ghost came on Whit-Sunday, from the bosom of the Father and the Son, to finish and carry on forever the work of Their mercy. He became the soul of the Christian Church, making it into a living body; and all its life has since come from Him, and so shall continue till the end of the world." Archbishop Keane, Pastoral Letter, Richmond, Va., Oct. 18, 1879.
CALL TO ACTION: Pray for the Gift of Counsel.
The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly, what must be done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation.
Source of quotations: "Fountain of Living Water" by Rev. A. A. Lambing LL.D., 1st paragraph - pages 150-151 & 2nd paragraph - pages 102-103; Fr. Pustet & Co. Publishers and Booksellers (copyright 1907); Nihil Obstat: Remigius Lafort, S.T.L., Censor; Imprimatur: John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
Photo by Chad Greiter