One of My Favorite Prayers

The prayer to the Holy Spirit:

O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You.
Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me.
Tell me what I should do, give me Your orders.
I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me
and to accept all that You permit to happen to me.
Let me only know Your will. Amen.

Today is a time when we're told to go it alone. Our culture is focused on being in control of every aspect of our lives, which move very fast. Every waking moment of our lives requires mental occupation. Our attention is a commodity: we're constantly being persuaded to take a side or otherwise be divided, or trying to belong to something, or checking on our updates (emails, meetings, other technical gadgets).

I've often said lately that if you're being petitioned or otherwise approached, they want your money or your mind.

This prayer is a reminder of something that has been bred out of our lives: that we belong to the spirit of God. We live within it whether we accept those graces or not.

Remember what used to be said about certain people: "they accepted life with grace", "never complained", "a good winner, a good loser". People didn't sue at the drop of a hat or form a posse at the slightest offense to their feelings.

That's grace. That's, what I think, this prayer is about. To not assume that you own it all. This is putting faith in God and accepting what life brings to you with grace and humility. To ask for the strength to make it through what life throws at you and remain connected and graceful in the company of your fellow man. You deal with it and get through it, knowing it is part of God's plan for you.

Missing out on that is to miss out on God's love. God's flexibility, God's blessings. God's ability to move you forward in life in a strengthened manner.