When David repents for his sins in Psalm 50 (http://www.newadvent.org/bible/psa050.htm), his plea is so heartfelt and passionate, I cannot image anything but God smiling at his wayward son. I especially love the request repeated throughout the Psalm that asks God to "blot out my inequities." How often have you felt the same way? I feel like that often, especially when in all of my humanness, I repeat the same sins over and over. In verse 13 he says, "Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me." Can you imagine how dark it would truly be if God did not shine his face down upon us? That must be what is described when the darkness of the Valley of Death is described. The Holy Spirit is probably the least appreciated of the Trinity. We often praise God and pray to Jesus Christ but forget that the Holy Spirit is with us always. The third person of the Holy Trinity is also described as the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Love. Because of the oneness of nature in the Blessed Trinity, the Father is entirely in the Son and in the Holy Spirit; the Son is entirely in the Father and in the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is entirely in the Father and in the Son. No one of the three divine Persons is outside the other, for none precedes the other in eternity, nor surpasses the other in power, nor exceeds the other in any way. This indwelling of one divine Person in the others is called circumincession. The Holy Spirit is always hard at work for us and the sanctification of mankind is attributed to the Holy Spirit because He is the love of the Father and the Son and because the sanctification of man by grace shows forth God's boundless love. St. Augustine called the Holy Spirit the greatest gift from God and I have to agree.
I am just beginning to dive into the beautiful, ancient devotion to the Five Wounds of Jesus, and I wanted to share a bit of the journey with you. It can feel a little overwhelming at first to look at the Crucifix this closely, but I’ve found such a gentle guide in St. Bernard of Clairvaux . In his Jubilee Rhythm on the Passion, Bernard doesn't treat the wounds of Jesus as distant historical facts or sights to be avoided. Instead, he approaches them with the tenderness of a friend, speaking directly to the feet, hands, side, and face of our Lord. For someone like me who is just starting out, his rhythm teaches that prayer isn't just about reciting words; it’s a holy hide-and-seek. Bernard invites us to literally hide ourselves within these wounds, seeing them as clefts in the rock where we can find shelter when our own lives feel turbulent or heavy. As I start this process, I’ve been practicing what I call gazing and greeting. Following Bernard’s lead, I look at the Crucifix an...
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