The Holy Spirit, which is God himself can animate our life, if only we allow him too….How do we allow this to happen? - We must get out of our own way!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St John we hear how the Holy Spirit animates the life of a Catholic who lives in the state of grace….”Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you”……Our task is very simple - We need to get out of our own way!…….Our world constantly settles for second best……God has made himself available to us and all we have to do is give him permission to animate our life - Yet we don’t - Because we are not convinced that God can do more with our life then we can……The American Bishop from Minnesota - Bishop Robert Barron has written about what I am trying to communicate - He says it better then me….”We have a God of adventure, a God who is always out ahead of us. Faith, in the Biblical sense of the term, is not primarily the acquiesence to propositions; rather, it is an attitude of trust in the God who calls us beyond ourselves. We witness this faith in Abraham’s willingness to follow where God leads, and we see it too in the disciples’ willingness to follow Jesus on the path toward the cross. Do we settle for what we know and control, or do we venture into the darkness, trusting in what God promises?”……. This is the great question we must answer for ourselves…Do not settle and trust that God, who CAN not only animate your life but will lead you on the greatest adventure you could ever imagine……And empower you to “get the job done”!

“You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet”

Before we are willing to Trust God, we must encounter him…This requires us to take a chance - To risk…..Talk to anyone who ever succeeded in business and they will tell you….One must take chances and accept risk in order to be successful - This is reality - Well, in a sense its the same with our spiritual life…..We must be willing to expose our self to God, make our self vulnerable…..There is the obstacle - The world is not willing to do this - But we MUST!……There is nothing the world can give to us that will fully satisfy our deepest wants and needs - We too easily believe “the lie”……..For thirteen years I traveled all over the United States and South America for work….I stayed at the best hotels in the world and ate at the best restaurants money can buy…..In the beginning, it was very exciting but as time went on….Even the best hotels and the finest food lost its appeal….It got to the point - It was just another trip - It was just another beautiful hotel…It was just another meal…..This is “the lie” we buy into - We do not believe what God has to offer us is FAR BETTER than what the world does - So we settle……If we simply, with each passing day, work towards emptying ourself - And allow the Holy Spirit to work in our life - The greatest adventure of a lifetime awaits……This begins with a Sacramental Confession…Are you willing to make yourself vulnerable? - To expose your soul to the Holy Spirit?…..If not, we remain right where we are sadly - But if we “take a chance”…If we are willing to “take a risk”….Life begins!…..Never settle - You can do it!

“Brothers and sisters: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand”

Today we are reminded at Mass - God can do more with your life than you can….”Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you”……..The Holy Spirit, which is God himself can animate our life, if only we allow him too….How do we allow this to happen? - We must get out of our own way!