“God loves to pour out His Spirit with power on those who will dare to align radically their purposes with His.”

“The Holy Spirit does not speak to a soul that is distracted and garrulous. He speaks by His quiet inspirations to a soul that is recollected, to a soul that knows how to keep silence.”  ― St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul

Gospel Text: (JN 17:20-26)

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:

“I pray not only for these,

but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

so that they may all be one,

as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

that they also may be in us,

that the world may believe that you sent me.

And I have given them the glory you gave me,

so that they may be one, as we are one,

I in them and you in me,

that they may be brought to perfection as one,

that the world may know that you sent me,

and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Father, they are your gift to me.

I wish that where I am they also may be with me,

that they may see my glory that you gave me,

because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,

but I know you, and they know that you sent me.

I made known to them your name and I will make it known,

that the love with which you loved me

may be in them and I in them.”

Jesus’ prayer here beautifully expresses two works of the Holy Spirit — uniting us as one body and empowering us to bring the good news to the world. Jesus knew that he had to “go” (die on the cross) so that the Spirit could come, and he welcomed that fact (John 16:7). He knew that nothing would happen if the Spirit didn’t come.

If you want to see God’s will fulfilled in your heart and in the world around you, know that you can’t do it without the Holy Spirit. This requires “surrender” on our part, to “make room” for God’s will in our life. Here is a good analogy to consider: Even God can not fill a cup full of water with milk. First, the water must be poured out. This requires an act of our free will. Without our consent, only “water” remains in the “cup” and there will never be any “milk”.

“Make room” for God in your heart by surrendering your will and the Holy Spirit will manifest itself in and through you!

If you don’t believe me, remember these famous words. “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. (Lk 1:38). The rest was history!