“All these were persevering with one mind in prayer with the women, and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” (Acts 1, 14).
First Prelude:
Represent to yourself the heart of the Blessed Virgin as the temple of the Holy Ghost.
Second Prelude:
O Mary, obtain for us the plenitude of the graces of the Holy Ghost.
First Point
The Holy Ghost endowed the Blessed Virgin with the wealth of His graces
Through her Immaculate Conception the Blessed Virgin was prepared to become the Mother of the Son of God, and from the first moment of her existence endowed with the most excellent gifts of the Holy Ghost. By faithful co-operation, Mary constantly increased this treasure of graces. Could it be otherwise but that she received new and extraordinary graces on the day of Pentecost? If it can be said of the Apostles that “They were full of the Holy Spirit,” this applies to the Blessed Virgin first and foremost, and in the highest degree. The Holy Ghost reigned in her understanding; in His light she recognized and judged all things. He reigned in her heart, whose every movement and sentiment were in perfect harmony with the truths of faith; He reigned in her will; she was ready to do what she recognized as the holy Will of God, and executed it with child-like simplicity. Everything in her was the instrument of the Holy Ghost, and all her faculties of body and soul served His designs.
In this Mary should also be our model; we dare not suffer ourselves to be controlled and guided by the promptings of nature but rather by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us through sanctifying grace. As in Mary, He should reign in our understanding, in our heart and in our will, in all that we are and have; everywhere and in all things, we should be docile to Him and follow His inspirations. That He may be able to operate in us, we must remove the obstacles to His grace by mortifying our evil inclinations.
What hinders the Holy Ghost from reigning undisputedly in my soul?
Second Point
Mary is the dispenser of the gifts of the Holy Ghost
On the feast of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost overwhelmed the Blessed Virgin with an excess of new graces because now she was to be the mistress of the Apostles, the mother and help of all Christians. A new fire glowed in the heart of Mary, as she devoted herself entirely to the sublime mission in the interest of which she was to remain on earth after the Ascension of her beloved Son. Around her gathered the first children of the Church, with her they sought counsel and consolation, from her they imbibed those virtues that made them a spectacle to angels and men. From the heart of the Mother of beautiful love they drew, above all, that concord and love which made them one heart and one soul. Thus the streams of divine grace which had inundated the immaculate, humble heart flowed upon the first Christians. Mary likewise transmits the precious gifts of the Holy Ghost to us, she wishes to assist us, also, with her counsel and her aid. As the Mother of beautiful love, she longs to impart to us her fiery love that we may be but one heart and one soul, and through the works of our holy vocation, enkindle this sacred fire in others. Though we find our hearts ever so void and destitute of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, let us confidently turn to Mary, the aid of Christians, the Mother of beautiful love, that through her we may, as the Church puts it, find salvation and the fountains of life.
Do I look upon the Blessed Virgin as my counselor and guide? Do I seek to obtain the gifts of the Holy Ghost for myself and others through her mediation?
Affections:
O Holy Spirit, how inestimable are Thy enlightenments and gifts, how ineffable the effects of sanctity and perfection which they produced in the Blessed Mother of God! Mayest Thou, O Spirit of Love and Dispenser of all virtues, enliven and guide me. Mayest Thou ever be the Director of my thoughts, my desires and inclinations. O Mary, my holy Mother, who didst receive the plenitude of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, have compassion on my weakness and my misery. Let my heart, too, share in the riches of thy graces, in the treasures of thy love. Obtain for me the grace of perfect fidelity, that the Holy Ghost may reign supreme in my understanding, my heart, and my will.
Resolution:
I will frequently implore the gifts of the Holy Ghost for myself and others through the mediation of the Blessed Virgin.
Spiritual Bouquet:
O purest Spouse of the Holy Ghost, obtain for me the plenitude of His gifts and your fidelity to His holy inspirations.
Prayer:
Our Father…
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