Our Lord taught Elizabeth Kindelmann: “Be My servant! Be always joyful! Every day that you serve Me must be a feast!…Wherever you go, let others feel that you partake every day in the Heavenly Banquet!”
This is admittedly one of the hardest concepts for us to grasp and implement in our daily life until we obtain all the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, but especially the Gift of Wisdom. Obtaining the actual joy of God is the goal that our Lord has stated for us in John 15:11. So, how do we begin this process, this spiritual journey to the Fruit of Joy in the Holy Spirit!
The first step is to “put on the mind of Christ” by consecrating ourselves to Jesus through Mary and committing our entire life to the imitation of Christ by the imitation of the one who perfectly did so…His Mother and our Mother, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The single greatest insight here is we must commit to give up all sinfulness and worldly interests which hold us back from advancing in holiness. Only the Holy Spirit can convict us of these unrepented sins and the sins to which we are currently blinded! The daily living of one’s Consecration is the perfect path to Joy, because as the great St. Louis de Montfort reminds us: “When the Holy Spirit finds Mary in a soul, He flies to it. He enters therein (in a more abundant and effective way to release the Grace of Baptism and Confirmation) and communicates Himself to that soul with such abundance ( since He is Joy).” The best source for living the Imitation of Christ each day, through and in Mary’s Immaculate Heart and under her Mantle, is the small, classic book by Fr. Emil Neubert called “My Ideal Jesus Son of Mary”. Obtain a copy and read from it every day for the rest of your life.
The second step is to be devoted to a deep, personal relationship with the Holy Spirit that includes intimate prayer to Him each day for all the Gifts, Virtues and Charisms, which produces the Fruits, especially the two foundational ones of Love and Joy! A perfect short prayer is : “Come Holy Spirit and possess me completely by the power of the Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” Obtain a copy of “The Sanctifier” by the Servant of God Archbishop Luis Martinez or “Your Life in the Holy Spirit” by Alan Schreck. Read from them every day. They can be an excellent source of meditation every day, as mental prayer is a necessary element of advancing in our journey to possess the Joy of the Holy Spirit! Without daily mental prayer, we will not advance far at all.
The third step is the daily practice of the will. Joy is a choice we make with God’s Grace. It does not depend upon emotion nor does it require positive thoughts. We will often experience distaste and suffering, but The Lord teaches us to “Rejoice always, again I say Rejoice!” This choice must be based in our unshakeable Faith that every single thing that God causes or permits to happen to us is for our greater spiritual good; the conversion and salvation of our soul and the souls of many others; and our greater eternal reward and glory! If you are not completely convinced of this, pray for the Gifts of Knowledge and Understanding! Obtain a copy of the classic on this knowledge by Father de Caussade entitled: “Self Abandonment to Divine Providence”. Daily prayer to the Holy Spirit and the knowledge in this book can overcome this great impediment that almost all of us have in the Journey: not truly knowing and then believing with unshakeable Faith that everything that happens to us is caused or permitted by God for our greater spiritual glory of all eternity!
The final step is to smile as often as possible! The Carmelite Sister Mary Angelica of Jesus had this insight from the Holy Spirit for us: “The good Lord makes me find joy everywhere….I try always to smile, for I know that every smile contrary to our natural inclination is in wonderful harmony with the desires of the Heart of Jesus.”
So, what are we to do when we invariably fall in the Journey and start to experience fear, unease and discouragement and want to complain to others. St. Paul gives us the only answer: “Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, through prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God.” We must immediately release our burdens of thought and our negative emotions to God and “cast our burdens” upon Him for direction. He will respond if we trust Him completely. In fact, He tells all the saints how sad He chooses to become when we don’t cast our burdens upon Him! This is what it practically means to “abide in Him”. The Lord wants to live His life again in you!
Our Lord confirmed this Truth to St. Faustina: “You will give Me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you treasures of My Grace…Oh how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness!.. Oh how that wounds My Heart!”
So, let us smile at everyone today and always, but especially at the Holy Spirit in our soul! Fiat!
The Divine Antidote 
This is wonderful, Tony; a pleasure to read and a lesson to be learned and practiced. Your insight is encouraging to one who, in spiritual growth, is somewhat behind you, yet knowing that each step brings us closer to God and that we must constantly strive for the ultimate in perfection. To settle for less is planning for less. Ave Maria !
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Please read recommended book to read. I smiled and thought of you! God is certainly busy…preparing!!!
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I was filled with the Holy Spirit back in 1971…so filled that I was fairly flying for about 6 mos. Prior to this moment in time I was in a deep state of doubt that nearly did me in emotionally. I was invited to a prayer group in a private home, prayed for and I felt the Holy Spirit entering my heart/soul by a soft touch like warm oil entering the top of my head down to my heart. I was never so joy filled in my life! I had never seriously spent time in the bible; that night I was given an insatiable thirsting for devouring scripture searching for a personal encounter with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The journey began and it has been the focus of my life ever since. In the beginning years the joy of the Holy Spirit was constant as we formed prayer groups while being formed by Him; He provided a constant feast. The last few years I have been asking Him to show me the unconscious sin in my life [Ps. 139]. Unbeknownst to me, much deep scouring needs to be done in my soul. “I have chosen you to be chastised for your good and My plans for you.” One day the joy of the Holy Spirit will once again be a constant companion. The Flame of Love is the glorious news for today. He will provide for me as I make myself available to Him. Thank you for your very insightful message. Shirley Bachmeier
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Shirley, thank you for sharing! He is indeed relighting the Fire in all who are open through His Mother! The Father is opening the eyes of our souls to see that it takes Mary and the Holy Spirit to perfectly form Jesus Christ within us! The Flame of Love Grace is God’s Plan to do just that for all who desire it! God’s Love and Mercy are unfathomable! Thank you for being on the front lines of the Battle! Fiat!
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Anthony, this blog is absolutely beautiful and so appropriate for our times. I was astounded at how closely aligned the spirituality of the Flame of Love, as you describe it, is to my covenant community, Love Crucified [lovecrucified.com]. Contributing to our spirituality are Venerable Concepcion, Ven. Luis Matinez, St. Theresa, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, Blessed Dina and so much of what you speak about. What drew me to Love Crucified is the Spirituality of the Cross, especially my beloved Conchita and Archbishop Martinez! Have a look at the website, ABOUT us and THE SIMPLE PATH TO UNION. How blessed we are, not just to “offer up” but to “SUFFER WITH”! Let me share with you an act of spiritual communion which incorporates our beloved Trinity. Ven. Conchita often called the Holy Spirit “my young dove.”
As I gaze on my adorable Abba
through your eyes, my Jesus,
I am filled with longing for Him.
The Holy Spirit, that little dove
Who nests in my heart,
groans with the thirst that we be One.
Feed me, my Jesus, lest I die of thirst.
Fill me with the loving gaze
of Your Sacred Heart,
the loving gaze of My Father
who melts me to tears.
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Kathy, I was truly blessed to learn of these Exemplars of the New and Divine Holiness many years ago from Hugh Owen. The Book on the Holy Spirit entitled “The Sanctifier” by Archbishop Martinez was a true touch from our incredibly loving God. Oh Joy! I had made my Total Consecration almost 20 years ago, but it has been a gradual process of growing closer to His Crucified Heart, but since receiving the Flame of Love Grace about two years ago through Our dearest Mother, He has set a conflagration in my heart for each person of the Blessed Trinity, but especially the Love Between the Father and Son, and especially the need to be a Victim like He was to help Him save countless souls! The Spiritual Communion you post from Conchita is absolutely beautiful! May I share it with readers? I also continue to read from Concita’s works on a regular basis and find them to be exceptional nourishment! May The Father through the power of the Holy Spirit transform all of us into Jesus Crucified through the intercession of our Mother who was mystically crucified alongside in her heart! May God alone be given the glory for allowing our nothingness to help Him share Love and Mercy with all who will accept!
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As much as I love Conchita–she did not write the spiritual communion, I did! Spiritual communions are a big part of my daily practice. I have a chiming clock which helps me remember to pray at least once an hour. I highly recommend Under the Father’s Gaze, by Ven. Concepcion & Ven. Luis Martinez–the book of one of their retreats together. This book jolted me in an indescribable way into a greater closeness to the Trinity.
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Visit my wordpress blog: https://soulfoodministries.wordpress.com/ See 20 Soul Food talks–really intense 2 hr. sessions which I presented to my Soul Food group at my church. The blog page, Fire Within, and the Prayers page. The Resources page names some of my beloved books.
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The Holy Spirit, my young dove, is certainly busy these days! Nesting in so many hearts in a new, more powerful way. Such a blessing to be in touch with your blog, Tony.
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