Fourth Outdoor Party for the Homeless on FRIDAY, Feb. 15

To any Columbus natives, we had two beautiful Christmas parties for the homeless on the South end in December and one in January.  There is another one from 5-7, Monday, February 18, at the parking lot of Heer Park by the South High Planet Fitness on Williams Rd. just off of South High Street.
Wanting to continue the friendships begun, we will join HOPE ON HIGH, a multi-church effort begun by the Obetz Church of the Nazarene, with their set up of a nearly four-sided large tent, with hot air pumped in, lights, tables, chairs, and a banquet style soup kitchen on wheels!  I am bringing some beef stew, but come, and bring whatever you can!  There usually is a grave need for warm  blankets, sleeping bags, clothes, shoes, etc), and a lot of GREAT conversation!
Pray for these homeless on the South end, and for a bigger Catholic presence down there!  Come, Holy Spirit, come!

It Is Well With My Soul

by Monica  Columbus, Ohio

The following song is for those who have experienced immense long-suffering (one of the virtues) in waiting for God's Will to unfold in beautiful visions and dreams, especially ones for Him.  It is also for any suffering religious persecution, which can be the most painful. Moreover, this is also dedicated to those with huge and painful setbacks in life of all kinds --- cancer, job loss, money loss, family and friends' deaths, etc.  Christ's peace is at our fingertips, and His healing rays are on their way. Find someone to pray with you who has the gift of calling down the Holy Spirit in a mighty way.


This was written by Horatio Spatford in the late 1800's at the death of his four little daughters just after the loss of all of his assets and job in the Chicago fire. 

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know^a

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, (it is well),

With my soul, (with my soul)

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

A song in the night, oh my soul!^b

Background

This hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford's life. The first was the death of his son at the age of two and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago that was extensively damaged by the great fire). His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre. In a late change of plan, he sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sea vessel, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone …". Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.^[2] Bliss called his tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the stricken vessel.^[3]

The Spaffords later had three more children. On February 11, 1880, their son, Horatio Goertner Spafford, died at the age of four, of scarlet fever. Their daughters were Bertha Hedges Spafford (born March 24, 1878) and Grace Spafford (born January 18, 1881). Their Presbyterian church regarded their tragedy as divine punishment. In response, the Spaffords formed their own Messianic sect, dubbed "the Overcomers" by American press. In 1881, the Spaffords, including baby Bertha and newborn Grace, set sail for Ottoman-Turkish Palestine. The Spaffords settled in Jerusalem and helped found a group called the American Colony. Colony members, later joined by Swedish Christians, engaged in philanthropic work among the people of Jerusalem regardless of their religious affiliation and without proselytizing motives—thereby gaining the trust of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. During and immediately after World War I, the American Colony played a critical role in supporting these communities through the great suffering and deprivations by running soup kitchens, hospitals, orphanages and other charitable ventures. The colony later became the subject of Jerusalem by the Nobel prize-winning author, Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf.^[2]

 For those undergoing great setbacks in their ministries, particularly slanderous attacks and persecutions, here is a quote given to me by my good friend and co-teacher (of 4th graders) at my new building, Karol Carmen.  She handed me a mug with this quote on it and said, "I felt like God was asking me to give this to you."  She had no idea about all the religious persecution I have been going through because I had never mentioned it to her.

   It goes,

"The tallest Oak in the forest was once just a tiny nut that held its ground."

Thanks Karol!

I only knew Karol for 3 months because she just died of a massive coronary on Nov. 4.  Thank you, Karol, for this powerful message!  I thank you, Jesus, especially, for giving it to me through her.  Yes, I have finally begun to hold my ground, thanks to you, Karol, and God's message to me through you!  More inspirations about God's "permissive Will" below -- worth reading!

The following video, the holiest video on Youtube in my opinion, helps one to get through ANY kind of adversity!  Here is the link to the Litany of Humility with pictures from the movie, The Passion of the Christ:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm2kfTwncbI

  

Does God ever cause or is part of actually causing suffering of His servants, His beloved, His closest followers? After reading several books such as Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence by Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure and St. Claude de Columbiere, as well as The Ascent to Mt. Carmel and Dark Night of the Soul (one of St. Teresa of Calcutta's all time favorites), by St. John of the Cross, I have come to believe that God allows the suffering of innocent and even holy people, called his "Permissive Will," I learned recently from a dear friend.  (the word, "demon" comes from "demean," especially in terms of good people wrongfully persecuted).

I recently had a long trip home with a very holy dear friend who believes that God never ever causes anything we would consider "bad" or persecuting to an individual.  We are in agreement that God never causes illness, disease, major accidents, and so forth, which are caused by everyone's free will bumping against each others' in addition to the human condition while here.

We talked about God's permissive Will too -- how God sometimes allows persecutions in order to forge us like metal into His tools, like Isaiah being forged into a ploughing tool and gold that is tested in fire, with others.  The following are a few Bible quotes.

Job 42:10   "They [friends, family, etc] consoled him and comforted him for all the evil the Lord had brought upon him."

Sirach 2:3-5   "Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient, for in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation."  Does He then, or can He then, actively do the purifying without pain and suffering?  Can metals and elements that are not gold, (and other flaws), ever be separated out except for heat high enough to make metal a liquid?  Can this ever not involve suffering?  Does God do this intense purifying so that the final product is pure gold alone? 

Isaiah 41:15   "I will make of you a threshing sledge (large metal tool), sharp, new, full of teeth, to thresh the mountains..."  The strikes to hot metal in making tools are immense. 

Isaiah 50:6   "I gave my back to those who strike me, my cheeks to those who pluck out my beard; I did not cover my face from buffets and spitting..."  Coming right after the above quote, it appears that Isaiah is spelling out the details of how God Himself actually made of him a sharp-edged tool, through these very things He willed for him, even in excruciating torment at the hands of other religious people.

Even with Christ Himself, the Father willed enormous suffering upon Him, fully human and fully divine, as shown in the following quotes.

Isaiah 53:5 "But He was pierced for our offenses; crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." 

Hebrews 5: 8-9  "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through suffering.  And having been made perfect, He became the source of salvation to all who obey Him."  Hebrews 5:8-9

Philipians 2:8   "And being found in appearances a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross."  Who is He obeying that is doing this to Him?  Could the Father ever not actively Will all aspects of His death for the salvation of the world?

St. Teresa of Calcutta was a huge St. John of the Cross fan, as many of us. His books mentioned above also propose God doing the purgations of our soul to bring us to higher levels of oneness with Him.

The nights which the soul experiences are the two necessary purgations on the path to Divine union: the first purgation is of the sensory or sensitive part of the soul, the second of the spiritual part (Ascent of Mount Carmel, Ch. 1, 2). Such purgations comprise the first of the three stages of the mystical journey, followed by those of illumination and then union.^[2]St. John does not actually use the term "dark night of the soul", but only "dark night" ("noche oscura").  

Below is the poem He wrote when imprisoned wrongly by his fellow Carmelite brothers for nine months in a "dungeon," beaten and nearly starved.  He came to heavily embrace the experience from God's own hand that lead to much deeper levels of mysticism and oneness with God.

The Dark Night 

St John Of the Cross

"On a dark night,
Kindled in love with yearnings–oh, happy chance!–
I went forth without being observed,
My house being now at rest.

In darkness and secure,
By the secret ladder, disguised–oh, happy chance!–
In darkness and in concealment,
My house being now at rest.

In the happy night,
In secret, when none saw me,
Nor I beheld aught,
Without light or guide, save that which burned in my
heart.

This light guided me
More surely than the light of noonday
To the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me–
A place where none appeared.

Oh, night that guided me,
Oh, night more lovely than the dawn,
Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover,
Lover transformed in the Beloved!

Upon my flowery breast,
Kept wholly for himself alone,
There he stayed sleeping, and I caressed him,
And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze.

The breeze blew from the turret
As I parted his locks;
With his gentle hand he wounded my neck
And caused all my senses to be suspended.

I remained, lost in oblivion;
My face I reclined on the Beloved.
All ceased and I abandoned myself,
Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies."

Does this idea make one want to run from God, or hate God?  Is He a good Father or not, one may think.  Do children run from a genuinely loving human father or Dad who has to sometimes harshly reprimand children or teenagers when their behavior is totally out of control?  Do they turn around and hate Him or eventually love him all the greater.  Especially when they realize he was so good for them at that time?

This is all the more true when they realize that he knows what he is doing from past history and they already have a trusting, tender relationship with their father, who must come down harshly from time to time.

Listen to the music and lyrics of the Hillsong, "New Wine," about the crushing and pressing God does to make us into new, powerful wine! This goes hand in hand with what one of my dear Benedictine monks, Brother Martin, says that God does to us to prepare us to be His bread and wine in the world.  

The song, "New Wine":     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxo-_SrV1q4&list=RDQxo-_SrV1q4&start_radio=1

Brother Martin explained that He did not come as grapes and wheat, but bread and wine, two man-made things.  HE NEEDS US to be His bread and wine in the world.  He first takes the wheat and pulverizes it to a fine powder.  Then he mixes is with ingredients and BAKES it at a high temperature.  The grapes he smashes to smithereens, liquifying them completely, then he ferments them over a long period of time in which there is a strong chemical change, making them into wine.

But what about when it is not to correct faults, but to strengthen and ready a soul for something big coming in their lives?  Is God the alchemist, then, starting and stoking the fires of purification or strengthening of metal, done in great love, as with Isaiah?

On a sidenote, St. Teresa of Calcutta once said that a turning the other cheek, also a painful persecution, is not a passive act, but a standing your ground in offering the other cheek.  It is a choosing to love, even those who strike you or crucify your character with slanderous words, to offer the cheek in staying within these scenarios, in standing the ground in the righteousness of God.

Finally, what did Jesus say about persecution.  At the end of my favorite all time Bible reading, the Beatitudes, He emphasizes the following (Luke 6:22-23).

"Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude you and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in just the same way." 

"Would that I might know Christ
and the power of His resurrection
and that I might share
 in His sufferings."
          -  St. Ignatius of Loyola

     Please, dear Pope Francis, dear Papa, assign a beloved new bishop to the Columbus, Ohio diocese who will be a voice for the charismatic renewal here, especially reopening Encounter Ministries U.S., and one with a heart and voice for the poor and for peace.  Here is the song and background information from Wikipedia.

  Please, dear Papa, if you will, could you go ahead and canonize Dorothy Day (and Peter Maurin), please.

Christmas Benedictine Style

by Monica

        This Advent and Christmastide are a very special time of year to focus on Jesus and on our level of love for Him -- in other words, to "Come let us adore Him."  One way is just to speak to Him for at least 15 minutes straight every day, even if you have to do so on returning to bed when you wake up for that middle of the night bathroom stop.
        Also, there is a new book put out by the Children of Mary called I Will Think of Everything And You, Only Loving Me."  It is a powerful push to put the focus of our lives on Christ and loving Him as much as we can and offering "ceaseless acts of perfect love" to Him every waking moment possible.
        Simplifying your prayer life is another way to focus almost exclusively on Christ and His bidding in this holy season commemorating His birth.  From reading this book (above), I decided for Advent and Christmas that my only petitionary prayers are going to be: "For everyone in my past, present, and future, and all affecting them."
         I was spending a large part of my prayer life with rosaries, chaplets, etc., in lengthy and time-consuming petitions for others instead of putting all things into His hands totally, letting even the prayers along with outcomes, etc., be fully in His decision-making hands.  I decided to let Him FULLY figure out what even to ask for and when, leaving all to Him alone, with full trust.
       I feel I have been freed and actually feel more trust by not burdening or busying my head and heart with things out of my control anyways.  I can also better "meditate on the actual mysteries" of the rosary.  I feel these things have drawn me closer to Him, but I have a ways to go!
       Here are further reflections written by Benedictine monks over the years for Third Order Benedictines of St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana at Advent and Christmas time in order to draw all of them, us, closer to Jesus, Our Lord.  Dorothy Day was a Benedictine Oblate, or Third Order Benedictine, which is why many Benedictine monasteries are praying for her canonization.

      Come, Holy Spirit, come, through the powerful intercessory prayers of Mother Mary on this feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Fr. Schalk preached this morning at mass how the single most powerful person to ask intercessory prayers of against Satan Himself, from the Revelations scripture of the woman clothed with the sun against the seven-headed dragon, is Mother Mary herself.

     This season is also to honor her amazing yes at such a youthful age and in so dangerous a society to do such a momentous thing. We love you Jesus.  We love you Mary.  Come be with us, Jesus, and as the famous song of Mary says, "Come walk with us, Mary, come walk with us," "Ven Con Nosotros a Caminar, Santa Maria Ven."

"Christmastide 1941"  by Fr. Bernardine Shine, OSB

    .." With the activity, haste, and busyness, the world rushes towards Christmas.  But what has the world to do with Christmas?  The world missed the first Christmas completely because of its spirit; that same spirit reigns in the world today.
      ... There was no room for two spirits in the cave; the world did not enter.  It had all the song, tinsel, and good cheer of the season, but it did not have Christmas.
     Angels directed the shepherds to Him Who made the true Christmas.  Good oblates look to St. Benedict for the spirit that feels at home in the cave, for the safe way that leads to Christ."

"The Mystery of Christmas, 1945" by Fr. Walter Sullivan, OSB

   " ... Now what does it mean to believe and live the Whole Mystery of Christmas?  It means to ponder in your heart with Mary how this Infant cradled in His Mother's arms is the Wisdom from on High, The Root of Jesse, The Key of David, The King of Nations, The Emmanuel, The Expectation and Savior of Peoples, The King of Peace whom the whole earth has desired to see.
   ... It means to ponder in your heart how the Song of God, begotten from all eternity of God the Father, took to Himself of the flesh of Mary a human body, and created for Himself a human soul.
     ... For the mystery of Christmas is a soul-searching test of true Christianity, and it demands of the Christian seven profound acts of living the faith:

1. To see Christ in the crib of Bethlehem and to adore Him.
2. To see Christ in His Church and to obey Him.
3. To see Christ in Holy Mass and to offer Him.
4. To see Christ in Confession and unburden the heart to Him.
5. To hear Christ in the Gospel and to imitate Him.
6. To see Christ in the other members of His Body and to love Him.
7. To see Christ in our own bodies and to reverence Him

    ... its purpose [Christmas] is to divinize people -- to make them partakers of Divine Life in the living Body of Christ that is the Church.

      By the mystery of Christmas, we are more closely knit to one another than are Americans under the same flag, our club members wearing the same pin, or even kinfolk of the same family.  For regardless of club, country, race, or family, we are One in Christ, if we are faithful members of His Body."

"Christmas 1951" by Fr. Walter Sullivan OSB

     "Amidst the frills and sweet sentiment that have been associated with the Babe of Bethlehem, we may forget the prophecy of Simeon to Our Lady: 'Behold this Child is destined for the fall and rise of many.'

     ... The struggle between what is weak in us and what is strong in us is a necessary element of Christian life on earth.  If there were no weakness, there could be no spiritual maturity in people.  Our Lord says plainly to St. Paul (2 Cor. 12:9), 'Strength is made perfect in weakness.'  The apostle, recognizing the reserve power of grace in his soul, says a startling thing to us, 'I will glory in my weakness that the strength of Christ may dwell in me.'

    St. Benedict speaks forcibly of this life-long conflict between self-indulgence and the life of Christ in us when he says in the last part of the Prologue to the Holy Rule, 'We must prepare our hearts and bodies to do battle under holy obedience to God's command.  Let us ask God  to give us grace (strength) for anything which our nature finds almost impossible.  A person, counting merely on his own strength without seeking sincerely and perseveringly help from God, will remain miserably disillusioned.'

    "... Best news of all, He has come to save us from our despair and from ever losing hope.  His grace is ours for the asking in every crisis of our life, if, trampling pride and selfishness underfoot, we ask Him for help."

"Christmas 1957" by Fr. Blaise Hettich OSB

     "... In the middle of the whirl of shopping, partying, ... the hub of all our activities should be Christ.  It's His birthday we are celebrating.
     ... Let us recall that when Moses made Aaron high priest of Israel, he poured oil over his head.  The people saw this as a sign of God's power coming upon the priest.  Likewise, the prophet Samuel poured oil on the head of David to show that God had chosen him as king.
     To the Jews, 'the Anointed' meant the great King and Priest who would be sent from god to be their leader.  'Messiah,' a Hebrew word, and 'Christ,' a Greek word, both mean 'the Anointed.'  When the Son of god became a human being, He remained God.  The divine Christ 'anointed' the human.
     .... May God bless you this Christmas with 'the oil of gladness,' so that the Life and Love of
Christ may strengthen your hearts."

"Christmas 1964" by Fr. Gerard Ellspermann, OSB

       "These are the days of quiet joy.  They are days of prayer and pondering.  In imitation of Mary, who 'kept in mind all these words, pondering them in her heart,' we should not let these days go by without much prayer and frequent meditation...  He 'for us and our salvation was born of the Virgin Mary, and became flesh.'
       "... He has come to give us life, and make us sharers in His life.  The very impressive words of the Vespers refrain for the feast of the Octave of Christmas fill us with joy:  'Oh wondrous exchange!  The Creator of the human race, taking onto Himself the living body, deigns to be born of a Virgin; and becoming man from no human generation, has bestowed upon us His divinity.

       [Pope Leo the Great] had this to say in strong and vibrant words: 'Remember all Christians, your dignity.  You  have been made a partaker of the divine nature.  Do not return to your former base way of life.'  In a sense, then, this is the point of no return.  We can't look back. We cannot even think about turning back.
     ... As Fr. Emerick Lawrence, OSB, has said, 'This feast means  ... social justice, racial justice, tolerance, charity.  It is a call to all of us to contemplate the goodness and kindness of God in His gift of Himself to us, and then to carry the fruits of our contemplation into our environment so that it may become Christ's ... It means patience and kindness in our homes, forgiveness of enemies, consideration for the weaknesses of our brethren, active charity, and a never-ending effort to promote unity in our parishes and communities."

"December 1981" by Fr. Gerard Ellspermann, OSB

"... God takes from Mary flesh.  The Incarnate Word gives us in return an incomprehensible gift.   This is a participation, real and intimate, in the Divine nature.  And thus is achieved the most wonderful event that ever happened to us -- God giving us a share in His divine life by taking upon Himself our human life.
      At this time of mutual giving of presents to those we love, we are reminded of the supreme gift God gives to us.  Exchanging gifts makes us think of the admirable exchange brought about by the Incarnation.  Give glory to God for His bringing peace to mankind!"

"Christmas 1993" by Fr. Michael Keene, OSB

  "... St. John the Evangelist speaks of Christ who was the 'Light that shines in the darkness' and the darkness cannot overcome it.  he is the 'true light that enlightens each one who comes into this world.'  Our Divine Savior said to his disciples:  'I am the light of the world; whoever walks by Me has the light of life and does not walk in darkness.'
   

"Christmas 2000"  by Fr. Meinrad Brune OSB

      "... God sent Jesus to be born into a poor family, far from their home.  God sent Jesus to tell us and show us how to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and offer forgiveness to sinners around us...
     ... We must slow down the pace and grow still...  This child, the Word of God, is God's promise that we never will be asked to travel down a harder road than Jesus has gone down before...
      Every time we listen to any person in his or her simple human need -- a confused teen, aching sick person, lonely shut-in, grieving widow or widower, repetitious elderly person, overburdened parents  -- we celebrate Christmas."

     Addition 12-16-17 from The Word Among Us, December, 2017, for Friday December 15, p. 35.  This is in the spirit of talking with Jesus for at least 15 minutes a day during advent.

"Psalm 1:1-3

'He is like a tree planted near running water.'

     It sounds peaceful: a big tree,

planted 'near running water,' its

roots sunk down into the fertile soil

(Psalm 1:3). That tree would be guar-

anteed constant refreshment and

nourishment.  Wouldn't it be great

to have a similar peaceful life?  Being 

tapped into what nourishes us, we

would always feel invigorated, care

for, sustained.

     The good news is that we do

have a constant, streaming source

of nourishment: Jesus.  How do 

we 'tap into' his refreshinglife?

If we listen to the saints, one part-

ticular way stands out:  Eucharistic 

adoration.

     Here is what St. Catherine Laboure

has to say:

     'Whenever I go to the chapel, I

put myself in the presence of our 

good Lord, and I say to him, 'Lord,

I am here.  Tell me what you would

have me to do.' ... Ande then, I tell

God everything that is in my heart.  I

tell him about my pains and joys,

and then I listen.  If you listen, God

will also speak to you, for with the

good Lord, you have to both speak

and listen.  God always speaks to you

when you approach him plainly and

simply.'

     St. Catherine describes spend-

ing time relaxed and comfortable

in Jesus' presence in the Blessed

Sacrament.  She brought him her con-

cerns and needs.  But she also sat and

listened to Him.  She was a lot like

the psalmist's tree, quietly absorbing

the constant flow of life.  We can do 

it too.  Eucharistic adoration provides

a time set apart from our everyday

responsibilities. It's a time to listen,

learn, and absorb.  Beyond pouring

out our concerns, we simply sit in his

presence.  we enjoy Him.

     Try this the next time you are able

to go to adoration:  sit with Jesus

with no particular agenda.  Enjoy

his company.  Soak in the peace of

those moments set apart for him.  If 

you find your mind wandering, you

might want to try to imagine that tree

near streams of water.  The more time

you spend with Jesus, the more com-

fortable you will become,and the

easier you'll find it to sense His pres-

ence and hear His voice. 

      So go!  Rest by the river and absorb

those nourishing, healthy waters.

      Lord, I thank you for the gift of

Eucharistic adoration!  I love Your

Presence!"

     He rejoices over YOU as well, he dances over you! -- Zeph. 3:17 – “rejoice over you” – literally means “dance, skip, leap, and spin around in joy.” God dances with shouts of joy over us!  O, come let us adore Him!  

Pope Francis' Good Shepherd Cross, Finding the One Lost Sheep

By Monica,   LCW,   Columbus, Ohio

This post is simply to convey the choice of crucifix, designed and worn by Pope Francis, that represents his papacy.  It is of the good and brave shepherd, Christ Himself, who out of unspeakable love, will go to great lengths to find, and coax, and bring in the lost sheep, carrying it tenderly on His shoulders.

St. Francis, Proud of Pope Francis' Peace Message!

By Monica,  LCW,  Columbus, Ohio

       A riveting defense of Christian nonviolence and pacifism was debuted to the world on December 8, 2016, in anticipation of the Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, January 1st, 2017.  So enmeshed is our dear Blessed Mother Mary within her Son's Church that it was debuted on the Catholic Church's feast of her Immaculate Conception to be celebrated and broadcasted at her Solemnity: Mary, Mother of God, on January 1st.  This year, 2017, marks the 50th anniversary of the World Day of Peace messages from the Pope, another significant anniversary along with the 100th of the Apparitions of Fatima.

     Below is this exquisite and holy lesson to the world from God, penned by Pope Francis of the Chair of St. Peter himself, and meant not only for Catholics, but for the whole world. St. Francis of Assisi, his patron and namesake, must be beaming in heaven over him right now!  This powerful message is even more Franciscan than some Franciscans!
     Please continue reading beyond the full text of Pope Francis' message for more of this article.
     Here are a few bulleted excerpts of key ideas:

-- "... let us respect ... our “deepest dignity”,[1] and make active nonviolence our way of life."

-- "He [Paul VI] warned of “the danger of believing that international controversies cannot be resolved by the ways of reason..."  

-- "I would like to reflect on nonviolence as a style of politics for peace. I ask God to help all of us to cultivate nonviolence in our most personal thoughts and values. May charity and nonviolence govern how we treat each other as individuals, within society and in international life." 

-- "Jesus himself lived in violent times. Yet he taught that the true battlefield, where violence and peace meet, is the human heart: for “it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come” (Mk 7:21). But Christ’s message in this regard offers a radically positive approach. He unfailingly preached God’s unconditional love, which welcomes and forgives. He taught his disciples to love their enemies (cf. Mt 5:44) and to turn the other cheek (cf. Mt 5:39)." 

-- "In the words of Saint Francis of Assisi: “As you announce peace with your mouth, make sure that you have greater peace in your hearts”.[3]" 

-- "To be true followers of Jesus today also includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence."

-- Pope Benedict XVI:  “For Christians, nonviolence is not merely tactical behaviour but a person’s way of being, the attitude of one who is so convinced of God’s love and power that he or she is not afraid to tackle evil with the weapons of love and truth alone. Love of one’s enemy constitutes the nucleus of the ‘Christian revolution’”.[5] The Gospel command to love your enemies (cf. Lk 6:27) “is rightly considered the magna carta of Christian nonviolence. It does not consist in succumbing to evil…, but in responding to evil with good (cf. Rom 12:17-21)...

 -- "... my predecessor [St. John Paul II] highlighted the fact that momentous change in the lives of people, nations and states had come about “by means of peaceful protest, using only the weapons of truth and justice”.[10] 

-- "I emphatically reaffirm [from St. John Paul II] that “no religion is terrorist”.[13] Violence profanes the name of God.[14] Let us never tire of repeating: 'The name of God cannot be used to justify violence. Peace alone is holy. Peace alone is holy, not war!'[15]"

-- "An ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence between individuals and among peoples cannot be based on the logic of fear, violence and closed-mindedness, but on responsibility, respect and sincere dialogue. Hence, I plead for disarmament and for the prohibition and abolition of nuclear weapons: nuclear deterrence and the threat of mutual assured destruction are incapable of grounding such an ethics.[18]" 

--"The Jubilee of Mercy that ended in November encouraged each one of us to look deeply within and to allow God’s mercy to enter there. The Jubilee taught us to realize how many and diverse are the individuals and social groups treated with indifference and subjected to injustice and violence." 

-- "Peacebuilding through active nonviolence is the natural and necessary complement to the Church’s continuing efforts to limit the use of force..." 

-- "Active nonviolence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful than conflict." 

-- "Mary is the Queen of Peace. At the birth of her Son, the angels gave glory to God and wished peace on earth to men and women of good will (cf. Luke 2:14). Let us pray for her guidance."

--"'Nothing is impossible if we turn to God in prayer. Everyone can be an artisan of peace'.[25]" 

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE
FRANCIS FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE 
FIFTIETH WORLD DAY OF PEACE

1 JANUARY 2017

Nonviolence: a Style of Politics for Peace

1. At the beginning of this New Year, I offer heartfelt wishes of peace to the world’s peoples and nations, to heads of state and government, and to religious, civic and community leaders. I wish peace to every man, woman and child, and I pray that the image and likeness of God in each person will enable us to acknowledge one another as sacred gifts endowed with immense dignity. Especially in situations of conflict, let us respect this, our “deepest dignity”,[1] and make active nonviolence our way of life.

This is the fiftieth Message for the World Day of Peace. In the first, Blessed Pope Paul VI addressed all peoples, not simply Catholics, with utter clarity. “Peace is the only true direction of human progress – and not the tensions caused by ambitious nationalisms, nor conquests by violence, nor repressions which serve as mainstay for a false civil order”. He warned of “the danger of believing that international controversies cannot be resolved by the ways of reason, that is, by negotiations founded on law, justice, and equity, but only by means of deterrent and murderous forces.” Instead, citing the encyclical Pacem in Terris of his predecessor Saint John XXIII, he extolled “the sense and love of peace founded upon truth, justice, freedom and love”. [2] In the intervening fifty years, these words have lost none of their significance or urgency.

On this occasion, I would like to reflect on nonviolence as a style of politics for peace. I ask God to help all of us to cultivate nonviolence in our most personal thoughts and values. May charity and nonviolence govern how we treat each other as individuals, within society and in international life. When victims of violence are able to resist the temptation to retaliate, they become the most credible promotors of nonviolent peacemaking. In the most local and ordinary situations and in the international order, may nonviolence become the hallmark of our decisions, our relationships and our actions, and indeed of political life in all its forms.

A broken world

2. While the last century knew the devastation of two deadly World Wars, the threat of nuclear war and a great number of other conflicts, today, sadly, we find ourselves engaged in a horrifying world war fought piecemeal. It is not easy to know if our world is presently more or less violent than in the past, or to know whether modern means of communications and greater mobility have made us more aware of violence, or, on the other hand, increasingly inured to it.

In any case, we know that this “piecemeal” violence, of different kinds and levels, causes great suffering: wars in different countries and continents; terrorism, organized crime and unforeseen acts of violence; the abuses suffered by migrants and victims of human trafficking; and the devastation of the environment. Where does this lead? Can violence achieve any goal of lasting value? Or does it merely lead to retaliation and a cycle of deadly conflicts that benefit only a few “warlords”?

Violence is not the cure for our broken world. Countering violence with violence leads at best to forced migrations and enormous suffering, because vast amounts of resources are diverted to military ends and away from the everyday needs of young people, families experiencing hardship, the elderly, the infirm and the great majority of people in our world. At worst, it can lead to the death, physical and spiritual, of many people, if not of all.

The Good News

3. Jesus himself lived in violent times. Yet he taught that the true battlefield, where violence and peace meet, is the human heart: for “it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come” (Mk 7:21). But Christ’s message in this regard offers a radically positive approach. He unfailingly preached God’s unconditional love, which welcomes and forgives. He taught his disciples to love their enemies (cf. Mt 5:44) and to turn the other cheek (cf. Mt 5:39). When he stopped her accusers from stoning the woman caught in adultery (cf. Jn 8:1-11), and when, on the night before he died, he told Peter to put away his sword (cf. Mt 26:52), Jesus marked out the path of nonviolence. He walked that path to the very end, to the cross, whereby he became our peace and put an end to hostility (cf. Eph 2:14-16). Whoever accepts the Good News of Jesus is able to acknowledge the violence within and be healed by God’s mercy, becoming in turn an instrument of reconciliation. In the words of Saint Francis of Assisi: “As you announce peace with your mouth, make sure that you have greater peace in your hearts”.[3]

To be true followers of Jesus today also includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence. As my predecessor Benedict XVI observed, that teaching “is realistic because it takes into account that in the world there is too much violence, too much injustice, and therefore that this situation cannot be overcome except by countering it with more love, with more goodness. This ‘more’ comes from God”.[4] He went on to stress that: “For Christians, nonviolence is not merely tactical behaviour but a person’s way of being, the attitude of one who is so convinced of God’s love and power that he or she is not afraid to tackle evil with the weapons of love and truth alone. Love of one’s enemy constitutes the nucleus of the ‘Christian revolution’”.[5] The Gospel command to love your enemies (cf. Lk 6:27) “is rightly considered the magna carta of Christian nonviolence. It does not consist in succumbing to evil…, but in responding to evil with good (cf. Rom 12:17-21), and thereby breaking the chain of injustice”.[6]

More powerful than violence

4. Nonviolence is sometimes taken to mean surrender, lack of involvement and passivity, but this is not the case. When Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she clearly stated her own message of active nonviolence: “We in our family don’t need bombs and guns, to destroy to bring peace – just get together, love one another… And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world”.[7] For the force of arms is deceptive. “While weapons traffickers do their work, there are poor peacemakers who give their lives to help one person, then another and another and another”; for such peacemakers, Mother Teresa is “a symbol, an icon of our times”.[8] Last September, I had the great joy of proclaiming her a Saint. I praised her readiness to make herself available for everyone “through her welcome and defence of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded… She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity; she made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crimes – the crimes! – of poverty they created”.[9] In response, her mission – and she stands for thousands, even millions of persons – was to reach out to the suffering, with generous dedication, touching and binding up every wounded body, healing every broken life.

The decisive and consistent practice of nonviolence has produced impressive results. The achievements of Mahatma Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in the liberation of India, and of Dr Martin Luther King Jr in combating racial discrimination will never be forgotten. Women in particular are often leaders of nonviolence, as for example, was Leymah Gbowee and the thousands of Liberian women, who organized pray-ins and nonviolent protest that resulted in high-level peace talks to end the second civil war in Liberia.

Nor can we forget the eventful decade that ended with the fall of Communist regimes in Europe. The Christian communities made their own contribution by their insistent prayer and courageous action. Particularly influential were the ministry and teaching of Saint John Paul II. Reflecting on the events of 1989 in his 1991 Encyclical Centesimus Annus, my predecessor highlighted the fact that momentous change in the lives of people, nations and states had come about “by means of peaceful protest, using only the weapons of truth and justice”.[10] This peaceful political transition was made possible in part “by the non-violent commitment of people who, while always refusing to yield to the force of power, succeeded time after time in finding effective ways of bearing witness to the truth”. Pope John Paul went on to say: “May people learn to fight for justice without violence, renouncing class struggle in their internal disputes and war in international ones”.[11]

The Church has been involved in nonviolent peacebuilding strategies in many countries, engaging even the most violent parties in efforts to build a just and lasting peace.

Such efforts on behalf of the victims of injustice and violence are not the legacy of the Catholic Church alone, but are typical of many religious traditions, for which “compassion and nonviolence are essential elements pointing to the way of life”.[12] I emphatically reaffirm that “no religion is terrorist”.[13] Violence profanes the name of God.[14] Let us never tire of repeating: “The name of God cannot be used to justify violence. Peace alone is holy. Peace alone is holy, not war!”[15]

The domestic roots of a politics of nonviolence

5. If violence has its source in the human heart, then it is fundamental that nonviolence be practised before all else within families. This is part of that joy of love which I described last March in my Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, in the wake of two years of reflection by the Church on marriage and the family. The family is the indispensable crucible in which spouses, parents and children, brothers and sisters, learn to communicate and to show generous concern for one another, and in which frictions and even conflicts have to be resolved not by force but by dialogue, respect, concern for the good of the other, mercy and forgiveness.[16] From within families, the joy of love spills out into the world and radiates to the whole of society.[17] An ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence between individuals and among peoples cannot be based on the logic of fear, violence and closed-mindedness, but on responsibility, respect and sincere dialogue. Hence, I plead for disarmament and for the prohibition and abolition of nuclear weapons: nuclear deterrence and the threat of mutual assured destruction are incapable of grounding such an ethics.[18] I plead with equal urgency for an end to domestic violence and to the abuse of women and children.

The Jubilee of Mercy that ended in November encouraged each one of us to look deeply within and to allow God’s mercy to enter there. The Jubilee taught us to realize how many and diverse are the individuals and social groups treated with indifference and subjected to injustice and violence. They too are part of our “family”; they too are our brothers and sisters. The politics of nonviolence have to begin in the home and then spread to the entire human family. “Saint Therese of Lisieux invites us to practise the little way of love, not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or any small gesture which sows peace and friendship. An integral ecology is also made up of simple daily gestures that break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness”.[19]

My invitation

6. Peacebuilding through active nonviolence is the natural and necessary complement to the Church’s continuing efforts to limit the use of force by the application of moral norms; she does so by her participation in the work of international institutions and through the competent contribution made by so many Christians to the drafting of legislation at all levels. Jesus himself offers a “manual” for this strategy of peacemaking in the Sermon on the Mount. The eight Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-10) provide a portrait of the person we could describe as blessed, good and authentic. Blessed are the meek, Jesus tells us, the merciful and the peacemakers, those who are pure in heart, and those who hunger and thirst for justice.

This is also a programme and a challenge for political and religious leaders, the heads of international institutions, and business and media executives: to apply the Beatitudes in the exercise of their respective responsibilities. It is a challenge to build up society, communities and businesses by acting as peacemakers. It is to show mercy by refusing to discard people, harm the environment, or seek to win at any cost. To do so requires “the willingness to face conflict head on, to resolve it and to make it a link in the chain of a new process”.[20] To act in this way means to choose solidarity as a way of making history and building friendship in society. Active nonviolence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful than conflict. Everything in the world is inter-connected.[21] Certainly differences can cause frictions. But let us face them constructively and non-violently, so that “tensions and oppositions can achieve a diversified and life-giving unity,” preserving “what is valid and useful on both sides”.[22]

I pledge the assistance of the Church in every effort to build peace through active and creative nonviolence. On 1 January 2017, the new Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development will begin its work. It will help the Church to promote in an ever more effective way “the inestimable goods of justice, peace, and the care of creation” and concern for “migrants, those in need, the sick, the excluded and marginalized, the imprisoned and the unemployed, as well as victims of armed conflict, natural disasters, and all forms of slavery and torture”.[23] Every such response, however modest, helps to build a world free of violence, the first step towards justice and peace.

In conclusion

7. As is traditional, I am signing this Message on 8 December, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is the Queen of Peace. At the birth of her Son, the angels gave glory to God and wished peace on earth to men and women of good will (cf. Luke 2:14). Let us pray for her guidance.

“All of us want peace. Many people build it day by day through small gestures and acts; many of them are suffering, yet patiently persevere in their efforts to be peacemakers”.[24] In 2017, may we dedicate ourselves prayerfully and actively to banishing violence from our hearts, words and deeds, and to becoming nonviolent people and to building nonviolent communities that care for our common home. “Nothing is impossible if we turn to God in prayer. Everyone can be an artisan of peace”.[25]

From the Vatican, 8 December 2016

Franciscus

---

[1] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 228.

[2] PAUL VI, Message for the First World Day of Peace, 1 January 1968.

[3] “The Legend of the Three Companions”, Fonti Francescane, No. 1469.

[4] BENEDICT XVI, Angelus, 18 February 2007.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] MOTHER TERESA, Nobel Lecture, 11 December 1979.

[8] Meditation, “The Road of Peace”, Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, 19 November 2015.

[9] Homily for the Canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 4 September 2016.

[10] No. 23.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Address to Representatives of Different Religions, 3 November 2016.

[13] Address to the Third World Meeting of Popular Movements, 5 November 2016.

[14] Cf. Address at the Interreligious Meeting with the Sheikh of the Muslims of the Caucasus and Representatives of Different Religious Communities, Baku, 2 October 2016.

[15]Address in Assisi, 20 October 2016.

[16] Cf. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, 90-130.

[17] Cf. ibid., 133, 194, 234.

[18] Cf. Message for the Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, 7 December 2014.

[19] Encyclical Laudato Si’, 230.

[20] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 227.

[21] Cf. Encyclical Laudato Si’, 16, 117, 138.

[22] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 228.

[23] Apostolic Letter issued Motu Proprio instituting the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, 17 August 2016.

[24] Regina Coeli, Bethlehem, 25 May 2014.

[25]Appeal, Assisi, 20 September 2016.

---

© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

       I have recently heard wrongful attacks on Pope Francis directed at him for what I believe is his huge heart of great compassion and mercy, such as illustrated in the recent Gospel passage about Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. I have heard them say that he makes statements and leaves loose ends that are not clearly reiterated.

       It feels to me, and I could be very wrong, that these Catholics seem like Adam in the garden of Eden, having eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (or arrogance of holding opinions higher to themselves than that of key Church leaders?). Or, they appear like the Pharisees and Sadducees who laid down the letter of the law and miss the whole point of it all -- love.  Love toward God, toward our family, toward even our enemy.

      "There is more value in a little humility and in a single act of it than in all the knowledge of the world."   -St. Teresa of Avila

      It is hard for some, even some of those who consider themselves to be very devout Catholics, to stomach our Holy Father's level of mercy from the Chair of St. Peter, that is not even in the same galaxy as the level of mercy Jesus had for all sinners.  Jesus was by FAR more agitative and radical than Pope Francis!  Pope Francis offers God's mercy, God's love, and God's own wellspring of the Holy Spirit to all, even to sinners.

      If any Catholic would look closely at some of what they consider questionable remarks and who he directed them to they will see a wellspring of mercy intended and of God's own Spirit.

"The Lord is compassion and love." -- Ps. 111, p. 8631 in Lit. of the Hours

      One example was in answering a lamenting mother who had undergone multiple C-sections and who wanted to use natural family planning for life-threatening health reasons with scar tissue.  To ease her mind alone, he told her something like, "you do not have to breed like rabbits."  He said this solely to put her at ease and not make a sweeping judgment about those with beautiful large Catholic families, of whom he has praised.  He looked at her with love and support only. He is human and does make mistakes, going to confession often.  Yet in  but already in his short papacy so far, he has marked out a path very similar to Christ, to St. Francis of Assissi, and to many other holy men and women.

     I recently heard someone denouncing him because he is popular in society. (!)  Jesus came into Jerusalem with the entire city in a great uproar.  Almost wherever He went he was loved and listened to by more than not.  It was only the jealous and fearful Pharisees and Sadducees  who hated Him and tried to bring Him down constantly.

     Please, please read this Gospel carefully.  It mirrors Pope Francis so closely.  This is not one of the many where Jesus states to "Go and sin no more" at the end, perfectly finalizing the message of the sinfulness, conversion, and a new way of life.  Read what Jesus did and said this one time. This was taken from the U.S. Catholic Bishop's website (a Catholic Bible).  Sometimes mercy and love and invitation to share your life with God more closely does not involve things always being sewn up at the end in a perfect package.  It MUST though, have love.  If it does not have love, it is not from God, as Jesus emphasized.

     Who knows though.  If you are in the category of knowing all, and of disparaging Pope Francis, you may harshly judge Jesus as well. 

"The love of Christ knows no limits.  It never ends.  It does not shrink from ugliness and filth."

"All that we do is a means to an end, but love is an end in itself, because God is love."

--  Quotes of Edith Stein, St. Benedicta of the Cross

     Here is the Gospel:

John Chapter 4:  The Samaritan Woman

7

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”8His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.9^* The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”^b (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)10^* Jesus answered and said to her,^c “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”11[The woman] said to him, “Sir,^* you do not even have a bucket and the well is deep; where then can you get this living water?12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?”^d13Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;14but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”^e15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.”17The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’18For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”^f19The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.^g20Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;^* but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”^h21Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.22You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.ⁱ23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;^* and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.24God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”^j25^* The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming,^k the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything.”26Jesus said to her, “I am he,^* the one who is speaking with you.”^l

27At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,^* but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” or “Why are you talking with her?”28The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people,29“Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah?”30They went out of the town and came to him.

       In the recent children's movie, Moana, there is a beautiful message that love conquers evil and is actually a great deal more powerful!  Instead of the old-time traditional comic movie where we kill the "bad guy" or gal (evil stepmother, Ursula the octopus, etc,), Moana walks bravely and hopefully straight to Te Ka and declares, "This is not who you are."  She even offers physical affection, showing her love by hugging her before putting her magical heart back that had been stolen by Maui.   Thus, while Te Ka was still acting as the angry, merciless fire monster, Moana offers her only love. 

       

     As sacred Scripture states clearly, God made each and every human being the world over, in His own image and likeness, and very, very "good."  Those who believe that all human life is sacred no matter how small, also believe that no human being is not sacred and made in God's image and likeness.  We all make good choices and bad choices, depending on who has positively or negatively influenced us.  Yet, as Merton pointed out so eloquently, underneath all the good and sin we have committed, there is this brilliant diamond like no other that is who we are, made in God's own image and likeness, and which no sin or bad choice can diminish in the least.  Who are we to ever play God and kill a sacred human life made in His image and likeness?

      When we do kill a human life, we remove them from God's redemptive love, cutting short His work within their lives.  When we become instruments solely of His peace, of His love, of His mercy, we build the Kingdom on Earth, spreading His good news far and wide.

     We have no worry too!  Jesus said not to worry about those that kill the body but those that can kill the soul - those leading us away from His newer harder commands of love so perfect that they are like the Father Himself.  We know how it all ends!  Just as in the Easter morning surprise -- it ends GLORIOUSLY, SPECTACULARLY, and PERFECTLY  for all eternity in Heaven if we follow only His voice, the voice of God and His way in the world!  Rejoice!!

      St. Francis of Assissi, please pray for our beloved Pope Francis.  In this year of the 100th anniversary of Fatima (beginning May 13!), please, dear Mother, pray for this son who indeed does whatever your Son desires.  He preaches and lives by the words of the Prince of Peace, so please pray for his protection body, mind, and soul, especially against the attacks of others.  

    Please, dear papa, consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary exclusively, to steal the bullets from some of your enemies!  Come Holy Spirit, come!