Who is the Holy Spirit?

St. Maximilian Kolbe, a few hours before his final arrest on Feb. 17,
1941, wrote a splendid commentary: "Who is the Holy Spirit? The
flowering of the love of the Father and the Son. If the fruit of
created love is a created conception, then the fruit of divine Love...
is necessary a divine 'conception. 'The Holy Spirit is, therefore, the 'uncreated eternal conception'... . This eternal 'Immaculate
Conception' (which is the Holy Spirit) produces in an immaculate
manner divine life itself in the womb (or depths) of Mary's soul,
making her the Immaculate Conception [for thus she named herself at
Lourdes]. If among human beings the wife takes the name of her husband
because she belongs to him, is one with him... and is, with him, the
source of new life, with how much greater reason should the name of
the Holy Spirit, who is the divine Immaculate Conception, be used as
the name of her in whom He lives as uncreated Love, the principle of
life in the whole supernatural order of grace" (Cited from H. M. Manteau-Bonamy, Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit, Prow Books, Libertyville, 1977, pp. 3-5).

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August 15th -The Feast of the Assumption

Practical considerations.
1. Mary's death was caused by her love of God. Who can be surprised at
this? She had continually lived in the love of God. All that she did
or suffered, she did or suffered for the love of God. How will your
death be? If you live without the love of God, or if you live under
the displeasure of the Almighty, you have reason to fear that you will
die in His displeasure. You have been told before now that you will
probably die as you have lived. "Their end will be according to their
works," says the holy apostle (II. Corinth, xi. 15). And the prophet
Isaias wrote, long before: "Say to the just man that it is well; for,
he shall eat the fruit of his doings. Woe to the wicked unto evil;
for, the reward of his hands shall be given him (Isaias iii. 11),"
that is to say, he will be punished as he deserves, according to his
works. He has lived in sin; he shall die in sin and go to destruction.
It is a miracle of divine mercy when anyone who has lived long in sin,
dies happily. This may happen to one in a hundred. If you desire to
die in the love and grace of God, endeavor to live in the love and
grace of God. Keep your conscience free from sin. If you should have
committed sin, either from weakness or wickedness, cleanse your soul immediately by the means which Christ has ordained, in order to be
reinstated in the grace of the Almighty. Take care, also that you
cultivate the love of God, as so many saints have done, in order that
you may die in His love.

2. Mary was exalted in Heaven above all saints, because she had not
only surpassed them in dignity, but also in merits and virtues. If you
cannot surpass others in virtue and piety, endeavor, at least, to
imitate them. Today resolve to imitate the divine mother in that
virtue of which we have just spoken; fervent love for God. All that
you say or do, say or do it for the love of God. Mary is called the
mother of beautiful love. Beautiful love is to love God for Himself
and our neighbor for His sake. Mary is the mother of beautiful, divine
love. As such, invoke her today with great confidence. Beg her to
obtain for you powerful graces that you too may die with burning love
for the Giver of All Life. Oh! if you were so happy as to die from
intense love for God! Pray for this with especial devotion this day
and henceforth. Say in the Angelus, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray
for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen." The custom
of saying the Angelus is very ancient and has been practiced by the
most zealous servants of God.

The following prayer is by St. Ephrem: "Protect me now and
forevermore, O, divine mother! thou mother of mercy ! Save me, O holy
and unspotted Virgin! from all harm and from the temptations of the
Evil One. Be my intercessor at the hour of death, and guard me from
the unquenchable fire. Deign, oh! most merciful mother, to receive me
to contemplate the glory of thy Son."


Quote:
"For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the
love of God?"
--Thomas á Kempis

Bible Quote:
I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call
upon him.  [Psa 116:1-2]  DRB

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Prayer:

O God, Who didst deign to choose for Thy dwelling the virginal womb of
the blessed Mary, grant, we beseech Thee, that, defended by her
protection, we may assist with joy at her festival. Who livest and
reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.

Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary, who didst bear the Creator of all
things: thou didst bring forth Him Who made thee, and remainest
forever a virgin.

May our offerings be commended to Thy mercy, O Lord, by the prayer of
the Mother of God, whom Thou hast removed from this world that she may
with confidence intercede for us with Thee. Through the same our Lord
Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Grant Thine assistance, O merciful God, to our frailty, that we, who
anticipate the festival of God's holy Mother, may, by the aid of her intercession, rise from our iniquity. Through the same our Lord Jesus
Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

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