From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   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).   
      
   <<>><<>><<>>   
   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   
      
   <><><><><>   
   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.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)