Collect taken from the Friday of the Third Week of Easter.
Collect: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who have come to know the grace of the Lord’s Resurrection, may, through the love of the Spirit, ourselves rise to newness of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who have come to know the grace of the Lord’s Resurrection“
– We have “come to know” the grace of the resurrection. In other words, this knowledge was the result of a process and marked a change in our lives… at least, it should have.
“may, through the love of the Spirit, ourselves rise to newness of life.”
– That new knowledge and change in our lives ought to raise us to newness of life, a life that is heavenly even while we remain on earth. In order to do this, we have to have and to practice the “love of the Spirit.” This means the Holy Spirit and the whole spiritual life. One particular example is to know, to look for, and to practice the seven gifts of the spirit received in Baptism and Confirmation.
Questions & Advice: Do you know the grace of the Lord’s resurrection? Would an outside observer be able to tell that by the way you live? Can you name all seven gifts of the spirit? What is the first thing your mind turns to when you have a quiet moment?
Compare the amount of time you spend on mindless TV or internet use with the amount of time spent in spiritual reading, prayer, or works of charity. Spend some of your daily prayer time asking for a greater sensitivity to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If you don’t know them already, learn the seven gifts of the spirit. You may want to look into the other gifts of the spirit, often called “charisms,” as well.
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