In our first reading today from Acts we hear how clearly the Holy Spirit speaks, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). And we may wonder if this still happens today or could happen to us. Because we want that clarity. But to have that clarity, the assurance that it is indeed the Holy Spirit, we need to read carefully and pay attention to what the prophets and teachers were doing before they received this word? They were fasting and worshipping the Lord, and continued to do so after their instruction was given (Acts 13:2-3).
When we need God’s guidance, do we worship, pray, and fast? Or do we “check-in” quickly, “Oh God, here’s what I think is a good plan, if it’s not what you want, let me know. I’m off to work now.”
That may be an oversimplification or exaggeration, or maybe it hit a little too close to home, or possibly you do carefully discern with prayer and fasting. No matter which it is, let us not discount what happened in Scripture as something that happened “back then but not now.” The Lord has not stopped caring for us. He cares about our life every day. Go to Him and ask for guidance and help.
The Gospel reminded me of Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church, who we celebrate today. Jesus is telling us to believe in Him, the light of the world; to hear, observe and accept His words. He speaks because the Father sent Him and commanded Him to speak the truth. Catherine also believed in speaking the truth to all, from simple people to popes, and exhorted others to do the same. She said, “We’ve had enough of exhortation to be silent! Cry out with a hundred thousand tongues. I see that the world is rotten because of silence.”
If you find yourself in situations where you want to say something but are unsure as to what or how, ask for St. Catherine’s intercession and pray to the Holy Spirit. And when you must make major life decisions, pray and fast as members of the early Church did. We cannot go wrong when asking God for help.
En la primera lectura de hoy de los Hechos, escuchamos con claridad la voz del Espíritu Santo: “Resérvenme a Saulo y a Bernabé para la misión que les tengo destinada” (Hechos 13,2). Y quizá nos preguntemos si esto sigue sucediendo hoy o si podría sucedernos a nosotros. Porque anhelamos esa claridad. Pero para tener esa claridad, la seguridad de que efectivamente es el Espíritu Santo, tenemos que leer con atención y prestar atención a lo que hacían los profetas y maestros antes de recibir esta palabra. Ayunaban y adoraban al Señor, y continuaron haciéndolo después de recibir su instrucción (Hechos 13,2-3).
Cuando necesitamos la guía de Dios, ¿adoramos, oramos y ayunamos? ¿O le decimos rápidamente: “Oh, Dios, esto es lo que creo que es un buen plan; si no es lo que quieres, házmelo saber. Me voy a trabajar”.
Puede que sea una simplificación o una exageración, o quizás haya sido demasiado acertado, o quizás sí lo disciernes cuidadosamente con oración y ayuno. Sea lo que sea, no descartemos lo que dice la Escritura como algo que ocurrió “en aquel entonces, pero no ahora”. El Señor no ha dejado de cuidarnos. Se preocupa por nuestra vida a diario. Acude a Él y pídele guía y ayuda.
El Evangelio me recuerda a Santa Catalina de Siena, Doctora de la Iglesia, a quien celebramos hoy. Jesús nos dice que creamos en Él, la luz del mundo; que escuchemos, observemos y aceptemos sus palabras. Él habla porque el Padre lo envió y le ordenó decir la verdad. Catalina también creía en decir la verdad a todos, desde la gente sencilla hasta los papas, y exhortó a otros a hacer lo mismo. Dijo: “¡Ya estamos hartos de exhortaciones a quedarnos callados! ¡Clamen con cien mil lenguas! Veo que el mundo está podrido por culpa del silencio”.
Si te encuentras en situaciones en las que quieres decir algo pero no estás seguro de qué o cómo, pide la intercesión de Santa Catalina y reza al Espíritu Santo. Y cuando tengas que tomar decisiones importantes en tu vida, reza y ayuna como lo hacían los miembros de la Iglesia primitiva. Siempre es buena decisión pedirle ayuda a Dios.
Deanna G. Bartalini, M.Ed., M.P.A. is a certified spiritual director, retreat leader, speaker, and writer with decades of experience serving the Church. She is the founder of LiveNotLukewarm.com, works on the retreat team at Our Lady of Florida Passionist Spiritual Center, and is an Unbound prayer minister. She has served as a religious education director, youth minister, liturgical coordinator, and stewardship director. She writes for SpiritualDirection.com, CatholicMom.com, Diocesan.com, and Women in the New Evangelization (WINE). Deanna is the author of The Stay Connected Journals for Catholic Women, Invite the Holy Spirit into your Life, and has contributed to the Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion, as well as Digital Ministry and Leadership in Today’s Church.
Feature Image Credit: Image submitted by Author, The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Siena, Italy
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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