SAINT JOHN OF CAPISTRANO, PRIEST (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

[God] will give life to your mortal bodies . . . through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Living a life that pleases God can seem as unattainable as that box of crackers on the top shelf at the grocery store. Try as you might, you can’t quite reach it.

But that’s not how God means us to live. He sent his Son to deal with sin for us, and he sends the Spirit to live in us and lift us up so that we can live the way God wants us to.

St. Paul is emphatic: if Christ is in you, your spirit is alive, even if your body seems dead because of your sin (Romans 8:10). God breathes his own life into you through his Holy Spirit, just as he raised Jesus to life, so that you can live a life that pleases him. You have a power greater than what you can muster on your own strength. It’s not beyond your reach. Every morning, before you’re even out of bed, you can decide that you want to live by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then, as you get up, you can ask the Spirit to help you.

It’s not magic; you must cooperate with the Spirit. That might mean making more room in your schedule for prayer or resisting certain patterns of sin. But the Holy Spirit does more than simply help you overcome sin. His power enables you to live a new way as well, a life of peace, patience, kindness, and all the other fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). He helps you to pray and discern God’s voice, both through Scripture and in the events of your day. He also helps you turn to God in times of temptation or stress, and fills you with a strength beyond your own.

Today, tell the Holy Spirit that you want to cooperate with his work in you. Pray often, “Come, Holy Spirit!” He may encourage you by periodically bringing to your mind how much God loves you or what Jesus has done for you. Thank him for that. The Spirit is in you to revive you when you feel weak or weary so that you can live a life of freedom that is pleasing to God.

“Holy Spirit, help me to live a life that pleases God.”

Psalm 24:1-6
Luke 13:1-9
Romans 8:1-11