I have learned that saying “yes” to those little prompting has brought joy unimaginable and sometimes think back to all that would have not happened had I said “no”. And then of course I also think of the times I said “no” and wonder what could have happened had I said “yes”. Such contradiction. I am glad God is very very patient with us and never gives up. His Love and Mercy are infinite.

Once, a few years ago, I felt a strong prompting/urging to bring dinner to a women & her family who was more of an acquaintance then friend. I fought it most of the day and then finally decided to make an extra dinner and bring it over.  When she answered the door I explained to her that I might sound crazy but I really thought I should bring her dinner.  She immediately started crying.  She was having an exceptionally bad overwhelming day with her three young children and I think her DH was either traveling or working late.  She was so grateful and encouraged. I was too.

I am prompted to pray for people on a regular basis.  I usually have no idea why, or what the outcome of these prayers are, but I pray anyway.  I try to be obedient to the promptings as they come.  I figure someday it may be me that needs prayer and the Lord will prompt someone else to pray for me.

Thanks so much for sharing that story, Rebecca.

I too have started to follow those promptings.  I found that if I just let go and not worry what someone MIGHT think, God’s providence and my cooperation accomplish the task at hand.  It has happened too many times to be an accident. Now I am learning to go with it and smile as I do, feeling the Spirit direct me.  I just wish I was better at it and more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Always follow these promptings.  Several years ago, I was packing up a picnic lunch for my large family, to bring along for my daughter’s last day at summer camp.  The campers put on a show, there is Holy Mass, and then the families all picnic together.  Fun times.  As I was making this mountain of food for my own brood, I just knew, knew some other family was going to forget entirely about packing lunch.  Another big family.  So I sighed deeply, and kept packing, about twice as much food as we personally needed.

Sure enough, I got to camp, and prior to the Mass starting, met a lovely large family and had a great time chatting with them.  After Mass, however, the mother had a horror-struck look on her face when the director invited everyone down to the tree-shaded area with their picnic lunches.  This new friend was the one who had forgotten.  Thankfully, she & her family didn’t have to go hungry that afternoon…

Wow, Rebecca I just read your story and totally loved it and then all the comments that follow. What a pick-up for ending the day… which is what I NEED right about now.

I am just so glad to be on Faith and Family because its such a warm faith filled place - and since we all have those moments (even in the monastery) when faith needs a lift - its nice to know exactly where to go to find one!

The Holy Spirit has cared for me as a mother does for a child for several years now.  She is even a house hunter.  Aout four years ago I needed a two family house that was immediately available for new tenants—not an easy thing to find.  My friend and I came to the area with about 25 possible addresses—but as we were just about to leave the area, he noticed a For Sale sign on one that wasn’t on our list.  We couldn’t believe our eyes when we noted that it had just been finished being rehabbed—and though the house is over a hundred years old—just what we wanted, stained glass windows and all.  With the Holy Spirit’s help, I was able to get the loan, and closed three weeks later.  Having been in real estate, know this is nearly an impossible feat, but all was accomplished before the 30 day period when my friend had to be out of his apartment.  We have shared this house now for nearly four years, and regardless what goes wrong—and much does in a house this old, we take it in strive, knowing we are exactly where the Holy Spirit had directed us!  I am so thankful for all the nudges She has given me—you can’t go wrong with Her leading you.

Rebecca:  Thank you.  I love how He works.  How tender He is.  How He cares about us.  A similar thing happened to me at a retreat just this last February where I asked God to “love on me” and five minutes later opened an envelope containing a beautiful blue rose necklace and a card with the words “never forget” on it.  The person who gave the necklace was following the nudging of the Holy Spirit.

I followed a nudge recently.  I had gotten out of the habit of going to church.  It had been about two years since I’d attended mass and I was looking for a church to attend.  But didn’t know where God wanted me.  Well, God arranged for me to hear about where He wanted me to go, but I was still hesitant.  Then, one recent Sunday morning I clearly heard God speaking into my heart that He wanted me to go to the Church He told me about TODAY!  So I went.

I didn’t know that it was Divine Mercy Sunday.  But He knew how significant that was to me.  The church I went to had a service in the afternoon so people could pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet together.  I had never done that before and being rather “new” to the Catholic faith, my only experience of the Divine Mercy Chaplet was when I watched and heard it being prayed in song on EWTN.  It was so beautiful…I loved it.  So I went back to the afternoon service and joined in and learned about Sister Faustina’s vision and about Jesus telling her that when the Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed in the presence of the dying, that He will stand between the dying person and the Father as the dying person’s merciful Saviour, instead of judge.

Less than two weeks later, my husband and I learned that his dad had cancer and was not expected to live more than a couple of months.  We flew to him and I was able to sing the Divine Mercy Chaplet to him as he lay dying.  It was a very precious thing.  That is an understatement.

Now I have that precious memory and a new church that I love.

Once during Communion, I asked the Lord “Tell me your will” and I heard an interior voice say, “Are you willing to listen?”  I said, “Yes,” and the voice said, “Then listen”.  I am still working on the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  Janet Stewart, the Mother Superior wrote in her memoirs, “If you are busy, pray a half hour; if very busy, pray an hour.”  I forget this sometimes, to sit in silence and let the Holy Spirit breathe in me, but I am happy everytime I remember.

you are really blessed, i pray every morning for the grace of the spirit but i feel nothing, i read the daily reading, i say my morning prayers then i ask the lord to speak to me,,,, but nothing.. i truly prayer for my family esp.my daug now 13… i feel so agitated so anxious and so frustrated at times cause i feel she pays or cares a dam to everything i tell her..and i am really very hurt..can u please say a prayer for my dug and me as well..thank you for me that i get the grace to have a feeling that God Loves me and my fly and that i get the grace of the spirit. i like to hear a mass as often but every evning when i get back from work there is so mich of studies that i land up at home and the reuslt is when my boy comes back with his test marks its like he;s never studied for his test..can u imagine how heartbroken i feel.. and wonder why this is happening to us. please do not publish my name.

[Let’s offer some prayers for Jane to feel God’s love for her in some unmistakable way.—RT]

A few years ago I was working in a position where I spent most of my working day with a fellow colleague.  This other colleague would just drive me up the wall with demands, expectations, etc. etc. Then one day while driving to work and thinking about having to spend the day with this colleague, a prayer came to mind:  “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and enkindle in me a (great big) fire of your love”.  The day went by peacefully and ever since then, when I worry about having to spend time with someone or something that annoys me, I simply say that prayer and my negative feelings disappear making my time go smoothly.  Now that’s the prompting and work of the Holy Spirit!

Several months ago I received an answer to a fervent prayer.  I was so grateful and wanted to express my gratitude in some tanglbile way.  I couldn’t decide which way to go and kept thinking about it, until finally realizing I should ask for guidance.  Suddently, in my head, I heard the words, “Feed my Lambs.”  It was as clear as day.  I knew somehow that I needed to give money to someone in need.  The word “lambs” kept popping into my mind and I pondered who those lambs might be.  Finally, I decided to call a friend who works with Hispanic immigrants and asked told her I wanted to donate some money for some children in her ministry.  She immediately spoke up telling me that she had a family whose father had recently been laid off and was in need of money for groceries forhis children.  There were my lambs to feed.  Sometimes you just KNOW the Holy Spirit is right there whispering in your ear.

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Rebecca.
I have learned in my own life to obey those checks. Even to the extent that I now obey the ‘dorky’ ones without reservation and it’s always what the Holy Spirit asked me to do.
I could write a book of all the times I’ve done that. Actually, my daily life, it goes that way… I don’t know what would I do without it… non-Christians people might call it an extra sense, but I know that it’s the Holy Spirit, I do not have a ‘good’ extra sense… ha! All glory to God.

Maria

I thank everyone for the marvelous stories of faith here!  I am directing this note to Jane Doe, who wonders at times if God loves her and her family, and who especially asks for prayers for her daughter and herself.

Jane, God loves you and your loved ones so very much that He offers you a tremendous outpouring of graces, to lead you to abide in His Love now!  Jesus wants us to trust His compassionate Love and Mercy for us, and His merciful Love is present in every single moment we live.  Trust Jesus.  You and your family will be held each day in my poor prayers, and I will offer my sufferings of today for your intentions.

I thank everyone for the marvelous stories of faith here!  I am directing this note to Jane Doe, who wonders at times if God loves her and her family, and who especially asks for prayers for her daughter and herself.

Jane, God loves you and your loved ones so very much that He offers you a tremendous outpouring of graces, to lead you to abide in His Love now!  Jesus wants us to trust His compassionate Love and Mercy for us, and His merciful Love is present in every single moment we live.  Trust Jesus.  You and your family will be held everyday in my poor prayers, and I will offer my sufferings of today for your intentions.

On Christmas Eve, my mom & me would cook poutines.  This is a french acadian dish.  Round potato balls filled with pork.  They are delicious but take a lot of time ane work to make.  They are definitely a “treat” for Christmas and bring back many good memories.  This particular Christmas Eve, I felt that I had to call a very close, spiritual friend of mine and tell him that I was going to be making poutines and would like to bring him some when they were done.  When, I went over to bring him the poutines, he said “Jo-Ann, this was going to be the first Christmas since my grandmother died that I wasn’t going to have poutines.  She knew how much I loved them and made them for me every Christmas”.  I am so glad that I listened when the Holy Spirit nudged me to make extra’s for his family.

That was a beautiful story..the Holy Spirit does speak to our hearts…  At Mass this morning, Father gave a brief reflection and the “punch Line” was this:“That Jesus needs us to be HIs hands, His arms and His Heart in the world”.  That can only be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Please join me in prayer for Lauren Marie, a six week old baby that was born with Aniridia.  This is a genetic defect that causes blindness.  The baby was born without an iris in either eye…..  We are praying for a miracle!

Come Oh Holy Spirit, and help us to love with your love…..to be your heart and hands in this world. 

Colleen

I was baptised in the Spirit through the “Life in the spirit seminars. The night I was baptised, I sat in the middle of 10 or 11 people and they prayed over me. I was a bit unsure about this, and asked the LOrd to let me know if this was real. Well He did. While they were praying, I started to slip off the chair, and was crying and then laughing at the same time. After they finished, I went back to my chair and kept doing it. I saw that the Lord was letting me see His power. I was too shy to act like that on my own. Since then, I have seen the Holy Spirit work wonders in my life. It has been 30 years since then. So don’t ever doubt the Holy Spirit’s power. It still amazes me.

I was a member of a large parish for 8 years.  Occasionally I went to mass at small church nearby.  I kept hearing the whisper of the Holy Spirit and after 2 years I joined that parish.  Through a women’s retreat there I met June.  She introduced me 6 months later to her widowed brother who was visiting from upstate NY.  One year later we were married.  He is definitely my gift from God!  We’re very happy - he’s 74 and I’m 67!

My Dad died when I was just 1 so I’ve always pictured God as a big bear of a loving father.  When my husband and I were going through infertility then the adoption maze I had moments of great sadness.  One day at Mass, during one of the difficult times, as I was praying after recieving Communion (though not specifically about having children) I was overcome with a feeling of peace and an image appeared in my mind of a little girl snuggled on her father’s lap as he patted her and said “don’t worry, it’s going to be alright”  I knew in my heart that I was the little girl and the father was God. The road was still difficult but I didn’t have the deep sadness anymore - I knew it would work out.  We’ve since been blessed with a son thru adoption and a daughter by birth.  God-willing, we’ll be adopting again soon.

Just recently I have become overwhelmed by stress. Not surprisingly really as my husband had a stroke in March 08 and was then diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer. In June 08 he had 40 tumors removed as well as his thyroid, and has had a further two operations since then with perhaps another looming. Part of the stress contributed to my not wanting to go out of the house. One day recently I coaxed myself inside the woods beside our house where I had a good cry in private. As I was coming out, I got a strong urge to ring a man I had met once very briefly several years before during a fundraising event. I knew this gentleman had lost his son and I really did not know what I could say to him. I tried to ignore the feeling but it persisted and finally I found his mobile no and texted him. Several days later I was driving back from the hospital. I noticed the time on the clock, it said, 11.58. My phone rang and I pulled over to answer it. It was a gentlemans voice, he said he had recieved a call from me at 11.58. I explained that that was not possible because I was driving at that precise time and that as I had no credit anyway I could not make any call. It turned out to be Tomas, the man I got the urge to contact. I re-intruduced myself and we began talking. I told him about this strange urge I had to contact him. We talked some more and suddenly he said, ‘Thank you very very much!’ ‘What for?” I asked bemused. He said, ‘You have just said something so meaningful to me that it is almost an answer to a prayer. Again I asked him what I said because I couldn’t remember saying anything specific. He told me ‘You may not find out till Judgement Day what you have said but you have given me an answer that I have been searching for for a long time and that is the reason you got the urge to contact me. I thank you!
When I got home, I looked at the calls on my phone and there was a call from my phone to an unknown number made at 11.58. I cannot explain it and no one else can. I followed the nudgings I got and now I am glad that I trusted that inner voice. Not everything has a logical explanation but with God logic is immaterial, we only need to listen, to act and to give thanks.

I was disobedient to the Catholic Church and was receiving Holy Communion while my marriage had not been correct with the churches teachings.  I was in denial and I kept saying to myself that it was okay and that God would rather have us receive him.  WRONG!  I had prayed to the Holy Spirit daily for one year to become obedient to God’s will.  I was then visiting Medjigore and I told my sister I was going to go to confession that Friday and talk to the priest about this and obey whatever he said.  She said wait till after Pentacost Sunday so I could receive Holy Communion - she felt the priest would say it wasn’t alright what I was doing.  I told her no, I felt compelled to go and become obedient to whatever the priest said.  As I had felt, the priest could not absolve me of this and advised me to get the prior marriage annulled since I had good reason for my divorce.  So at that moment I became obedient and did not receive Holy Communion.  That Pentecost Sunday as I was kneeling, faciing the altar asking to receive a spiritual communion - something kept pulling my head toward the aisle where they were giving Holy Communion and when they got to my row - my head seemed drawn to face the priest in the aisle and I heard in my head the priest say:  “The Body and Blood of Christ”.  I knew at that moment I had received a very special spiritual communion.  The Holy Spirit gave me a great gift that day.  I continue to tell this experience whether people look at me strangely or not.  God sent his Son, then the Son sent the Holy Spirit who is among us.  From then on I have been listening to the Holy Spirit.  My friends and family our amazed at how I know things ahead of time and I always tell them it is not me but the Holy Spirit working through me.  The Holy Spirit is my comforter and has been guiding my life since then so when I am lonely and confused I remember it is God’s Will not mine and I find peace.  Pray to the Holy Spirit daily and see the changes come about in you life.  The Holy Spirit is Among Us!

Jane Doe, May God bless you.  It is a difficult time for many of us right now. What helps me is taking action, doing something good no matter how small. A smile despite despair, a kind word despite others disdain, a prayer.  Just reaching out to others with love. Acting with love when you do not feel loved gives you power because God is love.  The power is the Holy Spirit.

Somedays I pray to the Holy Spirit to Help and Guide Me and then somedays I forget he is there and when I do remember the Holy Spirit my day goes by in a more peaceful and spiritual way and then I wonder how I got through that day!

We all have the Holy Spirit in us as we received Him at our baptism and in our Confirmation, but, we must believe He is there, and ask Him to live in us, breathe in us, speak in us, act in us so all we do and say will give glory and honor to the Father. That way His promptings will nudge us and we will know the right things to speak and act and do. When I pray over people I ask the Holy Spirit to pray through me and the right words are given to be said, which comforts people very much.

Thanks for sharing that story.  At a certain time in my life, hearing or reading “Jesus loves you” had a deep and profound impact on my heart.  I started adding it to my signature on notes, though some thought it trite or corny.  Perhaps I should do it again!

Several years ago I was the leader in my church instructing someone in the Rite of Christian Anitiation of Adults.  Each week I had to prepare a talk on som aspect of the Church’s teaching.
I would always say the prayer to the Holy Spirit before beginning and without fail He always enabled me to open the bible at the right page for a quote on what I was going to be talking about. 
The fellow did become a convert. 
I will never forget the guidance the Holy Spirit gave me.  It was awsome!

Hi Maureen,

Your story is both uplifting and inspiring. The Lord does work in mysterious ways especially when we trust him enough to let Him in and agree to do His work. It’s lovely to know that you are in the presence of Angels and are actively seeking another.

God Bless you all

I"ve been given a wonderful gift of comforting people through the power of the Holy Spirit.  When I pray for someone who is sick or in hospital, even if I don’t know them, the Holy Spirit gives me his words to speak to them to comfort them and let them know that they are goingt to be allright. Many times when this happens I don’t want to speak, but then I hear his words… Comfort Them.  Sometimes people have complications and I found it hard to believe that they will be well, but Grace overtook me and I spoke comforting words to them and today they are fine. I also get visions. God works through everyone if they willing participants. These gifts are not for us to keep but to share.

I love Colleen’s comment on giving God her anxiety everyday.  I heard Andrew W say on TV today that when he hears people say, “I know God loves me, but i don’t feel it” he feels the Spirit of Slap start to come over him and he wants to say, “Look at the cross and What Jesus has done and is doing for us, and forget how you feel”...get moving.  I know this is hard for people who are depressed but once you let God work and let go of your own agenda, need for approval or acceptance, God can do wonders through us.  He picks the most unlikely people, like those fishtermen, Zaccheus, the woman at the well and Mary Magdalene to be his apostles and disciples.  Peace and blessings, Carol

u know, we as human, the only creature whose brain developed so much, analyze any info we got, suppress or amplify certain events, seeking a pattern to make out of it, conciously or unconciusly. this is how all branches of knowledge advance, how we learn, how we understand the world
we are also selfish which is just the next step of seeing oneself special, categorizing by human, race, gender, nation, family, then oneself. selfish is not our nature, it’s evolution of our survival instinct shaped by our own civilization, mainly our economic system
~regards

“Sometimes God Needs for Me to be a Dork….”

When I read this I was bleary-eyed. Thanks it seems true. I know there is bliss and protection in the ignorance/innocence of women who have the Holy Spirit, but I am feeling old and tired. My first employer was a Catholic, who deemed me the most efficient worker he had ever had. Years and years later I am still the thriftiest… and catching on that work alone isn’t the solution. (I’ve had a lot of time chaste and single)
Unfortunately, I don’t think that the secular world can comprehend my existence. My first employer called me Poor Claire, then. I don’t think many people realize this unbelievable truth. I wish he had sent me to the Poor Claires then. How do you explain a 36 year old dork, who has had pithy paychecks and somewhat confused, but sympathetic parents. I suppose the married women think this is really funny. It has always been confusing to be a conservative Christian. It seems like the whole world is always laughing at us. Does God really intend for women to me such a mockery?

Dork calls to Dork