Last week I wrote about what motivates me to write a religious article every week. After providing the definition of the word “motivate” — “to provide a reason for doing something” — I listed several reasons why I continue to write every week. After listing my reasons, I wrote:

In addition to my own personal reasons for writing, there’s another motivating force that is invisible to me and others.   It’s a force that I am unable to explain or understand. It’s the same force that transforms sinners into saints.

The force I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit who acts to motivate devout Catholics who are willing and eager to go above and beyond what the church requires of them.

****

But He won’t act unless and until we open up a special line of communication with Him. What is the most efficient and effective line of communication that we can establish with the Holy Spirit?

Can you think of the best way to get a message through to the Holy Spirit?

Last year, I received a letter and a large package of materials in the mail from a man I haven’t seen or talked to for more than 15 years. For the purpose of this article, I’m going to call him “Bret.”

I met Bret during the 1980s when he worked for the Diocese of Peoria. When we met, he was in his 20s and was married. Shortly after we met, Bret and his wife had their first child. A year later they had a second child. Then their marriage fell apart and they subsequently divorced. After the divorce, Bret’s wife moved to another state so she could be closer to her parents. Within a year of his ex-wife moving, Bret moved to where she was living so he could be near his children.

Prior to the divorce, Bret told me that he was addicted to pornography. That was one of the factors that contributed to the break up with his wife. After Bret moved, I didn’t hear from him again until last year when his letter and package arrived at my office.

Bret’s letter explained that the Catholic Church that I am a part of — the church that has Pope Francis as its leader — is a false church. He explained how he had found the one true “Catholic Church” that was based upon the foundational principles that our original church was founded upon. The package of materials that he sent included three books and a couple of DVDs.

I didn’t respond to Bret’s letter and about six weeks later, I received another letter from him chastising me for not giving him the courtesy of a reply.

Although I was curious about what motivated Bret to leave the church, I knew that if I contacted him I would be dragged into a long, drawn-out conversation in which I would have had no chance of prevailing. I’m sure that if I would have asked him, he would have come up with several reasons why he left the church. But beyond his reasons, he probably would not have been able to clearly explain the primary motivating force that compelled him to leave the church.

What Bret was attempting to do to me is the exact opposite of what I am attempting to do with my weekly articles. While I try to influence people to become better Catholics, Bret is trying to drive a wedge between Catholics and their faith.

While I don’t know the specifics of why Bret left the church, I do know that when he departed, he completely cutoff his line of communication with the Holy Spirit.

When a child is baptized, there’s a direct line of communication that is opened with the Holy Spirit. After the child reaches the age of reason and receives his or her First Holy Communion, the child’s line of communication with the Holy Spirit is enhanced. When the child is confirmed, he or she receives the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit which further enhance the line of communication that exists with the Holy Spirit.

Each time that the line of communication with the Holy Spirit is enhanced, the Holy Spirit assumes a greater role in influencing and motivating an individual to grow in love and faith and to perform greater works for God.

When an individual chooses to disregard the teachings of the church, that individual cuts off all communication with the Holy Spirit and a line of communication is automatically opened with Lucifer. Just as an individual further enhances his or her line of communication with the Holy Spirit through prayer, reception of the sacraments, and works of mercy, an individual who is not in the state of grace enhances his or her line of communication with Lucifer by sinful thoughts and behavior and by influencing others to commit sinful thoughts and acts.

According to three of the greatest Marian Saints — St. Louis de Montfort, St. Alphonsus de Liguori, and St. Bernard — the most enhanced line of communication that can be opened with the Holy Spirit occurs when an individual consecrates himself or herself to the spouse of the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

A perfect line of communication was opened between the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary when the Son of God was conceived inside the womb of the Blessed Mother by the Holy Spirit. That perfect line of communication still exists today and will continue to exist for all eternity.

According to the Marian Saints, devout Catholics have the ability to tap into the perfect line of communication that exists between the Holy Spirit and His spouse by consecrating themselves to the Mother of God. Such a consecration gives the Blessed Mother permission to use the consecrated individual in whatever way she wishes to advance the Kingdom of God on Earth.

I consecrated myself to the Blessed Mother 30 years ago on the feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15, 1985). I have renewed my consecration every year on that same feast day.

While I can provide you with my list of reasons for writing my weekly articles, ultimately it was the Holy Spirit, through His most beloved spouse, that motivated me to start the adoration program at St. Philomena Church in 1991, and to start writing a weekly article in 2006.

If you want to be motivated to do more of God’s work, the best way to create that motivation is to tap into the perfect line of communication that already exists with the Holy Spirit. There’s only one such (perfect) line of communication that exists and that’s the one that was created when the Holy Spirit chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to be His spouse.

SHARE