Daily reflection _ joy in our spirit


JOY IN OUR SPIRIT!
The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us all, to enable us to know and experience His presence dwelling within us.  
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
I read the following commentary, today:
On Christmas Day in 1886, the teenage Paul Claudel experienced a conversion of heart while listening to a choir singing Vespers in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. His conversion led him back to the Catholic Faith of his childhood. Later, he would become a prominent French poet, dramatist and diplomat. "In an instant," he said, "my heart was touched, and I believed."
With Christmas fast approaching, let us prepare ourselves to be touched by the quiet joy of the Nativity of the Lord. "Joy," Claudel also said, "is the most infallible sign of the presence of God." We will have that joy when we recognize the indwelling Presence of the Lord Jesus in our lives! How blessed we are if we see and recognize the Lord with the eyes of faith.
As we reflect on Luke's Gospel for today, we get a sense of the joy that accompanied Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child in her womb "leaped for joy" (Lk 1:44) - recognizing the Messiah present in Mary's womb, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and they joyfully anticipated the fulfillment of God's promise - to send a Savior. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us all, to enable us to know and experience His presence dwelling within us. In the Responsorial Psalm, we acclaim, "Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to Him a new song" (Ps 33:1a; 3a). Our souls wait for the Lord. May our hearts rejoice when He comes this Christmas!