Drawing close to God is paramount for every soul, especially those who claim the Catholic Faith as their own.
What does “Drawing close to God” mean and how does one do this? I’ll outline my thoughts and reflections on this over the next days.
It all starts in our heart with the first groaning of our spirit to reach out to God. We turn our hearts to God as we ‘grab’ hold of the Holy Spirit
So the first action of a soul must begin by asking the Holy Spirit. “It is the Spirit Himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God” Romans 8:16 “We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons” Romans 8:23
After we turn to the Holy Spirit, we must “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of Light, let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day” Romans 13:12-13
Repent: to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.
We have to turn away from our sinful ways and reorient our heart towards. “put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24. As St. John the Baptist and Jesus both said “Repent”.
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirithimself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27.
The Holy Spirit knows where we are, what we need and what we can handle. Whether we reach out to God in desperation, or we call out to Him for a deeper relationship, or we ask Him for a Pentecostal down pouring of the Holy Spirit, He will always answer.
Step one for today, find a quiet spot that you can spend even just a few uninterrupted minutes in prayer. Repent of your sins. Drop every bag of guilt, remorse and sin and give the Holy Ghost permission to clean your soul. Then, ask the Holy Spirit to help change your life and draw you into a deeper relationship with the Father. Don’t be afraid of asking for too much, you can never have too much of God, or too little. The Holy Spirit knows what you need in each moment, He simply needs an open door, a willing heart.
“My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 1485