How to Hear the Holy Spirit (6)

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Session #6

How to Become More Receptive to the Holy Spirit

Question for discussion (please post a comment):
What are the ways that you are most receptive to the voice of the Holy Spirit within you? What works best for you?

Comments from the live event

C.F. answered:

For big decisions in my life — I always have a tough time as I can never make decisions fast — I would weigh every possible scenario, pray about it and be undecided. And I always asked God, “Can’t you just come here and talk to me, Lord, and directly tell me what to do rather than going through this guessing game?” But my sister once told me that after you have made a decision and if you feel at rest and at peace, then it’s the right decision. It’s the will of God. Otherwise you would feel restless. I have always been following this. The moment I feel an intuition towards one thing, I will settle for it and then I would be at ease and I take it that it is the will of the Lord.

After the Novena to the Holy Spirit, I am trying be more receptive to the promptings of the Spirit. Last Monday, suddenly I had the urge to go to church and pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I believe this is the Spirit’s promptings. I don’t really know what works best for me. I think I need to pray and allow the Holy Spirit to work in me at the same time be more receptive — learn to be more receptive.

C.M. answered the question this way:

Start the day with prayer: When I wake up, I say Hi to everyone while still in bed: “Good morning: Abba, Good morning: Dear Blessed Mother, Good morning: Dear Guardian Angel, Patron Saints, Holy Souls in Purgatory. Thank you for watching over me during the night and always. Please Lord, send me today to do your Will.”

Reading Daily Mass readings from the US Bishops’ site. Reading Good News Ministries daily reflection. Watching Fr. Paul Nicholson on YouTube.

Listening to Catholic music CDs.

Praising God verbally for things that happen and all the people that I meet. I have heard that a thankful heart does not sin.

Stopping by the Blessed Sacrament chapel to tell our Lord how thankful I am for His love, to ask Him to send me, or just to Adore him quietly. Yes, I go to complain too and listen.

Taking time to kneel in my office to pray briefly.

Go for a walk with the intent to take the time to be open to God’s love in Creation, including people.

These are some examples of things that help.

S.L. wrote:

I am most receptive to the ways of the Holy Spirit during my morning quiet time in prayer, bible reading, reflection and devotion. Sometimes, I receive a comforting phrase, a scripture reading that opens my eyes and which applies to my circumstances or a verse, which I know deep within the recesses of my heart is from the Holy Spirit.

What works for me is that I need to consciously open up my mind towards being receptive to the Spirit’s leading within me, the inner quiet voice, throughout the day. This is of utmost importance, especially when I loose focus and get wired up with the day’s affairs, letting my emotions and frustrations get the better of me. These are the moments when I end up doing the complete opposite of what I may be prompted to do.

I’ve realized the need to consciously re-direct my mind to what the Holy Spirit is telling me and not to analyze and reason it out with my own human thinking. Obedience to the Holy Spirit is also the key, but I am sometimes too complacent and tend to refuse to let go, out of a need to be in control. I certainly hope to gain more insight on how to let go.

L.M. said:

Music is definitely a means of hearing for me, whether it’s secular or Christian. I’ve always found God has a way of speaking through it, and it is also the way I “delight myself in the Lord”. Sometimes, though, I’ve found I have questions and have heard the Holy Spirit speaking through the Word, readings or while sitting in front of the Monstrance. In these ways I seem to get an idea or sense of something, which as I meditate on it, read, and research, the confirmation flows and I know this is the Holy Spirit speaking to me, and because He knows I want/need to know it’s from Him (like I could come up with the answers on my own), He permits me to hear Him more than once to really get it.