A listener named Bob asks, “How do I pray to the Holy Spirit?” Bob explains that as he has deepened his prayer life, he can’t seem to connect to the Holy Spirit. Father Dave suggests praying the popular “Prayer to the Holy Spirit” and reflecting on the fruits of the Spirit listed in Saint Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
Bob shares, “I talk to God and pray to Jesus, but I’m kinda lost with the Holy Spirit … I don’t know if I’m praying to him properly or not.” Father Dave responds, “Because God, in his Trinitarian nature, is a family of persons in his very essence, it’s okay with God if some of us are more inclined to connecting with one or two members of the Trinity … It seems that there is a genuine desire on your part to to relate to the Holy Spirit.”
“The simplest way to start is praying to the popular prayer to the Holy Spirit. In addition to that, Galatians 5 talks about the fruits of the Spirit. Paul says if you’re living in the spirit, these things will be present in your life: peace, kindness, joy, love, gentleness, self-control, patience. So, we can look for evidence of those things in our lives, and if they’re not we can ask the Holy Spirit for more of that.” Father Dave points out that it’s helpful to reflect on all nine fruits of the Holy Spirit and to bring those into prayer. (Original Air 1-09-19)