cares for his people. One of my prayers is, “Lord, let me always have a sense of awe. Never let me take anything for granted.”
— Amy Betros St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy
St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy
St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy was founded in 1994 by Amy Betros and Norm Paolini, who raised money to purchase an inner-city church, school, rectory, and convent that had been closed by the Diocese of Buffalo the year before. By serving the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, the mission proclaims, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, God’s great love and mercy for all people.
“Lord, I Really Need This”
After Mass one day a friend invited me to “Men of Christ,” a huge men’s conference in Milwaukee. We went to the conference and they were rolling out a men’s group for parishes called “That Man Is You.” It promised to help men strengthen their relationship with God, with their spouse, and with their children. I prayed, “Lord, I really need this.”
My friend and I got our pastor’s approval, and we introduced “That Man Is You” in our parish. It was an answer to my prayer!
We have between fifteen and twenty guys in the group. We meet every Thursday morning at 6:00. I get there at 5:30 to make coffee. The first year takes you through how to be a man, and the second year is how to be a husband, and then how to be a father. The sessions explore the issues of our day. It takes what we know and analyzes it, whether it’s social science or medical science, and then it takes what our faith says about that issue. Then it looks at how one of the saints handled this type of situation. It brings everything together — this is what we are seeing in our culture, this is what the Church teaches, and here’s how a saint handled it. It shows how the Church and our faith in Jesus are the solutions to the problems of this world.
It changed my life. It made me who I am. It saved me.
— Mike Nuzzo
Men’s Spirituality Groups
Since the Second Vatican Council (1961–1965), men’s spirituality groups have sprung up in many dioceses and parishes. Some are Scripture-based, and others focus on discussions of Catholic teaching and social issues. The purpose of these groups is to allow men to experience spiritual support and fellowship. Many dioceses also offer annual men’s conferences, which feature prayer, music, nationally known speakers, opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and a closing Mass.
Go Deeper
I was on a pilgrimage to Ávila, a walled, medieval city in Spain, when I saw a banner with the words, “I was born for you. What do you want me to do?”
These two sentences were part of Saint Teresa of Ávila’s prayer, “In the Hands of God.” I found myself intrigued by these two sentences, and I felt Saint Teresa urging me to go deeper into my own relationship with God. When I returned home, I searched the Internet for the entire prayer, but after printing it out I could not pray the words. It was too deep, too demanding, too overwhelming.
“I’ll work up to that,” I promised myself.
In the meantime, I had work to do. I pushed aside Saint Teresa’s urgings to “go deeper,” and I dove back into my busy schedule of radio shows, writing, and speaking. It wasn’t long, however, before my busy schedule came to an abrupt halt. The sniffles I developed after coming home from Spain turned into an upper respiratory infection and a debilitating case of laryngitis. My doctor warned of permanent damage to my vocal chords if I did not agree to complete voice rest. No radio show. No public speaking. No phone calls. No talking.
At first, I was grumpy and frustrated. But after a few days I decided to surrender to the urging of Saint Teresa to go deeper. I took advantage of this silent time to read, and each Gospel reading, each book passage spoke directly to me about the need to rest and be still. Before long I began to crave the silence.
With images of Ávila fresh in my mind, I drew closer to Saint Teresa, whom I have loved since childhood. I learned more about her and about myself. Finally, I was able to read her entire prayer and say to the Lord, “I was born for you. What do you want me to do?”
— Teresa Tomeo
Saint Teresa of Ávila
Saint Teresa was born in Ávila, Spain, in 1515. At age twenty, she entered the Carmelite order. After contracting malaria, she had a vision of the wounded Christ. As her mystical life deepened, the visions increased, and she began to see the need to restore the Carmelite order to its original charism. She established what became known as the Discalced (or Shoeless) Carmelites. During this time, she wrote several books, including her spiritual autobiography and books on prayer. Saint Teresa died in 1582. She was canonized in 1622. In 1970, Saint Teresa of Ávila was declared a doctor of the Church because of the depths of her understanding of theology and prayer.
Chapter 3
Come, Holy Spirit
Most Catholics can tell you that the Holy Spirit is the third Person in the Blessed Trinity, and that we receive the Holy Spirit in a special way in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Some Catholics might be able to list the seven gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel (right judgment), fortitude (courage), knowledge, piety (reverence), and fear of the Lord (awe); based on Isaiah 11:2. But too many Catholics never think of praying to the Holy Spirit or allowing themselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Even Pope Francis has observed that a lot of Catholics do not understand the powerful ways the Holy Spirit works in their lives.
“The Holy Spirit is the one who moves us to praise God, to pray to the Lord, the one who is within us and teaches us to see the Father and to call him ‘Father,’” Pope Francis explains. “The Spirit does everything, knows everything, reminds us what Jesus said, can explain all about Jesus.… The Holy Spirit makes real Christians. The Spirit takes life as it is and prophetically reads the signs of the times pushing us forward.”
Whenever you feel as if you are being called by God or inspired to do something, it is usually an action of the Holy Spirit. Pope Francis explains that the Holy Spirit “guides us in the way to think, to act, to distinguish between what is good and what is bad; he helps us to practice the charity of Jesus, his giving of himself to others, especially to the most needy. We are not alone! The sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit is also the peace that Jesus gives to his disciples: ‘My peace I give to you’ [John 14:27].”
There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is moving in the lives of the people who contributed to this chapter. Their stories reflect some of the profound ways the Holy Spirit has touched them as a result of their own prayers or through the prayers of others.
Discovering the Holy Spirit in Scripture
Here are some Scripture passages that help us to better understand how the Holy Spirit works in our lives:
• The Spirit will speak through us when we don’t know what to say (Matthew 10:19–20).
• The Spirit helps us understand everything that Jesus taught (John 14:26).
• The Spirit comforts us when we are sad and alone (John 14:16–19).
• The Spirit guides us in the way of truth (John 16:13).
• The Spirit dwells in us and gives us life (Romans 8:11).
• The Spirit prays for us when we don’t know how to pray (Romans 8:26).
• The Spirit shows us the good things God has planned for us (1 Corinthians 2:9–11).
• The Spirit allows us to experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).
The Holy Spirit Will Guide You
Several years ago, my marriage of nineteen years was over. That alone was enough to test my courage and