Day 6 – Knowledge

Coming into God’s Presence

Before praying, we become aware of God’s presence in and through everything that He has made.

God created the world so He could share His love. He didn’t need anything else, but His goodness couldn’t be contained. He made us to love and to be loved by Him. All of creation is a gift of that extravagant, overflowing love. The material world takes on a special meaning as a way for us to experience God’s care for us—every flower, every galaxy, every dinner shared with loved ones, even the very air we breathe—it all speaks to us of God’s overwhelming love. All creation is an extravagant gift, a love song, a work of poetry from a God madly in love with us. As we become aware of His presence, we reflect on aspects of creation that most speak to us of His love.

We take a few moments in silence to become aware of God’s presence.

Invocations

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

To enlighten our minds// Come Spirit, giver of Knowledge
To enkindle our hearts// Come Spirit, giver of Knowledge
To renew our lives// Come Spirit, giver of Knowledge
To help us understand the true meaning of created things// Come Spirit, giver of Knowledge
To free us from slavery or attachment to anything in our life// Come Spirit, giver of Knowledge
To give us clarity in discernment of what is right and wrong// Come Spirit, giver of Knowledge

Optional Study: Living Knowledge

For people who want to delve deeper into the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Click here to jump to the study

Scripture

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 15:26-27

When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

The Gospel of the Lord // Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ

Pope Francis, Homily, 21 May 2014

When our eyes are illumined by the Spirit, they open to contemplate God, in the beauty of nature and in the grandeur of the cosmos, and they lead us to discover how everything speaks to us about Him and His love. All of this arouses in us great wonder and a profound sense of gratitude! It is the sensation we experience when we admire a work of art or any marvel whatsoever that is borne of the genius and creativity of man: before all this, the Spirit leads us to praise the Lord from the depths of our heart and to recognize, in all that we have and all that we are, an invaluable gift of God and a sign of His infinite love for us.

St. Ambrose, On the Holy Spirit, 166,169

When the Holy Spirit had descended upon the faithful, the appearance of fire was seen, for you read thus: “And suddenly there was a sound from heaven, as though the Spirit were borne with great vehemence, and it filled all the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire.” (Acts 2:2-3) What, then, is that fire? Not certainly one made up of common twigs, or roaring with the burning of the reeds of the woods, but that fire which improves good deeds like gold, and consumes sins like stubble. This is undoubtedly the Holy Spirit, Who is called both the fire and light of the countenance of God.

Interior Dialogue

We take time for a peaceful, receptive pause to converse with God, to listen, and to embrace God’s inspiration and consolation. Resist the urge to rush!

These questions may provide topics to begin this dialogue with the Lord. Do not be afraid to answer honestly, because the Lord already sees our heart and loves us despite our imperfections. For groups, a leader can read the following lines slowly, and allow a minute or two of silence after each.

Come Holy Spirit! I often see everything from my self-centered perspective, and don’t look at creation the way You do. What good things in my life prevent me from loving You and other people? Free me from any attachment to material things and give me the freedom to love like You do.

Pause for personal prayer

Come Holy Spirit! When I have to make decisions, I often focus on what is the easiest, most comfortable, or most enjoyable. Help me to see creation as a means to love. Shape my heart so my desire is to choose whatever will bring me closer to You. Help me to listen to Your inspiration and select whatever is best and what You may be calling me to, above my own preferences.

Pause for personal prayer

Intercessions

To prepare our hearts to be receptive of the Holy Spirit’s inspirations, we approach humbly and beg for His guidance

// Spirit of Knowledge, enlighten our minds with Your perspective

That we would learn to turn to God and pray when we experience success and everything seems to be going just right, but also when we feel emotional turmoil and things don’t go as we expect. Let us pray

// Spirit of Knowledge, enlighten our minds with Your perspective

When the world places violence, immorality, vanity, and greed as models for us to follow, that we would reject these as the evils that they are and rely on the Holy Spirit. Let us pray

// Spirit of Knowledge, enlighten our minds with Your perspective

That we would be filled with gratitude for the good things of this world, that they may lift us to love God more. Let us pray

// Spirit of Knowledge, enlighten our minds with Your perspective

Let us pause to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us where we need Knowledge.

Where do we allow the attractive things of the world to waste our time? Is there any attachment that continues to anchor us to the shore that we would like to be free of?

This is a moment to insert our own petition. It should be very personal.

Let us pray

// Spirit of Knowledge, enlighten our minds with Your perspective

Optional Study

What is Knowledge?

The gift of Knowledge allows us to see creation from God’s perspective. The things God has made are so wonderful and beautiful that it’s easy to get caught up in creation and forget about the Creator. Selfishness so easily enters our heart, and our relationship with material things can become distorted. This gift prevents us from confusing material things as a good in themselves. Instead we are able to see them as a means to love God and our neighbor.

No material thing can totally fill the infinite desires of the human heart. We often learn this first-hand by developing a disordered relationship with creation: food, drink, money, possessions. The gift of Knowledge allows us to see them as they are and to develop a complete detachment—we come to care about material things only in as much as they help us love God and neighbor. What incredible joy comes from this freedom! We are given a complete liberty instead of being a slave to material things.

Because we are able to use creation in a healthy way, it can help us grow closer to God instead of taking us away from Him. We don’t see the material world as a source of temptation to avoid misusing, but as a reflection of God’s goodness. Anything truly wonderful, good, and beautiful becomes “Christian” because it leads us to God. In a way, the gift of Knowledge makes creation into another sacrament.

A good sailor surely loves his boat. He might give it a name and paint it his favorite color. But he never forgets that the purpose of the boat is to be on the water! In the same way, all of creation is good in so far as it leads us back to the masterful Creator.

What can we do?

One of the easiest ways to prepare for this gift is by cultivating gratitude. “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks.” (1 Th 5:16-18) Developing a habit of gratitude allows us to take advantage of all the good, holy things that we enjoy. When we take an experience of enjoyment and add gratitude, it can transform any good thing—nice weather, delicious food, holy friendships, tears of joy—into a simple, spontaneous prayer. In this way our enjoyment doesn’t remain in the created thing, but leads us to the Creator Himself.

As we are reminded each Lent, there is an important place for sacrifices and denying ourselves in imitation of Christ. However consistent Biblical teaching shows there must be a balance in our lives.