how much more will you want?
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now." —John 16:12
We need the Pentecost Novena, which starts in two days, because we are not ready to hear what Jesus desires to tell us. No matter how close we are to the Lord, He always has "much more" for us (Jn 16:12) — more ministry, more peace, more stretching.
We may already be stretched as far as we think possible. Like a woman in the last month of pregnancy, we may not think it's possible to be stretched any further. Yet the woman wakes up the next morning to discover she has stretched even more. She knows that in the days to come, she will keep stretching.
You might not see how you could possibly forgive the person who hurt you. You are so busy with the kids, how could you find time and energy for one more thing? So in that sense, you may not be ready to hear the "much more" that Jesus has to tell you.
This is why the Church, in her wisdom, takes the time for the coming Pentecost Novena. If we're too busy to pray, we're too busy. If we're too busy for the Holy Spirit, we're too busy. Clear your calendar. Ask the Lord during the Pentecost Novena for the grace to receive the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Father, open me, stretch me, enlarge me to receive the Holy Spirit.
Promise: "When He comes, however, being the Spirit of truth He will guide you to all truth." —Jn 16:13
Praise: Fr. Allen went from "good" to the Best at Pentecost. His parishioners then kept commenting on how his homilies touched them in exactly the areas in which they were hurting the most.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 12, 2017
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