From St. John of the Cross:
“This flame of love is the Spirit of its Bridegroom, who is the Holy Spirit. The soul feels him within itself not only as a fire that has consumed and transformed it but as a fire that burns and flares within it…And that flame, every time it flares up, bathes the soul in glory and refreshes it with the quality of divine love.” 1
From Pope St. John Paul II:
“The tongues of fire which accompanied the Pentecost event in the upper room at Jerusalem are the sign of that fire which Jesus Christ brought and enkindled on earth (Luke 12:43): the fire of the Holy Spirit.” 2
Meditation for this week leading up to Pentecost:
When St. John of the Cross says that the flame of love is the Spirit of its Bridegroom, he is referring to Jesus as the Husband, the Groom of our souls. Reflect upon our encounter with Jesus in our daily silent prayer and our encounter with Jesus the Bridegroom in the Eucharist. When we receive Jesus into our body/soul, we are at the same time receiving the Holy Spirit, the living flame of love, and this living flame, the Spirit of the Bridegroom, is poured into us.
Holy Spirit, come, and set us on fire for love of you, and for the people in our lives. Blessed Mother, who prayed for the Holy Spirit to come down upon the Apostles, please pray for us that we will receive the living flame of love in a deeper way this Pentecost in receiving the Eucharist. Help us, Mother, to be like you, to be completely enflamed by the Holy Spirit, and to exude the Spirit to all whom we know and meet.
Please join us on Tuesday nights this Summer in praying together and reading The Living Flame of Love from St. John of the Cross!
Pentecost Meditation- The Living Flame of Love
