Le'ts Be Sure To Strengthen Our Devotion To The Holy Spirit in 2026

We've got a solid source to remind us to strengthen our devotion to the Holy Spirit in 2026. You know, He's the One Who typically gets short shrift when it comes to our spiritual life. Jesus gets much of our attention, our Father comes next, then - perhaps a distant Third - the Holy Spirit.

Why is this? Maybe nothing more than the very concept of "spirit." Jesus likely comes first because He took on our human nature and "looked like us." The Father is often portrayed as, well, solemn gray-haired guy. The Holy Spirit? At best, a dove.

So which of these is more obscure, less concrete, harder to "identify with"?

So much for a non-theologian's meandering thoughts here. But before we get to our solid source, a reminder that this devotion can and should play an important role in all our work today. After all, with increased devotion to the Holy Spirit, we naturally will open our spiritual ears to His Whispers. Yes, He will - and does - whisper to us throughout the day. But if we don't listen, we'll miss most of it. And to our detriment.

If we're serious about sanctifying our work - we are, right? - then what better way to do so than to develop a deeper relationship with the Spiritus Sanctus - the Holy Spirit? 

And this means not just a nod to Him with a little prayer each morning. It means trying to "connect" in some way throughout the day. 

We should know by now that God's Presence often gets put on the back-burner when our work day heats up. And so we try to develop ways to keep Him Present with us. Quick little prayers (aspirations), mortification of our senses and thoughts as these opportunities present themselves (and they are many if we would only pay attention), saying grace before our lunch (the meal we typically eat while on the job), our charitable demeanor towards all, and so forth. 

Simply all part of Catholic men at work, don't you think?

The thing is, the Holy Spirit is working for and with us, even if we're not paying attention. So why not make legitimize or concretize what's already going on? Why not make it a more conscious thing, rather than something just working below the surface.

So next time we hit a wall in some project we're trying to complete, we can just ask the Holy Spirit for some ideas. Or if we're out of work and struggling to find a job that pays sufficient income to support ourselves and our family, why not seek the Light of the Holy Spirit to help direct our efforts. Indeed, any task we perform throughout the day will benefit (an understatement) from the Light of the Holy Spirit.

Let's turn to our "solid source" now. It's our old friend Father Willie Doyle. Here are his thoughts about a devotion to the Holy Spirit. He's particularly urging this advice on religious, but we can surely benefit as much as we go about our daily work.

  

A devotion which does not consist in any special form of prayer nor in doing anything in particular more than to listen to inspirations, is devotion to the Holy Spirit of God. And does it not commend itself very specially to religious? For, as the work of Creation belongs preeminently to the Father and that of Redemption to the Son, so the work of our Sanctification and Perfection is the work of the Holy Ghost. We honour Him when we listen to His inspirations. He is ever whispering what we ought to do and what we ought not to do. When we are deliberately deaf to His voice, which is no other than the small voice of conscience, we grieve instead of honouring the Holy Spirit of God. So let us often say: Come O Holy Ghost into my heart and make me holy so that I may be generous with God and become a saint. See what the Holy Spirit made of the Apostles – changed them from skulking cowards into great saints afire with the love of God.