# Guide Us, Holy Spirit: Advent Prayer on the Fourth Sunday
*2015-12-20*

> Bill Young leads a prayer from the Advent booklet “Opening Our Hearts to God,” invoking the Holy Spirit and reflecting on Luke 21 and the feast of St. Dominic of Silos.

## Opening Prayer

Good evening, I’m Bill Young. On this fourth Sunday of Advent we pray from the little book *Opening Our Hearts to God*. The prayer for today is titled “Guide us, Holy Spirit.”

“O Holy Spirit, guide our life with your embrace. Bless and strengthen every desire for good. Give new life and nourishment to our faith. Sustain and enlighten our hope. Awaken and animate our clarity. Guide us all on our path to holiness.”

## Scripture Reading

Our Advent reading comes from Luke 21:34‑36: “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will come upon you like a snare. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be on your guard at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are about to take place.”

## Feast of St. Dominic of Silos

Today is also the feast day of St. Dominic of Silos (c. 1000‑1073). He is remembered for many miracles, especially healings. After his death a pilgrim woman visited his shrine and prayed for a child. Dominic appeared to her in a vision and promised that she would have a son, who was named Dominic and went on to found the Dominican Order.

## Closing Reflection

As we continue our Advent journey, we ask the Holy Spirit to keep our hearts open, to give us the strength to resist the distractions of the world, and to lead us ever closer to Christ.

*May the Holy Spirit guide us each day toward greater holiness during this Advent season.*