# Consecration to the Holy Spirit
*2016-02-04*

> Bill Young reflects on the life of St. Joseph of Leonissa and leads a prayer of consecration to the Holy Spirit focusing on love and humility.

## The Life of St. Joseph of Leonissa

Today is February 4th, the feast day of St. Joseph of Leonissa. Born in Italy in 1556, Joseph was a great preacher and an advocate for the poor. During his missionary work, he sought to bring Christians and Muslims to conversion, which led to his arrest and condemnation to death on more than one occasion. However, he was miraculously freed and returned to Italy.

For over 20 years, he served as a priest and became immensely popular for his sermons, sometimes delivering up to ten in a single day. He lived a life of extreme austerity, eating very little, sleeping on boards, and giving everything he had to the poor.

## Prayers for those with Cancer

St. Joseph of Leonissa eventually died of cancer; to my knowledge, he is the first saint specifically noted to have died from this disease. Since today is also World Cancer Day, we ask St. Joseph to pray for all cancer victims, from young children to the elderly. I think of Monsignor Edmund White, who passed away after battling cancer for over ten years. We pray to the Lord and Mary that this dreaded disease be cured once and for all.

## Consecration to the Holy Spirit

As February is dedicated to the Holy Spirit, we offer a prayer of consecration: O Holy Spirit, soul of souls, I consecrate myself totally to you. Guide me to Jesus by the hand of Mary, so that I may become a little song of praise and glory before the Heavenly Father.

## A Prayer for Love and Humility

We ask the Holy Spirit for a love that is patient and kind—a love that is never envious, boastful, or conceited. We seek a well-balanced love that has no fear, does not seek its own advantage, does not become angry or take offense, and does not store up grievances. Instead, may we find joy in the truth and in discovering goodness, truth, and beauty in others. As described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-6, we ask for a love that is always ready to make allowances, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.

Furthermore, we pray for an attitude of humility like that of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave and becoming human in every way. He humbled Himself even to the point of accepting death.

*Through the intercession of the saints and consecration to the Holy Spirit, we can cultivate a heart of selfless love and Christ-like humility.*