This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
Jesus’ promise in today’s gospel sounds so consoling: He will give us His Spirit, who in turn will fill us with the truth. Which of us would not wish to be filled with supernatural knowledge? The Church has beautifully laid out the names of the gifts that the Holy Spirit brings to us: Wisdom, Counsel, Fear of the Lord, Piety, Understanding, Knowledge, Fortitude.
We can very easily mistakenly think, however, that these gifts, these transformative and elevating gifts, provide us with a superiority that allows us to skate through life, successful at everything we attempt.
Firstly, it must be noted that (unfortunately?), these gifts do not really aid us in professional success, except indirectly, in that they make us the kind of reliable and discerning person with whom people may entrust valuable charges. So, if you are looking for the gifts of the Spirit in order to make money, you are out of luck!
But secondly, they do not necessarily make us “happier” in this life. The gifts of the Spirit invariably come accompanied by the great gift of Charity, the third of the theological virtues, and this virtue can cause a world of hurt. With the gift of Charity, we do not only feel our own pain and our own sorrows–we feel those of others as well. What the world calls “empathy” is lived at an entirely different level with Charity.
Nor do these gifts necessarily make us tangibly successful. Look at St. Paul in the first reading. The lives of the apostles were not only filled with persecutions, but also at times with mediocre results. Paul crafted a beautiful discourse tying the imperfect worship of the Greeks to the Good News of the Gospel. The crowd basically said “whatever” and walked away. The Holy Spirit does not override the human freedom to reject God.
But in the end, the Holy Spirit unequivocally brings fulfillment; He brings a deeper and more powerful happiness. That happiness is compatible with all sorts of woes that we may suffer: Failure, depression, exhaustion. It stems from a deep-seated knowledge that we are loved, and that our decision to love in return carries with it fruits for eternity.
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that you value the gift of His Spirit above all other gifts, and that you will happily take all the difficulties of life, even amplified, and ask only for this most sublime gift.
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