Tag: <span>Holy Spirit</span>

April 15, 2021March 29, 2021

Awakening

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

The Sanhedrin, the religious leaders of Israel in Jesus’ time, appear formidable and daunting in the Gospel. We know that the path of Jesus’ public life ultimately leads Him to Calvary, and the Pharisees are ever present, looming, as they draw nearer and nearer to their goal of putting Him to death.

This is daunting for good reason. It involves the death of God Himself, God made man.

Why is it, then, that that very same Sanhedrin seems so puny and silly when we read about it in the book of Acts? Why do they seem so harmless, when we consider that ultimately, the apostles whom they are threatening will in fact suffer the death of martyrs?

The truth is, once we see them in Acts, they have done their worst; they have crucified God in the bloodiest manner, and God has turned their worst into glorious victory through the Resurrection. The apostles are addressing them, filled with the Holy Spirit, against the backdrop of proven victory. Yes, leaders, you killed this Jesus, but through the death He suffered at your hands, and through His Resurrection, He has reopened the door to eternal life.

Do with us what you will; if God is with us, who can be against us (as St. Paul will later write–cf. Rm. 8:11)?

Our own life is the very same; it is no different from that of the apostles. The world has thrown everything it has against Christ and the saints; they have invariably turned it into victory for those souls willing to take His path. This is the backdrop of victory against which we live our lives.

The great work of our lives is simply to awaken: To awaken to the gift we have in our hands, to awaken each day more, and to shed each day more the beleaguering burden of slavery to a legacy of sin which no longer holds any right over us. If God is with us, who can be against us?

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: In today’s gospel, Jesus assures us that God “does not ration His gift of the Spirit.” Be bold in your request to Jesus. Ask Him for the gift of His Spirit in an unfair allotment, until you are as full of the Holy Spirit as the apostles just after Pentecost. Ask Him to send you His Holy Spirit to crowd out any lingering sense of your subordination to the tyranny of sin.

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April 12, 2021March 25, 2021

All In

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

The disciples in today’s first reading were born from above, born of the Spirit.

Jesus teaches this rebirth in today’s gospel, and Nicodemus does not understand it. He is open to Jesus and wants to learn from Him, but he cannot quite reach beyond his own categories and his own limited understanding, to Jesus’ true meaning.

It is understandable. The disciples themselves did not catch the drift of rebirth in the Spirit until it was gifted to them, nearly imposed upon them one might say, from on high at Pentecost, after Jesus’ Resurrection.

What, then, was the difference between the disciples, who received the Holy Spirit, and the honest-hearted Nicodemus, who (as far as we know) did not? While Nicodemus went back to what he knew, the context of the Sanhedrin and the Old Law, the disciples launched out and followed Jesus, despite their imperfections, confusion, and ongoing fear.

This “reckless” following of Jesus was what “won” for them the gift of the Holy Spirit, which raised them above all their fears and limitations, allowing them to fulfill the fullness of their destiny and boldly proclaim the Gospel.

As we contemplate the disciples, Nicodemus, and the reality of the transformation that Jesus brought with the Resurrection and Pentecost, on the one hand, we must not be too hard on ourselves. Like the disciples when Jesus called them and as they followed Him, we are riddled with blind spots, imperfections, and small-mindedness. He does not for that reason push us away, or become frustrated or impatient with us.

On the other hand, though, let’s take the path of the disciples, not that of Nicodemus. Let’s go all in with Him, follow Him with patience and without reserve, and beg Him for the Holy Spirit. He will not be slow to answer our request.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that you are all His, without conditions or attachments. Ask Him to send you His Holy Spirit in abundance, to complete the good work He has begun in you.

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April 11, 2021March 24, 2021

Before and After

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

We see something of an evolution from the moment of today’s gospel, when all the disciples were coming to grips with the notion of the risen Lord (and poor Thomas became an example of one who doubts until he sees), and the time of the first reading, when the early Christians were “recklessly” giving up their possessions for Him, even though many had never seen Him.

The difference? In the first instance, the impact of circumstances was reigning in the hearts of the disciples, and in the second instance, after Pentecost, the impact of the Holy Spirit was reigning in the hearts of the disciples.

For us, the disciples of today, it is common for a mix of circumstance and the promptings of the Holy Spirit to reign in our hearts. It is also possible, however, to be predominantly or completely governed by the Holy Spirit. All we need do is ask.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Jesus tells us, “What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? … If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (cf. Lk. 11:11-13) Dare to ask Jesus for the gift of the Holy Spirit to rule fully over your life, with complete trust. And to this prayer, with absolute certainty His answer will be “yes.”

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March 16, 2021February 26, 2021

Cleansing Water

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Imagine being ill for thirty-eight years, like the man in today’s gospel.

He was at the pool called Bethesda, trying to get in when the water was stirred up, in a vague hope of receiving healing. But this was ordinary water, without healing powers.

Little did he know that Jesus had come by for him–Jesus, the source of living water (cf. Jn. 4:10).

The water that Jesus brings, which in a single moment fully cured the man who had been ill for thirty-eight years, is that which is represented by the pure, fresh river in today’s first reading. This living water, which purifies and cleanses the brackish water with which it comes into contact, is the grace of God.

And what is that grace? It is the Holy Spirit Himself, but seen specifically through the prism of the impact that He has on our bodies and especially our spirits.

He stands back and respects us when we resist Him. But when we open our hearts to Him fully and welcome Him, bid Him come in, He works miracles of joyful cleansing within our hearts.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: In this Lent, as you struggle to work on your conversion like the man struggling to enter the Bethesda pool, ask Jesus to send His cleansing Spirit into your heart to perform in a moment what all your struggles cannot bring to completion: The purification of your heart, and therefrom, its return to full life in Him.

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January 26, 2021January 19, 2021

The Flame

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

There is something charmingly simple about today’s readings, on the memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus. In the first reading from the letter to Timothy, Paul adjures his friend to stir into flame the gift of God: The spirit of power, and love, and self-control.

Interesting to note that Paul, in his great awareness of the difference between the New Covenant and the Old Covenant, does not admonish Timothy to follow all the specific guidelines he set out the last time they were together, or some such. He urges him to stir up the flame the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, the pledge of the New Covenant.

We have a mirror image of the first reading in today’s gospel, where Jesus states that the key to a close relationship with Him is to do the will of His Father.

And the will of God is precisely what St. Paul states: To invite the Sweet Guest into our souls, the Holy Spirit, and to listen closely to His promptings, allowing His purifying flame to ignite within us an ardent love of God and neighbor.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: The famous and awe-inspiring prophet Elijah was taken up to Heaven in a chariot at the end of his life. Just beforehand, he asked what his disciple Elisha might like from him. Elisha boldly replied, “A double portion of your spirit.” (cf. 2 Kings 2:9) Be bold enough to ask Jesus for a double portion of His Holy Spirit. Will He deny you? “What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you, then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Lk. 11:11-13)

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January 18, 2021January 8, 2021

Time

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

God lives outside time, in eternity. But like Michelangelo creating the pietà, God sculpts time lovingly, carefully, with the greatest of attention to the details of the rises, the peaks, the valleys He needs to chisel into it to accomplish His design.

Typically, we live on a rise, in a peak, or in a valley, and that is all we can see; we cannot see the holy image He is forming–only the ups and downs of our little piece.

In the first reading, we see that there was a time for the priesthood of Aaron, insufficient, but important and symbolic. Then, there was the time for the fulfillment in Christ of the one high priesthood, as He breathed His last on the cross and said, “It is finished.”

Sometimes we live our faith as if it were stagnant in time, like some sort of perennial rulebook. And certainly, some elements–for example, prayer and the sacraments–are virtually timeless.

But in today’s gospel, Jesus emphasizes the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit as He helps us to read God’s cues in the time that He is sculpting for us. What is the cloth with which He is calling us to patch today’s wineskins?

The Christian who lives the perennial Ten Commandments is faithful, but the Christian who develops a profound relationship with the Holy Spirit in His soul–and recognizes, follows His timely cues–that Christian is holy, and with that holiness sanctifies the whole Mystical Body of Christ that is the Church.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that you yearn for holiness, for that holiness that can make you as effective as the Blessed Virgin in extending the effect of the infinite power of His Cross. Ask Him to send the Holy Spirit to sculpt your reactions to properly match the time and circumstances with which He has surrounded you.

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November 8, 2020October 21, 2020

Ready

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

There are few themes more prevalent in Scripture than life after death in eternity. And today’s readings are all about that.

St. Paul assures us that those who “fall asleep” in Christ will be brought into the presence of God.

The Church has always understood today’s Gospel passage about the ten virgins to represent mindfulness of eternity: That we need to be prepared for God to call us in death to eternal life at any moment.

This gospel warns us not to be presumptuous–not to assume mindlessly that we have a lock on Heaven, turning our thoughts only to worldly concerns. If we are brutally honest, Jesus’ unmistakable message in this passage is that if preparation for eternal life is not our focal concern, there is every chance in the world that we will not make it into Heaven, just as the careless virgins did not make it into the wedding feast.

If this message feels a bit dire, the first reading makes the goal feel more appealing, and more reachable. In the book of Wisdom, the personification of Wisdom is often understood to be the Holy Spirit. Wisdom, this reading tells us, is not elusive–not hiding from us, not some sort of puzzle to be figured out. Rather, Wisdom makes her rounds pursuing us. Wisdom is always hunting for someone who is on the watch for her, and hastens to make herself available.

Wise is the adjective applied to the virgins in the gospel who are ready for the bridegroom’s return. If we put the first reading and the gospel together, we must bear in mind on the one hand that those who unwisely focus only on worldly matters, neglecting their prayer life, sacramental life, and life of charity toward others which equate to preparation for eternity, will not reach Heaven. On the other hand, however, those who are seeking this preparation get a big boost. The Holy Spirit hastens to their aid and infuses them with strength and wisdom; they do not walk the road of preparation alone. His faithful presence and aid is our hope of success.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Praise Jesus full of gratitude for the gift of the Holy Spirit, who gives a guarantee of strength and wisdom to those who actively seek God; thank Jesus for being so trustworthy, and for not leaving us alone in our confusion and weakness as we strive to put our relationship with God and charity at the top of our priority list in preparation for eternity.

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October 30, 2020October 12, 2020

The Mover

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

God is demanding.

The Ten Commandments are not easy. Per the Church’s interpretation of the third Commandment, Honor the Sabbath, we have an obligation to attend Mass every Sunday, lest we fall into serious sin. Also, Jesus tells us that if we call our brother a fool, or look at another person to whom we are not married with sexual desire, we commit serious sin. And St. Paul speaks of the sin of drunkenness. And the list goes on.

But Jesus goes farther than this. He also tells us we must not only avoid sin–but if we fail to look after our brothers and sisters in need, we likewise risk eternal damnation (cf. Mt. 25:31-46).

Because God is demanding, we often think of our Catholic religion as ourselves trying to abide by His demands and please Him. In other words, we think of it in the light of our own effort and initiative.

But God’s demands are just the stage-setter for the Catholic experience–not its essence. Its essence is something very exciting, which makes the demands of God as worthwhile as a difficult drive to our best friend’s wedding is worthwhile because of the celebration that awaits.

The essence of our religion is not our own effort, our own movement, but a movement and action of God, the Mover, in a very real and concrete way.

We see it in the Gospel, when Jesus heals the man with dropsy, defying those who would criticize Him for doing so on the sabbath. In a special way, we see it described in today’s reading from Philippians: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

The Holy Spirit is the great architect and builder of our experience of the Catholic religion, and healing, along with an exalted union with God, is His intent. A life free from serious sin is the level ground on which He builds, and our prayer time (above all) is His work day. As He “continues to complete it,” an experience of the Kingdom of God grows within us, and we experience it unmistakably and rejoice, even though we “know not how.” (Mk. 4:27)

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Think about the times in your life when you’ve thought of your Catholic religion as a chore, as a set of demands. Then, consider the times when you have been deeply touched by God’s grace. Consider that, as deep as those experiences have been, you have just scratched the surface; consider that the Infinite One has far more in store for you. Talk to Jesus and ask His mercy for the times you haven’t seen past the more difficult demands of your faith, and implore Him to take you to ever more fulfilling experiences of His grace.

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October 26, 2020October 1, 2020

Idolatry and Freedom

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Sometimes we talk metaphorically about how today’s golden calves are money and sensuality. So, whereas the Israelites worshiped a golden idol at Sinai, we worship our own base passions of greed, laziness, lust, etc.

This metaphor may feel recent, but it originates with St. Paul, right in today’s first reading. Those who give themselves over to these things are committing, directly or indirectly, a sin against the First Commandment, by not loving God above all things, and putting something else ahead of Him.

Because we are attached to sin, we may feel as though the prohibition against sin is a constraint, a sort of shackles, which prevents us from doing what we want. We are like a horse tethered to a post for so long that he no longer knows what it means not to be tethered, and enjoys chewing on the leather with which he is tied. When the master comes to free him from the tether, he balks and fights, afraid to lose his chew toy, not realizing at all how much greater a joy freedom brings than the taste of his old tether.

Freedom from sin is very much like freedom from a debilitating physical condition–like the horse’s tethered state, or like the crippled woman’s inability to stand up straight in today’s Gospel passage. Hence Jesus often heals and forgives sins at the same moment, freeing the whole person, in their physical and spiritual reality.

If the Christian life feels onerous to us, this is an illusion; it means simply that we haven’t tasted it in its fullness. It has been said that falling in love with God is the opposite process, in a sense, to falling in love romantically. With romantic love, we feel strong attraction, and on the basis of that attraction come to a place of commitment. With love of God, He asks us to commit first in faith, fully, and then over the course of our lives reveals the glory of that in which we have invested.

Our best tastes of freedom in God are yet to come.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus of the attachments you feel to created realities, and even habits of sin. Tell Him of your weakness and the difficulty you encounter in becoming free to choose Him consistently. Ask Him to send you the Holy Spirit to supplement with the strength and clarity that you don’t have. Will a father give his son a scorpion when he asks for an egg? Much less, then, will your Father in Heaven refuse the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (cf. Lk. 11:12-13).

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October 6, 2020September 16, 2020

The Adventure

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

St. Paul’s point in the first reading may initially elude us. It sounds a bit prideful, perhaps. He talks about how, after his conversion on the road to Damascus (where he was famously cast down from his horse, heard the voice of Christ, and was rendered blind), he didn’t go and consult with the original apostles at first. In fact, only after three years did he go and visit Cephas, that is, St. Peter.

Union with the Magisterium of the Church, that is, the Pope and the bishops who teach in communion with him, is critical for the healthy spiritual life and sound doctrine of any believing Catholic. When reading St. Paul’s words today, we may be reminded of modern-day “dissenters” who distance themselves from the Magisterium in their beliefs and teachings.

But Paul in no way distanced himself from the doctrines that Peter and the others were teaching. Nor is he implying today that he was somehow superior to them or exempt from unity with them. Indeed, he says, as the original apostles heard about him, they glorified God, having heard that “the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

So, what is Paul’s point? He himself seems to be glorifying God in this passage. For what? For disunity? To the contrary. He is glorifying God because, even though he didn’t have occasion to meet with the apostles for a time, he was initiated into his faith and sustained in it by his experience of Jesus–that is, by the work of the Holy Spirit in him.

Sometimes we can focus so heavily on union with the Magisterium that we neglect to learn directly from God in our prayer life. Perhaps we look for doctrinal answers for our own very specific personal situation in Church documents. While these documents can and should inspire us in our personal spiritual life, they are not there to provide an answer key to each particular situation. That is where the richness of our own contact with God in prayer comes in. This is the ambit of the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts.

Of course, we must actively form ourselves in familiarity with the teachings of the Church. In terms of what we need to know, they are not all that complicated. We have the Ten Commandments; the Creed; the Sacraments; and the liturgical year that we experience at Mass. We also have some special dogmas that have been solemnly declared by the Church throughout the centuries as having in fact been held as a common understanding by the faithful from the earliest days, such as the Assumption of Mary. Also, there are clarifications of how to apply the Ten Commandments and the Law of Charity to particular modern issues, such as issues touching on the sanctity of life, and social issues.

But applications of the Law of Charity to our own life, and the nuances of our own relationship with God within this general framework that the Church gives us, are exciting, ultra-personalized experiences that God has waiting for us in our own prayer life and life with Him in the sacraments. Even though many have dissented from the Church’s teaching over the centuries, if we have the overall, non-negotiable intention to be faithful to those teachings, there is no reason to fear excessively about the personal and special inspirations that the Holy Spirit has prepared for us within our own hearts. We can trust Him!

For indeed, this is the “better part” that God commends Mary of Bethany for choosing in today’s Gospel passage. Mary has chosen to experience Jesus Christ by sitting at His feet. For us too, there is no more enriching or fulfilling adventure that personally experiencing Him in our prayer and in the sacraments.

It can also be a great help to engage a trusted spiritual director for counsel–again, not as the source of all the answers, but as a beneficial sounding board.

Like the Psalmist today, we can ask God, “Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.” And He will answer that prayer.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to send His Spirit to lead you on the personalized adventure of spiritual growth that He has planned for you. Commit to Him that you want nothing other than to follow His will as a faithful son/daughter of the Church. Ask Him to help your heart to grow in love for the Church, with all its divine guidance and all its humanity, as you go deeper into your personal journey of spiritual growth with Him.

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