When the Son completed the work with which the Father had entrusted him on earth, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost to sanctify the Church unceasingly, and thus enable believers to have access to the Father through Christ in the one Spirit. He is the Spirit of life, the fountain of water welling up to give eternal life. Through him the Father gives life to men, dead because of sin, until he raises up their mortal bodies in Christ.

  The Spirit dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful as in a temple. He prays in them and bears witness in them to their adoption as sons. He leads the Church into all truth and gives it unity in communion and in service. He endows it with different hierarchical and charismatic gifts, directs it by their means, and enriches it with his fruits.

  By the power of the Gospel he enables the Church to grow young, perpetually renews it, and leads it to complete union with its Bridegroom. For the Spirit and the Bride say to the Lord Jesus: “Come!”

  In this way the Church reveals itself as a people whose unity has its source in the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

  The whole company of the faithful, who have an anointing by the Holy Spirit, cannot err in faith. They manifest this distinctive characteristic of theirs in the supernatural instinct of faith (‘sensus fidei’) of the whole people when, from the bishops to the most ordinary lay person among the faithful, they display a universal agreement on matters of faith and morals.

  This instinct of faith is awakened and kept in being by the Spirit of truth. Through it the people of God hold indefectibly to the faith once delivered to the saints, penetrate it more deeply by means of right judgement, and apply it more perfectly in their lives. They do all this under the guidance of the sacred teaching office: by faithful obedience to it they receive, not the word of men but in truth the word of God.

  Moreover, the Holy Spirit not only sanctifies and guides God’s people by the sacraments and the ministries, and enriches it with virtues, he also distributes special graces among the faithful of every state of life, assigning his gifts to each as he chooses. By means of these special gifts he equips them and makes them eager for various activities and responsibilities that benefit the Church in its renewal or its increase, in accordance with the text: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for a good purpose.

  These charisms, the simpler and more widespread as well as the most outstanding, should be accepted with a sense of gratitude and consolation, since in a very special way they answer and serve the needs of the Church.

The work of the Holy Spirit

The titles given to the Holy Spirit must surely stir the soul of anyone who hears them, and make him realise that they speak of nothing less than the supreme Being. Is he not called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, the steadfast Spirit, the guiding Spirit? But his principal and most personal title is the Holy Spirit.

  To the Spirit all creatures turn in their need for sanctification; all living things seek him according to their ability. His breath empowers each to achieve its own natural end.

  The Spirit is the source of holiness, a spiritual light, and he offers his own light to every mind to help it in its search for truth. By nature the Spirit is beyond the reach of our mind, but we can know him by his goodness. The power of the Spirit fills the whole universe, but he gives himself only to those who are worthy, acting in each according to the measure of his faith.

  Simple in himself, the Spirit is manifold in his mighty works. The whole of his being is present to each individual; the whole of his being is present everywhere. Though shared in by many, he remains unchanged; his self giving is no loss to himself. Like the sunshine, which permeates all the atmosphere, spreading over land and sea, and yet is enjoyed by each person as though it were for him alone, so the Spirit pours forth his grace in full measure, sufficient for all, and yet is present as though exclusively to everyone who can receive him. To all creatures that share in him he gives a delight limited only by their own nature, not by his ability to give.

  The Spirit raises our hearts to heaven, guides the steps of the weak, and brings to perfection those who are making progress. He enlightens those who have been cleansed from every stain of sin and makes them spiritual by communion with himself.

  As clear, transparent substances become very bright when sunlight falls on them and shine with a new radiance, so also souls in whom the Spirit shines become spiritual themselves and a source of grace for others.

  From the Spirit comes foreknowledge of the future, understanding of the mysteries of faith, insight into the hidden meaning of Scripture, and other special gifts. Through the Spirit we become citizens of heaven, we enter into eternal happiness, and abide in God. Through the Spirit we acquire a likeness to God; indeed, we attain what is beyond our most sublime aspirations – we become God.

The liturgists who revised our liturgy after the 2nd Vatican Council saw these days— the 7th week of the Easter season— as a novena preparing for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They filled these days with powerful reflections on the Holy Spirit from the Fathers of the Church, Augustine, Basil the Great, Cyril of Jerusalem, Cyril of Alexandria, Irenaeus, Hilary of Poitier. Great teachers of our church, who assure us the Holy Spirit is with us. We have them in our Office of Readings all this week. I’m letting them speak in this blog each day.

In the Eucharist these days we hear Jesus praying, praying for us,  promising to send the Spirit to lead us to all truth. And we listen to him;  he strengthens our faith.

But let’s listen also to Paul in the Acts of the Apostles we read today. He may be particularly pertinent for understanding the way the Spirit is with us in our day.  

Paul’s on his way to Jerusalem. He says he is “compelled by the Spirit” but he’s not quite sure what’ going to happen next. There are “ hints”, signs of hardship and suffering ahead. Hints,  but nothing clear, nothing certain. Some intimations maybe, but nothing like the strong winds and burning fire we usually associate with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Signs of power and persuasion. Instead the signs point to hardship and suffering.

Are these the signs we have?

What matters for us is that, like Paul, even if the way isn’t clear, even if the signs are dark, we have to “finish the race and complete the service assigned to us by the Lord Jesu, to bear witness to the gospel of God’s grace.”

At this time the early followers of Jesus gathered after he ascended into heaven. They were people from Galilee. They remembered the good days when  crowds flocked to Jesus in the towns he visited. They saw him, they ate with him, they prayed with him, they followed him. Like Mary Magdalene, they cling to him.

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” They say. They have hopes, but their hopes are shaped by what was and what they knew.“

It is not for you to know the times or seasons” Jesus tells them. It’s God’s plan, not yours. God is at work.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” The followers of Jesus went back from the Mount of Olives with nothing more than an instruction to wait for the Holy Spirit. The times were changing.

We may be more like those first followers of Jesus than we think.

And what did these first followers of Jesus do? “They went to the upper room where they were staying…And they devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus,” Acts 1:13-14)

Is what they did something unique to them and to their time? Or do they point out what  we must do in times of great change like ours.

We must pray together. We must prayerfully listen to the world we live in, to the church, and to one another. 

When it’s time the Spirit will speak.

The living water of the Holy Spirit

The water I shall give him will become in him a fountain of living water, welling up into eternal life. This is a new kind of water, a living, leaping water, welling up for those who are worthy. But why did Christ call the grace of the Spirit water? Because all things are dependent on water; plants and animals have their origin in water. Water comes down from heaven as rain, and although it is always the same in itself, it produces many different effects, one in the palm tree, another in the vine, and so on throughout the whole of creation. It does not come down, now as one thing, now as another, but while remaining essentially the same, it adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it.

  In the same way the Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, simple and indivisible, apportions grace to each man as he wills. Like a dry tree which puts forth shoots when watered, the soul bears the fruit of holiness when repentance has made it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit never changes, the effects of his action, by the will of God and in the name of Christ, are both many and marvellous.

  The Spirit makes one man a teacher of divine truth, inspires another to prophesy, gives another the power of casting out devils, enables another to interpret holy Scripture. The Spirit strengthens one man’s self-control, shows another how to help the poor, teaches another to fast and lead a life of asceticism, makes another oblivious to the needs of the body, trains another for martyrdom. His action is different in different people, but the Spirit himself is always the same. In each person, Scripture says, the Spirit reveals his presence in a particular way for the common good.

  The Spirit comes gently and makes himself known by his fragrance. He is not felt as a burden, for he is light, very light. Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he approaches. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console. The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who receives him, and then, through him, the minds of others as well.

  As light strikes the eyes of a man who comes out of darkness into the sunshine and enables him to see clearly things he could not discern before, so light floods the soul of the man counted worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit and enables him to see things beyond the range of human vision, things hitherto undreamed of.

The readings and feasts of this week are a wonderful preparation for the Feast of Pentecost on Sunday.

The Apostle Paul, in Luke’s readings from the Acts of the Apostles, hurries through the Roman world in answer to the command of Jesus:  “Go out into the whole world and preach the gospel. ”  He’s inspired by the Spirit.

Like Jesus, Paul bids farewell to his followers, the elders from Ephesus, and urges them to continue the ministry given to them by the Spirit. ( Tuesday and Wednesday) “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them. So be vigilant.”

Like Jesus, Paul must go up to Jerusalem (then to Rome). “ Compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know, except that in one city after another the Holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me. Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course.

Paul experiences the passion of Jesus as he clashes with the Jewish leadership and appears before the Roman tribunal. Festus, judging him innocent yet in a quandary over the religious issues that are raised, sends Paul, at his own request, to be judged by the Emperor in Rome. (Thursday and Friday)

In the gospel readings through the week  from John,  Jesus bids farewell to his disciples and promises to be with them, no matter what. “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” (Monday) He will send them his Spirit.

“I pray for them,” Jesus says.  “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you preserve them from the Evil One.” (Wednesday) “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (Thursday)

Friday and Saturday’s gospel readings from John takes us to the Lake of Galilee where Jesus commissions his apostle Peter to feed his sheep. Peter will stretch out his hands and be led where he did not want to go–“signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.” Paul too will be led to death like Peter. He will follow Jesus.

We’re called to go through our world and fulfill the mission God gives us, The Lord prays for us and helps us as we go.

The Passionists are holding our chapter this last week of the Easter season. The liturgists who prepared our liturgy after the 2nd Vatican Council saw these days as a novena preparing for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They filled it with reflections on the Holy Spirit from the Fathers of the Church, Augustine, Basil the Great, Cyril of Jerusalem, Cyril of Alexandria, Irenaeus, Hilary of Poitier. Excellent readings to know the Holy Spirit. I offer one each day.