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Pentecost II

In 05 Homilies by Fr. Reid on 2016/05/15 at 12:00 AM

With today’s very important feast of Pentecost, we see fulfilled Jesus’ promise of the sending of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, who will lead us to all truth.

In a rather dramatic event in the life of the Church, we recall today how there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and that the Spirit descended upon Mary and the apostles as tongues as of fire as they were gathered in prayer 9 days after our Lord’s Ascension into Heaven.
And amazingly, each of them began to speak in various tongues and languages – and with perfect understanding.
But more important than speaking in other languages, those first followers of our Lord were filled with the power to proclaim and witness to the truths of Gospel, a power that enabled them to endure the most terrible hardships with courage and love – even to the point of being willing to suffer cruel forms of martyrdom for the sake of that Gospel!
This grace that our Lady and the apostles experienced at Pentecost is still active within the Church. Indeed, it is a grace given to us through the Sacrament of Confirmation.
While we may not receive the capacity to speak and understand other languages at the moment of our confirmation, all who are confirmed are given the grace to be good soldiers for Christ and witnesses to His Gospel.
Sealed within us at our confirmation are the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, counsel, knowledge, understanding, piety, courage, and fear of the Lord. It is these 7 gifts that enable us proclaim by word and deed the truths of our Christian faith.
And if we earnestly and consciously strive to use these 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit in order to live our Christian faith well, the Holy Spirit strengthens us so that we are able to be an effective witness to the Gospel, even if we have to suffer and die in order to do so.
Of the 3 Persons of the Holy Trinity, perhaps the Holy Spirit is the hardest to know and understand.
Jesus walked the earth as both God and man; He is an historical figure. We also experience Jesus in a very particular way through the Eucharist. So it is easier for us to know Him and love Him.
And while certainly mysterious and unknowable through our physical senses, God the Father is nonetheless easier for us to grasp and know because we can reason our way to the necessity of His existence.
We instinctively know that there has to be a First Cause or originating principle for all of creation. Simple logic tells us that there must be a Creator for creation to exist!
Furthermore, we also have the experience of our biological fathers who generate us and govern us, and who thereby present to us a concrete image of God the Father.
But the Spirit is different, and we do not have the same helps to knowing Him as we do God the Father and God the Son. But He is every bit as important as the Father and the Son, and as Christians we must all seek to know Him if we are to hope for Heaven!
So as we consider the necessity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and in the personal sanctification of each of us, we must consider how it is that we can draw closer and become more intimate with the Holy Spirit.
The obvious answer, of course, is prayer. We can certainly pray to the Holy Spirit just as we pray to the Father and the Son, and in doing so we naturally grow closer to Him.
In addition to praying to the Holy Spirit, we can exercise the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit, and this, too, will naturally draw us closer in union with Him.
But there is another means to drawing closer to the Holy Spirit that we may not readily see, and that is through uniting ourselves to our blessed Lady: Mary.
Outside of Jesus Mary is the person most closely united to the Holy Spirit in
Scripture. In fact, so close is this connection between the Holy Spirit and Mary that Pope Leo XIII referred to her as the “Spouse of the Holy Spirit” in his encyclical, Divinum Illud Munus.

When the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary at the Annunciation, he said: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35).
Just as a husband “overshadows” his wife in the consummation of their marital vows, so too does the Holy Spirit consummate His marital union with Mary as the Christ Child is conceived within her by His power.
This was not a physical act, but a spiritual one, and it was an act that made our Lady a unique vessel of the Holy Spirit for the accomplishment of God’s will. Thus, her relationship with the Spirit is unlike that of any other person.
And because of this spousal relationship with the Holy Spirit, because of the way she singularly cooperated in obedience, faith, hope, and charity with the Lord’s will for man’s salvation, Mary is the mother of us all in the order of grace (cf. CCC 967-969).
St. Maximilian Kolbe, who wrote so beautifully and extensively on the relationship between Mary and the Holy Spirit, taught that while all grace is given to us by God the Father, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and distributed by the Holy Spirit, in the process of distributing grace, the Holy Spirit works in and through our Lady.
Kolbe said that because Jesus, Who is the source of all grace, came to us through Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is therefore fitting that all graces poured out upon mankind continue to come through Mary by the work of the Holy Spirit.
You see, my brothers and sisters, because of her intimate union with the Holy Spirit, Mary always and in every way perfectly fulfilled God’s will in every aspect of her earthly life. Indeed, she is united with God more perfectly than any other creature.
Now in Heaven, where she reigns as Queen, the Holy Spirit acts through our Lady’s intercession to bring people into communion with Christ (CCC 725) and to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation (CCC 969).
Like a good mother, she pleads constantly with her Son for our benefit, procuring for us every grace we need to grow in holiness and virtue.
And this is precisely why we should unite ourselves to her: Mary brings us closer to the Holy Spirit so that He can accomplish His work of holiness within us. And by her example, she shows us what the Spirit can accomplish within a soul docile to Him.
St. Louis de Montfort said that “when the Holy Spirit, Mary’s spouse, finds a soul united to Mary, ‘He flies there. He enters there in His fullness; He communicates Himself to that soul abundantly, and to the full extent to which it makes room for His spouse’” (Gaitely, 33 Days to Morning Glory, p. 108).
Trusting in her powerful intercession, let us all unite ourselves ever more closely to her who is “our life, our sweetness, and our hope,” knowing that she will draw us to ever closer union with her divine Spouse so that we may indeed be good soldiers for Christ.
Come, Holy Spirit, come by the means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Your well-beloved spouse. Amen.
18 May 2013

© Reverend Timothy Reid

Fr. Reid is the pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC

Homilies from June 17, 2012 onward have audio.
To enable the audio, lease go directly to Fr. Reid’s homily homilies and select the matching date.

Link to Homilies:
http://stanncharlotte.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=8&Itemid=61

 

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“The temptation of weariness”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2016/05/15 at 12:00 AM
I want to warn you against a difficulty that may arise: it is the temptation of weariness and discouragement. Isn’t it still fresh in your memory what life — your old life — used to be like, with no aim to it, no purpose, no sparkle, and then, with God’s light and your own dedication, a new direction was given to it and you were filled with joy? Don’t be so silly as to exchange your new life for that other one. (The Forge, 286)

If you feel for whatever reason that you cannot manage to go on, abandon yourself in God, telling him: Lord, I trust in you, I abandon myself in you, but do help me in my weakness! And filled with confidence, repeat: See Jesus what a filthy rag I am. My life seems to me so miserable. I am not worthy to be a son of yours. Tell him all this ‑‑ and tell him so over and over again. It will not be long before you hear him say, Ne timeas! ‑‑do not be afraid; and also: Surge et ambula! ‑‑ rise up and walk! (The Forge, 287)

You were still rather hesitant when you were telling me: “I am deeply aware of the occasions when the Lord is asking more of me.” All I could think of was to remind you how you used to assure me that the only thing you wanted was to identify yourself with him. What’s keeping you back? (The Forge, 288)

If only you could manage to fulfill that resolution you made: “to die a little to myself each day.” (The Forge, 289

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Pentecost I

In 05 Homilies by Fr. Reid on 2016/05/15 at 12:00 AM

 

  • Since our Lord’s Ascension into Heaven, the Church has been in a period of joyful expectation. In a sense these 9 days between the Ascension and Pentecost are like a mini-Advent as we await the mighty coming of the Holy Spirit.
  • The promise by our Lord Jesus to send us the Holy Spirit is, perhaps, the most important promise ever made to humanity, for upon this promise depends the very livelihood and existence of the Church and the sanctity of each of her members.
  • Today we commemorate the fulfillment of that promise when the Holy Spirit descended as tongues of fire upon our Lady and the apostles gathered in prayer in the Upper Room.
  • And we who are heirs to the faith of the apostles and members of the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church, have received this same Spirit, too: first when we were baptized, and then again at our confirmation, which completes our baptism.
  • On the Feast of Ascension I spoke about this divine indwelling, i.e., the fact that through the Sacrament of Baptism, the entire Holy Trinity is brought to dwell within our souls – and remains there in a supernatural way as long as we remain in a state of grace.
  • While we commonly speak only of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within the souls of the baptized, I say the entire Holy Trinity comes to dwell within us because whatever God does outside of Himself is always done equally and simultaneously by all 3 Persons of the Holy Trinity.
  • However, it is to the Holy Spirit that we attribute all works that reflect God’s love and our union with Him. It is for this reason then that we often speak only of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
  • As I mentioned, our Lord’s indwelling within the souls of those in sanctifying grace is a special intimacy with God, an intimacy that enables us to know God as He truly is, so that we might love Him as He desires to be loved.
  • This divine indwelling that makes us temples of the Holy Spirit confers upon us a dignity that is beyond our understanding.
  • Whenever we baptize someone, we typically dress them in a white gown or garment of some type as a symbol of this newfound dignity. And yet even the purest and whitest linen is but a clumsy symbol of our baptismal innocence.
  • You see, my brothers and sisters, when our Lord comes into our souls at baptism, our souls are radically and eternally transformed – shaped more into an image of Christ – so that we might be made worthy of the Lord’s promise of eternal life.
  • Supernatural life is breathed into our souls as they are made worthy dwelling places for the Lord of all creation.
  • Indeed, the waters of baptism, by which the Holy Spirit first enters into our souls, have the power to quench the very fires of hell within us and to unleash within us the same living waters our Lord promised to the woman at the well.
  • Not only are we given sanctifying grace – the grace that saves us, not only are all of our sins forgiven, but we are given as well the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, counsel, understanding, piety, courage, and fear of the Lord.
  • These gifts enable us to live out our duties as Christians, and they complete and perfect the virtues within us. When we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, which is our own Pentecost, these gifts are increased and strengthened within us.
  • Through confirmation we are rooted more deeply in our divine sonship, we are united more firmly to Christ, our bond with the Church is strengthened, and we are given a special strength of the Holy Spirit to be faithful and courageous witnesses of Christ.
  • Thus, through the grace of confirmation, we are better able to live out the virtues of faith, hope, and charity that we first received at baptism and thereby live up to the demands of our status as Temples of the Holy Spirit.
  • Because we have received the indwelling of the Lord within us through the sacraments, we are called to live a life of faith, believing in God and trusting in Him in every detail of our lives.
  • We are called to live lives of hope as well, keeping our eyes on Heaven – knowing that this world is not our true home, but rather a place of exile.
  • Most importantly, we are called to live lives of charity – lives of love! As a reminder of this, around the Holy Spirit dove affixed to the ceiling of our sanctuary, we painted the words: “Come Holy Spirit, enkindle in us the fire of your love.”
  • I love that, in describing the descent of the Holy Spirit at that first Pentecost, St. Luke uses the imagery of “tongues of fire”, because it’s so apt.
  • To be sure, the fire of the Holy Spirit that we receive through the Sacraments is a refining fire – capable of burning away the dross of our faults and imperfections.
  • In burning away our faults and imperfections, the refining fire of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to love as we should! But this is true only for the souls of those who remain habitually in a state of grace.
  • This is a very important point. As I mentioned on the Feast of the Ascension, whenever we commit a mortal sin, we lose the supernatural presence of our Lord within our souls, and we become displeasing to God.
  • In fact, St. Teresa of Ávila teaches that, “all the good works [a soul] might do while in mortal sin are fruitless for the attainment of glory” (cf. IC, 1st dwelling places, ch. 1).
  • The reason for this is that since the soul is separated from God by the gravity of its sin, its good works do not proceed from God (Who is the One Who makes our virtue virtuous), and therefore cannot be pleasing to Him.
  • Of course, as I mentioned on the Ascension, we can regain our Lord’s supernatural presence in our souls through repentance and the grace of a good confession.
  • But considering the sublime nature our baptismal dignity, and considering the marvelous gift it is that our mighty God is humble enough to dwell within our souls, we should strive to keep our souls clean of all sin – venial or mortal, and to beg pardon for the times we fail.
  • As we celebrate this Pentecost Sunday, let us ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and hearts to anything within us that is displeasing to Him. May the Holy Spirit help us to know our sins and to confess them courageously.
  • May we truly receive Him who transforms us, consoles us, and sanctifies us. And may our souls always be worthy dwelling places for so great a guest.

 

© Reverend Timothy Reid

Fr. Reid is the pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC

Homilies from June 17, 2012 onward have audio.
To enable the audio, lease go directly to Fr. Reid’s homily homilies and select the matching date.

Link to Homilies:
http://stanncharlotte.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=8&Itemid=61

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