In my homily last Sunday, I said that trying to understand the Lord’s Ascension was rather perplexing. We could say the same about the Holy Spirit. Perhaps this is because we struggle to relate to a “spirit.” It is easier to relate to the idea of a “father” and a “son.”
St. John Paul II called the Holy Spirit the “hidden God” who was manifest at times in various symbolic ways…a dove, wind, water, cloud, and tongues of fire. These seek to convey the presence and power of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus at the Last Supper. “I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” This Holy Counselor dwells within the Church to keep it ever One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.
Today we join the Church in crying out: Veni Sancte Spiritus—Come, Holy Spirit! Do we really understand what we are asking? Ah! Be careful! At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came in tongues of fire! To possess the Holy Spirit is to be on fire, which is to say, to possess an ardent love, a passion, a zeal for the faith.
On Pentecost the Holy Spirit transformed the disciples. Fear became courage and trepidation turned to zeal. No longer turned in on themselves, they set out on mission. Can we say the Holy Spirit has done the same for us? What is our level of courage and zeal, our sense of mission?
Pope Benedict suggested that we might fear being scorched by the Holy Spirit, in the sense that we prefer to stay just as we are and content to do the bare minimum. Certainly, we want to follow Christ, but we are afraid of the demands involved. Pope Francis warned us not to be become “armchair Christians…Christians stuck half-way.”
Today we rejoice with those who will at this liturgy be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation:
Manuel Ramon Rivera, Jason Robin, Sandra Rose Todd, Marie Martha Dennery, and Lynette Frese
Manuel Rivera and Lynette Frese will also be receiving the Holy Eucharist for the first time.
We congratulate them and thank their families, catechists and sponsors who have guided them to this important day in their spiritual life.
“Come, Holy Spirit” is a bold prayer but let us pray it:
Come, Holy Spirit! Remove the veil before our eyes, so that we can acknowledge that Jesus is Lord: God, who became man, walked our streets, who suffered, died, and rose out of love for us. Come, Holy Spirit! Give us a thirst for the word of God, opening our hearts to its Light, with the humility to listen, seeking the Truth that is found in every page of Sacred Scripture. Come Holy Spirit! Place us on our knees before the Eucharist to adore and to desire the Living Bread for our journey. Come, Holy Spirit! Help us mourn our sins and rejoice in your forgiveness. May we run to the arms of Mary who teaches us how to say, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Come, Holy Spirit! Thank you! Holy Spirit!
