In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus assures his disciples he will not leave them alone, but will give them an Advocate, “the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name — he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (Jn. 14:26).
It seems like the Holy Spirit always ends up as an afterthought, in a sense — the oft-forgotten third person of the Trinity. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son … oh, and of the Holy Spirit.” It’s easy to remember the Father, because we all have fathers; that’s something we relate to as human beings. And since Jesus is the Son of the Father, we can relate to Him as well, particularly since He took on a human nature like ours. The Holy Spirit, however, is much more mysterious to us. And sometimes, rather than try to make sense of a mystery, we tend to leave it alone and stick with what’s familiar and known.
But the Holy Spirit is one of the greatest gifts we have, and it is through the power of this Spirit that we receive guidance, wisdom, love of God, and so much more! How many people, when given a gift that could change their lives or benefit them immensely, just put it on the shelf and look at it occasionally? And yet, this is exactly what happens with the Holy Spirit.
As Christians, each of us is meant to live a life filled with the Spirit, receiving and responding to His reminders of the teachings of Jesus, and learning how to live out these truths as children of the Father. But maybe we are afraid of or unwilling to commit to this lifestyle because it means effort, a constant receptivity to the spiritual realm, and a detachment from worldly things. Or we might initially accept the gift of the Holy Spirit, perhaps even with genuine thanks on our lips, but somewhere along the way, we forget its significance or helpfulness in our lives, and the Dove ends up as a nice dust-collector in our spiritual guest room.
We live in an age where the moral fiber of our country is crumbling, where natural disasters, suffering, and the evil things happening in our world are only increasing. Now is the perfect time to dust off this incredible gift we have been given. Now is the time to enter into a real relationship with the Holy Spirit, and truly take advantage of all He has to teach us.
It may be difficult at first to live our lives in total surrender to the workings of the Spirit, but all that is required is an open heart and a ready willingness to follow whatever promptings we may receive as a result. Whenever we find ourselves stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious, we have Jesus’ promise of peace to cling to: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid”(14:27). And this peace comes on the same breath of the Lord that sends us the Holy Spirit.
If we live a life open to this Spirit of God, asking for the gifts and fruits of the Spirit (one of which is peace) our hearts will never be troubled or afraid. And this is what we must work towards. But lest we become discouraged, let ours be a calm striving, a slow and steady effort that shows our confident and humble trust in the Lord’s great mercy.
And in this hope of mercy, we will never be disappointed, as St. Paul tells us, “because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us”(Romans 5:5).
I know I am not as consistent as I should be about carrying the Holy Spirit with me in my daily life, so starting now I will definitely be making some changes! Here are some questions I will be praying with and asking myself this week:
– Am I open to the Holy Spirit’s presence in my heart?
– Do I ask the Spirit to permeate each day with His power, allowing His fire to swell my heart to an ever greater love for God?
– Am I actively seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit?
– How can I be more receptive to His promptings?
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“Come Holy Spirit,
Come now,
Come as You wish.”
Fr. Rañiero Cantalamessa
