A Pentecost Sunday Thought to Start the Week Off Right
Pentecost marks the descent of Holy Spirit on Our Lord's disciples in the upper room. We all know the story of the wind, the tongues of fire, how the disciples spoke in various languages they themselves had not spoken before, how those outside who could hear them thought they were drunk. It was quite a scene.
Afterwards, with the Holy Spirit now dwelling in their souls, those who once were timid and uncertain of themselves boldly proclaimed the Gospel to the world.
What about us? The Holy Spirit dwells in us too. He came to us when we were baptized. I don't know about you, but He didn't come to me with wind and tongues of fire. I still can't speak anything but English. And I'm not much of an evangelist either. Nevertheless, as The Inner Life of the Soul explains:
"Each soul of man is a little room where God the Holy Ghost has come. We heard no sound that thrilled the whole house of our being, we saw no light of burning flame, we felt nothing; yet God, the Spirit of light and love, was truly there...
May God teach us indeed to know and love the Guest within our souls!"
The next time any difficulty, temptation, or suffering comes knocking at our door, remember this. The next time any of us faces a challenge that seems impossible to meet, remember this.
"We seek for comfort, hither and thither, we seek for light; yet comfort and light are within us, all the time. We live in great anxiety, troubling ourselves about our future, or our friends, or our vocation, and grieving lest we shall some time offend our Blessed Lord Who died to save us from our sin..."
Right here, right now, the Holy Spirit lives within our souls. We can turn to Him immediately, without pause even for thought, and beg His mercy, His forgiveness, His light, His comfort. But do we?
How often have I forgotten and ignored this awesome, wondrous reality of the Holy Spirit living within my soul! Surrounded as we are by a world that does all it can to distract us from the Spirit dwelling within us, it's no wonder.
But today we can pray for the grace to end this madness. We can tell the Holy Spirit that we know He has come, that He lives within us. More so, we can forsake the pride that keeps us wrapped within ourselves to instead seek that Spirit wrapped within us.
We can thank Him for His Holy Presence. Rather than listen to ourselves, we can listen to Him, especially in those moments when we face temptation, difficulties, and suffering. How grateful we will be to know we can rely on Him, at those times when nothing seems to go right, especially when we suffer affliction in our bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our souls.
"But when the work of pain is accomplished, and the soul has learned how utterly useless its own efforts are, - when pride is crushed, and we know at last that the life of the Spirit must be our life, rather than any worldly ambition or intellectual gift or human love...It thinks no longer of what it is; it does not regard itself, it does not count upon itself, and, consequently, it does not count on persons or things..."
Deferring all our endeavors to the power of the Holy Spirit isn't a matter of being lazy or irresponsible. We continue to conscientiously apply ourselves to meet our obligations at work and in the home. We exercise the self-control that allows us to, over time, master our sensual appetites, our mental flights of fancy, the swings of emotion that can cause us to be impatient, even uncharitable to those we love. But in all our efforts, we turn to God; we seek the enlightenment and guidance of His Holy Spirit.
Doing so, we live with the knowledge and understanding that all that is good comes from Him, from the assistance He provides with His grace. We abandon ourselves to His mercy and His Love. Doing so, we cooperate with the graces He provides to free us from our pride and selfishness. Doing so, we are free as God created us to be.
"...it has attained 'the gift of forgetfulness of self.' Love of God possesses it and overmasters it, in the most perfect peace..."
Afterwards, with the Holy Spirit now dwelling in their souls, those who once were timid and uncertain of themselves boldly proclaimed the Gospel to the world.
What about us? The Holy Spirit dwells in us too. He came to us when we were baptized. I don't know about you, but He didn't come to me with wind and tongues of fire. I still can't speak anything but English. And I'm not much of an evangelist either. Nevertheless, as The Inner Life of the Soul explains:
"Each soul of man is a little room where God the Holy Ghost has come. We heard no sound that thrilled the whole house of our being, we saw no light of burning flame, we felt nothing; yet God, the Spirit of light and love, was truly there...
May God teach us indeed to know and love the Guest within our souls!"
The next time any difficulty, temptation, or suffering comes knocking at our door, remember this. The next time any of us faces a challenge that seems impossible to meet, remember this.
"We seek for comfort, hither and thither, we seek for light; yet comfort and light are within us, all the time. We live in great anxiety, troubling ourselves about our future, or our friends, or our vocation, and grieving lest we shall some time offend our Blessed Lord Who died to save us from our sin..."
Right here, right now, the Holy Spirit lives within our souls. We can turn to Him immediately, without pause even for thought, and beg His mercy, His forgiveness, His light, His comfort. But do we?
How often have I forgotten and ignored this awesome, wondrous reality of the Holy Spirit living within my soul! Surrounded as we are by a world that does all it can to distract us from the Spirit dwelling within us, it's no wonder.
But today we can pray for the grace to end this madness. We can tell the Holy Spirit that we know He has come, that He lives within us. More so, we can forsake the pride that keeps us wrapped within ourselves to instead seek that Spirit wrapped within us.
We can thank Him for His Holy Presence. Rather than listen to ourselves, we can listen to Him, especially in those moments when we face temptation, difficulties, and suffering. How grateful we will be to know we can rely on Him, at those times when nothing seems to go right, especially when we suffer affliction in our bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our souls.
"But when the work of pain is accomplished, and the soul has learned how utterly useless its own efforts are, - when pride is crushed, and we know at last that the life of the Spirit must be our life, rather than any worldly ambition or intellectual gift or human love...It thinks no longer of what it is; it does not regard itself, it does not count upon itself, and, consequently, it does not count on persons or things..."
Deferring all our endeavors to the power of the Holy Spirit isn't a matter of being lazy or irresponsible. We continue to conscientiously apply ourselves to meet our obligations at work and in the home. We exercise the self-control that allows us to, over time, master our sensual appetites, our mental flights of fancy, the swings of emotion that can cause us to be impatient, even uncharitable to those we love. But in all our efforts, we turn to God; we seek the enlightenment and guidance of His Holy Spirit.
Doing so, we live with the knowledge and understanding that all that is good comes from Him, from the assistance He provides with His grace. We abandon ourselves to His mercy and His Love. Doing so, we cooperate with the graces He provides to free us from our pride and selfishness. Doing so, we are free as God created us to be.
"...it has attained 'the gift of forgetfulness of self.' Love of God possesses it and overmasters it, in the most perfect peace..."
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful,
And enkindle in them the fire of Thy Love.
Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created,
And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
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