Faith to invoke the Spirit

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer some examples of the effectiveness of faith to bring the Holy Spirit to assist us in love and peace.

Invoke the Spirit

The Letter to the Galatians expresses the anger of Paul over the decision of some members of the community to move away from the faith that introduced them to Christ.

* [3:2] Faith in what you heard: Paul’s message received with faith. The Greek can also mean “the proclamation of the faith” or “a hearing that comes from faith.”

In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus declares the action of God is to give us the Spirit when we ask.

* [11:13] The holy Spirit: this is a Lucan editorial alteration of a traditional saying of Jesus (see Mt 7:11). Luke presents the gift of the holy Spirit as the response of the Father to the prayer of the Christian disciple.

Come Holy Spirit is a piece by Lindsay Bodkin that gathers the faith of prominent Christians in the action of the Spirit today including Nicky Gumbel, Vicar at Holy Trinity Brompton, who is the popular and award-winning author of several books, and is most well known for developing the Alpha course.

“The Holy Spirit is working in many amazing ways today.  In particular, there is a sense that the Holy Spirit is lowering church and denominational barriers, bringing Christians together.  This is a wonderful answer to Jesus’ prayer that we might be one in order that the world will believe.”

Tom Shanahan, S.J., remembers St. John XXIII, a dearly loved Pope, calling for and opening the Second Vatican Council with the effect of “throwing open the windows” of the church to breathe new and fresh air to use John's own image.  The council sought to open our windows, doors, and eyes to the work of the Holy Spirit moving gracefully in our midst.

God of us all, keep us faithful to your word and your desires for us.  Be with us as we negotiate difficulties and send us your Holy Spirit as our guide for prayer and actions in your service.  Watch over us with your gentle care that produces both challenge and joy; thank you for the eyes of faith, hope and love.

Don Schwager quotes Ask by praying, seek by proper living, knock by persevering, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

"Desiring that we arrive at the joys of the heavenly kingdom, our Lord and Savior taught us to ask these joys of him and promised that he would give them to us if we asked for them. 'Ask,' he said, 'and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.' Dearly beloved..., we earnestly and with our whole heart must ponder these words of our Lord. He bears witness that the kingdom of heaven is not given to, found by and opened to those who are idle and unoccupied but to those who ask for it, seek after it and knock at its gates. The gate of the kingdom must be asked for by praying. It must be sought after by living properly. It must be knocked at by persevering." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 2.51.20)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 11:5-13 urges that today, as we honor Good Pope John, let’s dedicate ourselves to fulfilling his hopes and dreams by the way we live: peacefully, lovingly, and in unity.

Fifty years later, on October 11, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI offered some reflections on the Moonlight Speech. “I too was in this square, gazing toward this window where the good Pope, Blessed Pope John looked out and spoke unforgettable words to us, words that were full of poetry and goodness, words that came from his heart.”
The Moonlight Speech, which is called the most famous address of John XXIII’s pontificate, can be summed up in just a few words: peace, unity, and love. These words, broad in scope but spoken from the heart, encapsulated Pope John’s hopes for the Church.

Friar Jude Winkler explains Paul’s anger with the Galatians. The grace of God is about what we need and not necessarily what we want. More than our earthly parents, God always wants to bring good to us.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes from The Cloud of Unknowing with the Book of Privy Counsel, translated by Carmen Acevedo Butcher, to convey the fathomless mystery of God and that God can only be known by loving presence—contemplation.

[God] measures us and makes . . . divinity fit our souls, and our souls are able to take the measure of [God] because [God] created us in [God’s] image and made us worthy. [God] alone is complete and can fulfill our every longing. God’s grace restores our souls and teaches us how to comprehend [God] through love. [God] is incomprehensible to the intellect. . . . Nobody’s mind is powerful enough to grasp who God is. We can only know [God] by experiencing [God’s] love.

The Love of God is connected to the Holy Spirit in the Trinity. We are invited to call on the Spirit in the faith that Our Father always responds to us with the Love we need.

References

(n.d.). Galatians chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/galatians/3
(n.d.). Luke 11. Retrieved October 11, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/luke11.htm
(2012, January 20). Come Holy Spirit, Part 3 - Seedbed. Retrieved October 11, 2018, from https://www.seedbed.com/come-holy-spirit-part-3/
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved October 11, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 11, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Saint John XXIII, Pope (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved October 11, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). John XXIII's Famous 'Moonlight Speech' | The Divine Mercy Message .... Retrieved October 11, 2018, from https://www.thedivinemercy.org/library/article.php?NID=5667
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 11, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/