Holy Spirit, Powerful Gift
Do you remember when we called the Third Person of the Trinity the Holy Ghost? Because “ghost” conjures up a spooky Halloween figure, this Person was renamed Holy Spirit. This name is better because it conveys that this Person doesn’t have a material body but is pure spirit. Because we are approaching the feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the early Church, our Gospel readings have been about Jesus promising to send this Helper of ours.
At the outset of Jesus’s public ministry, his baptism, the Holy Spirit came down on him in the form of a dove. Aided by this Spirit, Jesus worked miracles, healed, preached, and endured his passion and death.
The Holy Spirit came down upon you too at your Baptism and more fully at your Confirmation. He brought along gifts that you probably memorized before you were confirmed: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude, counsel, piety, and fear of the Lord (awe). The Spirit dwells within you right now, ready to encourage, inspire, and assist you as you carry out your ministry, whatever that may be. St. Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God?” (1 Cor. 6:19)
For good reason we’ve had the practice of appealing to the Holy Spirit before reading the Bible and before taking a test (Holy Spirit, Lord of Light, help me chose the one that’s right). As a writer, I depend on this Person to give me ideas for my books and talks. He doesn’t disappoint. I also pray to the Holy Spirit before making a serious phone call and before a job interview.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus, a way that he remains with us always. We believe that the Holy Spirit has guided the Church over the past 2,000 years and is still at work, leading us to new understandings and new practices. When I became editor of the Christ Our Life religion series, deacons and the single life had to be added to the vocation chapter. Drinking from the cup at Mass was an innovation as well as girl altar servers. Who knows what else the Holy Spirit has in store for us?
The Bible introduces the Holy Spirit active in creation in its very first verses: “The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while the spirit of God [or mighty wind] swept over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). Now that our Earth is threatened in so many ways, it would make sense to turn to the Spirit for help.
Theologically speaking, the Holy Spirit is the Love between God the Father and God the Son. When we are filled with and animated by this Love, love overflows to other people. We cherish and care for not only our family, but the wider family of the human race: refugees, the people in the Ukraine, as well as the irritating neighbor next door.
Here is an inspiring hymn to the Holy Spirit that was new to me. You need to click on the link to go to it on youTube.
• When might you pray to the Holy Spirit?
The Supreme King vs. King Charles III and Others
Last Saturday King Charles III was crowned in an elaborate ceremony rich in symbolism. He is the monarch of England and, as I understand it, he doesn’t have much real power. The event led me to reflect on Christ, the omnipotent King of the Universe, and make some comparisons.
Charles came to his coronation in a gold coach pulled by white horses. In the book of Revelation, Jesus rides a white horse and on his robe and thigh are the words “King of Kings” and “Lord of Lords.” Christ is king of the entire universe. Not only did he create it, but he wrested it from Satan. Jesus was crucified because he claimed to be King of the Jews.
Charles wore crowns laden with precious jewels. The only crown Jesus wore on earth was made of thorns.
Charles was presented with the Sovereign’s Orb: a cross on a globe, meaning he has power over the Christian world. Jesus rules every people on earth and in the heavens.
Charles was given two scepters: the Sovereign’s Scepter with Cross, a symbol of his earthly power, and the Scepter with Dove (the Holy Spirit), which stood for his spiritual role and pastoral care. At the baptism of Jesus when he was anointed for his mission, the Holy Spirit came down on him.
Charles was presented with five swords: The Sword of Temporal Justice, the Sword of Spiritual Justice, the Sword of Mercy, the Sword of Offering, and the Sword of State. These symbolize attributes of his reign. Jesus rules with unsurpassed justice and mercy. Those who belong to his kingdom promote his values: peace, justice, mercy, and love.
Charles received the spurs that stood for knighthood, chivalry, honor and courage. This was revised for him to read “a brave advocate for those in need.” Now that was very Christlike. In fact, the theme of the coronation was “called to serve.”
Charles also received armills, bracelets of sincerity and wisdom, also symbolic of knighthood and military leadership. Jesus won the battle against the powers of evil forever. He called himself the Truth.
At the base of the coronation chair were two lions. Jesus is the lion of Judah, the tribe he belonged to that included his ancestor King David. He now sits enthroned in heaven at the Father’s right hand.
Under Charles’s chair was the Stone of Destiny. Jesus, the stone rejected by the builders, has become the cornerstone.
The Sovereign’s ring, the “Wedding ring of England” was placed on Charles’s finger. Jesus is the bridegroom of the Church.
Seated next to Charles and also crowned was Queen Camilla, his wife. The Queen of Heaven and Earth is Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
Singers of all ages celebrated Charles in Westminster Abbey. In heaven multitudes of majestic angels and saints praise Christ in song.
Subjects owed their king loyalty, obedience, and taxes. Christ the King desires nothing less than our lives and our love. According to a parable he told, when our King comes as judge at the end of time, he will separate people into two groups. Those who performed acts of mercy, such as feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, will be welcomed into his kingdom of heaven. As St. John of the Cross said, “In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.”
Christ is an unusual king. People gave their lives for their king, but our King died for us. Kings live in luxury, but when Jesus walked the earth, he opted to be a poor, itinerant preacher. Kings lord it over their people, but Jesus served others and taught his followers to humbly do so too.
Like other kings, though, Jesus expects loyalty. Members of his kingdom abide by his law of love. They work to spread his kingdom by attracting others to him. By our baptism we share in the kingly, priestly, and prophetic roles of Christ. That means we are royalty too!
Earthly kings come and go. But Jesus will be King for all eternity.
This passage from 1 Chronicles 29:11-13 extols God’s kingship:
Yours, O Lord, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory.
For all in heaven and on earth is yours;
yours, O Lord, is the sovereignty:
you are exalted as head over all.
riches and honor are from you,
and you have dominion over all.
In your hands are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.
Therefore, our God, we give you thanks
and praise the majesty of your name.
Here is a hymn in praise of Jesus…
Precious Planet Earth
In 2015, Pope Francis released his encyclical “Laudato Si’, which encouraged us inhabitants of Earth to take up our responsibility to protect our home: fellow living creatures, water, and air.
Today I offer for your reflection only a gorgeous video that powerfully demonstrates how our Earth is worth saving:
Godwinks: God’s Courtesies
Every so often something extraordinary occurs for our good—strange coincidences that can’t be explained. These signs from God are called Godwinks. In some Hallmark movies Godwinks bring a couple together. You have probably experienced some yourself. Maybe you were looking for a piece of information, and a book falls open to the exact page it’s on. You meet someone in a store who gives you good advice. Whatever the strange happening, it assures you that God has a hand in our lives.
This month as I was traveling to give a talk at an NCEA convention in Dallas, I was apprehensive about being on my own for the event. The plane I took there was filled to capacity. Yet, as I glanced over the man beside me, on his other side was an Ursuline Sister I knew from Gesu parish, a partner of St. Dominic Parish where I had worked. What’s more, she attended my talk. To my mind, this was God offering me support.
Three other Godwinks I find striking occurred to other people.
This week we celebrate the funeral of Sister Marilyn Schiller, a kind, gentle Sister. This made me recall the time she asked a mutual friend, another Sister, to give the eulogy at her father’s funeral. This Sister was reluctant to speak in front of a large group. At the funeral Sister Marilyn’s mother, Louise, seated in a wheelchair, was sobbing so much that during Mass the priest came down to comfort her. As the Sister who was to speak was driving to the church, dreading her talk, to her amazement the license plate on the car in front of her read “4 Louise.” What are the chances of that happening? Nothing like God stepping in to give encouragement!
Once a woman told me that she was at the grave of her infant daughter, grieving. All of a sudden she heard a voice saying, “I will take care of her, and I will take care of you.” The woman looked around. Yes, no one was there. She believes that it was her Blessed Mother comforting her.
One day I called my publisher. When someone picked up, I said, “This is Sister Kathleen. Is this Loyola Press?” “I’m afraid you have the wrong number,” a man replied. He went on, “But this is odd. I was just sitting here wondering if God really existed, and out of the blue I get a call from a Sister!”
That reminds me of one of my other Godwinks. A publisher was making decisions that would jeopardize a project. I returned home after discussing it with our community treasurer. She advised me not to worry but to put it out of my mind. Nevertheless, I sat in my office worrying. The phone rang, and I was offered free time to speak with a psychic. I figured Why not? (An older sister once said I could consider listening to a call like this research.) The woman asked me my birthday. Then she said, “You want to spend your life helping humanity. Don’t worry. Work will always come to you.” Now she could have said I would win a lottery or meet a handsome man, but no. Her words were on target. So God can speak even through a psychic. After all, he spoke to the prophet Balaam through a donkey!
• When have you experienced a Godwink?
Ways to Learn/Teach about Mary
After months of preparing for my talk at the NCEA convention, it’s all over! I will give it a longer life by sharing part of it with you. May, the month dedicated to Mary, is right around the corner. You may wish to adopt any of the following ideas for yourself, your family, or your class.
• In particular, the audience liked the idea of teaching the Hail Mary in another language. For the occasion I learned this prayer in American Sign Language and taught it to them. The next day in the exhibit hall, three women approached and said, “Are you the one who taught signing for the Hail Mary?” When I said, “Yes,” they asked, “Would you teach us?” Right there I did while one woman recorded it on her phone.
• Find out flowers and herbs suitable for a Mary Garden. Plant a Mary Garden, even a miniature one.
• Locate pictures of Mary that represent different cultures.
• Tour the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., at https://www.nationalshrine.org/virtual
• Write a prayer to Mary based on one of her titles.
• Hold a Celebrate Mary Day. Serve cupcakes with blue icing marked with an M. Sing a Marian hymn.
• Act out an event from Mary’s life.
• Hold a contest to see who can think of the most names derived from Mary.
• Find five things that Saints said about Mary.
• Make a rosary of cord, beads, dough, or other material.
• Discover legends about Mary, like those related to flowers. Create a child’s book about one of them.
• Research notable churches named for Mary and write a report on one.
• Write a homily on Mary for one of her feasts.
• Create a Marian jigsaw puzzle, mosaic, or triptych.
• List Marian apparitions approved by the Church. Write a report on one of them.
• Create a documentary on Mary as a PowerPoint slideshow, radio program, video, or podcast.
• Learn what a first-century Jewish woman’s life was like: her clothing, daily tasks, home, etc.
• Make a timeline of Mary’s life. Add pictures.
Finally, here is a True/False Pretest about the Blessed Virgin Mary. Answers are below.
1. The Quran, the Muslim holy book, has more verses about Mary than the Catholic Bible.
2. The state of Maryland was named for the Blessed Virgin.
3. The names for Mary’s parents and the story of her Presentation in the temple come from an apocryphal Gospel.
4. The Marianum in Rome has more than 85,000 books on Mary.
5. The Church teaches that Mary died.
6. Mary’s Assumption was not declared a dogma until 1950.
7. Church bells were rung three times a day, reminding people to pray the Angelus.
8. “O Sanctissima” is thought to have originated with Sicilian fishermen asking Mary’s protection during the night.
9. The largest Christian church in the world is the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Asia.
10. After an assassin’s attack on May 13, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, Pope John Paul II had one of the bullets placed in Our Lady’s crown in Fatima.
11. Martin Luther prayed the Rosary every day until he died.
12. At first people prayed fifty Our Fathers on beads called paternosters. Supposedly Lady Godiva bequeathed hers to a monastery.
13. The patron of the United States is Mary’s husband, St. Joseph.
14. The largest statue of Mary in the United States is the 90-foot Our Lady of the Rockies.
15. Ladybugs are named for Mary.
Answers: 1T, 2F (For Queen Mary, wife of England’s Charles I ), 3T (From the Protoevangelium of James), 4T, 5F (Doesn’t say), 6T, 7T, 8T, 9F (It’s in the Ivory Coast, Africa), 10T, 11T, 12T, 13F (The Immaculate Conception), 14T, 15T (In the Middle Ages when crops were infested, after people prayed to Mary, red beetles came and solved the problem.)
• What is your favorite image of our Blessed Mother?
