Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

Catholic Inspiration – 5th Sunday of Lent (Year A) – Fully Alive!

Three Great Things

Study:  How am I taking care of my health – Body, Mind, Heart, and Soul?  How am I using the precious gift of my life?

Pray: Call upon the Holy Spirit for the wisdom to live the special and unique gifts I have been given.

Serve: How can I help others live the gift of their lives today?

Fr. Andrew’s 5th Sunday of Lent (Year A) Podcast

Note: This homily was given at Cathedral of Christ the King on March 22, 2015


The Feast of Pentecost

 

Holy-Spirit-Dove

Study: Where in my life have I experienced God’s grace and strength?

Pray:  What particular needs in my life call for the help of the Holy Spirit?

Serve:  Where can I use the gifts God has given me to serve another right now?

Pentecost Mass Vigil Readings        Pentecost Mass Day Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily

The image St. Paul uses in the 2nd reading this weekend is a body.  Composed of different parts which do unique and special functions, the body is united when all the parts come together.  So, too, all of us are united into the Body of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Look at these themes from Pentecost Mass Readings of the Day:

  • The Spirit gives power to communicate across barriers of race and tongue (1st Reading)
  • The Spirit gives life and renews the face of the earth (Psalm response)
  • The Spirit gives different gifts to people for different needs (2nd Reading)
  • The Spirit is breathed on the disciples by Jesus (Gospel)

In other words, the Holy Spirit unites people, renews life, provides unique gifts, and is granted to the Church by Christ.  This is the day that the disciples were empowered to continue the mission of Jesus; filled with the Spirit they will witness the Good News of the Lord through their words and actions.

Their example becomes our model.  The same Spirit that changed their lives comes to us.  The same Spirit that gave them the grace and strength to go forth gives us the power we need to offer our lives for Christ.  God continues to invite us to serve, and the Lord pours forth the Holy Spirit to help us carry out the work of this day.

Are there barriers in our life?  Come Holy Spirit!

Are there parts of life in need of renewal?  Come Holy Spirit!

Are there gifts we have that need to be used and directed?  Come Holy Spirit!

Jesus freely gave the gift of the Spirit to his disciples – may we turn to the Lord with conviction that as we call for the Holy Spirit in our lives we will be given what we need for the work of this day.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
V. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

 


The Most Holy Trinity

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Study:  Recall a time when you had an experience of God.  Consider how you have changed because of this encounter.

Pray:  Is there something or someone in your life who is in need of an encounter with God?  Are you grateful for an encounter you have witnessed in your own life?  Take this to your prayer.

Serve:  How can you help others encounter God in their lives?  What can you do for others to remove obstacles and allow them to experience God’s grace?

Here in the North we are blessed with an abundance of natural resources.  Forests, lakes, rich farmland, beaches, trails, and countless other treasures comprise the bounty of our countryside.  Many of these resources are easy to take for granted, especially for those of us who live among them all year long.

Take water for example.  The lakes and rivers of Wisconsin inspire and relax people throughout the seasons.  From fishing to water skiing, the activities surrounding water are endless.  Indeed, when compared to other places around the world, our supply of fresh water is a priceless commodity.

Of course water does come in different forms.  As a solid, liquid, or gas water is both useful and easily recognizable.  The different forms help us to understand that one substance can be revealed in a variety of ways; something can be the same while appearing in a different or even contradictory fashion.

The Holy Trinity is one of the central mysteries of our faith.  At its heart lies our belief that there is one God who is revealed to us in three different ways:  the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  These three Persons, who we invoke every time we make the sign of the Cross, are part of the experience of faith which the followers of Jesus encountered.

As the disciples listened to the teaching of Christ, they understood that Jesus was the Father’s only Son.  They accepted the promise that Jesus, who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, would ask the Father to send the Advocate – the Holy Spirit, to guide them and give them strength.  It is through our faith in Christ that we come to this knowledge, for God is revealed to us through these three Persons, who are in complete and inseparable unity.

Yet the Trinity is not only a mystery which teaches us about God; it is a mystery for our own lives as well.  Just as the Father sent the Son, and later the Holy Spirit – we, too, are sent to reach out to our sisters and brothers with the knowledge and hope that we have received.  We are invited to both live in unity with those around us, even as we work to bridge the divisions and hostilities which separate us.

The Trinity is a mystery that reveals to us the love of God – through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  May we respond in a similar fashion, reflecting the love of God to those around us.


Pentecost – Finding our Strength

Holy Spirit - St. Peter's

Study:  Reflect on a time when you felt God’s strength.  Was it with the help of others or in a particular situation?  How did God help you?

Pray:  We all need strength to face challenges in life.  Ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to face what lies ahead.

Serve:  How might the Holy Spirit be working through you to help another?  How might the Spirit call you to serve someone else?

Pentecost Readings:

Where do people find their strength?  As a priest I have had the privilege of walking with families during moments of trial and difficulty.  At times when pain and struggle seem too difficult to bear, I often witness people who face incredible obstacles through their faith, which sustains them in truly amazing ways.

Faith gives life, guidance, meaning, and strength.  Yet what makes our faith possible?  How does God empower our faith in the midst of the activity and demands of daily life?  The answer is simple:  The Holy Spirit.

The feast of Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Church after Jesus ascended into Heaven.  Through this coming the Apostles were transformed – their hearts were on fire, blazing with a desire to live as Christ taught, and sharing what they had received with others.

Pentecost was an amazing event!  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church gained courage and strength that it had not previously experienced.  Disciples (who had formerly been afraid and doubtful) were now fearlessly proclaiming the Good News – facing even persecution and death.

Something happened.  Something powerful and life changing.  Something that could not be attributed to a human cause.  Through Pentecost God intervened in the lives of people, and from this moment the Church has been on fire.

Yet Pentecost was not a one-time event.  Indeed, the power of this feast continues through the whole Church.  The Holy Spirit, promised to us by Jesus, is sent by the Father so that this same strength is ours as well.  It is the Spirit which dwells within us, guiding and empowering us in our moments of need.

Every saint, every person of faith, every heroic and Christ-like act of goodness – is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.  For whenever we open our hearts, asking the Spirit to dwell in our lives, God will send the Spirit to give us the strength we need.

This is our promise!  We stand in the same tradition as the Apostles, and we seek God to be with us.  Just as God sent the Spirit upon the early Church, so too will God send the Spirit upon the Church today.  What is needed is an invitation:
Come Holy Spirit!
    Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love!