Fr Scotts Homily from last Sunday ---------------------------------------- Our readings this weekend are all about the Holy Spirit, a preparation if you will for the next two weekends celebrating the Ascension of our Lord and Pentecost. In our Gospel we find Jesus speaking to the Apostles at the Last Supper. But all He says still applies to us today. “You know Him (the Holy Spirit) because He remains with you and will be in you.” Two ways we see the Holy Spirit, Jesus says—with us and in us. The Holy Spirit is with us through the Holy Catholic Church as she administers the Sacraments and rules Jesus’ flock. But the Holy Spirit is also within us as Baptized and Confirmed Christians. In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles shows us these two experiences of the Holy Spirit. In this story the Samaritans accept Jesus and are baptized into His Church. But they still need the Holy Spirit. They still need the Sacrament of Confirmation. Therefore they send for Peter and John, two of the Apostles and two bishops of the Church! It is through them that the Samaritans are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Through Peter and John, the bishops, they are infused with the Holy Spirit indelibly as we call it (permanently). Therefore we know of the Holy Spirit, we experience the Holy Spirit both through the Church in her bishops as well as through His interior presence within each of us as members of the Mystical Body of Christ (the baptized). All we have to do is look into ourselves. Now back to the Gospel reading. Jesus tells us that the world does not know or see the Holy Spirit. Why? Because it is too focused on survival of the fittest. Nature is a nasty place. It is selfish. It is self-centered. This is the voice of the world. And it easily creeps into us when we are not vigilant. It creeps into us as gossip among other ways. This is the failure to see the dignity of every human person, including our enemies. This is using another person for our own personal gain—material or emotional. This is pure evil because it is contrary to love. “If you love me,” Jesus says, “you will keep my commandments.” You will act according to the promptings of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. Not against them. As the Catechism teaches us (CCC 739), we are given the Holy Spirit so that we may go forth and share the love of Jesus, doing good works! Not to grieve Him through acts of gossip or revenge. Many of you may be thinking right now, “Surely not I, Father?” Remember Judas said that during Mass once, too. As my mom always told me, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all! If it can hut a person’s reputation or even their feelings or self-esteem, then think again! And again! God has given us an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, not to defend us as an attorney but to guide us towards keeping God’s commandments. He is inside you by virtue of your Baptism and Confirmation. After all, it is the Spirit who helps you confess your sins. All you have to do is humbly look into yourself to find Him. Humbly listen, casting aside any self-pride. If you truly love Jesus, you will.
Posted on: Tue, 27 May 2014 19:25:30 +0000
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