When St. Francis de Sales became Bishop of Geneva in 1602, he inherited a diocese mostly made up of “former Catholics.” They were now Calvinists. Francis had been through his own crisis with Calvinist thinking during his student days—and from this natural empathy for the thinking of those who left the church to follow Calvin, he worked assiduously to bring them back. He is the patron of evangelists today because of his remarkable success. I have read 55,000 people returned to the Catholic Church because of St. Francis’ efforts.
St. Francis was a practical man who did not begin with theological arguments. He tended to begin with practical practices of the faith—like having those who remained Catholic in a village to drop to their knees when the Angeles bells rang or to make the simple Sign of the Cross, saying “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Then he used these simple practices to help people recall the beauty and the wonder of our Catholic faith. As he did, the Holy Spirit must have fanned the embers of Catholic faith within—so that faith again flamed up in people’s lives.
Paul in Ephesus
As we prepare between Ascension and Pentecost for our annual celebration of the Holy Spirit, today we hear what happened to Paul in Ephesus. Today’s first reading says Paul went down to Ephesus and found some disciples. Paul must have noticed something incomplete about their practice of The Way, because he asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” Their reply was, “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
These believers had only been baptized with the baptism of John the Baptist. Paul baptized them in Christ, laid hands on them, and they began to manifest the Holy Spirit through speaking in tongues and prophesying.
Identifying the Holy Spirit
Does it take speaking in tongues or prophesying or healing to have the Holy Spirit?
NO! Absolutely not. Our church teaches that we receive the Holy Spirit—that is, God living in us—at baptism. A stronger power of the Holy Spirit is received in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Each and every sacrament is a dose of God, and so, each and every Confession or Eucharist can enhance the flame of God’s Life in us.
However, the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives depends on our practical life with God—specifically on our avoidance of mortal sin. We have heard Jesus say in the Gospels again and again the past couple of weeks “You are my friends if you do what I command of you.” While the Holy Spirit does not depart from us when we are in a state of sin, it is as if we have imprisoned God if we step over into mortal sin. He is dormant, silent within us.
This can lead us to function as if we have never even heard of the Holy Spirit. We have to both confess/repent from the sin and then recognize the re-activization of the Holy Spirit for it to recover for us joyful living in “the Way” of Christ’s disciples.
In My Life and Yours
I remember my “barely hanging onto the Faith years.” When I confessed and repented, strange things began to happen in my mind and heart. It spooked me. It was as if I had never even heard of the Holy Spirit before. I did not recognize him. I started attending to prayer more. I went to a worship service where people were seriously praying in and for the Holy Spirit. Their intensity and emotion made me realize my lack. I asked God, “Give me what they have.”
He did. I had lots more repenting and converting to do, but the ship was turned. That was eleven years ago. God is still working on me, but I have come to recognize signs the Holy Spirit. They include:
Gifts of the Spirit: Fear of the Lord, Piety, Fortitude, Knowledge, Counsel, Understanding, and Wisdom.
Fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Self-Control.
Charisms: Charisms are gifts EVERY Christian receives to take his or her place in building the Kingdom of God. We all get one or more. These are like talents or skills—but deeper, richer. In a study I made several years ago with some of Sherry Weddell’s materials, characteristics of a Charism include: (1) an attraction to doing this work—you love it; (2) results when you do it that are better than you would expect; (3) other people recognize the effectiveness/giftedness of your work; (4) you cannot, do not, use this gift for evil—only for good; (5) charisms may be evident from youth or may be given at the time they are needed.
So…How Is the Holy Spirit in Your Life?
Do you see the Presence of the Gifts of the Spirit?
Do you see the Presence of the Fruits of the Spirit?
Do you see the Presence of particular talents/skills/charisms? Which ones?
Come, Holy Spirit:
We are now in the time of the original novena, the nine days of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost, when the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin prayed and fasted for Jesus’ promised gift of the Holy Spirit. Now is a good time to do some simple thing like pray the Angelus or join in Pope Francis’ around-the-world request to pray the rosary for an end of the pandemic or use one of the many forms of a Holy Spirit novena you can find on the internet. Ask God to do whatever it takes to enliven the Holy Spirit within you. That enlivening might include a rather thorough conversion or it might be some small but significant change. It might include a new charism or it might include a new task or efficacy in gifts you already use for God. It might include some of the “charismatic” expressions, like praying in a prayer language, capacity to heal or to prophsy, or a sense of being SENT on a new mission–or it might just leave you more joyful and effective in what you are already doing. You won’t know any of that–until you sincerely ask and God moves.
If you are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, you HAVE the Holy Spirit—whether you have truly heard of it or not. Pray that the Holy Spirit be more fully released in you!
Prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created and renew the face of the earth. Amen
