“Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.”
Jesus tells us in these words that if we love him and his Father they will come and make their home with us. Have you ever heard the expression, “home is where the heart is”? There is a lot of truth in this old cliche. Home is a familiar place, a safe place to be. It is where we spend time with our families and friends and it is a place where we can be ourselves. Our home is not a building but a place in the heart and no matter where we go, we are at home if we are with those we love. It is the same with Jesus and our Father. Wherever we go they never fail to love us or leave our side, if we do not leave theirs.
Actually, we can find a sense of community and a place to belong with our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter where we go. Whether we are visiting another city, move to another state or go overseas to a different country, we will find like minded people who are our brothers and sisters in the Spirit. We should also remember this when we have visitors in our own parish too, and make a special effort to greet them. Especially if the visitors are obviously not from the local community or culture. You would be surprised at how many new parishioners feel like they do not fit in, and are sometimes very ashamed that they do not speak English or whatever language is predominate in the community.
It really means a lot when you attend an unfamiliar church and the pastor acknowledges your presence among them too and welcomes you from the pulpit. Sometimes if it is a small enough parish, the parishioners will also greet the visitors and sometimes they are even asked to bring up the gifts. There is no such thing as strangers in a new parish, only friends you haven’t met. And these new friends are there no matter where you should need to go in the world.
The Eucharist is what makes us the body of Christ, but the Holy Spirit connects us too. Have you ever felt the presence of the Holy Spirit more profoundly than usual at mass? There are some masses that seem to truly come alive and live in the Spirit and are a presence you feel in your heart the whole time you are there. You can sometimes feel the Holy Spirit’s presence as soon as you you step into the sanctuary for mass. This is especially true at the Easter vigil and at all the masses on Easter day. The strong presence of the Holy Spirit is there in an extra special way because of the new Catholics that are joining the church and are confirmed in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit drew them to the Lord and that is a profoundly beautiful thing.
Actually, in addition to those Catholics who are drawn to the Catholic church through the Holy Spirit, we are all drawn to doing new things if we listen to His promptings. In the silence, He will speak and sometimes what He draws us to is something we ourselves did not really have a desire to ever do. Many priests say this happened to them. The priesthood was not on their minds at all, but the Holy Spirit kept nudging them until they paid attention to His promptings and took Him seriously. This happens with the deacons and religious as well.
Speaking of which, the Holy Spirit works through other people too. If you ever feel a prompting to tell someone they would make a good priest, deacon, religious, catechist or a leader in the church be sure to tell them. Don’t be shy about it. Sometimes all it takes is another person to acknowledge what the Holy Spirit has been leading them to do all along, for them to act on these gentle urgings. There is no doubt that Saint Paul and the other disciples in the first reading today, spoke up and encouraged new people, the Gentiles to join their community of Christians too.
The Holy Spirit connects us and guides us as a people, ensuring that the church continues to flourish throughout the ages because of the people who listen and act on His promptings. Hopefully, we will pay attention to what the Spirit asks of us and not disregard it, especially if we are being drawn toward a particular ministry or vocation with the church. The Catholic church depends on us to act on what the Holy Spirit leads us to do, in order to continue to exist in the future as well.
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This is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us about unity with the members of the body of Christ:
- cc 738: All of us who have received one and the same Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit, are in a sense blended together with one another and with God. For if Christ, together with the Father’s and his own Spirit, comes to dwell in each of us, though we are many, still the Spirit is one and undivided. He binds together the spirits of each and every one of us, . . . and makes all appear as one in him. For just as the power of Christ’s sacred flesh unites those in whom it dwells into one body, I think that in the same way the one and undivided Spirit of God, who dwells in all, leads all into spiritual unity.133
Prayer to be Sensitive to the Spirit’s Promptings
O Holy Spirit,
You sanctify the people of God
through ministry and the Sacraments.
For the exercise of the Christian apostolate,
You give the faithful special gifts also,
allotting them to everyone according as You will
in order that individuals,
administering grace to others just as they have received it,
may also be good stewards of the manifold grace of God
to build up the whole Body in charity.
From the acceptance of these charisms,
including those that are more elementary,
there arise for each believer the right and duty
to use them in the Church and in the world
for the good of human beings
and the building up of the Church
in the freedom given by You
Who breathe where You will.
Help us to learn especially how to perform
the mission of Christ and the Church
by basing our lives on belief
in the Divine mystery of Creation and Redemption
and by being sensitive to Your movement,
O Divine Spirit,
Who give life to the People of God
and Who urge all to love the Father
as well as the world and human beings in Him.
Amen.
