The readings for Mass today are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can not be contained entirely within ourselves. It must be shared. When we have good news, we run home to tell our loved ones, our friends or our co-workers, because we want to share our happiness with them too. When we get engaged, or a new baby is born, we are bursting at the seams with love and happiness and it just can’t be kept within us. We feel like we need to share the joy with everyone we know.
That is what happened to the prophet Isaiah in the first reading for Mass, and with John the Baptist in the gospel. They were filled to the brim with God’s Holy Spirit and it could not be kept quiet within them. They had to share the Spirit with God’s people. This is also what the second reading says too:
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances.”
When you read the first reading for Mass from the book of the prophet Isaiah, can’t you just feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in his words? Even thousands of years later, the words still come alive and live in our heart:
“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me … I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels.”
Now, after reading these words, can you place yourself in his place? Can you say these words about yourself? Did you know that you are a treasure more valuable to our God than anything else in the world? His love surrounds us and protects us. He wants to heal us and make us holy.
The Responsorial Psalm today is actually the Magnificat of Mary. She praises God and joy fills her soul. Her praises are on fire with the Holy Spirit and resonate in our hearts too. Mary could not contain the Holy Spirit within her, to keep for just for herself alone. The Spirit poured out in her words of praise, enriching all who have heard them throughout the ages. Every single word of her Magnificat glorifies God.
John the Baptist’s words glorified Christ though, in today’s gospel. He too, was on fire with the Holy Spirit. God lit a fire in his soul that was never quenched as long as he lived on the earth. His soul could not help but praise God, and praise His son who was on his way to live among them. John could not contain the Holy Spirit either. It simply could not be contained only within himself. He had to share it with all who would listen.
This phenomena puzzled the priests, Levites and Pharisees though. They had never seen anything like it. And, no wonder! Their hearts were far from the Holy Spirit. In them, there was no room for the Spirit to come and dwell within them. But, they recognized His presence among them, through John’s words, but most importantly, the fire of the Holy Spirit that ignited his words.
Faith isn’t taught. It’s caught.
We can’t share what we ourselves don’t have. This Advent season has hopefully been spent emptying ourselves, in order to make room for the Spirit to enter in. Have we emptied ourselves through some heart to heart prayers with God? Did we spend any time with Jesus this week, at adoration, by participating in a week day Mass, or attending an Advent Penance Service? We may be emptying our pocketbooks, while shopping for gifts for those we love. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though, because of the joy we receive on Christmas morning, watching our loved ones open their gifts. It is in giving to others that we receive so much happiness ourselves.
A thought for the week might be to empty ourselves a little more and think of others. This is what Isaiah, Mary and John the Baptist did in today’s readings for Mass. They put themselves aside, and emptied their own concerns out of their mind and heart, and allowed the Holy Spirit to enter in, for the benefit of all. What an example they have given us for our own lives, this Advent season.
