 A few weeks ago the gospel readings during daily Mass were from the Bread of Life discourse given by Jesus. (John 6:22-66) At the end of His teaching, many followers walked away from Jesus because His words were too difficult for them. They were thrilled when He had multiplied loaves and fishes to feed them (just prior to this discourse), but when they had to trust in who He is and what His words required of them, they could not accept it. They loved having their immediate needs met, but when He challenged them with commitment in the face of mystery, they wanted nothing to do with Him. Upon reflection, I realized that often we are keen to ask God to fill our needs, but when He asks something of us we may not respond quite so readily, and sometimes we ignore Him completely. Of course, we should ask God for help when we need Him, but we should also desire to serve Him and do His will, trusting in that which is perhaps mysterious and unknown at the time. However, a startling question then arose: 'Would you still love God if He never gave you anything again?' While I know God would never stop giving graces, it is a question worth pondering. It is also something appropriate for the upcoming celebrations of the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost. Tremendous graces were given when the Holy Spirit descended and gave birth to the Church. Therefore, it is important to reflect upon the mystery and power of God’s gifts of love so that we appreciate them and respond with gratitude and joy.  As we approach the Feast of Pentecost we can begin by prayerfully reflecting on the promises concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit that Jesus made to the apostles at the Last Supper. He said that while He must go, He would ask the Father to “give… another Counselor to be with you forever.”(John 14:17) As He promised, Jesus returned to the apostles after His resurrection, was with them for 40 days, and then ascended into Heaven. Right before He ascended Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem and pray “until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) As promised, some nine days later the Holy Spirit descended upon them, bringing many spiritual gifts and much joy. Therefore, it would be good to reflect on the magnitude of the gift of the Holy Spirit who remains with us, guiding and empowering us throughout our lives. Who is the Holy Spirit? He is the third Person of the Trinity, the Spirit of Jesus, “another Counselor... the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) He is the giver of all graces, big and small. Therefore, the gift we have received is nothing less than that of having the Spirit dwell within us (given through our Baptism and fueled by our faith).*  Asking ourselves if we would still love God even if He never gave us anything again is a good way to assess how we value that gift. Remember, in prayerful reflection we can stretch our imagination in order for our truest values and motivations to be brought to light; it also serves to root out our attachments and all that we inadvertently place ahead of God. It can be enlightening to reflect on whether we love God for who He is, (that is, because He is God) or if we place greater value on what He gives when we ask without realizing that this tendency is at play in our hearts. Thus, it is important for us to examine the depth and quality of our love for Him. While we never have to worry about God withholding graces from us, we ought to love Him for who He is, not for what He gives. And this means we need to develop (or continue to develop) a deeper relationship with Him, to spend time with Him in prayer so as to actually know Him and to know His heart; it means developing radical trust in Him and in His promises, especially when things are difficult in our lives. And in spending time getting to know Him, we will discover that His love is real and that it is beyond our imagination. His love is not based on our merits, but rather, it is freely given; He made us for His love and this love is everlasting. **  So while we cannot lose God’s love, we certainly don’t want to take it for granted, either. If we want to grow in perfection, if we truly want to become holy as a response of love to Him, it is important that we reflect upon the question of whether we would still love God if He never gave us anything again or if our love is determined by what we receive from Him. Pentecost is a time of joy in the incredible outpouring of the Holy Spirit which we continue to enjoy every moment of every day. While we often fall short in our appreciation and usage of this gift, the Good News is that God knows our weakness; it is precisely why He sent His Holy Spirit to guide us until “the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20); that is, when Jesus comes again. God loves us so much that He wants nothing more than our complete joy, a joy which is only found in Him.  May we rejoice in the love of God, the Giver of All Good Gifts! May we grow in our understanding and appreciation of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts! And may we grow in our love for the Lord, coming to know Him and to respond more freely and with greater joy! Let us meet in the joy of the Holy Spirit! Peace!
©Michele L. Catanese *When Jesus says the world cannot receive the Spirit He is referring to all who accept values that are not those of God, especially those who reject Him and all the forces that seek to thwart God’s Kingdom. In short, everything that leads us away from God is "of the world." **An excellent example is found in the life of St. Teresa of Avila. She enjoyed frequent times during her prayer in which she had complete union with God along with visions of Heaven. Then one day the experiences stopped and she was thrust into complete dryness in her prayer. God seemed distant and totally inaccessible. After many days and even weeks of tears and begging God to reveal what she had done that had caused Him to withdraw from her, God finally broke through. He told her that He withdrew because she was coming to love the gift more than the Giver of the gift. She was seeking the experiences more than the God who gave them to her. She repented of it and learned an incredible lesson which she passed onto others in her writings. Images: 1. Painting; Jesus Teaches the People By the Sea (Jésus enseigne le peuple près de la mer) by James Tissot. 2. Fresco painting; Ascension and Pentecost, by Blessed Fra Angelico. 3. My photo; waterfall in Krka National Park, Croatia. 4. My photo; river in Krka National Park, Croatia. The transparency of the water was truly incredible in this river. The rocks in the foreground of the photo are under the water. 5. Image; The Holy Spirit The Lord the Giver of Life The Paraclete Sender of Peace by Fr. William Hart McNichols. You can find this image at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-holy-spirit-the-lord-the-giver-of-life-the-paraclete-sender-of-peace-093-william-hart-mcnichols.html Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. Comments are closed.
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