“Amen, amen, I say to
you,
unless one is born of water and Spirit
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
What is born of flesh is flesh
and what is born of spirit is spirit.
unless one is born of water and Spirit
he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
What is born of flesh is flesh
and what is born of spirit is spirit.
Scripture theologians
like to remind us there are no clear images or doctrines of the Holy Spirit in
the Bible. Not even the word spirit
always serves to delineate this mystery. Paraclete,
advocate and grace also represent
what Catholics like to call the “Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.” There is,
however, an undeniable Presence who is gracious, glad and generous.
This delightfully
frustrating ambiguity about the Pneuma
of God keeps the disciples of Jesus in constant ferment and no few arguments. Periodically
we accuse each other of not being born of
water and Spirit, especially when we align on opposite sides of a polarized
issue.
When I speak of the Holy Spirit I usually think of “team
spirit.” Can you have spirit without a team? There is no I in team; there is only a group of dedicated individuals
who have aligned their personal preferences to the objectives of
the group. Each one wants what is best for everyone. The best teams find ways
to let each one contribute as best he can with whatever talents or energy he has.
When that group is driven by the Holy Spirit each member
finds their true identity, for the Holy Spirit never exploits, abuses or wastes anyone.
No one demonstrates the life of the Spirit better than the Blessed Mother. It would be easy to suppose God needed a woman to give birth to His Son and He arbitrarily picked out an available virgin from Galilee. That’s not what happened. She was prepared from long before her birth by the Holy Spirit which guided many generations of Jews in the practice of their religion. She was blessed with the favor of “Immaculation” when she was conceived and grew from grace to grace throughout her life. At every moment of her life she proved herself worthy of her divine calling.
No one demonstrates the life of the Spirit better than the Blessed Mother. It would be easy to suppose God needed a woman to give birth to His Son and He arbitrarily picked out an available virgin from Galilee. That’s not what happened. She was prepared from long before her birth by the Holy Spirit which guided many generations of Jews in the practice of their religion. She was blessed with the favor of “Immaculation” when she was conceived and grew from grace to grace throughout her life. At every moment of her life she proved herself worthy of her divine calling.
In the fullness of time God asked Mary to be the Mother of God and she joyfully, generously, eagerly accepted. God is far too courteous to move into or upon someone without her consent.
Whenever we want to know how the Spirit might be working within our lives we can turn to the life of Mary for enlightenment and encouragement. In fact all of the saints give us instruction and reassurance by their example first, and through their many writings.
We are privileged to belong to Mary's team, and to share the Spirit of the Saints, for all of us have been reborn of water and the Spirit.
Whenever we want to know how the Spirit might be working within our lives we can turn to the life of Mary for enlightenment and encouragement. In fact all of the saints give us instruction and reassurance by their example first, and through their many writings.
We are privileged to belong to Mary's team, and to share the Spirit of the Saints, for all of us have been reborn of water and the Spirit.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.