He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."
The readings of Easter, from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of Saint John, invite us to reflect deeply on the Spirit of God who lives and moves in our hearts. In the Holy Spirit we encounter this mystery we call "Trinity": the Father who surrenders all authority in heaven and earth to his Son, the Son who is poured out in love for us, and the Spirit who directs our life and love to God the Father. We would dismiss such religious abstractions if we had not seen the acts of the apostles as described in Saint Luke's sequel.
We might dismiss these revelations also, if we did not encounter them in our daily and weekly Eucharist. The Lord Jesus invites us; the Spirit gathers us, and God the Father receives us into the sanctuary.
I celebrate Mass five days a week in the VA hospital. The Mass is televised to the patients while I rely on devout hospital staff to join me in the chapel. On Sunday, I hope someone from the area might appear and the Holy Spirit invariably provides. One time, a year or two ago, only one man came, my cousin. He's not a Veteran. He had, several weeks before, stayed close to a Veteran friend as he died in the hospital. On that particular Sunday, for no particular reason that he could think of, he decided to drive across town to attend Mass here, rather than his regular parish.
It could only be the Holy Spirit.
Some people call incidents like this "serendipity." They suspect more than chance or coincidence. Invented by an author of fiction, the word suggests a lurking intentionality. (Obviously, in "The Three Princes of Serendip" the intention was in the mind of Horace Walpole.)
In the real world, the Christian recognizes the providential hand of God guiding human events. With our daily prayer and meditation we ask the Lord to guide our thoughts, impulses, intuitions and plans. Sometimes we're in the right place at the right moment and some grace appears. No one can claim this blessing as a personal achievement. It is God's mercy. There is freedom in this way of life as we let ourselves be guided.
Nothing worth doing can be done in one lifetime, but in God's time and impelled by God's spirit, many wonderful things happen.
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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.