Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest

Lectionary: 176

The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:

a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

A Spirit of counsel and of strength,

a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,

and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.

Of the three great mysteries that make up the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is the most difficult. It cannot be defined; that's obvious. But it's also very hard to speak of with the vague symbols of our language. The word spirit has innumerable definitions in English; it begins with the Latin spirare, meaning to breath or blow. But the Spirit of God also appears as a dove, as fire, water, and oil. Moving in us it conceives ideas in our minds, and an infant in Mary's womb. The New Testament tells how the Lord Jesus was impelled by the Spirit; and, after the Resurrection, the same spirit sent the disciples to the ends of the Earth. No single word -- not even Spirit -- can adequately name the mystery.

As we anticipate the Spirit of Christmas we ask the Lord to give us the Spirit of Advent, that confident, eager, joyful longing which both waits in silence and acts with deliberate intention. The readings and prayers of Advent remind us: if we would be surprised by joy we should measure the depths of our disappointment with the uninspired things of this world. Shopping and frenetic decorating often lead only to post-Christmas sadness. We may be looking in the wrong direction. Advent turns us around, like Mary Magdalene at the tomb, to see the coming of Christ.

The Prophet Isaiah, describing the Messiah who is to come, believed he should be blessed with seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. These charisms would not be just a warm, pleasant sensation for the pious person in church; they should define the character of an inspired leader. This Extraordinary One, acting as executive, legislator, and judge, models the manner and mien of his subjects. Christians -- a word derived from Christ, meaning messiah, elect, chosen, commissioned, and sent -- also receive these manifold gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Someone asked me once if an acquaintance had received "the Holy Ghost" when she began to pray in tongues. I equivocated. This person might have experienced great relief upon discovering both the enormity of her sins and the magnitude of God's mercy, or she might be hyperventilating with the excitement in the room. Who am i to judge?

If indeed she has found mercy, this may be the beginning of her life in the Spirit as the Lord gives her wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, and so forth. She will certainly ask for the fruits of the Holy Spirit as well: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

But I hesitate to say of the Holy Spirit, "Look, he is here; or, Look, he is there!"

That kind of declaration belies faith.

If I hesitate to see the "Holy Ghost" in an individual Christian at a particular moment, I am more ready to recognize the Spirit in a church or organization that is doing good work, especially when they continue that ministry over many years. Some are clearly guided by the Lord Spirit through centuries and millennia.

Certainly no person or group of persons is without sin, but that's precisely the beauty of God's Spirit. The Lord remains with us despite our sins, even those sins like racism and sexism that trail us like a rancid odor through many generations. When the time comes and the revelation appears, we recognize the problem. And rather than saying, "We've always done it this way!" we repent, amend, and seek to atone.

A sinful Church -- Ecclesia Peccatrix -- can never measure up to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit but the same Church is Ecclesia Sancta -- one, holy, catholic and apostolic. Faith assures us that Our God does not abandon his Church. With that assurance of the Holy Spirit's abiding presence we march on.