“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”
They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
For Saint Luke and his readers, the disciples' reply to Paul's question must be astonishing. Why would anyone suppose they are Christian if they're not aware of, moved, and guided by the Holy Spirit? They are like engines without fuel, balloons without air, or salt without savor.
But the Church has a long memory and there have been places and moments when we appeared to neglect our relationship to the Holy Spirit (or the Holy Ghost). If the Father represents the past; Jesus, the present; and the Holy Spirit, the future: we can admit we have sometimes been possessed by a fervent and misguided desire to return to the past. "How soon can we get back to normal?" we ask during critical moments. An epidemic, war, an influx of migrants, or a natural catastrophe might disrupt our routines and we want nothing more than to return to the good old days of familiar patterns and routine conversations.
The Holy Spirit invites us to hear the Word of the Lord in this moment, whatever it might be. We must address every situation as an opportunity, and step forward boldly. The chess player who has formulated a plan of action and seen an opportunity for checkmate, but ignores the opponent's latest move, invites humiliation. But life is not a game and we can't afford to lose.
In today's passage from the Acts of the Apostles the disciples of John the Baptist hear the gospel of Jesus and immediately accept Baptism and the Anointing of the Holy Spirit.
And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Beginning in 1900, millions of American Christians were jolted by an unexpected movement as they began to speak in tongues. That is, they prayed ecstatically with glossolalia, a kind of babbling like scat jazz. They found that kind of prayer joyous, reassuring, and liberating especially when they sang together. They often created harmonies and patterns without any apparent direction but experienced a deep communion with one another.
Beginning in the 1960's, after the Vatican Council, many Catholics joined the movement and were swept along by its liberating spontaneity. Many "charismatic Catholics" rediscovered their love for the Bible and the sacraments, and especially the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist. Thousands of Catholic congregations dedicated small chapels to the continual worship of the Lord and now maintain "perpetual adoration." Even more, unable to maintain a 24x7 presence, elect one part of a weekday to adoration.
When churches are locked against neighbors and children who steal and sell to purchase drugs, these lovers of God protect one another and the Church as they pray.
The Holy Spirit invites us to move forward into the future even as we sit or kneel in the moment before the Real Presence of Jesus. Reassured by the One who will never leave us, we embrace ancient values once again and apply them to unprecedented situations. Locked doors open and narrow paths invite us to set out for the deep with the courage of Pope Saint John Paul II and the joyous spirit of Pope Francis.
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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.