Introduction
St. Cyril of Jerusalem likens the Holy
Spirit to rain water. Like the Holy Spirit, rain is a form of
heavenly nourishment that adapts itself to all of creation. St.
Cyril writes, “It produces many different effects, one in the palm
tree, another in the vine, and so on throughout the whole of
creation, adapting itself to the needs of every creature that
receives it.”
While the Spirit
itself never changes, its working in each of us results in many and
marvelous fruits. St. Cyril writes, for one person the Spirit might
enable him to exercise self-control, for another the Spirit might
encourage him to help the poor or to teach or even prophesy.
In the pages that
follow, I invite you to reflect on each of the gifts of the Holy
Spirit – wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety
and fear of the Lord. May God in his goodness grant you these
gifts, providing many and marvelous fruits in your life.
Rev. Mr. David
Endres
June 10, 2008,
Feast of Pentecost
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
When I was a child I thought of God as
someone who was a lot like Santa Claus. Santa Claus gave us
presents and that was what God was like. We would pray and God
would give us gifts. As juvenile as that sounds, that is one aspect
of God. He is a gift-giver – really THE gift giver. He gives us
life and sustains us. He offers us friendship. And he offers
himself to us in the Eucharist; the gift of his very self. And he
offers us eternal life. Yes, he is the giver of gifts.
During this special time of preparation for
Pentecost, we recall the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We
acknowledge that Christ has promised us His Spirit and we received
His Spirit at our confirmation.
Among the gifts of God are the gifts
of His Holy Spirit. The prophet Isaiah speaks of these seven Gifts
when he writes, prophesying about the coming of Christ (the “flower
of Jesse”): A branch will sprout from the root of Jesse, and from
his root a flower will rise up: and the spirit of the Lord will rest
upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of
counsel and of fortitude, a spirit of knowledge and of piety, and he
shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord (Is 11:1–3).
The Gift
of Wisdom
Each night of this
novena, we will concentrate on a different gift of the Holy Spirit.
Tonight we will concentrate on “wisdom.” When I think of this gift
I am tempted to think of the great minds of Catholic theology and
philosophy – people like St. Albert the Great, St. Thomas Aquinas,
and St. Edith Stein.
But the gift of
wisdom is a lot more than just head smarts – it is more
appropriately being “heart smart.” When we say the gift of wisdom,
we mean a desire for the things of God that leads us to direct our
whole life and all our actions to His honor and glory. St. Thomas
says that the best way to understand wisdom is not in terms of
knowledge – but taste – to have a taste, a yearning for God. That is
not a function of the mind so much as the heart.
When I think of
this gift I think of the person of St. Therese the Little Flower.
She is a wonderful example of someone who though without formal
theological education was wise to the ways of the Lord; for this
reason, she has been declared a Doctor of the Church. St. Therese
is known as the saint of the “little way” – doing little things with
great love. She wrote,
Sometimes, when I
read spiritual writings, I close the learned book, which leaves my
head splitting and my heart parched, and I take the
Holy
Scriptures. Then all seems revealed; I see that it is
enough to realize one's nothingness, and give oneself like a child,
into the arms of the good God. Leaving to great souls and great
minds, the fine books I cannot understand, I rejoice to be little
because ‘only children, and those who are like them, will be
admitted to heaven.’
St. Therese
teaches us that true wisdom lies in recognizing that we are God’s
children. We can do nothing apart from God.
This evening may
we pray not to develop brilliant minds but brilliant hearts that
will desire the things of God above all else and that we will direct
our entire lives and all our actions to His honor and glory.
The Gift of Understanding
During this special time of preparation for the feast
of Pentecost, we recall the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
We acknowledge that Christ has promised us His Spirit – the same
Spirit we received at our confirmation. We ask for a fresh
outpouring of the gifts of His Holy Spirit.
Each night of this
novena, we will concentrate on a different gift of the Holy Spirit.
Tonight we will concentrate on “understanding.”
Think about
the role of understanding. When we really understand another,
relationships flourish. The relationships between husbands and
wives, parents and children, and friends rely on understanding. But
when “misunderstanding” replaces understanding, hurt and heartache
abound. Think about how often we say, “it was really just a big
misunderstanding.” Perhaps we didn’t get the facts straight, or we
misunderstood someone’s motives or actions.
When we think of
the Holy Spirit’s gift of understanding we mean the gift of greater
insight into the mysteries of our faith. The Holy Spirit aids a
person to grasp the truths of faith. When I think of this gift of
understanding, I am reminded of St. Paul. St. Paul – before his
conversion – believed that he understood his faith, yet he did not
yet have the Spirit’s gift of understanding. God granted that gift
to him when he literally knocked him off his feet. St. Paul was
transformed from persecuting Christians to one of the faith’s
greatest teachers.
Do we need the
gift of understanding of divine truths today? Think how many times
you have heard someone say: “The Church is wrong because of fill
in the blank.” Occasionally, you will find a person who doubts
that Mary could have really been a virgin and still given birth to
Jesus. Or you might find someone who doubts the resurrection or
Jesus’ Eucharistic presence. Certainly, the Spirit’s gift of
understanding could aid such a person’s transformation from doubt
into belief.
But more often we
need the gift of understanding to grasp those truths of the faith
that make demands on our daily lives. I mean here those hard truths
of Catholic teaching. Think, for instance, of the times you have
heard someone say – “The Church is against science; it won’t support
stem cell research, even though it will result in the cure of untold
numbers of diseases.” But how many of these people, have sought to
understand our teaching?
Have they noted
that the Church is opposed not to stem cell research, but the use of
embryonic stem cells that must come from destroyed embryos? Have
they sought to understand the sacredness of life – born and unborn –
the truth upon which the Church derives its teaching?
Or how many have
said – “The Church wants to force women to have as many children as
possible. That’s why it opposes contraception!” But how many have
learned about the natural regulation of birth through Natural Family
Planning and talked with married couples who have benefited from
it? How many have sought to read the Church’s beautiful and timely
teachings on the dignity of family life and particularly the dignity
and genius of women?
This evening let
us pray for the Spirit’s gift of understanding that allows us to
probe the truths of our faith – even those hard truths. If we find
ourselves in opposition to the Church’s teachings, let us go with
open minds and hearts to them. Let us ask for the spirit of St.
Paul who replaced his misunderstanding with a new Christ-inspired
understanding.
The Gift of
Right Judgment/Counsel
We often rely on
the advice of others. We rely on their counsel. Think of how often
you ask a friend or a spouse or a parent for advice. We may even
write to a “Dear Abby” column or post a question to an internet web
page looking for a response. Or we seek out a specialist to give us
advice – a mechanic when our car breaks down; a doctor when we
experience back pain; a lawyer when we believe our rights have been
infringed.
But the gift of
right judgment is not related to these secular or worldly matters.
It is related to matters of utmost importance – matters of eternal
life. This gift allows us to decide between right and wrong. It
warns us of those things that endanger our salvation and allows us
to choose those that will lead to eternal life. In short, it allows
us to “do good and avoid evil.”
When I think of
the divine gift of right judgment I am reminded of the life of St.
Augustine. Before he was a Christian, Augustine lived a wild and
crazy life – must to the consternation of his mother, Monica. In
his spiritual autobiography, The Confessions, Augustine
relates a story from his youth. He and some friends snuck onto the
property of a neighbor and shook the fruit from his pear trees.
Augustine says that he stole not because he wanted the fruit. In
fact he and his friends were not hungry at all. They didn’t even
taste the fruit, but instead threw it to the pigs. Reflecting back
over his life, Augustine was shamed by his conduct – his lack of
right judgment. At that time in his life he said he was in love
with sin and sinning and had no knowledge of God and his counsel.
We can often be
like Augustine. In difficult situations, especially when it is
easier to follow others, or the status quo, or cultural norms
that may go against the teachings of Christ, we may choose the evil
instead of the good. We may try to rationalize sinful choices or
even excuse ourselves by saying that most people don’t consider it
wrong anyway. Or the juvenile excuse, “everybody’s doing it.”
The divine gift of
right judgment allows us to see each decision as it truly is –
either beneficial or disordered. It saves us from quick and
impulsive decisions and those decisions that are either in
themselves sinful or will lead to sin. The gift allows us to judge
every action according to its end: Will it lead to holiness? Will it
lead to heaven?
Let us pray for
the Spirit’s gift of right judgment that we may judge rightly
according to the will of God and so make the decisions that will
prepare us for eternal life.
The Gift of Courage/Fortitude
Among the seven
gifts of the Holy Spirit, the one that we will reflect on tonight is
that of courage or fortitude. What does it mean to be brave, to have
courage? Some might say skydiving or rock climbing or other
“adventure sports” equate with bravery.
But for us, the
Spirit’s gift of fortitude refers to the firmness of mind and spirit
that is necessary for us to do good but also to endure pain and
suffering. In short, this gift strengthens us to do the will of God
in all things.
When I think of
this gift, I remember a conversation I had with a first grade
student at our school a few weeks ago. He was talking to me about
the pope’s visit to the United States. He asked, “Why does the pope
have to travel behind glass?” I hesitated for a moment, wondering
if it would be appropriate to tell a first grader that Pope John
Paul II had been shot in St. Peter’s Square. But I decided to tell
him the truth – that indeed someone had tried to kill the pope who
was pope before Pope Benedict. The student’s response was a
surprise. He simply said, “Wow, the pope must be a very brave
man!” And indeed he is. That first grader grasped an aspect of the
gift of fortitude – the courage to do good (in this case preaching
the Gospel to all nations) and not counting the risk.
When I think of
this gift I am reminded of the life and sacrifice of St. Maximilian
Kolbe who died in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz in 1941.
St. Maximilian Kolbe had the great fortitude to offer his life in
exchange for another. Kolbe heroically offered to switch places
with a fellow prisoner – a father of a family -- who had been
condemned to death. The gift of fortitude allows us to endure pain
and suffering with the strength and power infused by God. Surely,
St. Maximilian relied on that strength while enduring two weeks of
starvation before being put to death by lethal injection.
Few of us may be
asked to give our lives in such a dramatic fashion. Yet we all need
the gift of fortitude – fortitude perhaps to endure the death of a
parent or a spouse, courage to endure the pain of a child leaving
the Church, fortitude to accept our own physical pain and
limitations.
Perhaps the
greatest test of fortitude for each of us will be our own deaths.
Divine courage aids us in the fears and difficulties that can
accompany death. Fortitude provides us with at inner peace to
accept the finality of our time on earth.
Tonight let us
pray for the gift of fortitude that he spirit’s gift of courage will
give us confidence that the trials of earthly life will give way to
the eternal joy of heaven.
The Gift of Knowledge
Tonight we will
reflect on the Spirit’s gift of knowledge. When I think of
knowledge, I am tempted to think of school. Maybe it is because I
have spent the last twenty-one years in school and have taught a bit
of college. But the Spirit’s gift of knowledge is not really about
lectures or homework or research papers. It isn’t about knowing
certain facts or information. The gift of knowledge is about
evaluating – evaluating the created things of this world in terms of
our spiritual lives. We are to judge everything according to this
purpose – will it aid in my holiness? Will it help me attain
salvation?
Think about how
most machines – computers, cars, and televisions are worthless
without a human being controlling them. That is like the
relationship between creation and God; God gives the meaning and the
purpose.
Recall your
favorite food. You might like the food for its sweetness,
saltiness, or even its texture. But how much more do we enjoy food
shared in the company of others. That is like the relationship
between creation and God; God gives the meaning and the purpose.
St. Ignatius of Loyola had the
Spirit’s gift of knowledge when he prayed,
Man is created to praise, reverence,
and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. And the
other things on the face of the earth are created for man that they
may help him achieve salvation. For it is necessary to make
ourselves indifferent to all created things so that, for our part,
we want not health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty,
honor rather than dishonor, long rather than short life, but
desiring and choosing only what is most conducive for us to attain
salvation.
For St. Ignatius nothing else
mattered, only salvation. Not wealth, not honor, not even our
health.
As we reflect on
seeing the world as God sees it; we acknowledge our desire to have
the mind of God. This may seem impossible, but that is what we are
asking for in this gift – to have a glimpse into God’s mind.
Consider how amazing, yet imperfect, is the human mind. I certainly
can’t go long without forgetting the name of a parishioner,
overlooking some important task or making a miscalculation. Yet our
minds as often as they can fail in minimal ways are also capable of
the most amazing calculations, hypotheses, and insights – which is
itself a gift from God.
When I think of
our desire for the knowledge of God I think of Fr. Mick – who in his
eighth decade of life -- is a great seeker of knowledge; he is very
inquisitive. His mind often turns to speculation about time, space,
and eternity. For instance, What will we do in heaven? What will
heaven look like? What will WE look like? Will all of our
questions that we have here on earth be answered or maybe we won’t
even care at all because we will be so caught up in the beauty of
God? Of course we know there won’t be any answers to these question
before we attain heaven, but our attraction to these questions is
itself God’s gift.
We may never
become geniuses in the eyes of the world. We may never be likened
to Einstein, Edison or Newton but tonight let us pray for the gift
of knowledge. Let us pray for a participation in the mind of God to
judge rightly the things of earth so that we may enjoy the things of
heaven.
The Gift of Reverence/Piety
Tonight we will
focus on the gift of the Spirit known as piety or reverence.
Have you noticed
that the idea of practicing “piety” seems to have fallen on hard
times? Many don’t want to be thought of us pious because for them
piety means to be inactive, passive, even insincere. Think of the
language we use. You might here someone say, oh that’s just a pious
thought – meaning they doubt it will ever be acted upon. Or you
might hear that someone is a “pious fraud” – someone, for instance,
who pretends to be a miracle worker. Piety can be thought of us
fake, emotional, or exterior.
But that is not real piety. Piety
means to show proper reverence for God and respect for other people
as children of God. In short, piety is about fulfilling our
obligations to both God and neighbor out of love. Real piety is a
gift that touches every aspect of our lives, not only when we are at
praying at Mass, saying the rosary, or reading the Bible.
How do we show reverence for God?
Among the many ways, I will highlight a few. First, we must follow
God’s commandments. Two that seem to rely especially on the gift of
piety are the commandments to honor the name of God and to keep holy
the Sabbath. When we honor the Holy Names of God the Father, Jesus,
and Mary we are showing proper piety to God.
And when we commit to attending Mass
each Sunday, we are honoring God’s commandment to keep holy the
Lord’s Day. The Mass is a prayer of reverence, thanksgiving and
praise to God. We hear in the one of the prayers of the Mass,
“Father, you have no need of our praise, yet our desire to thank you
is itself your gift. Our prayer of thanksgiving adds nothing to
your greatness, but makes us grow in your grace, through Jesus
Christ our Lord.” We honor God in the Mass by thanking him for the
gift of his son and his enduring presence in the world through the
Eucharist.
But what about our
duty to our neighbor? When we serve our brothers and sisters we are
reverencing God who is father of all. When I think of this aspect
of the gift of piety I am reminded of two saints – St. Vincent de
Paul and St. Louise de Marillac – who were dedicated to active works
of charity. They cared for the poor in a personal way – seeing the
face of Christ in those they served. That is one of the ways that
both of them reverenced God.
This year I have
been privileged to accompany members of our parish St. Vincent de
Paul Society on home visits. The members go two-by-two into their
neighbors’ homes to assess their needs. Many times they help them
with food or rent or electricity payments, but they also offer their
prayers and invite those they help to pray as well. And that is
also piety – reverencing God by caring for his children.
The gift of piety
need not be thought of as passive or insincere. Instead, piety
should be thought of as an active, even heroic reverencing of God
and our neighbor. We can never fully show God the kind of devotion
and honor that he deserves, but tonight let us pray for the Spirit’s
gift of reverence that we can more sincerely worship God in the Mass
and the Holy Eucharist and serve others out of love for Him.
Gift of the Fear of the Lord
You have probably heard of the phrase
“Catholic guilt” (often used by people who have left the Church) to
describe feelings of remorse, shame or self-doubt caused by the
faith. When the phrase is used it almost always used in a negative
way as if following the teachings of the Church, especially its
moral teachings, results in psychological damage. Yet we know that
the true damage to the person results not from the Church’s teaching
but from a distancing from Jesus and His Church.
Tonight we are going to reflect on the
Spirit’s gift of fear of the Lord – something that many would
probably incorrectly label as a form of “Catholic guilt.” The
reason this gift is sometimes misunderstood is because of the word
“fear.” Fear can be a fear of punishment. But fear can also be a
fear of losing God, allowing ourselves to become distant from Him.
We need to understand fear of the Lord
in this way. A genuine relationship with God is based on love, not
fear. Therefore, this "fear of the Lord" is a reverential fear that
moves a person to do God's will and avoid sin because of love for
God. In short, fear of the Lord means to have a dread of sin and
fear offending God. This is certainly a good kind of fear.
Think back to your youth – perhaps
your teenage years. Were you ever afraid to tell your parents
something? Perhaps you wrecked the family car or you failed an exam
or broke a family heirloom. Perhaps you were afraid of
disappointing your parents and were worried that they would think
less of you. Is this kind of fear altogether bad? Of course, not,
because it is based on a relationship and fear of damaging that
relationship. What if there was not regret, no remorse, no shame
for getting in car accidents, failing courses or damaging items?
This is a little like our fear of the
Lord. Because we recognize that the Lord loves us and we love him,
we fear offending him. We want more than anything else to be in
relationship with God and fear harming our relationship with Him.
Only that which we really love, do we
fear losing. Think about the fear that comes with losing a child,
even for a brief moment, in a crowd. Or the fear that accompanies
illness, when we fear the loss of someone we love. When we examine
our fears, only then we will see that which we really love.
When I think of a
healthy fear of the Lord, I am reminded of the words of Jesus in the
Gospels: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose
his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36). For Jesus, true and holy
fear is a fear of losing – losing God and eternal life with Him.
Tonight let us
pray for a healthy fear, not a paranoid or phobic form of fear, so
that we come to know that the more we love God, the more we will
fear being separated from Him. For us the fear of the Lord should
not be marked by anxiety or terror, but rather a resolve to avoid
sin and do the will of God. Then our lives will not be filled with
guilt or shame or fear but by the tranquility that comes from being
in love with God. |
