Jesus has gifted us with the Holy Spirit, faithful guide and companion.
The following homily, delivered by Fr. Alex at St. John the Evangelist Church in Greenfield, WI on April 17, 2023, was recorded, transcribed, edited, and excerpted (Lanoux, May 7, 2023).
How open are we to growing in the life of God? Through baptism’s sanctifying grace we can be transformed, but are we willing? In today’s gospel, Nicodemus, teacher of teachers and leader of the Jews, sought out Jesus. He knew that being religious and knowing scripture weren’t enough to help him reach heaven. The disciples, too, relied on Jesus who, aware of God’s master plan, could help them follow in his footsteps and overcome the fear of proclaiming God’s word.
So, I guess our challenge is more than sacraments and works of mercy: only God’s grace can transform us. And, when we catch glimpses of God among us, we’re likely more encouraged to ask, “Am I allowing God’s light to shine through? Am I testifying to God?” Why be afraid? God is the spirit that moves, the spirit of strength, the affirmation of our mission in life. Let us pray then, that, in whatever we do and whatever we say, we may manifest our belonging to God. Let us ask the Lord for the desire to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.
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Prayerful thoughts
“Father of Light from whom every good gift comes, send your Spirit into our lives with the power of a mighty wind and, by the flame of your wisdom, open the horizons of our minds” (Pentecost morning prayer).
The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus told his disciples not to worry because the Holy Spirit would tell them what to say. When you face tough choices, pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to know what is right and for the strength to do it (Bob Rice).
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weaknesses for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will (Romans 8:26-27).
We all need the Holy Spirit because he alone can enable and empower us to live the life that Jesus won for us on the cross. We need the Spirit to guide us to the truth…. In the midst of all [the] noise [in our lives] the Spirit continues to speak, telling us every day that Jesus wants to act powerfully in our lives. But the Spirit doesn’t just speak to our hearts. He also gives us the words— God’s own words— to comfort those who mourn and to encourage those who falter. He gives us the wisdom, too, to know when to listen instead of speak. He offers to teach us how to move ahead in peace, confident in his leading, even when we can’t see where the road leads. That outpouring of the Spirit in the sight of people from all over the world stands as God’s public notice: “I have not left you desolate. I will help you. I will teach and encourage you, empower and energize you, to do the thing I call you to do” (the Word among us, May 2013, p. 38).
We know ourselves to be participants in the Holy Spirit when we offer to God fruits worthy of the Spirit: love for God with all our soul and genuine love for our fellow beings, joy of heart issuing from a clear conscience, peace of soul as a result of dispassion and humility, generosity in our thoughts, long-suffering in affliction and times of trial, kindness and restraint in our behavior, deep-rooted unwavering faith in God, gentleness springing from humble-mindedness and compunction, and complete control of the senses (St. Nikitas Stithatos).
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Blessings 2024… April 2024… February 2024… January 2024… March 2024…
Blessings 2023… April 2023… August 2023… Christ’s glory… Christmas 2023… December 2023… February 2023… Flame within… God’s gift… January 2023… July 2023… June 2023… Love’s heart… March 2023… November 2023… October 2023… September 2023…
Blessings 2022… August 2022… December 2022… Journey’s light… July 2022… June 2022… Kiss of God… May 2022… Mourning joy… November 2022… October 2022… October saints… Presence… September 2022… Sight… Sitka’s St. Michael… St. Michael prayers
Filed under: faith, Holy Spirit, prayer, spiritual gifts | Tagged: building community, God's master plan, overcoming adversity |
Shared thoughts... 
Fr. Alex invites introspection and a deep conversation when he tells us, “…when we catch glimpses of God among us, we’re likely more encouraged to ask, ‘Am I allowing God’s light to shine through? Am I testifying to God?’ ”
In 1373, the mystic, Julian of Norwich, wrote the following:
God showed me in my palm
a little thing round as a ball
about the size of a hazelnut.
I looked at it with the eye of my
understanding and asked myself:
“What is this thing?”
And I was answered: “It is everything that
is created.”
I wondered how it could survive since
it seemed so little it could suddenly
disintegrate into nothing.
The answer came: “It endures and ever will
endure, because God loves it.”
And so everything has being
because of God’s love.
__________
Creation Spirtuality holds that God’s first idea was Christ. His second idea was the universe as testimony to the glory of Christ. Everything that exists is affirmation of Christ and God’s love.
A single grain of wheat contains the radiance and power of the sun, the water from the clouds and minerals from the earth. That grain of wheat captures the magnificence of the entire universe, the billions of years it took for life to evolve and be able to reproduce itself. When we grind the wheat grains into flour and make bread, we are truly recreating the body of Christ. Think on it. Like Christ, the wheat grains die to give us life. Like the grains of wheat, we are all combined to forma different body of Christ. It is immaterial if you believe the priest has the power of transubstantiation, the ability to turn bread into the true body of Chirst during the Mass. The bread is already the body of Christ!
The universe testifies to God, and each of us is proof of his existence and love. Fr. Alex’s questions have even more relevance when we place them in the context of Julian’s writing and Creation Spirtuality.
Am I allowing God’s light to shine through?
Am I testifying to God?
I love it! I’m so glad to see your thoughts about the single grain of wheat in print for others to read if they so choose.
Connections, connections. Patterns, too. I love how ideas come together so beautifully.