Chase Hawkins
These are the words of St. Paul (2 Corinthians 13:14) and the words we sometimes hear as the greeting at Mass.
On this blog site we’ve discussed a great deal about the grace of Jesus and the love of God, but what about the fellowship of the Holy Spirit?
For Catholics, this is not only the season of allergies, ends of semesters, exams, and warm weather (unless you’re like me living in Milwaukee and it feels like November) but it’s also the season of Confirmations. This is the time of year where many (arch)bishops travel around their (arch)dioceses and confirm young people. Confirmation is the final sacrament of initiation and is the sacrament in which the Confirmandi (those to be confirmed) are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
At St. Margaret of York (the home parish for our bloggers), Confirmation is today! About one hundred eighth graders will be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit! It’s often difficult for us to understand this tremendous gift, so let’s try to wrap our minds around this mystery of God’s Spirit.
The Holy Spirit makes Christ known to us and reveals the Word of God. But, the Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself. We only know the Holy Spirit by the way in which He reveals God’s Word to us and unveils Christ to us (CCC 687). God sent His Holy Spirit upon the apostles on what is now referred to as Pentecost. We celebrate Pentecost 50 days after we celebrate Easter in the liturgical year (this year it is celebrated on Sunday, May 15).
“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the spirit enabled them to proclaim” (Acts 2:1-4).
In the Catholic Church, we receive the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation. During the sacrament of Confirmation, the bishop (or a priest, during the Easter Vigil or in other allowing circumstances) anoints the Confirmandi with chrism and speaks the words, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.” By responding with “Amen”, each Confirmand accepts the Holy Spirit to fill his/her heart. But it is a difficult thing for an individual to feel the Holy Spirit moving inside of him/her. And even when a person is familiar with the movement of the Holy Spirit inside of them, God’s Spirit is unpredictable. Jesus reminds us: “The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). Those, as Jesus says, who are “born of the Spirit” are those who have received the Holy Spirit, especially in the sacrament of Confirmation.
The proper name for this person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit. But, just like God the Son and God the Father have different titles, so too does the Holy Spirit. When Jesus promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, He refers to this Spirit as the “Paraclete” – literally, “he who is called to one’s side”. Some other titles of the Holy Spirit we can find in the writings of St. Paul: the Spirit of promise [1], the Spirit of adoption [2], the Spirit of Christ [3], the Spirit of the Lord [4], the Spirit of God [5] – and, in St. Peter, the Spirit of glory [6]. Since the Holy Spirit is arguably the person of the Trinity who is most difficult to conceive, we have many symbols that we use to symbolize the Spirit of God. Some of these symbols include: water, anointing, fire, cloud and light, the hand, the finger, and the dove (CCC 692-701).
But Confirmation is often viewed as a sort of “graduation” from the faith. This is a dangerous perspective to hold about the sacrament because it is not the end of something, but rather it is the beginning! Remember that Peter and the apostles could not begin their ministry until after they had received the Holy Spirit!
The Holy Spirit, though, does so much more than descend upon us at Confirmation. It is by God’s gift of the Spirit that we are able to receive the Eucharist. Check it out:
After the exclamation of “Hosanna”, the presider continues with arms extended: “You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness,” and then joining his hands and extending them over the offerings, “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,” and making the Sign of the Cross over the bread and wine, “So that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eucharistic Prayer II).
So if you were confirmed this year or twenty years ago, take time to pray to the Holy Spirit more often. This is something that many of us find difficult to do. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill your heart.
And to those about to be confirmed, pray during your Confirmation that the Holy Spirit transforms your life just as the Spirit transforms the offerings of the Mass into the Eucharist. After you receive the Holy Spirit, go back to your pew and pray that you may be inspired by the Spirit like the apostles were. And after you receive the Eucharist, recall the time when you were sealed with God’s Holy Spirit and remember the power that this Spirit holds.
Remember the words of the Eucharistic Prayer from before? Look again closely at the words: send down “your Spirit upon them like the dewfall”. Remember how Jesus said the Spirit was like the wind? In the same way, the Spirit is like the dewfall. We never see it come down, but we can always see it covering the grass in the morning. In Confirmation, we cannot see the Spirit descend upon us like tongues of fire, but if we are open to God’s Spirit, we will notice it covering our hearts and our lives.
This “Confirmation season” (and in all seasons) let us strive to allow the Holy Spirit to enter into our hearts and let us be aware of how the Spirit works in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
Pray for my brother, Grace C.'s sister, Erika's sister, and all those who will be confirmed today at St. Margaret of York!
Veni Sancte Spiritus
Come, Holy Spirit
St. Peter, ora pro nobis.
St. Francis of Assisi, ora pro nobis.
Chawkins.
Footnotes:
[1] Galatians 3:14; Ephesians 1:13
[2] Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6
[3] Romans 8:9
[4] 2 Corinthians 3:17
[5] Romans 8:9, 14; 15:19; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 7:40
[6] 1 Peter 4:14
"Holy Spirit" by Jesus Culture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqynEAIZSbY
"Veni Sancte Spiritus"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmxXwAgkhWQ