May 21, 2017

6^th Sunday of Easter: 

The Advocate so Forgotten*

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

Today’s Gospel places us at the Last Supper. I think that most of us can recall gifts Jesus gave us on Holy Thursday.  Three quickly come to my mind:  The Eucharist, the Priesthood, and what we call the Mandatum—the command to serve others in love and humility—exemplified through Our Lord’s washing the feet of the apostles.  
 
But that was not all.  There was another gift Jesus bestowed but in the form of a promise. The apostles would receive the gift only after the Resurrection—the Holy Spirit! We find this promise in today’s Gospel: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always…he remains with you and will be in you.” 
 
Why do I mention the Holy Spirit?  Because we are drawing closer to Pentecost, the great feast of the Holy Spirit, and the liturgy begins to prepare us for it. We need to know and love the Holy Spirit.   Yet I think it is safe to say, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity is misunderstood, if not forgotten!   Perhaps it is because it is hard to relate to a “spirit.”  We relate easily to God as “Father” and “Son” but…the Holy Spirit?  Isn’t he rather mysterious? Even St. John Paul II referred to the Holy Spirit as the “hidden God.”  Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit by way of symbols such as a “dove,” “tongues of fire,” “wind,” “breath,” and “water.”  
 
Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit would be another “Advocate.” Our Lord, of course was the first, taking on our humanity, yet that He might remain with his Church, the second advocate would be the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for Advocate is “Paraclete” that is to say, “one who would come to our side, one would come to our aid. Scripture may speak of Him as a dove but remember: the Holy Spirit is a “paraclete” not a parakeet! 
 
Why is it important to know and to love the Holy Spirit?  Because He is the source of the Church’s life and the source of our sanctification. He entered our life the moment we were baptized. But how do we treat this divine guest? 
 
We can receive a guest in our home and then ignore him or her because we are busy. We can receive a beautiful gift and then forget to open it. This is what we so often do to the Holy Spirit. We need to “unwrap” if you will this divine gift within us. I know that for many, our recent mission was a great help to this challenge.  

Fr Andrew Apostoli reminds us that we must also be careful as we seek to reawaken or “tap into” the power who is the Holy Spirit. He points out three dangerous tendencies to avoid:
 
The first is that of seeking a devotion that is almost entirely emotional, that is to say, based on feelings alone. CS Lewis wrote, “Though our feelings come and go, God's love for us does not.” So the Spirit is at work at all times, not just when I am feeling wonderful and happy.  
 
The second danger is pride. The Holy Spirit cannot be truly at work in us if we have an exaggerated sense of self-importance. We can easily become critical and judgmental of others.
 
The third dangerous tendency to avoid is that of feeling so “free in the Spirit” that the Church is considered unnecessary. The Holy Spirit will always lead us into deeper love of the Church, its teaching authority, its sacramental life. Catholics are never lone rangers…Jesus did not establish a Church that we might be left to create what we think is best. 

What then is the program we have to live our lives in the Holy Spirit? St. Paul provides it in his letter to the Galatians. He calls them the fruits of the Holy Spirit. They are evidences that the Holy Spirit is at work within us. They are the traits of the disciple. I am going to read them out….they form a good examination of conscience:
 
Love:  Do I love the Lord with my whole being? Do I love others as I love myself? Do I hold grudges?
 
Joy:  Am I content with the gifts I have? Am I envious? Am I negative? Am I a complainer?
 
Peace:  Am I forgiving? Do I hold on to anger? Do I work for peace within my family and community?
 
Patience:  Am I patient in trying circumstances or do I lash out in frustration? Am I tolerant of those people who disagree me?
 
Kindness:  Am I compassionate? Do I strive to see what is good in others?
 
Faithfulness:  Am I loyal to my family and friends? Am I faithful to my commitments to family, church, my job?
 
Gentleness:  Do I always need to be in control. Do I force my will on other? Do I correct others with harshness?
 
Self control:  Do I carry out works of penance and self denial? Do I guard my senses? Have I resorted to gossip, slander, or detraction?
 
Something to think about as we move toward Pentecost:

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!
You the soul’s most welcome guest,
Where you are not, we have naught.
Nothing good in deed or thought
Heal our wounds, our strength renew
On our dryness pour your dew!
Amen. Alleluia!

*The italicized, bold section was omitted in delivery at the 8:00 am Mass