The Holy Spirit
Dear Parishioners of Our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes,
As we approach the Feast of Pentecost, it is good for us to consider the Scriptures that teach about the Holy Spirit and the Sacrament of Confirmation, and so the Church gives us these passages in our lectionary readings for this Sunday. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that if we love Him and obey His law, He will give us the Holy Spirit to unite us to the Father. In the power of the Spirit, we can boldly proclaim our witness to the Truth of the Gospel.
While we receive the Spirit at our baptism, our anointing is completed and perfected in the Sacrament of Confirmation. In the first reading, we hear about the Apostles conferring the sacrament of Confirmation through laying on of hands and anointing, just as their successors (the bishops) do today. It is worth noting that in the early Church, just like today, deacons were not able to confer Confirmation, and so the Apostles were the ones to do so. This helps us grasp the continuity between the Church that Jesus founded, and the Church we have today. The Catholic Church, with its current sacraments, institutions, and hierarchy is essentially the same as it was 2,000 years ago. The appearances are different, certainly, but the reality is the same. We must always be updating and changing the appearances, so that the abiding reality remains always apparent.
At our Baptism and at our Confirmation, we were anointed with Holy Chrism oil, the oil used to anoint priests and kings and consecrate church buildings and altars. This reminds us of our royal priesthood, and the reality that we are living temples of the Holy Spirit, and living stones of the Heavenly Temple and the New Jerusalem. This should remind us of our mission to convert the world and make disciples of all nations, and should also remind us that the Church is a mystical and living reality, not a building. As we engage our present missionary moment, let us live out our sacred calling to be priests in the world, sanctifying and converting it by sacrifices, prayers, and daily work. Let us be vessels of the Holy Spirit, becoming other Christs who witness to the reality of the Father’s love and the communion of the Church.
To prepare for the reception of the Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles gathered for nine days of prayer around the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the vessel of the Holy Spirit par excellence, since she conceived God in her womb by opening herself up to the overshadowing of the Spirit. The Apostles themselves received the Spirit while gathered around her. This reminds us of her preeminent role in the Church and in our salvation.
In the logo for our Family of Parishes, the dove, symbolizing the Spirit, hovers over the head of the Blessed Mother. Devotion to our Lady of Divine Providence reminds us of Mary’s providential role in the Incarnation, and in providing wine at Cana, and providing the Spirit at Pentecost.
As a Family of Parishes, we are rapidly approaching a time of discernment and conversation in the Spirit about how best to use our resources to fulfill our priestly calling for mission and witness in our world today. Let us do so in imitation of Mary, always cooperating with Divine Providence, always open to the inspiration of the Spirit.
Yours in Christ, with Mary,
Fr. Henry Hoffmann
