The Spirit of Jesus is not a whole new message. For many decades, the Catholic Church may have overlooked the role of the Holy Spirit, or viewed the Spirit primarily in the context of the ministry of a bishop at the liturgies of confirmation and ordination. However, this Spirit has received greater prominence in the presence of the charismatic renewal, when all Christians realise that we are
gifted with the Holy Spirit. It may seem that this is a novelty in the Church, but in many ways it is going back to the earliest times when the Holy Spirit had great prominence in the life of the Church. We can read about this in the Acts of the Apostles.
The activity of the Spirit always refers us back to Jesus and the love of the Holy Trinity. Nobody can say, “Jesus is Lord,” without being prompted by the Holy Spirit (See 1
Corinthians 12:3). The Spirit reminds us of Jesus’ loving ministry, his life and death, and, most importantly, by his resurrection, his overcoming the power of sin and death. All of this is done in accord with the will of the Father.
Through the Lenten season, we acknowledge our deviation from God’s plan for our happiness. At Easter, we have seen how God has remedied our waywardness in the life-giving death and resurrection of Jesus.
At Pentecost, we rejoice that the Holy Spirit comes to strengthen our resolve and unite us more closely to the Son of God. On the Feast of the Holy Trinity, we celebrate this mystery of the activities of the three divine persons totally aligned in one purpose, to love and save all creatures who have wandered from God’s original design. We discover in ourselves the deep-seated desire to do and “say what we have been told” as we live our lives in ordinary time.
What graces from God have I received during the Lenten period, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and Holy Trinity? How do I live my resolve to do and say what I have been told?
Reflections by Peter Knox
SJ
