St. Mary's Church Elizabeth, IL

August 7

Another Counselor In the Gospel of John Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give another Counselor, who will never leave you” (John 14:16). The Holy Spirit is the gift of God in Jesus Christ, and the possession of the Holy Spirit is a gift not an achievement, Jesus was going to leave the disciples, but we would remain with them. The Holy Spirit is the abiding presence of the Risen Christ.

It is a tragedy of our time that we have no patience. The lack of patience creeps into all the spheres of life, the spiritual included, but the “spiritual feeding” is not a quick visit at the religious drive through window where for a minimal pay we get a spiritual sandwich and a cup of diet beverage, It is unhurried communion with God who is never in a hurry.

The Acts relate, that when the Pentecost happened, the believers were meeting together in one place (Acts2:1). Were they gathered in the same place where they celebrated the Last Supper. I believe so. And what happened? Out of the experience in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, the disciples entered into a new sort of courage which transformed them, enabling them to face the world not intimidated by it (Acts 4:31). The Holy Spirit also enabled them to understand the Scripture. The Apostles received a new insight into Scripture, understanding its meaning and significance, because only the Holy Spirit can interpret the Scripture that the Holy Spirit inspired! Through the Holy Spirit the believers received in a nutshell the message that Jesus who was regarded as a criminal driven to the cross, is the Messiah, the Anointed One of God, who now sits on the right hand of His father. That message came through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, where the First Eucharist took place and with that message they went into the world.

The National Eucharistic Renewal we began on the Feat of Corpus Christi is an invitation sent out by the Holy Spirit to all Catholics in the United States to come back to the Upper Room, where all these miraculous things happened. The awakening to Christ, the discovery of Christ and assurance of salvation, are all the work of the Holy Spirit of God!

Fr. Joachim