The Paraclete Fiesta 2015 issue

The Vol. 8, Issue No. 4

HAPPY FIESTA

PARACLETE Parish of the Holy Spirit, BF Homes, Quezon City

Fiesta Issue May 2015

Witnessing The Arrival Of The Paraclete IN THE IGNATIAN contemplation of a biblical scene, one is invited to immerse oneself in the situation and utilize all senses to fully experience not only the event, but also live the meaning it opens up to your understanding.

The Pentecost is one event that holds a special meaning in the life of the Church, it is in fact attributed to initiating the birth of the “universal” church of Christ. With the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples as its central theme, the more revealing message is the initiation of the mission to spread the word of God. It is a colorful, dramatic event and full of characterization that makes immersion a truly transforming and meaningful experience.

Upon our return from Mount Olivet where we were witness to the glorious ascent of the human body of the Lord Jesus Christ into the clouds, we are once again gathered in the “upper room” (cenacle) of this house in Jerusalem, where we have lodged for some time since that fateful crucifixion day. As was promised, we are to receive a powerful intervention from the Holy Spirit that will prepare us in our mission to make Christ known to the ends of the world. My heart is burdened with mixed emotions from the flurry of events that have transpired in just a matter of forty or so days. From shame, guilt and self pity of having abandoned and betrayed my Lord in His painful journey to His death on that grim cross, to renewed hope and promise brought about by the miracle of His coming back to life and his constant

reappearance to assure us of His presence; but once again, feeling fearful, abandoned and unsure after we surrendered Him to the heavens earlier.

Now we are asked to wait and pray. But the wait is weighing down on our patience and resolve. We have been asking ourselves what this power of the Holy Spirit really is all about. How will we know that this promise has been fulfilled or how will the Holy Spirit appear to us? In the baptism of our Lord, we were treated to the vision of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove - will it be the same, this time? How will I know if I am ready to receive it, despite my weakness and wavering faith? Or is it just what I need to completely commit myself to my Lord and the mission entrusted to me - without fear and reservation?

By word of mouth but more by the deliverance of faith, followers and believers of our Lord have started gathering in crowds after learning that Jesus has risen from the dead. We are fearful and weary that the authorities who suspect us of spreading rumors of a resurrected Christ to incite the people, will once again, persecute us for our faith, cause our incarceration, torture and death. How will we be protected when the Lord is no longer with us? Will the power of the Holy Spirit, which we are to receive,

“The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit”

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protect and save us? We are restless and listless.

Everyone is tense in anticipation of the events about to overcome us. There are some of us who have expressed their desire to leave and be relieved of their fear and impatience and seek the comfort of their families or take up other worldly concerns.

But we were reminded of the Lord’s emphatic command to stay together in Jerusalem until God’s empowerment through the Holy Spirit is fulfilled.

The loving mother of our Lord has also joined us in our vigil. She was beside herself with more sorrow and grief after learning from us that her son Jesus has been lifted into the clouds, disappeared and has not returned. There is probably no greater sadness in a mother’s heart than losing a son to a crucifixion- falsely accused by a mob crowd to the “crime” of being a witness to God’s love and salvation– even to those who condemned Him; and losing him again, in ultimate surrender to the Father, who is the source of life.The presence of the Blessed Mother has inspired us with her quiet, unwavering love and unconditional acceptance of God’s will from the announcement of her virgin conception to kneeling at the foot of her son’s cross. Her presence also provided us with the preconditioning to the event we were to experience for she had once been overshadowed by the Holy Spirit during the

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annunciation. She does not need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit because she had been living with such grace since she carried Jesus in her womb. But she sits in waiting like all of us for the gift of the Spirit, in community, in faith and in love for her Son. Then it came to pass that after ten days, as the new week unfolded, just as we were engaged in prayer for the Feast of the Harvest and the Pentecost, a sudden gush of wind swirled in from nowhere in the closed confines of the cenacle, producing a loud sound that startled everyone and drowned the cry of everyone’s fear and disbelief. What followed was the descent of a rather familiar brightness and lightness above our heads – the same beautiful aura we experienced in our Lord’s baptism in the River Jordan, the transfiguration, and most recently, His ascension at God’s right hand. Then a feeling of calm and enlightenment engulfed me – it felt liberating, as if my mind was wiped clean and then jumpstarted with a new sense of purpose and direction. It seemed everything came into being again and everything had an answer. All fear and doubt vanished and a renewed enthusiasm and hope lifted my spirit. Joy and love erupted in the room as the fire of the Holy Spirit descended upon everyone who received it freely and willingly. Then even before anyone can react, it left us. (Ivan Concepcion) TP

“And what an amazing gift the Spirit has been!

It is His power that has kept the Church on track, despite human sinfulness, for two millennia.

It is His grace that has strengthened us, revealed Jesus to us, moved us to serve and convinced us that Jesus will indeed come back to bring heaven down to earth.

Pentecost is all about the fact that Almighty God has come to live in human hearts, making ordinary people like us into extraordinary saints.”

- Fr. Bobot Clemen

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The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

INTRODUCTION THE REVELATION of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is rooted in the prophecy of Isaiah about the coming Messiah: “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord” (Is 11:1-3).

While the prophecy of Isaiah pertains specifically to the Messiah, the Tradition of the Church is that these gifts are extended to all of the faithful through the sacraments of Baptism and especially Confirmation (Catechism, No. 1303). St. Paul taught, “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son ...” (Rom 8:29), indicating that through the grace of these sacraments a person takes on an identity with Christ and shares those gifts proper to His role as the Messiah (at least those which are communicable to us).

Confirming this belief, St. Ambrose in De Mysteriis wrote, “Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and

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courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God’s presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with His sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed His pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts” (7, 42) The faithful are reminded of the bestowal of these gifts in the liturgy. In the Mass of Pentecost, when the faithful remember the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, the faithful pray the Sequence, saying, “On the faithful, who adore and confess you ever more in your sevenfold gift descend.”

In the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, the bishop prays, extending his hands over the confirmandi, “All powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life. Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.” Then, the bishop confirms each candidate, making the sign of the cross with holy chrism on his forehead, and saying, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

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Given this basis, traditionally the seven gifts are listed as fear of the Lord, piety, knowledge, understanding, counsel, wisdom and fortitude. (Note that while the Hebrew text of Isaiah lists only six gifts with fear of the Lord being mentioned twice, the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations list seven, adding “piety” and eliminating the repetition of “fear of the Lord.” Moreover, in the Old Testament, seven is the number of perfection, plentitude and covenant.)

1. THE GIFT OF FEAR OF GOD

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Worldly fear is fear of losing material possessions.

We are afraid to lose wealth, honor, fame and power and because of this, we will disobey God’s commandments rather than lose our possessions.

Dishonesty for quick money becomes the norm, artificial contraception rather than offend our spouse. As St. Theresa puts it, we will tend to flee from all earthly inconveniences or abandon Christ and His Church on fearing that fidelity to a Christian way of life can cause hardship.

St. Thomas Aquinas describes initial fear thus: ...if a man turn to God...through fear of punishment, it will be servile fear; but if it be on account of committing a fault, it will be filial fear, for it becomes a child to fear offending its father. If, however, it be on account of both, it will be initial fear, which is between both these fears. (II-II, 19.2)

In Sacred Scripture we read, “Happy the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commands” (Psalm 112:1) and “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord” (Sirach 1:12).

We begin the discussions of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit with the Gift of the Fear of God in the order which was composed by Pope St. Gregory the Great.

This gift is sometimes misunderstood because of the word fear. It does not seem to be a positive habit one would want to acquire.

Even Jesus in the New Testament several times, tell His disciples not to be afraid.

However, the fear referred to in this gift is different from what we think it is. Theologians say that there are four types of fear: worldly fear, servile fear, initial fear and filial fear.

And finally the filial fear of God. When we receive the Gift of the filial fear of God, our respect and reverence for God grows to the extent that we are afraid to offend Him or displease Him not so much because we may be punished for the sins we have committed but because we know He “is all good and deserving of all our love”.

We then fully realize that He deserves our love because He is our Creator, our Father in Heaven, and without Him, we would not be here on earth and have the opportunity to enjoy His creation and all His blessings here in this life and as well as the opportunity to enjoy eternal life hereafter.

With this gift, we realize He deserves our love because He came down from Heaven and became man to teach us and show us how to live. He suffered and died for our sins because this is how much He loves us.

And finally with this gift, we realize that He deserves our love because He continues to sanctify us through the Sacraments and help us in our journey in life.

Gift of Filial fear of God increases our desire not to commit even venial sins and avoid occasion of sin; it prevents lukewarmess from seeping into our system; it also increases our desire to receive the Sacrament

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of Reconciliation frequently; and it increases our desire to do good for the least of our brethren and love our enemies because we know it pleases God. In order for us to receive the Gift of Filial fear of God, regular Holy Hour or even just visits to the Blessed Sacrament to enhance our personal relationship with the Lord and praying the Holy Rosary as often as we can are suggested. Too, throughout the day, let us be mindful of the blessings we continue to receive and be thankful and appreciative of these blessings. A daily short examination of conscience also helps. Finally, a regular meditation on the death and Passion of Jesus or even a daily deliberate look at the Crucifix to appreciate His deep love for us is helpful. The Saints are our model and reading about their lives may inspire us to love God and neighbor.

2. THE GIFT OF PIETY

The second Gift of the Holy Spirit is the Gift of Piety.

This gift springs naturally from the Gift of Fear of God. Piety, is considered to be the love and respect we show God, the Church, and the articles and elements associated with our Catholic Faith. The important thing to highlight here is love. The gift of Piety transforms our relationship with God when we inject love into it. Rather than

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feeling obliged, loving spontaneously and wholeheartedly becomes second nature to us.

Fr. Reginald says that “Catholics are occasionally called superstitious for genuflecting in the presence of the Eucharist, kissing a Rosary, or bowing their heads at the name of Jesus or Mary. If these gestures are mere rote, they may, indeed, be empty and superstitious. If, however, they represent (as they ought to) the love and reverence we have for God, then these gestures take on a great significance.”

Fr. Reginald also says that “our love for the Church is not simply a love for its sacraments and institutions, but a particular love for the individuals who make up the Body of Christ.”

Pope St. John Paul II goes even further and says that with this Gift, the Spirit heals our hearts of every form of hardness, and opens them to tenderness towards God and our brothers and sisters.

“Tenderness, as a truly filial attitude towards God, is expressed in prayer. The experience of one’s own existential poverty, of the void which earthly things leave in the soul, gives rise to the need to have recourse to God in order to obtain grace, help and pardon. The gift of piety directs and nourishes such need, enriching it with sentiments of profound confidence in God; trusted as a good and generous Father. In this sense St Paul wrote: “God sent his Son ... that we might receive adoption. As proof that you are children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a son...” (Gal 4: 4-7; cf. Rom 8: 15).”

“Tenderness, an authentically fraternal openness towards one’s neighbour, is manifested in meekness.

With the gift of piety the Spirit infuses into the believer a new capacity for love of the brethren, making his heart participate in some manner in the very meekness of the Heart of Christ. The “pious” Christian always sees others as children of the same Father, called to be part of the family of God which is the Church. He feels urged to treat them with the kindness and friendliness which are proper to a frank and fraternal relationship.”

“The gift of piety further extinguishes in the

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heart those fires of tension and division which are bitterness, anger and impatience, and nourishes feelings of understanding, tolerance, and pardon.

Such a gift is, therefore, at the root of that new human community which is based on the civilization of love.”

“The Gift of Piety awakens a childlike attitude toward God and a sense that everyone is our brother and sister. Through this Gift, we perceive others as companions on the journey, not competitors or rivals. “ On the other hand, Fr. Saunders says “the Gift of Piety mellows the sense of reverence for God and over-strictness with ourselves. It inspires a great spirit of kindness and understanding toward others, patience in bearing their faults, willingness to forgive, and genuine affection for them. “ “The attitude of total forgiveness of everyone and everything is the mature fruit of the Gift of Piety.

As the sense of belonging to the human family as a whole continues to grow through contemplative prayer and action, this oneness extends to the planet earth, the environment and all creation. One begins to perceive all things in God and God in all things. “ “The meekness proposed in this Beatitude is not passivity, but the determination to continue loving no matter what happens or what another person does.

Showing love is the true nature of being human and undercuts violence at its roots in our animal nature.”

As Blessed Mother Teresa would say: “People are often unreasonable and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.”

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never

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between you and them anyway.”

3. GIFT OF FORTITUDE

Fortitude is one of the four cardinal virtues. It can be practiced by anyone, since, unlike the theological virtues, the cardinal virtues are not, in themselves, the gifts of God through grace but the outgrowth of habit.

Fortitude is commonly called courage, but it is different from what we think of as courage today. Fortitude is courage that is reasoned and reasonable; the person exercising fortitude is willing to put himself in danger if necessary, but he does not seek danger for danger’s sake.

Fortitude is the gift of the courage to seek God, who is our goal, and to reject everything that stands in the way of God or bars us from him, including ridicule, malice, and outright persecution by others.

St. Thomas Aquinas ranked fortitude as the third of the cardinal virtues, because it serves prudence and justice, the higher virtues. Fortitude is the virtue that allows us to overcome fear and to remain steady in our will in the face of obstacles. Prudence

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and justice are the virtues through which we de- way that we might a mathematical equation, but cide what needs to be done; fortitude gives us the that we become certain of the truth of the doctrine strength to do it. of the Trinity. Such certitude moves beyond faith, which “merely assents to what God has revealed.”

What Fortitude Is Not: Fortitude is not foolhardiness or rashness, “rushing in where angels fear to tread.” Indeed, part of the virtue of fortitude, as Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., notes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, is the “curbing of recklessness.”

Putting our bodies or lives in danger when it is not necessary is not fortitude but foolishness.

Sometimes, however, the ultimate sacrifice is necessary, in order to stand up for what is right and to save our souls. Fortitude is the virtue of the martyrs, who are willing to give their lives rather than to renounce their faith. Christian martyrs do not actively seek martyrdom.

It is in martyrdom that we see the best example of fortitude rising above a mere cardinal virtue (able to be practiced by anyone) into one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3.

But it also shows itself, as the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “in moral courage against the evil spirit of the times, against improper fashions, against human respect, against the common tendency to seek at least the comfortable, if not the voluptuous.”

Fortitude, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, also allows us to cope with poverty and loss, and to cultivate Understanding helps us to grasp more clearly what the Christian virtues that allow us to rise above the the truths of our faith really mean to us and our basic requirements of Christianity. The saints, in salvation. Understanding enables us to see; it gives their love for God and their fellow man and their eyes to our faith. determination to do what is right, exhibit fortitude as a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit, and not merely as a cardinal virtue.

Understanding in Practice 4. GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING Understanding is the second of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3, behind wisdom. It differs from wisdom which is the desire to contemplate the things of God, while understanding allows us to “penetrate to the very core of revealed truths” (as Fr. John A. Hardon writes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary). This doesn’t mean that we can come to understand, say, the Trinity the

Once we become convinced through understanding of the truths of the Faith, we can also draw conclusions from those truths and arrive at a further understanding of man’s relation to God and his role in the world. Understanding rises above natural reason, which is concerned only with the things we can sense in the world around us. Thus, understanding is both speculative-concerned with intellectual knowledge-and practical, because it can

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help us to order the actions of our lives toward our final end, which is God. Through understanding, we see the world and our life within it in the larger context of the eternal law and the relation of our souls to God. 5. GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE

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are a rich dowry that would amaze us if we could be given a pair of spiritual glasses with which to see the chamber of our soul, equipping us to make the right choices and follow the right paths in life.

Pope Francis in one of his recent addresses on the gifts of the Holy Spirit likened the gift of knowledge to seeing with the eyes of God, going beyond our narrow human perspective on the world and partaking in God’s plan for creation.

He emphasized that seeing in this way will lead us to a greater respect and love for all creation, preventing us from trying to act as its masters and exploit it and leading us to choose what will lead us to God. Hence we are led to gratitude and wonder at the beauty and goodness in all things: “The gift of knowledge places us in profound harmony with the Creator and allows us to participate in the brightness of His gaze and His judgment.”

Let us be grateful then for this wonderful gift and always remember that we are not alone but have access to the source of all knowledge and let us live according to the deepest truths within our souls.

6. THE GIFT OF COUNSEL

Most people think of knowledge in terms of acquiring information, building up a body of facts about a subject to enable clearer insight and understanding. But the gift of knowledge imparted to the soul by the Holy Spirit at our baptism is much greater than this for it taps into the all knowing God who is the creator of the entire universe, the source of all knowledge. What could be more wonderful than that, being able to partake of the knowledge of the infinite God? It is too amazing to contemplate and can only be understood in the very depths of the soul. But we all have this knowledge, even if it is not always apparent to us. It is a supernatural gift beyond the reach of emotion and intellect but nonetheless deeply present. As Leo Trese explains to the recently baptized young man who complains that he cannot feel any of these wonderful gifts, they

The Gift of Counsel enables us to make proper moral choices. Why do we need this gift? Baltimore Catechism answers as follows: We receive the gift of counsel to warn us of the deceits of the devil, and of the dangers to salvation. Jimmy Akins explains, “The devil is much wiser than we are, and has much more experience, being among the people of the world ever since the time of Adam – about 6,000 years. He could therefore easily deceive and overcome us, if God Himself by the gift of counsel did not enable us to discover his tricks and expose his plots. When at times we are tempted, our conscience warns us, and if we follow the warning we shall escape the sin. Counsel tells us when persons or places are dangerous for our salvation.”

How true is this in today’s world when in the midst of commercialism, secularism, modernism, we are

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at times lost and bewildered as to what is the proper choice to make. The devil on the other hand uses all the tricks to try to deceive us and delude us. By means of rationalization, we are sometimes led to believe that what we are doing is justified. For example, he tells us to go ahead and do things because it is good for our family even if it is an act of dishonesty or corruption. He tells us to go ahead with contraception even though it is intrinsically evil because it will enhance your relationship with your spouse.

He even makes use of the Scriptures such as when he was tempting our Lord in the desert. And if the Lord was not filled by the Holy Spirit, He may have turned the stones into bread because after 40 days of fasting, He must have been very hungry.

With the Gift of Counsel, it is as if man is counseled

by God Himself. St. Thomas writes, “Through the gift of counsel the Christian enters into the secret ways of God; unknowingly yet unerringly he will choose, in the practical contingencies of the spiritual life, ways that will lead to eternal salvation.

Fr. Saunders says that “this gift prompts the person to ask himself, “Will this act lead to holiness? Will this act lead to Heaven?”

With this gift, we will be able to address difficult moral questions. It will help us remember to ask ourselves, what would Jesus do if He were in the same situation as we are.

It appears then that counsel and conscience are very similar to each other. And why not, since God is the source of both the voice of conscience and the gifts of the Spirit, writes Fr. Reginald. On the other hand, Fr. Gardeil says “The Holy Spirit

makes the light of our conscience twice as bright by his inspirations. Now in a soft manner: a whisper, but persuasive and insistent. At other times, a hard reproof, when we do not listen and are obstinate.”

However, there are also circumstances, when it is not a matter of choosing between good and evil but choosing between two or several good options. The Gift of Counsel enables us to choose the best or better option.

Fr. Saunders cites St. Maximilian Kolbe who sacrificed his life so that a father’s life in the prison camp during WWII would be spared. He said that “such an act of self-sacrifice for another is the right thing to do but does not necessarily follow the normal, reasonable course of self-preservation.”

He writes further, “…..through the Gift of Counsel, the Holy Spirit helps a person in a dilemma reconcile the necessity of guarding a secret with the obligation of speaking the truth. Counsel aids the virtue of prudence, and brings it to perfection.”

How do we get and preserve the Gift of Counsel?

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis says: “ the essential condition to preserve this gift is prayer. “We always return to the same point: prayer. Prayer, praying is so important. Praying those prayers that we all know from childhood but also praying with our words, praying to the Lord: ‘Lord, help me, advise me, what should I do now?’. With prayer we make room for the Spirit to come and help us in that moment, he advises us all on what we must do. Prayer, never forget prayer, never. Nobody notices when we pray on the bus, on the streets, we pray in silence, with our hearts, take advantage of these moments to pray.

Pray for the Spirit to give us this gift of counsel.”

7. GIFT OF WISDOM Wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3. They are present in their fullness in Jesus Christ, Whom Isaiah foretold (Isaiah 11:1), but they are available to all Christians who are in a state of grace. We receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit when we are infused with sanctifying grace, the life of God within us - as, for

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example, when we receive a sacrament worthily.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (para. 1831) notes, “They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them.”

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us from the world, makes us relish and love only the things of heaven.” Through wisdom, we judge the things of the world in light of the highest end of man which is the contemplation of God. Each of the gifts of the Holy Spirit has special significance for the soul in its progress toward holiness. Wisdom detaches us from the world, and in doing so makes the soul more responsive to the things of God. We have deeper insight into the value of our faith.

The Application of Wisdom

The First and Highest Gift of the Holy Spirit Wisdom is the perfection of faith. As Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., notes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, “Where faith is a simple knowledge of the articles of Christian belief, wisdom goes on to a certain divine penetration of the truths themselves.” The better we understand those truths, the more we value them properly. Thus wisdom, the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “by detaching

Such detachment, however, is not the same as renunciation of the world. Far from it, wisdom helps us to love the world properly, as the creation of God, rather than for its own sake. The material world, though fallen as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve, is still worthy of our love; we simply need to see it in the proper light, and wisdom allows us to do so.

Knowing the proper ordering of the material and spiritual worlds through wisdom, we can more easily bear the burdens of this life and respond to our fellow man with charity and patience. (Contributed

by Bobby Tordesillas and his fellow Rosary Soldiers of Mary) TP

From Catechism in a Year

What role does the Holy Spirit play in the life of Jesus?

Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot understand Jesus. In his life the presence of God's Spirit, whom we call the Holy Spirit, was manifest in a unique way.

It was the Holy Spirit who called Jesus to life in the womb of the Virgin Mary (Mt 1:18), endorsed him as God's beloved Son (Lk 4:16-19), guided him (Mk 1:12) and enlivened him to the end (Jn 19:30). On the Cross, Jesus breathed out his Spirit. After his Resurrection, he bestowed the Holy Spirit on his disciples (Jn 20:22). At that the Spirit of Jesus went over to his Church: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you" (Jn 20:21).

What happens to us when we celebrate the liturgy?

When we celebrate the liturgy, we are drawn into the love of God, healed, and transformed.

The sole purpose of all liturgies of the Church and all her sacraments is that we might have life and have it abundantly. When we celebrate the liturgy, we encounter the One who said about himself, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6). Someone who is forsaken and goes to Mass receives protection and consolation from God. Someone who feels lost and goes to Mass finds a God who is waiting for him.

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What does it mean to say that the Holy Spirit has "spoken through the prophets"?

Already in the Old Covenant God filled men and women with the Spirit, so that they lifted up their voices for God, spoke in his name, and prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah.

In the Old Covenant God sought out men and women who were willing to let him use them to console, lead, and admonish his people. It was the Spirit of God who spoke through the mouth of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other prophets.

John the Baptist, the last of these prophets, not only foresaw the coming of the Messiah. He also met him and proclaimed him as the liberator from the power of sin.

What is unique about the People of God? The founder of this people is God the Father.

Its leader is Jesus Christ. Its source of strength is the Holy Spirit. The entryway to the People of God is Baptism. Its dignity is the freedom of the children of God. Its law is love. If this people remains faithful to God and seeks first the kingdom of God, it changes the world.

In the midst of all the peoples on earth, there is one people that is like no other. It is subject to no one but God alone. It is supposed to be like salt, which adds flavor; like yeast, which permeates everything; like light, which drives away the darkness. Anyone who belongs to the People of God must count on coming into conflict with people who deny God's existence and disregard his commandments. In the freedom of the children of God, however, we have nothing to fear, not even death.

What does it mean to say that the Church is the "Temple of the Holy Spirit"?

The Church is the place in the world where the Holy Spirit is completely present.

The people of Israel worshipped God in the Temple of Jerusalem. This temple no longer exists. It has been replaced by the Church, which is not limited to a particular place. "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mt 18:20). What makes her alive is the Spirit of Christ: He lives in the Word of Sacred Scripture and is present in the sacred

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signs of the sacraments. He loves in the hearts of believers and speaks in their prayers. He leads them and bestows charisms on the simple gifts as well as extraordinary ones. Anyone who enters into a relationship with the Holy Spirit can experience true miracles even today.

What is the most profound origin of the liturgy?

The most profound origin of the liturgy is God, in whom there is an eternal, heavenly banquet of love the joy of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Because God is love, he would like to let us participate in the feast of his joy and to grant us his blessings.

Our earthly liturgies must be celebrations full of beauty and power: Feasts of the Father who created us that is why the gifts of the earth play such a great part: the bread, the wine, oil and light, incense, sacred music, and splendid colors. Feasts of the Son who redeemed us that is why we rejoice in our liberation, breathe deeply in listening to the Word, and are strengthened in eating the Eucharistic Gifts. Feasts of the Holy Spirit who lives in us that is why there is a wealth of consolation, knowledge, courage, strength, and blessing that flows from these sacred assemblies.

How did the creeds come about?

The creeds go back to Jesus, who commanded his disciples to baptize. In doing so, they were to require of the people seeking Baptism the profession of a definite faith, namely, faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Trinity).

The original cell from which all later creeds grew is the profession of faith in Jesus the Lord and in his missionary mandate. He told his apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit�

(Mt 28:19). All the creeds of the Church are elaborations of the faith in this Triune God. Each of them begins with a profession of faith in the Father, the Creator and preserver of the world, then refers to the Son, through whom the world and we ourselves have found redemption, and concludes with a profession of faith in the Holy Spirit, who is the presence of God in the Church and in the world.

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The Paraclete

What happened on Pentecost?

Fifty days after his Resurrection, the Lord sent the Holy Spirit down from heaven upon his disciples. The age of the Church began.

On Pentecost the Holy Spirit transformed fearful apostles into courageous witnesses to Christ. In a very short time, thousands had themselves baptized: it was the birthday of the Church. The miracle of the languages on Pentecost shows that the Church is there for all peoples from the very beginning: She is universal (= the Latin term for the Greek kat' holon, catholic) and missionary.

She speaks to all men, overcomes ethnic and linguistic barriers, and can be understood by all.

To this day the Holy Spirit is the "soul" of the Church, the essential principle of her life.

How could the Holy Spirit work with in, with and through Mary?

Mary was totally responsive and open to God (Lk 1:38). Thus she was able to become the "Mother of God" through the working of the Holy Spirit and as Christ's Mother to become also the Mother of Christians, indeed, the Mother of all mankind.

Mary made it possible for the Holy Spirit to work the miracle of all miracles: the Incarnation of God. She gave God her Yes: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). Strengthened by the Holy Spirit, she went with Jesus through thick and thin, even to the foot of the Cross. There Jesus gave her to us all as our Mother (Jn 19:2527) What does the Holy Spirit do in the Church?

The Holy Spirit builds up the Church and impels her. He reminds her of her mission. He calls people into her service and sends them the necessary gifts. He leads us ever deeper into communion with the Triune God. Even though the Church during her long history has often seemed "abandoned by all good spirits", the Holy Spirit has been at work in her despite all the human failings and inadequacies.

The mere fact of her two-thousand-year existence and the many saints of all eras and cultures are the visible proof of his presence. The Holy Spirit is the one who maintains the Church as a whole in the truth and leads her ever deeper

May 2015

into the knowledge of God. It is the Holy Spirit who works in the sacraments and brings Sacred Scripture to life for us. Even today he gives his gifts of grace (charisms) to those who are completely receptive to him.

What must we do for the unity of Christians?

In word and deed we must obey Christ, who expressly wills "that they may all be one" (Jn 17:21).

Christian unity is the business of all Christians, regardless of how young or old they are. Unity was one of Jesus' most important concerns. He prayed to the Father, "that they may all be one ... so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (Jn 17:21). Divisions are like wounds on the Body of Christ; they hurt and fester.

Divisions lead to enmities and weaken the faith and credibility of Christians. Overcoming the scandal of separation requires the conversion of all concerned but also knowledge of one's own faith conviction, dialogues with others, and especially prayer in common, and collaboration among Christians in serving mankind. Those in authority in the Church must not let the theological dialogue be interrupted.