Make Room for the Spirit
May 27, 2007

Readings for Pentecost Sunday

Reading 1: Acts 2:1–11

Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 104:1, 24, 29–30, 31, 34

Reading 2: 1 Cor. 12:3b–7, 12–13 or Rom. 8:8–17

Gospel: Jn. 20:19–23 or Jn. 14:15–16, 23b–26

Link to Readings

By Father Nicholas L. Gregoris

On the first Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church, the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel was transformed into the one language of the holy, catholic, and apostolic faith. The apostles gathered together with Our Lady in the Upper Room, rapt in prayer, awaiting the promised Spirit. Later they were moved to preach the Gospel out in the open, addressing men of every race and tongue who gathered in Jerusalem for the feast, under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “the true protagonist of the Church,” as Pope Benedict put it last Pentecost.

St. Philip Neri used to pray inside the Catacombs of Rome by day or outside them by night. On Pentecost Sunday, June 4, 1544, as St. Philip prayed at the Catacombs of St. Sebastian, he had a mystical—shall we say a charismatic—experience that is unique to him as far as I can tell from the lives of the saints.

On that occasion, St. Philip had a vision not of a dove or of tongues of fire resting on his head but of a fiery globe that penetrated his heart. St. Philip, who had once prayed that he be sent as a missionary to India, was told by God: “Rome is your India.” Nevertheless, perhaps that fiery globe representing the Holy Spirit and His global work of salvation acted as confirmation of St. Philip’s unique vocation to bring about a “New Pentecost,”1 in his role as an extraordinary priest living in the critical period of the Counter-Reformation.

Let the Spirit Permeate Our Lives

We too are living in an extraordinary period of the Church’s life. Thus, as Pope Benedict XVI said at the celebration of the Solemnity of Pentecost in St. Peter’s Square in June of 2006, the Catholic Church represented by each one of us, the baptized and confirmed, is in need of a New Pentecost.

The feast of Pentecost celebrated by the Jews recalled the covenant made with Israel at Mount Sinai when Moses received the tablets of the law (Cf. Lev 23:15-22). However, later prophets, like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, spoke of a new law to be written on our hearts by the Spirit of the Living God, thus inaugurating hope for a new and everlasting covenant (Cf. Ez. 36:16–37. Also, Jer. 31:31–37).

During Philip Neri’s lifetime people could hear the palpitations of his heart through his black cassock that he could only button up half way. Only after a post-mortem autopsy was it revealed that St. Philip, affectionately nicknamed “Pippo Buono” (“Good Philip”) by the Romans, had lived most of his adult life with his heart protruding through his rib cage that had been forced apart by the penetration of the Holy Spirit.

So we ask ourselves today: Have we made enough room for the Holy Spirit in our lives? Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to push away sin so as to penetrate more fully our every thought, word, and deed? Do we have expansive hearts, willing and capable of making space for different peoples, places, charisms (spiritual gifts), and apostolates, about which St. Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 12:1–11?

Live and Breathe the Life of the Spirit

We should hope too that our contemporaries whom we serve in Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, will experience their hearts burning within them as we preach and teach them the fullness of truth, that their perhaps still stony hearts will be turned into hearts of flesh refashioned by divine love, that their dry bones will come to life (Cf. Ez. 37:1–11), making them fuller, better persons destined for the resurrection of the body on the Last Day (Cf. 1 Cor. 15:35–58).

St. Philip Neri lived and breathed the life of the Holy Spirit, “the Lord and Giver of life.” So too did his spiritual son, the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman. In Newman’s poem, St. Philip Neri in His Mission, the Cardinal reflects on Philip’s mystical experience in the catacombs and the Spirit’s impact on his life and mission when he writes:

And first in the old catacombs,
In galleries long and deep,
Where Martyr Popes had ruled their flock,
And slept their glorious sleep;

There didst thou pass the nights in prayer,
Until at length there came,
Down on thy breast, new lit for thee,
The Pentecostal Flame;

Then, in that heart-consuming love,
Didst walk the city wide,
And lure the noble and the young
From Babel’s pomp and pride;

And, gathering them within thy cell,
Unveil the luster bright,
And beauty of thy inner soul,
And gain them by the sight;

And thus to Rome, for Peter’s faith
Far known, thou didst impart
Thy lessons of the hidden life,
And discipline of heart. [2]

Are we not also being called to live and breathe the life of the Holy Spirit who, as the Gospel of John reminds us, is the Spirit of Truth who testifies to Jesus and glorifies Him in us and for us?

Sing Praise to the Holy Spirit

Newman composed some beautiful prayers to the Holy Spirit. One is entitled A Prayer of Praise to the Holy Spirit, the Life of All Things. It reads:

I adore Thee, my Lord and my God, the Eternal Paraclete, co-equal with the Father and the Son. I adore Thee as the life of all that live.

Through Thee the whole material Universe hangs together and consists, remains in its place, and moves internally in the order and reciprocity of its several parts. Through Thee the earth was brought into its present state, and was matured through its six days to be a habitation for man.

Through Thee, all trees, herbs, fruits, thrive and are perfected. Through Thee, spring comes after winter and renews all things. That wonderful and beautiful, that irresistible burst into life again, in spite of all obstacles, that awful triumph of nature, is but Thy glorious Presence.

Through Thee the many tribes of brute animals live day by day, drawing their breath from Thee. Thou art the life of the whole creation, O Eternal Paraclete—and if of this animal and material framework, how much more of the world of spirits! Through Thee, almighty Lord, the Angels and Saints sing Thy praises in Heaven. Through Thee our dead souls are quickened to serve Thee.

From Thee is every good effort, every good success. It is by Thee that sinners are turned into Saints. It is by Thee the Church is refreshed and strengthened and champions start forth, and martyrs are carried on to their crown. Through Thee new religious orders, new devotions in the Church come into being; new countries are added to the faith, new manifestations and illustrations are given to the ancient Apostolic creed.

I praise and adore Thee, my Sovereign Lord God, the Holy Ghost. [3]

How apropos are these words for us! How all the more urgent this prayer in the New Millennium faced with the daunting but nevertheless most exciting task of the “New Evangelization”? Certainly we can already see the good fruits of this prayer in our own time when we consider how the one Spirit has given rise to and allowed to flourish such a diversity of apostolates and ecclesial movements loyal to Apostolic Tradition and the Church’s living teaching office or Magisterium: Catholics United for the Faith, Opus Dei, Communion and Liberation, The Knights of Columbus, The Legionaries of Christ, Focolare Movement, Neo-Catechumenal Movement, Community of Sant’Egidio, Catholic Charismatic Movement, etc.

This plethora of apostolates and ecclesial movements, which bear witness to the four marks of the Church, are by right anchored in the Eternal City of Rome, in the very heart or bosom of Catholicism, the Rome that calls Philip its “Second Apostle” and that witnessed the priestly ordination and first Mass of Cardinal Newman—not by chance at the College of Propaganda Fidei, “The Propagation of the Faith.”

Language of Love

Pentecost Sunday is an ideal day on which to recall our Baptism and to renew in our hearts our baptismal promises. If we are to succeed in God’s eyes, then both as individuals and as members of particular communities, we must allow the Holy Spirit to rest upon us. According to God’s plan for our salvation, the Spirit of Pentecost does not only rest upon us as His anointed ones but, even more significantly, He dwells within us, body and soul, mind and spirit, for as St. Paul reminds us, we are temples of the Holy Spirit.

As precincts of the Holy Spirit, we received a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation. The reception of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation is meant to lead us further into the fullness of truth as full-fledged members of the Church and then be empowered to share that truth with others as soldiers for Christ.

The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who taught me in Grammar School, had us pray the following prayer to the Holy Spirit each day, especially as we prepared for the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is a prayer that was composed by St. Augustine of Hippo, the great convert to Catholicism, Father and Doctor of the Church in the fifth century. Thus, we prayed:

Breathe in me, Holy Spirit, that all my thoughts may be holy;
Act in me, Holy Spirit, that my work may also be holy;
Fill me, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy;
Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may ever defend what is holy;
Guard me always, Holy Spirit, that I may ever remain holy;
Preserve me, Holy Spirit, that my body may remain your dwelling;
In my last hour, call me, Holy Spirit, to enjoy the holiness of Heaven.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, we should aim to use any linguistic abilities we possess, but above all, the language of pure, unadulterated love, the one language of the faith of Pentecost, to inspire people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds to live lives in the Spirit, lives replete with His fruits as St. Paul mentions them in Galatians 5:22–23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness and chastity.”

The Holy Spirit must not be the forgotten Person of the Blessed Trinity as far as we are concerned. Instead, let us be ever mindful of the marvels He has accomplished throughout the ages, especially through the lives of His saints.

The Same Holy Spirit Throughout Human History

We can recognize the Holy Spirit, “the finger of God,” at work in all that is good, beautiful, and true throughout human history. We find that the Holy Spirit was operative even in non-Christian cultures and that many aspects of what constitutes classic Western Civilization are due to the working of the Holy Spirit.

Even an overview of history reveals how the Holy Spirit (“Who blows where He wills”) has inspired men and women intellectually and spiritually in areas such as philosophy, literature, art, architecture, music, and science. The Greek philosopher Socrates has been regarded as a pre-Christian martyr for the sake of objective truth. In literature, according to some interpretations, the Roman epic poet Virgil (who wrote The Aeneid) proffers a type of messianic prophesy in his “Fourth Ecologue,” insofar as it looked forward to the virgin birth of a great ruler who would usher in an era of universal peace. [4]

Moving into periods touched by biblical religion, in terms of artistic achievement can we not say that it was the Holy Spirit Who inspired the genius of Michelangelo to sculpt the Pietà and paint the Sistine Chapel, the latter wherein he depicts God as stretching forth His finger to touch that of Adam at the moment of creation? Architectural wonders dot the landscape of the Catholic world from Cologne’s Cathedral to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

In the fifth century A.D. the Christian Emperor Justinian constructed the basilica of Hagia Sophia (“Holy Wisdom”) in Constantinople. Upon its completion, he remarked with some degree of arrogance that he had surpassed even the wisdom of King Solomon, who had built the first temple of Jerusalem according to the precise measurements dictated by God.

Beethoven once remarked that if he could have composed only one piece of original music it would have been the solemn Gregorian chant melody for the Latin text of the Our Father (Pater Noster). Some have claimed that to hear Mozart’s version of the Ave Verum is to enter the celestial realm here on earth.

In science, certainly the finger of God has been able to cast out many an illness as a result of the scientific work of men and women like Gregor Mendel, Madame Curie, and Louis Pasteur, all of whom were practicing Catholics; indeed, Mendel was an Augustinian priest.

Persevering in Hope

Beyond all that, we have a certain hope that our own labors of love for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven will not go in vain. They will serve, among other things, to attract potential vocations to the priesthood and religious life or to help young people enter into the Sacrament of Matrimony, better aware of what Christ and the Church expect of them morally, spiritually, and physically.

We have a certain hope that we will be able to offer believers and unbelievers alike sound spiritual counsel and ongoing direction, so that they may receive the heavenly dew of the Holy Spirit [5] on a daily basis. With ourselves and them in mind, we recall the poetic lines of the Golden Sequence of Pentecost prayed before the Gospel:

Heal our wounds, our strength renew,
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of sin away.
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill
Guide the steps that go astray.

To sum up our Pentecost reflection, let us turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 688, to find some definite answers to our questions about the mission of the Holy Spirit in our midst. The Catechism states:

The Church, a communion living in the faith of the apostles which she transmits, is the place where we know the Holy Spirit:

• in the Scriptures He inspired;
• in the Tradition, to which the Church Fathers are always timeless witnesses;
• in the Sacramental Liturgy, through its words and symbols, in which the Holy Spirit puts us into communion with Christ;
• in prayer wherein He intercedes for us;
• in the charisms and ministries by which the Church is built up;
• in the signs of the apostolic and missionary life;
• in the witness of saints through whom He manifests His holiness and continues the work of salvation.

Finally, let us make our own the prayer that the Venerable Cardinal Newman composed in honor of both the Pentecostal Spirit and St. Philip Neri:

O most loving protector, St. Philip, I beseech Thee fervently to follow Thy example in having a true devotion to the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. As He on Pentecost, in so wonderful a manner, filled Thy heart with His grace, so likewise may He give me the graces necessary for salvation.

Therefore, I beseech Thee to obtain for me His seven gifts, so that my heart might be ready and ardent in faith and in virtue.

Grant that I may obtain the gift of wisdom, so that the mysteries of the Divine Word will remain impressed in my spirit; the gift of good counsel, so that I might be able to see my life in the midst of darkness; the gift of fortitude, so that I might be strong and inflexible in the struggle against evil; the gift of knowledge, so that I can do everything with a pure intention for the glory of God; the gift of piety, so that I may be devout and conscientious; the gift of the holy fear of God, so that I may safeguard submission, respect and discretion in the midst of all spiritual blessings.

O most meek father, flower of purity, martyr of charity, pray for us!

Father Nicholas L. Gregoris, a member of the Priestly Society of the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman, holds a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Theological Faculty Marianum in Rome and serves as the managing editor of The Catholic Response. He is the author of The Daughter of Eve Unfallen: Mary in the Theology and Spirituality of John Henry Newman, published by Newman House Press. He is likewise the translator and editor of Father Giovanni Velocci’s book Prayer in Newman, just released by Newman House Press.

——————————

[1] This was a favorite expression of Blessed Pope John XXIII which he hoped the Second Vatican Council would bring about.
[2] John Henry Newman, Prayers, Verses and Devotions (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1989).
[3] Prayer in Newman [Translated, with an Introduction by Rev. Nicholas L. Gregoris] (Mt. Pocono, PA: Newman House Press, 2006), 82.
[4] Scholars of classical antiquity recognize that Virgil was an epic poet who wrote in order to advance the cause of the Emperor Augustus by extolling at one and the same time Cæsar’s noble origins as well as those of Rome. Historians often refer to Augustus’ rule as having provided in the so-called Pax Romana (“Roman Peace”). Christian historians are quick to note that in God’s providential plan the Roman peace paved the way for the coming of the Prince of Peace.
[5] This felicitous expression is used in the Second Eucharistic Prayer as the priest invokes the power of the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. This prayer is commonly referred to as the epiclesis. A second epiclesis or invocation of the Holy Spirit occurs after the consecration whereby the priest asks that the congregation become ever more “one body, one spirit in Christ.”

Back to Homily Archive