Fr. Bill's Weekly Message
for 7/5/98
Dear Parishioners:
Last weekend over one hundred of our youth attended
a retreat in Alexandria, Louisiana. The retreat was sponsored by the
diocese or Alexandria and Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
This is the fourth year we have gone to the retreat.
It is a powerful experience of the Holy Spirit.
Often the Holy Spirit gifts some of the youth (and adults) with manifestations
of His power. The Catechism of the Catholic Church repeats the teaching
of the Second Vatican Council: There are sacramental graces, proper to
the different sacraments. There are furthermore special graces, also called
charisms after the Greek term used by St. Paul and meaning "favor," "gratuitous
gift," "benefit." (Cf. LG 12) Whatever their character - sometimes it is
extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or of tongues - charisms are
oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good
of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the Church
(Catechism 2003).
The Spirit of God wants to mold us and fashion us.
He desires that we be the clay in the hand of the potter. Now when we allow
ourselves to be that clay, we will be stretched to a level we couldn"t
dream of before. It will not be pleasant. God never promised us that all
would be easy or comfortable on our journey.
If we focus too much on the gifts of God rather than
of God Himself, we will operate out of fear and cautiousness. We can
be too careful. We must test every spirit and determine whether the
spirit comes from God.
St. Paul writes, Likewise the Spirit helps us in our
weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words (Rom. 8:26). We
could not even address God as "Father" if it were not for the Spirit in
us. "The Holy Spirit is the 'principle' of every vital and truly saving
action in each part of the Body. He works in many ways to build up the
whole Body in charity," (Catechism 798).
It behooves each of us to get to know the Holy Spirit
on a deeper level. He is a Person of the Trinity and as such desires
to have a personal relationship with us. He is the Advocate promised by
Jesus. We are engaged in a great spiritual war for our souls and eternal
destiny. "For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against
the principalities, against powers, against world rulers of this the present
darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places"
(Eph. 6:11-12).
This spiritual warfare is the greatest battle we will
ever face. It lasts a lifetime. The stakes are our eternal life, either
with God or with Satan. It would be comfortable to reduce all this to mere
psychology or human conditioning, but that is not the teaching of scripture.
The Holy Spirit is a gift of Jesus to protect us and
guide our lives. Let us pray that we can give our hearts over to God"s
Holy Spirit, that we take on the shield of faith, with which we can quench
all the flaming darts of the evil one (Eph. 6:16). Let us pray all the
time in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18) that we might enjoy the Spirit"s refreshing
wind and grow more and more into imitators of Jesus.
God bless,
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