The Forgotten Person

Dear Friends:

A very curious incident is related in the Acts of the Apostles. In chapter 19, St. Paul finds a group of disciples of Jesus at Ephesus and asks them if they have received the Holy Spirit and they give a very strange reply: “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (Acts 19:2) What happened was that they had only received the baptism of John the Baptist. This was an indication that a person wanted to repent and change his or her life - but it was not the sacrament of baptism. Those people in Ephesus had only a very incomplete instruction in Christianity they were doing the best they could. Yet, they needed so much more! They needed the Gospel and the sacraments. Paul took care of everything and baptized them and then laid his hands on them to give them the Holy Spirit.

This past Sunday was Pentecost, the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, Mary and other followers of Christ in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. What a powerful Day! The violent, rushing, wind and the tongues of fire were visible signs of the coming of the Spirit of God. With that event, everything changed for the apostles and for the Church. Gone was the fear and cowardice that had prevented the spread of the Gospel. It was replaced by a courageous desire to proclaim Christ and a new enthusiasm. The Catholic Church was born and that very day some 3000 people in Jerusalem became Christians. This was quite an achievement for the apostles.

Strange as it may seem, there are still many Christians who know very little about the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Hopefully, most of them (unlike the people at Ephesus) know that the Holy Spirit exists - but often enough they do not understand what a vital force He should be in their lives. Some spiritual writers have called Him, the Forgotten Person of the Holy Trinity. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate, to plead our cause, to take care of us and make us holy. It remains for us to deepen our relationship with the Holy Spirit Who lives within us by grace.

Cardinal Mercier was spiritual giant and suggested that a tremendous way of growing in holiness was to go into our soul everyday and spend five minutes communicating with the Holy Spirit within us. Immediately we would be practicing union with God and opening our souls up to the Holy Spirit. We would begin to evaluate all things in the light of the mind and heart of Christ. The Holy Spirit helps us to know Christ more intimately and we all need that kind of knowledge. Our judgment and evaluation of various situations in our lives needs to be refined and it is the Holy Spirit that enables us to judge rightly.

The day of our Confirmation, when you and I were sealed with the Holy Spirit, that day may be a distant memory. Perhaps, because we were very young we did not appreciate the Gift we had received. The reality is that we have received that Spirit of God with His gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord. Let’s make use of them and do great things for God. We really can!

In Jesus and Mary,

Monsignor James M. McDonald

Monsignor McDonald is the pastor of St. Matthew R.C. Church in Dix Hills, New York