Huey Lewis once reminded us that the power of Love is a curious thing; makes one man weep, another man sing. More than a feeling it’s the power of Love!
I hope we all can say we have experienced the power of Love; not just falling in love or romantic love, as powerful as that is, I’m talking about the transformative power of Love we receive through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit who is God!
As people of faith are we aware, in our own lives, of the power of Love through the gift of the Holy Spirit?
Tomorrow is Pentecost so tonight we anticipate this great feast, the birthday of Holy Mother Church. It will be the end of our Easter Season as we focus more on the Holy Spirit, our Advocate the Paraclete.
After the Resurrection, as Jesus prepares to ascend to the Father, he tells us of the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives us “another advocate” in the 3rd person of the Blessed Trinity. We acknowledge the Holy Spirit at every Mass, especially in the Creed when we pray: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He is worshipped and glorified.” Why? Because the Holy Spirit is God!
In tonight’s Gospel we hear that there was no Holy Spirit yet when Jesus told His disciples that the thirsty should come to Him and drink. Does this passage imply there is no Holy Spirit until this very moment in time? Absolutely not! There is, was and ever will be the Holy Spirit because He is God and He is the power of Love. Jesus is preparing his followers, and us, for the outpouring of the Holy Spirt; for them at Pentecost, for us at our Baptism and then again at our Confirmation. We receive the 7-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, counsel, knowledge, understanding, fortitude, piety and holy fear of the Lord.
Once the Apostles and followers received the power of the Holy Spirit, they were no longer afraid, no longer timid. With power, they boldly proclaimed Jesus, they preached and teached and performed miracles. And they spread the Church throughout the whole world!
You and I, having received the gift of the Holy Spirit and the power of Love are called to be bold, to not be timid. We are called to spread the faith in Jesus and His Church buy what we say and what we do. We should witness to the world the power in Love in us and share that power with one another.
On our part we must make a conscience effort to be more aware of the Holy Spirit in our lives. A couple of weeks ago I shared the spiritual works of mercy we are called to do (instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish sinners, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses, comfort the afflicted, pray for the living and the dead). Let’s visit the corporal works of mercy as we prepare for this Feast of Pentecost. They are: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the prisoner, bury the dead.
Can we pray this week to be a people of the Holy Spirit, to be enflamed to live the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, using the gifts the same Holy Spirit gives to us? Can we live the power of Love?
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