Come Holy Spirit

Often times a sin we all confess is pride.  We judge others according to how we do things, or we judge others according to where we think they should be at, or how they should act, or even how they should agree with us.  All of us know this weakness.  Think of it this way, however, if God made everyone just like me this world would be a boring place indeed.

All of us are the same in and that we share a human nature, but everyone’s personalities are just a little different.  One is more of an extrovert, while another is more of an introvert.  One is a little more assertive, another a little more passive.  One is more of a perfectionist, another more of a free spirit, leaving dirty drinking glasses on the coffee table instead of bringing them back to the sink.  One is more happy go lucky, another a little more serious.  One likes to joke, another is a little more bland.   The differences between us are easy to recognize, the hard part is accepting them, and not just accepting them but realizing every single person’s personality is a manifestation of the Divine.

The Holy Spirit molds and shapes who we are for the greater glory of God.  There are distinct reasons, reasons that are eternal in their value of why we are the way we are.  When the Holy Spirit descended on Mary and the Apostles in the Upper on that faithful Pentecost Day God did not make them identical, He gave them similar gifts, but He worked with the gifts He had already given them when He shaped them in the wombs of their mothers.

To some He have the gift of teaching, to others to preach, others to contemplate-pray, to others to help the poor, to others a discerning heart with ability to prophesy, interpret signs, to others to govern and guide, and on and on and on.

No one’s gifts should be looked at as less important, God never works in vain.  From the highest ranking person in the world to the person working for minimum wage, each of their gifts has an eternal value.

Sometimes we sell ourselves short, thinking – what are my gifts, what are they worth?  They are worth a whole lot.  You may be the difference in one or many people’s lives.  It may be you that helps bring someone out of despair, it may be you who brings someone back to God, it may be you that inspires someone to greatness, you may inspire a future pope, ok, let’s keep it simple, maybe a future priest.

The greatest thing about God is that He never wants to stop showering us with gifts.  They did not end at Pentecost; those gifts are still being poured out on us now.  The questions for us are, do we want those gifts, do we even ask for them?  Let that be our prayer for this week, Lord in your mercy and for your glory bless me with the continued gifts of the Holy Spirit so that I may do your work on earth and also to be reminded of how much we are all loved by you.  Amen.

Fr. John