It sure has been a rainy week. Have you ever noticed that when the rain comes down it has different effects on different people?
So you see that, it is all the same rain but many people like it for many different reasons.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a Bishop who died in the year 386, said “rain adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it.”
Today on Pentecost we celebrate the Holy Spirit coming down on us like rain. St. Cyril said the Holy Spirit “is a new kind of water, a living, leaping water, welling up for those who are worthy.”
And just as rain “adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it” so does the Holy Spirit.
Just like we all need rain water to live as humans, we need the Holy Spirit to live as Christians. The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different people for different purposes. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
And the Holy Spirit that they received back then is the same as the Holy Spirit that we all receive today, first at our baptism, then at our confirmation, but really any time that we call on the Holy Spirit we could receive more gifts.
St. Cyril said:
In the same way the Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, simple and indivisible, apportions grace to each man as he wills. Like a dry tree which puts forth shoots when watered, the soul bears the fruit of holiness when repentance has made it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit never changes, the effects of this action, by the will of God and in the name of Christ, are both many and marvelous. The Spirit makes one man a teacher of divine truth, inspires another to prophesy, gives another the power of casting out devils, enables another to interpret holy Scripture. The Spirit strengthens one man’s self-control, shows another how to help the poor, teaches another to fast and lead a life of asceticism, makes another oblivious to the needs of the body, trains another for martyrdom. His action is different in different people, but the Spirit himself is always the same. In each person, Scripture says, the Spirit reveals his presence in a particular way for the common good.
The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console. The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who receives him, and then, through him, the minds of others as well.
So in that explanation there were a couple of keys:
First, “the soul bears the fruit of holiness when repentance has made it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit” - this means that we have to want it.
It would be easy to sit there and go, “well, it sure didn’t seem like I got any of these gifts of the Spirit at my confirmation, “but the question is, did we really want them? Were we ready to receive them? Were we ready to use them?
See, our Father in Heaven is a good Father who knows what His children need. As a parent, you would never give a bike to your child who is a bookworm, would you? It would be a waste of a gift. Unless they want a bike, what use would it be?
So when St. Cyril says worthy it means more of a readiness, a willingness to receive and use the gifts, uniquely, like our different uses for the rain.
That leads into the second thing, we are all unique, we all have different needs, and different ways that we benefit the Body of Christ.
In the same way that the hand is different from the heart and is different from the brain, we all have different roles and responsibilities within the body of Christ. Cyril said, “In each person, Scripture says, the Spirit reveals his presence in a particular way for the common good.”
And that leads to the third thing, the outpouring of the Spirit is for the common good of the body, to build up the body, Cyril finished by saying, “The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who receives him, and then, through him, the minds of others as well.”
An example of this, you remember how in our first reading which talked about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost when everyone could hear others speaking and praising God in their own languages?? Well, that was for the good of God so others could come to faith, so others could come to believe, through hearing their own languages.
If we were to say, “you know, I am going to Mexico next week on vacation and I really want to be able to speak their language so they will treat me better and I can have a better experience,” well, God isn’t going to give us that gift we desire for selfish reasons. But if we want it so we can go and evangelize, then it might be a different story.
The point is that all of the gifts that we have that are given by God, especially wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
- these are, first and foremost, for encouraging other people in the faith, “to help enlighten the minds of others!”
And we recognize these gifts given by the fruits that we see. We heard about those fruits in our first reading: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Nice.
Now, as an experiment, I’d like you to think of a person who you really like to be around, someone that has a lot of these characteristics, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, someone that when you are with them, really lifts you up, and you feel better in their presence.
When I did this someone came to my mind right away, and I did this experiment with my dad and with the first person that came to his mind too, we both thought of really Godly men, men of faith.
I don’t believe this is a coincidence. Just being around these people, they exude these characteristics that call our minds to God, and call us even to be better people, better Catholic Christians. They are called the “fruits of the Holy Spirit” for a reason. They’re the results from the divine life within us. We’re like a branch and the Holy Spirit is like the nourishment that allows fruit to grow.
So it is important to realize what these gifts are, and the resulting fruit are as well, and what they are truly meant for, but I’d like to encourage you, today especially, to ask God for these gifts of the Holy Spirit, to show these fruits. There is no better day than now on Pentecost in my mind.
If God wants to build up His church like I believe he does, and if He loves you like I know He does, then I believe He will give you these gifts like a good Father gives good gifts to His children.
So, right now, or after the homily, and/or again after you receive communion, that is Jesus’ body and blood in the Eucharist, close your eyes, maybe even open your hands, palms up to God, and pray, “Come Holy Spirit. Give me the gift of wisdom.” or “Give me the gift of understanding.” or ask for them all!
But ask with expectation. Ask with confidence. Ask with faith. For my part, I will be asking for you, interceding on your behalf. May today be a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit here in God’s holy church.