God's Holy Spirit
by Fr.Gus Carter
5/15/05

References to God's Spirit occur repeatedly in the Holy Scriptures. The Spirit expresses the Lord's loving outreach to people. We read frequently of the power of God touching one person for the benefit of others. Sacred Scripture portrays the love and care and judgment of God for people in terms of the Spirit. The Spirit of God descended on Joseph, the son of Jacob, so that he would have the wisdom to save the Jewish people in time of famine. The judges who ruled after Moses received the Spirit of God that they might serve and lead the nation. The prophets, of course, were inspired to remind people of the presence and the will of God. The ultimate outreach, the most powerful sending of the Spirit, resulted from Jesus' resurrection. This final outpouring became possible only when the full significance of Jesus' life was revealed in his resurrection and ascension. In John's Gospel, in several places he says, "The disciples did not understand this because Jesus had not yet risen from the dead." Once Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit would teach the disciples all the truths revealed in Jesus lifetime.

Scripture describes Moses ascending a mountain to receive a legal code, the Ten Commandments. In the New Testament Jesus ascends to heaven to receive the Holy Spirit who writes the law of God on the hearts of human beings. The Jewish people considered the Law to be the gift of God's wisdom. The Spirit, the love of God, is the ultimate source of wisdom, and is poured into our hearts, as St. Paul said, to make us children of the Almighty Father.

Jesus' message of repentance, of forgiveness, of brotherly and sisterly love came to glowing awareness in his disciples when they encountered the risen Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had taught them. Now in the power of the Spirit they gained total conviction. They then felt compelled to share what was revealed to them with others. Through each generation people of faith have proclaimed the reality of the resurrection, and those of the next generation found it possible to believe in Jesus.

Our experience is that the faith of one person generates the faith of another. I like to teach because it is the best way to learn. It becomes clear to me as I grow in years that in sharing my faith, I grow in my own convictions. By speaking to you of my faith, I communicate it to you, but at the same time the Spirit is working in me as the Spirit also touches you. As I proclaim my faith to another, my enthusiasm and grasp of the things of God grows.

An good example of this is the Cursillo movement, the main function of which is sharing faith. As we put our faith into words and communicate it to others, we grow in our understanding and conviction. Many are searching for a spirituality of marriage. Sharing faith would seem to be a natural thing to do in marriage, although there are reasons that make faith-sharing difficult. At the same time faith-sharing offers an extraordinary opportunity to grow in understanding and intimacy. As we learn to discuss God with those close to us, we come to know one another in wholly different aspects of our lives. Intimacy involves understanding the deepest part of one another. Certainly that should come about as we share our faith with our spouses, our friends.

Many young people get out of touch with their faith for a time as they grow up, but when they have children they may return. Often they do this because they feel the need to pass on something important to their children. In communicating their faith to their children they form themselves. Again, what a beautiful opportunity to understand one's children and to grow in closeness. As we learn to talk about God in our own homes, we communicate how important God is to us.

It is the Spirit who opens us to all the wonders of God. I remember a woman telling me that when she and her husband brought home their first infant, they sat up all night watching the baby in wonder. Many individuals have been touched by God, the nearness and goodness of God, in beholding their children. This is an instance of feeling the presence of the Spirit in our lives. In their love for their children they understand that the Spirit writes the law of God in our hearts. Their love seems so right, so what life is all about.

Today, we all pray that we will all experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is the Spirit in Christ who assures us that life is worth living, that life has profound meaning, that life is in the here and now. We do have a desire to live life to the fullest. That is what life in the Spirit is all about. We rejoice today for the gifts of the Spirit. We pray that we will open ourselves and allow the Spirit to move us and grasp us and give us experiences of God's awesome love.