Spiritus Sanctus

Monday of Week 10 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
2 Corinthians 1:1-7 | Psalm 33(34):2-9 | Matthew 5:1-12

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

“Wah, Adrian, you’re so cheerful!”

“Of course! I find my joy in the Lord!”

That conversation happened just yesterday, and it took me by surprise. Until I’d uttered those words, I never really thought about being cheerful that day.

Especially since, just two hours before, I’d given some of my choir members a good ticking-off for not singing in time.

But as I stopped to think about what I’d just said, I admitted to myself that I have been a lot happier in general, since I committed myself to spending a good chunk of each day with the Lord.

My troubles don’t seem to have lessened, and may in fact have increased, as others who aren’t as thrilled with their lives try their best to wipe the silly grin off my face.

But my troubles aren’t troubling me any more. I don’t spend hours agonizing over what needs to be done. With the Lord comes clarity of thought, and the consolation that, when I feel most alone and abandoned, He’s propping my weary body up with His grace and love.

As John Michael Talbot sang almost 15 years ago:

Only in God is my soul at rest,
in Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock,
my strength and my salvation.

My stronghold, my Saviour,
I shall not be afraid at all.
My stronghold, my Saviour,
I shall not be moved.

Brothers and sisters, I pray that God our Father, source of all strength and salvation, may grant you the same graces He’s given me,

that when our journey through life is joyously calm, we never lose sight of Him clearing trash and smoothing the way before us,

but when we stumble and fall, He will always be beside us, to pick us up, bandage our scrapes, dust us off, and send us on our way.

To Him be all praise and blessings, now and forever.

Amen.

The Most Holy Trinity
Exodus 34:4-6,8-9 | Daniel 3:52-55 | 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 | John 3:16-18

God the Father, source of all life and love, creator of heaven and earth.

God the Son, redeemer of mankind, by the blood and water that flowed from Him in his Passion.

God the Holy Spirit, sent to advocate for us all, in fellowship as one united people.

The Holy Trinity, the One God.

It’s a mystery that we will probably never really fathom, but it’s still worth pondering just how much each part of the Trinity impacts our daily lives.

And how that impact can be increased.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Saturday of Week 9 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
Tobit 12:1,5-15,20 | Tobit 13:2,6-8 | Mark 12:38-44

Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’ (Mark 12:43-44)

How much are we willing to give to God?

The leftovers, a whole 2 minutes after work and nightly TV, or just before falling asleep in bed? That’s easy.

Actually setting aside a “tithe” of time for our Creator? That’s a little more difficult.

How far are we willing to go to help the less fortunate?

Volunteer vacations, where other folks figure out the logistics, and I just lend a hand in teaching personal hygiene or erecting a small shack, to the obvious joy of the beneficiaries? Sign me up!

Helping out at a hospice, where a pervading sense of doom undercuts whatever good I try to do, and I’m never quite sure if my cheerful demeanor is actually hurting those who are simply waiting to die? Um…

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

I wish I could say that there’s a simple solution to all that.

I wish I could say “there’s an app for that!”

I’m still figuring out my own answers, but I’d like to think that I’ll be a lot closer to the poor widow in the end.

Lord, make me know Your ways, teach me Your paths. Guide my very self to love and serve my neighbors, so that all may know and love You. Amen.

Friday of Week 9 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
Tobit 11:5-17 | Psalm 145(146):2,7-10 | Mark 12:35-37

Blessed be God!
Blessed be his great name!
Blessed be all his holy angels!
Blessed be his great name for evermore! (Tobit 11:14)

When was the last time we gave thanks and praise to God of our own volition?

Not as part of our weekly Eucharistic obligation.

Not as part of some organized Holy Hour, or prayer session, or other congregation.

Alone, in the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Alone, while besieged by noisy children and adults on our daily journeys.

Alone, in the quiet depths of our hearts, the place where God knows us truly and thoroughly.

What stops us from praising God without end?

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞

Tobit’s exclamation reminds me of the Divine Praises that we sing after the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. While recalling the words, I realized that there’s no logical reason to confine the words to Eucharistic adoration, and every reason to remind ourselves frequently of the authors and collaborators in our salvation.

The Holy Trinity. Mother Mary. St. Joseph, the angels and saints. All deserve our love and thanksgiving.

So, brothers and sisters, let us pray these words often, and with as much fervour as Tobit did after regaining his sight.

Because in blessing all that is holy, we too are blessed.

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy.
Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her Glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.

Amen.

Thursday of Week 9 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
Tobit 6:10-11,7:1,9-14,8:4-9 | Psalm 127(128):1-5 | Mark 12:28-34

O blessed are those who fear the Lord
and walk in his ways! (Psalm 128:1)

What sort of god is the Lord, who asks us to fear Him?

The sort who is our Father, that’s who.

But what does it mean to fear a parent?

Certainly not the fear that precedes death or misfortune.

Instead, it’s the fear borne out of love and respect, a palpable awe of our Creator, a deep-seated unwillingness to displease He who has been our refuge and strength from our earliest days.

It’s this love-streaked fear that compelled Tobias and Sarah to beseech the Lord for His grace and protection.

It’s this all-encompassing love that Jesus reminds us is the first and greatest commandment.

It’s the fruit of our tremendous respect for God, that yields in turn the fruits of faith from His generous hands, as the psalmist reminds us.

Amen, I say to you, brothers and sisters.

Amen.