Burning reality

5/9/2016

Step #1: Lectio / Read

While Apollos was in Corinth,
Paul traveled through the interior of the country
and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples.
He said to them,
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”
They answered him,
“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
He said, “How were you baptized?”
They replied, “With the baptism of John.”
Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance,
telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,
that is, in Jesus.”
When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Altogether there were about twelve men.

He entered the synagogue, and for three months debated boldly
with persuasive arguments about the Kingdom of God.

Acts 19:1-8

Step #2: Meditatio / meditate

It is now officially the last week of the Easter Season - a season that lasts a full 50 days - and we are nearing the feast which ends this season, namely the feast of Pentecost. In today's First Reading, we here Paul teaching in a very specific way about the principal force in that feast day, the Holy Spirit.

Maybe it's old hat to you to think about the Holy Spirit, but what Paul was teaching here was totally revolutionary for the people he was speaking to, so let's try for a moment to imagine it. Paul meets some followers of Christ in Ephesus, and he asks them if they received the Holy Spirit when they became believers. They respond that they did not even know this was a thing, and Paul immediately begins to question them.

Let's pause for a moment here. For many of us, the question "did you receive the Holy Spirit?" probably seems like a weird question to ask. First of all, we'd think, we know that the Holy Spirit is present in the person when they're baptized, so there's no reason to question it. On the other hand, though, we also would almost certainly never ask that question because the Holy Spirit is a sort of assumed force in our lives, but not a Person we talk about regularly.

In the Acts of the Apostles, though, this idea of living a life in and through the Holy Spirit is not foreign, but is very much the center of the life of the Disciples. We see this come true moments later in the Acts of the Apostles when St. Paul baptizes these followers in the name of the Lord Jesus and they receive the Holy Spirit and begin prophesying and speaking in tongues.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, back when he was still Pope, said that the things that the apostles experienced are not supposed to be merely "ancient, past history" but instead should be a "living, burning reality" for us today. The question we should ask ourselves, as we read about Paul baptizing these people and them living a life in and through the Power of the Holy Spirit, is are these things truly a burning reality for me today?

The Holy Spirit is not a distant, cosmic force which sort of works in our lives sometimes. He is the very power for the Christian life, and He wants to give us constant gifts and graces to live out our faith. Until we come in contact with the Holy Spirit, and renew our relationship with the Spirit each day, we will not have the strength to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Without the Power of the Holy Spirit, we do not have what it takes. But, when we let the Spirit become a burning reality, we will be able to see great things happen in our lives and we will have the strength to truly be followers of Jesus Christ.

Come, Holy Spirit.

Step #3: Oratio / Pray

"And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied."

How have you experienced the Holy Spirit working in your life?

What gifts or graces do you need to live out your Catholic faith better in your daily life?

When was the last time you asked the Holy Spirit to play a role in your daily life?

Step #4: Contemplation / contemplate

Come, Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, I long for you to be a burning reality in my life.

Spirit, give me the grace I need today.

For the Rest of Your Day...

Take notice of the moments when the Holy Spirit is present in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you in difficult moments.

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Today's prayer was prepared by Jason Theobald.

CARPE VERBUM