St. Thomas Aquinas tells us that Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Confirmation by promising it: “If I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you, but if I go, I will send Him to you.” The Sending of the Spirit upon the Church at Pentecost is the Confirmation of the Apostles and disciples. They are filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit and empowered to preach and to witness to Jesus even in the midst of great danger. They are made soldiers of Jesus Christ!

As we open our hearts today to receive this new Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we can never forget that those who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation have likewise been clothed with Power from on high. We also have received the Spirit, Who empowers us to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, even in the face of persecution and suffering. With this fullness of the Holy Spirit, we have received a new sacramental character, a new sharing in the priesthood of Jesus, which gives us the power publicly to profess the faith so as to defend the faith and to bring others to Jesus.

Continue reading →

Jesus has ascended into Heaven. In so doing, He has forever placed our hearts in Heaven: “Sursum corda!” He is our Treasure, and our faith, hope, and love are now directed entirely Heavenward. Where our Head has gone, the members hope to follow. With our hearts in Heaven with our Treasure, we obey St. Paul’s command to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at God’s right hand.” We approach Jesus now entirely with heavenly reverence, as in the Sacred Liturgy, rather than in the earthly familiarity of walking with Him on the shores of Galilee.

Our first act in this new way of life in Christ is to return to Jersualem, rejoicing with the Apostles (Luke 24:52), and to gather in the Upper Room, united in prayer with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today is our third day of prayer together, making with Our Mother the novena to the Holy Spirit, begging Jesus to clothe us with Power from on high. We somehow feel closer to Jesus because we are with His Mother. We know that, when He sends us His Holy Spirit, we will be closer to Him than we have ever been, even than those who ate and drank with Him.

As we beg for the Holy Spirit to possess us entirely and to unite us fully to Jesus, we think of those areas of our lives where we need most help. We think of our weakness and our ignorance and our coldhearted indifference. We see so clearly our need for a Savior and our need for His Spirit. We tell His Mother to pray especially for those areas of our lives. We tell her everything. She loves us and protects us and nurtures us.

This is the Church today. We are gathered in the Upper Room with Mary, the Queen of the Apostles. She is the Mother of the Church. When she merits congruously the Sending of the Spirit, we will be emboldened to preach the Gospel to all nations. The Church awaits the Spirit. The Bride says, Veni! Veni, Sancte Spiritus! Veni per Mariam!

Fr. Joseph Previtali