October 16, 2020

Eph 1: 11-14

In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

The Spirit’s gifts

“Sealed with the promise of the Spirit,” Paul says. I heard a lot about God the Father, Jesus, and Mary during my young Catholic life. The Holy Spirit? Not much. Uncaged around Confirmation time, the Spirit was then tucked back in a “spiritual cage.” That’s a pity. As I age, I realize how desperately our society and Church now need the Spirit’s gifts. We’re like those disciples locked in the upper room after Jesus’s ascension. We may be unsure what to do as we face our fears and confusion about the future, for example, or about our Church’s waning appeal to young people, or the viability of struggling parishes. We need the same courage, inspiration, imagination, and prudence that the Spirit brought those disciples. Let’s all pray: Come Holy Spirit! 

—Chris Lowney, a Fordham University graduate and one-time Jesuit seminarian, currently vice chairs the board of one of America's largest hospital systems, CommonSpirit Health.

Prayer