Angelo Spinola Blog.

domingo, abril 28, 2019

Reflection

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church

First Sermon for Pentecost (rev.)

'He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit" '

Lord Jesus Christ, once again grant that of us, too, there may be but “one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32) for then there will be “a great calm” (Mk 4:39). 

My dear listeners, I exhort you to good will and kindness to one another and peace with all. For were we to have charity among ourselves, we would have both peace and the Holy Spirit. 

Let us undertake to become devout and pray to God... since the apostles persevered in prayer... If we set ourselves to fervent prayer then the Holy Spirit will enter us and say: “Peace be with you! It is I; do not be afraid” (cf. Mk 6:50)... 

And what ought we to ask God for, my brethren? 

For all that is for his honor and the salvation of your souls and, in a word, for the help of the Holy Spirit: “Send forth your Spirit and they will be created” (Ps 104[103]:30) – peace and tranquillity…

 We are to ask for this peace so that the Spirit of peace may come down on us. We should give thanks to God, too, for all his blessings if we want him to grant us those victories that are the beginning of peace. And to obtain the Holy Spirit we should give thanks to God the Father for having first of all sent him upon our Head, Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and His Son... - for “from his fullness we have all received” (cf. Jn 1:16) – and for having sent him upon his apostles that through their hands they might pass him on to us. 

We should give thanks to the Son: as God he sends the Spirit upon those who prepare themselves to receive him. But, most especially, we should thank him because, as man, he merited for us the grace of receiving this divine Spirit...

 And how has Jesus Christ merited the Holy Spirit's coming? When “bowing his head, he gave up his spirit” (Jn 19:30), for, when he gave breathed his last and handed over his spirit to the Father, he merited the Father's sending his Spirit upon his mystical body.