HOLY SPIRIT: THE SOURCE OF GOOD INSPIRATIONS
THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Zeph 3:14-18; Isa 12; Lk 1:39-56
The Holy Spirit of Good Inspirations
Today
is the second day of our novena to the Holy Spirit and the feast of the
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Following our consideration of the
spiritual joy and consolation that comes to us when the Holy Spirit gives us a
new birth in Jesus Christ, we consider the inspirations which are subsequent
and consequent on the new spiritual birth we have received. We know a distinct
life by a different centre of vital activities. Vital in the sense that all the
activities emanating from the centre and coordinated by it serve the sustenance
of an individual life. The same applies to our spiritual life, gained through
our profession of faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit generates a new spirit
in us, which becomes the centre for the reception of spiritual effects or
graces and coordination of spiritual activities for the sustenance, growth, and
development of our spiritual life. In our natural life, nature prompts the
activities through which we sustain, grow, and develop our lives. The
promptings of nature do not maintain, grow, or develop the spiritual life, for
it is not from nature but from Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit. Thus, he
prompts the activities of our spiritual lives through the Holy Spirit, by which
he sustains, grows, and develops our spiritual lives with us.
The
Prophet Zephaniah foretold the new indwelling of God within us through his Holy
Spirit, by which we live a spiritual life. “Shout for joy, daughter of Zion,
Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has repealed your sentence; he has driven your enemies away. The Lord,
the king of Israel, is in your midst; you have no more evil to fear.” Just as
in natural life, where we need to follow the promptings of nature to live well
naturally, we are obliged to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit to live
our spiritual lives well. Because the enemies of man have corrupted our nature
from origin, the Christian obligation is to obey the promptings of the Holy
Spirit over those of our corrupted nature for the safeguarding of our nascent
spiritual lives. The Prophet speaks of the deliverance from our ancient
enemies, which God wrought through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
He repealed the sentence of eternal punishment and rehabilitated what is truly
natural to man in the spiritual life. Hence, by our obedience to the Holy
Spirit daily, he not only prompts our spiritual activities but also our natural
activities by the will of the Father. “When that day comes, word will come to
Jerusalem: Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your
God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.” The Son of Man accomplished this
in his ministry as man and now through his Holy Spirit within us individually
and mystically.
In the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, we see the complete and intended harmony between the human and the divine natures. The Holy Spirit prompted not only her spiritual activities but also her natural activities, for all became channels of grace to others. “Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Elizabeth immediately acknowledged the presence and the working of the Holy Spirit through the mother of Our Lord. “She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?” All of us who are baptised into Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit in his name become sources and channels of grace to cause the spiritual birth, sustenance, growth, and development of others. So, as we celebrate the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth, we ask her intercession for the grace to always listen to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. We need the grace of God and our Mother Mary’s prayers to develop a perfect awareness of the divine presence, which is the core of our salvation and source of spiritual and natural graces. “Truly, God is my salvation, I trust, I shall not fear. For the Lord is my strength, my song, he became my saviour. With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”
Let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, who, while the Blessed Virgin Mary was carrying your Son in her womb, inspired her to visit Elizabeth, grant us, we pray, that, faithful to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we may magnify your greatness with the Virgin Mary at all times. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
Comments
Post a Comment