From The Bishop

In the Gospel of St. John for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Jesus states: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” What Jesus gives to his disciples is something that the world can never give and that is the Holy Spirit. It is this gift of the Holy Spirit that we see acting in the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Both Paul and Barnabas have relied on the Holy Spirit as a source of wisdom regarding the question of whether Gentiles had to first be circumcised prior to being baptized. The inspired decision was not to impose this additional burden. We find in the Holy Spirit an advocate, guide and source of wisdom and peace. An advocate is someone who supports us. Everyone who has been baptized and confirmed has received the Holy Spirit. In Confirmation we are given specific gifts to support us in this life. They are wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord. These gifts have been given to us to be used. It is only in this way that we will be transformed and become more like Christ. When we allow the Holy Spirit to act as our advocate we are relying more on these divine gifts than on ourselves. Here we find true wisdom. God then begins to guide our lives from compliancy toward action. When this happens we can then experience inner peace in the midst of activity. The analogy that has been used to demonstrate this fact is a ship that is being tossed on a stormy sea. If you go deep to the bottom of the ocean it is calm. The Holy Spirit provides this “depth” or peace in our lives when we follow His promptings and do not simply remain on the surface. This requires openness as there can be a fear of the unknown. Pope Francis often speaks about this process regarding the Holy Spirit. “Let us ask ourselves today: Are we open to God’s surprises? Or are we closed and fearful before the newness of the Holy Spirit?” He does not want us to become so comfortable in our ways that we are closed to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We often pray, “Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth.” Let us remember that this not only happened at the time of Paul and Barnabas; it is still happening today. Let us not be afraid to be open to where the Holy Spirit is leading us as our advocate, guide and source of wisdom and peace.