Catholic Caucus: 10-07-04, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 10-07-04 | New American Bible

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October 7, 2004
Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

Psalm: Thursday 43 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel

Reading I
Gal 3:1-5

O stupid Galatians!
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?

Responsorial Psalm
Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

R (68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
R Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to his people.

Gospel
Lk 11:5-13


Jesus said to his disciples:
"Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,'
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.'
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"

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For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

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Alleluia Ping!

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From: Galatians 3:1-5


Justification By Faith

---

[1] O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus
Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? [2] Let me ask you only
this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing
with faith? [3] Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are
you now ending with the flesh? [4] Did you experience so many things in
vain?--if it really is in vain. [5] Does he who supplies the Spirit to
you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by
hearing with faith?

---

Commentary:


1-14. It is his love for the Galatians, rather than indignation at
their behavior, that causes the Apostle to call them "foolish". His
love causes him suffering because they have forgotten that only Jesus,
and not the Law, brings salvation. The Galatians should know very well
that they received justification without even having heard mention of
the Law, for the Holy Spirit came upon them prior to the arrival of
the people from Jerusalem (vv. 1-5). All they have to do is remember
the charisms which they received--the "so many things", the "miracles",
which are manifestations of the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12-14).


Besides, there is the example of Abraham (vv. 6-9; cf. Rom 4). The Lord
promised him that his descendants would be blessed; he established a
covenant with him and justified him not by the works of the Law, which
had not yet been promulgated, but through his faith. In the same way,
all who have believed and who will in the future believe in God as
Abraham did will be his true descendants and will also receive God's
blessing.


Finally, the Mosaic Law, far from bringing salvation, is rather a cause
of spiritual death, insofar as every precept involves a penalty if it
is not obeyed (vv. 10-14; cf. Rom 7:7-12). Our Lord freed us from the
curse of the Law by voluntarily taking on himself the punishment
merited by man's sin (cf. Is 53:4; Mt 8:17; Rom 3:21-26; 5:6-10). By
reverting and submitting to the Law they would in effect be saying that
our Redeemer's sacrifice was unnecessary and ineffective.


1. St Paul boasted that he preached Christ crucified, even though he
fully realized that it was a stumbling-block to Jews and folly to
pagans (cf. 1 Cor 1:23). The mystery of the Passion, Death and
Resurrection of Christ was in fact the very essence of the Apostles'
teaching (cf. Acts 2:22-24; 3:13-15; etc.), for it was these mysteries
that contained all hope of eternal life and salvation. That is why
Paul adds that, for believers, Christ crucified, far from being folly,
is the power of God and the wisdom of God (cf. 1 Cor 1:24).


Paul had probably described our Lord's Sacrifice with such force and
effect that it had been deeply engraved in their memory--and now these
Judaizers, these deceivers, were hypnotizing the naive Galatians and
causing them to lose sight of Christ: they had switched their attention
from Christ on the Cross to the actions of the interlopers.


St Paul's warning is an invitation to fix one's gaze once more on that
sign which, as it were, sums up all Christianity--the image of Christ
on the Cross, which ever since apostolic times presides over altars
and altarpieces, and places of work and leisure.


2-5. St Paul reminds the Galatians that in Baptism they received the
Holy Spirit and his gifts. Since their Baptism, and not prior to it,
they had experienced the action of the Spirit who, although he is in
all ages a source of joy in the Church, was even more evident in the
apostolic age in which the Galatians were living. So, how did this
life of the Spirit reach the Galatians--through faith in Christ and
through Baptism, or through the works of the Law? The Apostle poses
the question without providing an answer, surely because it is obvious
that it came through Christ. The Mosaic Law played no part at all. How,
then, can they be so foolish as to change the Gospel which Paul had
preached to them?

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

[Salvation]

Petition to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii

Remember Lepanto!

Rosary

[Salvation]

FEAST OF THE DAY

The feast of our Lady of the Rosary was established by Pope Pius V
in 1573 in thanksgiving for a battle won by the Christians over the
Turks through the intercession of Mary gained by praying the
Rosary. This feast was extended to the whole of the Catholic Church
by Pope Clement XI in 1716.

The rosary has had a long tradition of being a devotional of the
faithful. It began in two forms, in the first, the prayer consisted of 150
Our Fathers, mimicking the number of Psalms in the Bible. The
second prayed 150 Hail Marys also mimicking the 150 psalms.

As devotion to the rosary grew, it became simpler, and also a means
of directing meditation. Mysteries were added for the faithful to
meditate upon. Over several centuries, the rosary evolved into the
prayer form that we use today, with 15 mysteries remembering
events in the life of Jesus and the Blessed Mother. Promotion of the
Rosary as a devotional of the Faithful has been greatly encouraged
by the Dominicans.


QUOTE OF THE DAY

Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This
is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood. -St. Louis de
Montfort


TODAY IN HISTORY

336 St. Mark ends his reign as Pope


TODAY'S TIDBIT

The Rosary has twenty mysteries divided into four groups. The
groups and mysteries follow.
Joyful Mysteries
The Annunciation to Mary
The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
The Nativity
The presentation in the Temple
The finding in the Temple
Luminous Mysteries
Jesus' baptism in the Jordan
The manifestation of Jesus at the wedding of Cana
Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with his call to conversion
The Transfiguration
The institution of the Eucharist
Sorrowful Mysteries
The Agony in the Garden
Scourging at the Pillar
Crowning with Thorns
Carrying of the Cross to Calvary
The Crucifixion of Jesus
The Glorious Mysteries
Resurrection of Jesus
The Ascension of Jesus
Decent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
The Assumption of Mary
The Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray, through the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, for
the Pope, for his health and for his intentions.

[Salvation]

[Salvation]

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Thursday, October 07, 2004
Our Lady of the Rosary (Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Acts 1:12-14 Luke 1:46-55 Luke 1:26-38 Mary "remained a virgin in conceiving her Son, a virgin in giving birth to him, a virgin in carrying him, a virgin in nursing him at her breast, always a virgin"  -- St. Augustine, Sermon 186

[Salvation]

American Cathlic's Saint of the Day

October 7, 2004

Our Lady of the Rosary

Pope St. Pius V established this feast in 1573. The purpose was to thank God for the victory of Christians over the Turks at Lepanto—a victory attributed to the praying of the rosary. Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church in 1716.

The development of the rosary has a long history. First, a practice developed of praying 150 Our Fathers in imitation of the 150 Psalms. Then there was a parallel practice of praying 150 Hail Marys. Soon a mystery of Jesus' life was attached to each Hail Mary. Though Mary's giving the rosary to St. Dominic is recognized as unhistorical, the development of this prayer form owes much to the followers of St. Dominic. One of them, Alan de la Roche, was known as "the apostle of the rosary." He founded the first Confraternity of the Rosary in the 15th century. In the 16th century the rosary was developed to its present form—with the 15 mysteries (joyful, sorrowful and glorious). In 2002, Pope John Paul II added the Mysteries of Light to this devotion.

Comment:

The purpose of the rosary is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. Pius XII called it a compendium of the gospel. The main focus is on Jesus—his birth, life, death and resurrection. The Our Fathers remind us that Jesus' Father is the initiator of salvation. The Hail Marys remind us to join with Mary in contemplating these mysteries. They also make us aware that Mary was and is intimately joined with her Son in all the mysteries of his earthly and heavenly existence. The Glorys remind us that the purpose of all life is the glory of the Trinity.

The rosary appeals to many. It is simple. The constant repetition of words helps create an atmosphere in which to contemplate the mysteries of God. We sense that Jesus and Mary are with us in the joys and sorrows of life. We grow in hope that God will bring us to share in the glory of Jesus and Mary forever.

Quote:

“[The rosary] sets forth the mystery of Christ in the very way in which it is seen by St. Paul in the celebrated ‘hymn’ of the Epistle to the Philippians—kenosis [self-emptying], death and exaltation (2:6-11).... By its nature the recitation of the rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord’s life as grasped by the heart of her who was closer to the Lord than all others” (Paul VI, Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, 45, 47).

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From another thread:

Holy Theotokos

"It is fitting and right to call you blessed, O Theotokos: you are ever-blessed and all-blameless and the Mother of our God. Higher in honor than the Cherubim and more glorious without compare than the Seraphim, you gave birth to God the Word in virginity. You are truly Mother of God : you do we exalt." Byzantine Daily Worship

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John Paul II Makes a Rosary Appeal [Our Lady of the Rosary]

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JANUARY
1 - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
23 - Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.


FEBRUARY
11 - Our Lady of Lourdes.


MARCH
23 - Our Lady of Victories.
25 - Annunciation.


APRIL
26 - Mary, Mother of Good Counsel.


MAY
13 - Our Lady of Fatima.
13 - Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament.
24 - Our Lady, Help of Christians.
24 - Our Lady of the Way.
31 - Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace.
31 - Visitation.


JUNE
13 - Second Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.
27 - Our Lady of Perpetual Help.


JULY
1 - Immaculate Heart of Mary (formerly Aug. 22)
2 - Visitation of the Blessed Virgin.
13 - Third Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.
16 - Our Lady of Mount Carmel.


AUGUST
2 - Our Lady of the Angels.
5 - Our Lady of the Snow.
5 - Dedication of the Church of St. Mary Major.
13 - Fourth Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.
15 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
21 - Our Lady of Knock.
22 - Immaculate Heart of Mary (in some countries).
23 - Our Lady of Czestochowa (Poland).
22 - Queenship of Mary.


SEPTEMBER
8 - Birth of Mary.
12 - Most Holy Name of Mary.
13 - Fifth Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.
15 - Our Lady of Sorrows.
24 - Our Lady of Ransom.


OCTOBER
7 - Our Lady of the Rosary.
7 - Victory of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lepanto.
11 - Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
12 - Our Lady of Aparecida, Patroness of Brazil.
12 - Our Lady of the Pillar.
13 - Sixth Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.


NOVEMBER
21 - Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
27 - Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.


DECEMBER
8 - Immaculate Conception.
10 - Our Lady of Loreto.
12 - Our Lady of Guadalupe.
18 - Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
25 - The Birth of Jesus.

[annalex]

Lk 11:5-13
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
5	And he said to them: Which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him at midnight and shall say to him: Friend, lend me three loaves,	et ait ad illos quis vestrum habebit amicum et ibit ad illum media nocte et dicit illi amice commoda mihi tres panes
6	Because a friend of mine is come off his journey to me and I have not what to set before him.	quoniam amicus meus venit de via ad me et non habeo quod ponam ante illum
7	And he from within should answer and say: Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give thee.	et ille de intus respondens dicat noli mihi molestus esse iam ostium clausum est et pueri mei mecum sunt in cubili non possum surgere et dare tibi
8	[Yet if he shall continue knocking,] I say to you, although he will not rise and give him because he is his friend; yet, because of his importunity, he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.	dico vobis et si non dabit illi surgens eo quod amicus eius sit propter inprobitatem tamen eius surget et dabit illi quotquot habet necessarios
9	And I say to you: Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.	et ego vobis dico petite et dabitur vobis quaerite et invenietis pulsate et aperietur vobis
10	For every one that asketh receiveth: and he that seeketh findeth: and to him that knocketh it shall be opened:	omnis enim qui petit accipit et qui quaerit invenit et pulsanti aperietur
11	And which of you, if he ask his father bread, will he give him a stone? Or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?	quis autem ex vobis patrem petet panem numquid lapidem dabit illi aut piscem numquid pro pisce serpentem dabit illi
12	Or if he shall ask an egg, will he reach him a scorpion?	aut si petierit ovum numquid porriget illi scorpionem
13	If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask him?	si ergo vos cum sitis mali nostis bona data dare filiis vestris quanto magis Pater vester de caelo dabit spiritum bonum petentibus se

[Salvation]

Thanks, annalex!

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Thursday, October 07, 2004 Meditation Galatians 3:1-5 Are you so foolish? (Galatians 3:3) Who among us hasn’t needed a “wake-up call” at one point or another in our lives? Even though we may know better, we still need reminders to eat healthy and exercise, for example, or to demonstrate love and affection to our family. We still need to be reminded that if we don’t, we will reap the consequences of ill health or tension in our relationships. In his Letter to the Galatians, St. Paul faced the unenviable task of giving these brothers and sisters in Christ a dramatic wake-up call. Paul had learned that the gospel he preached to them had been polluted in his absence, and the Christian converts were suffering the consequences of exchanging their freedom in Christ for bondage to the law. Although they had previously responded to the gospel in faith, they were taking steps backward by believing that observance of the Torah was necessary to complete Christ’s salvific work on their behalf. Apparently, this mostly Gentile community was even practicing the legal rite of circumcision (5:2-6)! How upset and frustrated Paul must have been! As their spiritual brother, he chose aggressive language to wake them up to the folly of their approach and to challenge them. It’s quite possible that the Galatians had good intentions in wanting to supplement their faith with the law. But Paul’s point was not that the law was bad but that it no longer held the primary place it once had. Paul twice called the Galatians “foolish,” not because they were unintelligent but because they were being undiscerning. They needed a reminder that their experience of the Spirit, as well as all the miracles they witnessed, came about through faith in Christ, not because of strict adherence to Judaic laws. Haven’t we all had times when we have needed our own “wake-up call” to bring us back to the Spirit? It can be so easy just to go through the motions of our faith, no matter how “foolish” we know such a position can be. So let the Galatians’ experience—and Paul’s words—help keep you alert! Don’t let yourself lose sight of the Spirit today. “Lord Jesus, look upon your people with mercy and kindness, especially those who are wandering away from you. Strengthen our faith and bind all believers into one strong brotherhood.”

[Salvation]

Litany Ping

In 1976, the Shine of Mary Help of Christians in West Haverstraw, New York,
USA, held a "Bicentennial Religious Celebration". The following litany was
composed for the occasion.


As the pamphlet explains: "It consists of 50 invocations of Mary's help for
the 50 States of the Union, each invocation being chosen from the titles of
Marian Churches in that State. In response let us pray for the people of
each State. For example, when we invoke "Our Lady of Peace of Maine", please
respond "Pray for Maine", and so forth."


Our Lady of the Gulf in Alabama
St. Mary of Kodiak and of the Islands in Alaska
Our Lady of the Highways in Arizona
Our Lady of the Holy Souls in Arkansas
Our Lady of the Wayside in California
Immaculate Conception in Colorado
Notre Dame of Easton in Connecticut
Our Mother of Mercy in Delaware
Our Lady of La Leche in Florida
Immaculate Heart of Mary in Georgia
Star of the Sea in Hawaii
Our Lady of Limerick in Idaho
Queen of the Universe in Illinois
Our Lady of Providence in Indiana
St. Mary of Nazareth in Iowa
Mary Queen of Angels in Kansas
Mother of God in Kentucky
Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Louisiana
Our Lady of Peace in Maine
Our Lady of the Assumption in Maryland
Our Lady of the Incarnation in Massachusetts
Gate of Heaven in Michigan
Mother of the Church in Minnesota
Our Lady of Sorrows in Mississippi
Our Lady of Calvary in Missouri
Our Lady of the Pines in Montana
Our Lady of The Presentation in Nebraska
Our Lady of Las Vegas in Nevada
Our Lady of Perpetual Help in New Hampshire
Our Lady of Fatima in New Jersey
Our Lady of Guadalupe in New Mexico
Mary Help of Christians in New York
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in North Carolina
Our Lady of Consolation in North Dakota
St. Mary Queen of Heaven in Ohio
Queen of All Saints in Oklahoma
Our Lady of the Woods in Oregon
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Pennsylvania
Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Rhode Island
St. Mary the Virgin Mother in South Carolina
Our Lady of the Prairie in South Dakota
Our Lady of Lourdes in Tennessee
Our Lady of the Annunciation in Texas
Our Lady of the Snows in Utah
Our Lady of Grace in Vermont
Queen of the Apostles in Virginia
Our Lady of Good Help in Washington
Our Lady of Victory in West Virginia
Queen of the Americas in Wisconsin
St. Mary in Wyoming
Our Lady in Washington DC
Our Lady of Wisdom, Pray for our Congress
Our Mother, Pray for our President


Dear Mother Mary, this touching variety of titles shows your interest in all
the States of the Union and their inhabitants according to heir special
needs. In it we want to tell you how much you mean to us and how close you
are to us all, to our mountains and lakes, to our towns and villages, to our
homes and our hearts. We sum up all your titles in one when we call you HELP
OF CHRISTIANS, because, as by His love for all men Christ your Son makes
them all Christians and brothers unto Himself, He entrusts them all to you
as your children. Amen.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

All Issues > Volume 20, Number 6

<< Thursday, October 7, 2004 >>

Our Lady of the Rosary

Galatians 3:1-5

Luke 1:69-75

Luke 11:5-13

View Readings

DON’T DOUBT DAD

“If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.” —Luke 11:13

I am writing this teaching sitting next to my nine-year-old son, who is lying in a dentist’s chair getting a filling in his tooth. I am reading Jesus’ words about praying to His Father: “What father among you will give his son a snake if he asks for a fish, or hand him a scorpion if he asks for an egg?” (Lk 11:11-12)

My son is bravely enduring the novocaine shots and drilling, though it is hardly an enjoyable time for him. Yet, as a father, I know that in bringing my son to this appointment, I am giving him “good things.” I know the long-term health he gains will outweigh his temporary discomfort now.

Similarly, our heavenly Father is always interested in our welfare, not our harm (see Jer 29:11). We must never allow present circumstances or disappointments to prevent us from praying to our Father with confidence. God will always answer our prayers as we requested — or He will give us something even better than we ask for (see yesterday’s teaching). Hence, there is “the necessity of praying always and not losing heart” (Lk 18:1).

My son is finished now, and is grinning at his numb, swollen cheeks in the mirror. He trusted his daddy not to lead him into a situation that would be harmful to him. May we likewise have full trust and confidence in our “Abba” (Gal 4:6).

Prayer: Abba, give us the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13).

Promise: “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.” —Lk 11:9

Praise: Chuck and Clare, parents of five children, for years have prayed a decade of the rosary daily for each child.

[Salvation]

From: Luke 11:5-13


Effective Prayer

---

[5] And He (Jesus) said to them (the disciples), "Which of you who has
a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me
three loaves; [6] for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I
have nothing to set before him'; [7] and he will answer from within,
'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in
bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? [8] I tell you, though he
will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet
because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he
needs. [9] And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and
you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [10] For every one
who asks receives, and he who seeks find, and to him who knocks it will
be opened. [11] What father among you, if his son asks for a fish,
will instead of a fish give him a serpent; [12] or if he asks for an
egg, will give him a scorpion? [13] If you then, who are evil, know how
to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

---

Commentary:


5-10. One of the essential features of prayer is trusting
perseverance. By this simple example and others like it (cf. Luke
18:1-7) our Lord encourages us not to desist in asking God to hear us.
"Persevere in prayer. Persevere even when your efforts seem barren.
Prayer is always fruitful" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 101).


9-10. Do you see the effectiveness of prayer when it is done
properly? Are you not convinced like me that, if we do not obtain what
we ask God for, it is because we are not praying with faith, with a
heart pure enough, with enough confidence, or that we are not
persevering in prayer the way we should? God has never refused nor
will ever refuse anything to those who ask for His graces in the way
they should. Prayer is the great recourse available to us to get out
of sin, to persevere in grace, to move God's heart and to draw upon us
all kinds of blessing from Heaven, whether for the soul or to meet our
temporal needs" (St. John Mary Vianney, "Selected Sermons", Fifth
Sunday after Easter).


11-13. Our Lord uses the example of human parenthood as a comparison to
stress again the wonderful fact that God is our Father, for God's
fatherhood is the source of parenthood in Heaven and on earth (cf.
Ephesians 3:15). "The God of our faith is not a distant Being who
contemplates indifferently the fate of men--their desires, their
struggles, their sufferings. He is a Father who loves His children so
much that He sends the Word, the Second Person of the Most Blessed
Trinity, so that by taking on the nature of man He may die to redeem
us. He is the loving Father who now leads us gently to Himself,
through the action of the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts" ([St] J.
Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", p. 84).


13. The Holy Spirit is God's best gift to us, the great promise Christ
gives His disciples (cf. John 5:26), the divine fire which descends on
the Apostles at Pentecost, filling them with fortitude and freedom to
proclaim Christ's message (Acts 2). "The profound reality which we see
in the texts of Holy Scripture is not a remembrance from the past, from
some golden age of the Church which has since been buried in history.
Despite the weaknesses and the sins of every one of us, it is the
reality of today's Church and the Church in all times. 'I will pray to
the Father,' our Lord told His disciples, 'and He will give you another
Counsellor to be with you for ever.' Jesus has kept His promise. He
has risen from the dead and, in union with the eternal Father, He sends
us the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and to give us life" ([St] J. Escriva,
"Christ Is Passing By", 12).

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.