Dear Parishioners and Friends,
On Father’s Day I want to take this opportunity to thank
all fathers who sacrifice so much for their wife and children and ask God’s
blessing on all of you. Being a Christian parent in today’s world is certainly
not easy. It never has been. That’s why they and all of us are in need of the
powerful work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Today I start a series of reflection on the Gifts of the
Holy Spirit. The Prophet Isaiah says this about the coming of the Messiah: “But
a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall
blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of
understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and
of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord” (Is
11:1-3). The Tradition of the church identifies seven gifts and teaches that
they come to all the faithful through the sacrament of Baptism and especially
Confirmation.
By the effectiveness of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
the human soul becomes like God, like steel glowing in the fire. These gifts so
penetrate into our lives that our thoughts and our feelings become those of
Jesus Christ. We truly become “alter
Christus” or “another Christ.”
In Christ,
Msgr. Baker
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.