Dear Holy Spirit Family,
We are very glad that Bishop Felipe Estevez, Bishop of St. Augustine, has granted us permission to reopening of public Masses! However, the dispensation from the obligation to attend is still in effect. There is no obligation to attend Mass in the Diocese of St. Augustine until further notice. Our Live Stream will remain available for the Sunday 11 AM Mass and the weekday Masses.
As we are able to come together again, under modified guidelines, you know it’s very different and lots of inconveniences. But I am still glad to be able to celebrate the Holy Mass with you again physically present. Thank you to all that could join us for Mass today. Thanks everyone who made this possible. Everyone did an amazing job staying spiritually close but socially distant. This has been very hard journey, still a long way to go. And we can make it together.
In today’s Gospel Jesus makes the firm promise that after his departure we will not be left alone. “The Father will give you another Advocate to be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth”. Jesus says I will not leave you orphans, but I will come back to you”, “You will see me”.
This return of Jesus is not just being with us but “you in me and I in you”. Then he makes the supreme promise that if we love him and keep his commandments then both he and the Father will love us and that he, Jesus, will show himself to us.
We will have another Advocate, Jesus will come back to us, he in us and we in him, we will see him and he will reveal himself to us. Is it true?
Our faith and our religion are not just words, not just some kind of imagination, a hope based on make-believe. These promises are to become real in our life. They are to be an experience.
The question is: have I experienced the presence of Jesus? Have I seen Jesus? Do I feel the strength of the Holy Spirit?
First and foremost, we need to want to know Jesus.
Nothing happens unless we want it and the more we want it the more it will happen. This means we will give time to getting to know him. We won’t leave it to the last moment of the day when we are exhausted. It won’t be something extra. We will make it a priority in our life. The more we make him a priority then naturally the more Jesus will come to us.
We will give time to reading his Gospel and meditating on his Word and so come to know him. Through our prayer we will come to love him and by keeping his commandments we will prove our love. His commandment is that we love others as he has loved us. It is a love that has no limit and by loving as Jesus does then we fulfill all the other commandments since if we love then we will never do any kind of harm. Then in our prayer we will experience the presence of Jesus and in others, particularly those in need, we will see Jesus and minister to him in them.
This experience of Jesus and the Holy Spirit is not something that we create by our imagination but it is the peace and realization of Jesus’ presence which wells up in our hearts. He becomes our inspiration in times of trouble and in persecution our strength and consolation. We experience all these and enjoy his peace.
Finding Jesus is finding the treasure hidden in the field. Are you looking for this treasure?
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