The Divine Guest

Hospitality is a hallmark of the Christian faith. And it always has been – from the Church’s earliest days, when the only place where believers could worship safely was in the homes of wealthy widows, to the modern day, when we challenge ourselves to open our hearts as widely as we open our homes or our wallets to those in need. Whether it’s potlucks or parish mission trips, the motivation is the same: we serve others because in others we encounter Christ. God is truly present in those around us.

But is that all? Is God’s presence only found in others, or is it also within ourselves? It might seem to border on blasphemy to say we can look for the divine within. To be sure, there are plenty of New Age-y ideas along that line that don’t correspond at all with our beliefs. At the same time, it has always been a hallmark of the Christian faith that, in the one who believes, God himself comes to dwell by grace.

Vigil Mass: In today’s Gospel, we hear this very idea, when Jesus references the Holy Spirit whom he will give as a gift to the one who comes to him. We might be familiar with imagining the Holy Spirit as a dove or a flame descending from heaven, but here Jesus uses the image of a spring of living water, welling up in the heart of the one who believes in him; more than a spring, in fact – “rivers of living water” flowing out from within, that nourish and satisfy the spiritual thirst of the believer. Who wouldn’t want that?

Mass of the Day: If we had any questions along this line, today’s first reading removes all doubt. In the account from the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples are gathered together in one place, ten days after the Ascension of Jesus. And then, like a rushing wind, like tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit comes into their midst – and not just into their midst, collectively, but comes to rest upon each of them, *within* them individually. As we are told, it is the power of the Holy Spirit *inside* each of the disciples that enables them to speak in different languages, so that the Gospel message could be proclaimed to all.'

Jean II Restout, Pentecost (1732)

And so, the answer is *YES* – God can be found within us, when by grace, through faith, the presence of the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. It’s an amazing idea – a little unsettling even, if you think about it – but also one that should give us great confidence and joy. For as much as we respect the presence of God in others, through service and hospitality, even more so we can draw great strength from the Gift who is also a Divine Person, who aids us, guides us, consoles us, and gives us strength.

How do we receive this Divine Guest? The Church teaches that he comes first in our baptism; the same Spirit who moved over the face of the waters at the dawn of creation moves into us through the washing of water and floods our souls with his redeeming grace. The Spirit comes again in our Confirmation to renew and seal us with the grace of Christ. And he comes to us in other ways, too – by our prayers, by the graces of our vocations – to strengthen us with his sevenfold Gifts: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord.

Mass of the Day: In just a few moments, these gifts will be given right here in our midst, when four members of our community – who by the grace of their baptism have heard the voice of the Holy Spirit drawing them to seek the fullness of God’s grace here in our community – will be received into the Church and confirmed. In that moment, what happened in that first Pentecost will happen in this one: the Holy Spirit will descend upon them. Though invisible to our eyes, they will bear the Presence of God in a new way within their souls, and so be ready to at last join us in receiving for the first time the Lord’s Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. It’s with great joy that we welcome them into the fullness of our Catholic faith.

So, the Holy Spirit comes to us – comes *within* us with his gifts. What then are we to do? What does this Divine Guest, who makes his home within us, urge us to do? Exactly what he called those first disciples to do: to be witnesses of Jesus to the world. As Christians, we believe that the world needs Jesus. It needs his love, his peace, his truth; we are given countless reminders of this, all the time. But we also say that, as Christians, we will proclaim Jesus in the world, that we will show the world his love, his peace, his truth – not by our own powers, but by the presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. And we pray that through him, through the Spirit moving in and working through us, the presence of God will be made known – so that others may encounter him, come to believe in him, and through faith receive themselves his redeeming Presence within.

Friends, on this great Day of Pentecost, let’s make space within ourselves anew, to welcome the Divine Guest who comes to us with the grace of Christ to make us his witnesses in the world. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them – in us – the fire of your love.