theROCK

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

We all know the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (maybe!). They are Wisdom, Understanding, Fortitude, Counsel, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. These gifts have been given to all of us. That first Pentecost event was not a one-time deal, it happens daily as we strive to live our faith in service of others. The good works that we do cannot be done alone, they can only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit.

In one of his homilies, Fr. Mike Ignaszak suggested we pray for one of those gifts each week. Just think how different our world could be if we took the time to pray for each of these gifts for a full week. For example, if for one week we prayed for fortitude think of what courage could fill our hearts to proclaim the gospel, or what strength we might have to invite our friend back to Mass or introduce them to Jesus!

This might be a good seven-week reflection or spiritual project, praying for a different gift of the Holy Spirit. Just imagine what graces could flow from such prayer!

The Edge of Our Seats

There are moments in life that keep us on the edge of our seats.

Maybe it’s a baseball game where there are runners on base and a hit can win the game, or double overtime in a basketball game with seconds on the clock when a 3 point shot goes up. Perhaps these moments hit a little closer to home—like watching your child swimming or running in a meet,  neck and neck with another athlete. Whatever the results are, we want to remember and recount them with others afterwards.

When was the last time something in your faith life kept you on the edge of your seat? Recently, I experienced several "edge of your seat" faith moments.

My daughter and I were blessed to be present at the ordination of two men, Father Stephen Buting and Father Nicholas Baumgardner. I also witnessed children eagerly walking to the sanctuary for a blessing before heading off to Children’s Liturgy the Word and spent time in the nursery with some of our littlest and most “active” parishioners. Finally, I was present for the Mass of Thanksgiving for Father Nick at his home parish and received a blessing from him! These are all moving experiences for me—watching people answer God’s call to seek, know and become Christ.

Be watchful and aware of the faith moments in your life that keep you on the edge of your seat. God is present all around us. Are we as eager to share those edge of our seat moments as quickly and enthusiastically as those of our everyday lives?

Didymus

I love Doubting Thomas! He’s one of my favorite saints, because he’s just so relatable. We often use his title as a negative thing, perhaps calling someone a “Doubting Thomas.” Really, he is just like you and me. Thomas put his heart and soul into Jesus, followed Him for three years, and gave away everything to be His disciple. Then what happened? Jesus was killed and laid dead in the tomb. Thomas’s heart was shattered.

So many events happen in our lives that shatter our hearts and which cause us to put up walls to protect ourselves. Like if we burn our hand on a hot stove—we make sure to be more careful the next time. Thomas got burned once, so he was not going to blindly believe and get burned again.  However, when Jesus appeared to him and showed Thomas his hands, feet, and side, what was his response? Thomas fell to the ground and cried out “My Lord and my God!” He simply believed.

Jesus says, blessed are those who believe and have not seen. True, we have not seen him like the disciples did in the upper room. However, we have seen the risen Jesus in many ways. In particular, we receive Jesus in the Eucharist.  Every time Jesus is placed in our hands, we should be filled with joy and be reminded of just how much Jesus loves each one of us.