Dear Friends,

In the Gospel on this Sunday between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday, we hear another one of the Lord’s prayers in which He prays: “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You, just as You gave Him authority over all people, so that Your Son may give eternal life to all You gave Him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know You, the only true God, and the one whom You sent, Jesus Christ.” (John 17: 1-3) In it we hear about the holy exchange of the human and divine natures in the divine person of Jesus. In assuming our human nature, the Son of God, as St. Paul teaches in his letter to the Philippians: “Who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (2: 6-8) What we lost in Eden, the Original Gift and Holiness—dominion over creation—was forfeited to Satan at the Fall. For an apple, our self-centered “Grasping for equality with God” of which we not worthy nor could attain, we sold our birthright of stewardship over God’s good creation and sold-out creation in the process. Yielding God’s Gift of dominion and stewardship, Satan assumed the role of Ruler of this world. Jesus’ death and resurrection break the bond of death which Satan thought would separate us from God forever; however, our Lord’s bodily Ascension into heaven is the presage of our Lady’s Assumption body and soul into heaven and the fulfillment of promise of “the resurrection of the body and life everlasting” that we profess each week in the Credo.

As we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Pentecost and renew within ourselves the Gift of the Holy Spirit that directs and guides us to that Holy Communion with God for eternity; allow me to share this passage from his autobiographical book, “Memories, Dreams, Reflections,” in which the renowned psychologist, Carl G. Jung, reflects upon the modern phenomenon of the frequency of neuroses in people who have settled for deficient or erroneous responses to the question of the meaning of life. Jung is convinced that the imbalance in judgment is the result of human beings yielding to superficiality, possessing an inadequate spiritual vision and resisting the integration of faith and praxis. In one case study, Jung recounts the story of a client (a theologian) who had come to him because he had been having a recurring dream that left him disturbed. In the dream, the theologian finds himself in the middle of a forest at the lake which he had been avoiding his entire life. When he finally decided to approach the lake, the water was stirred by a light breeze and he awoke terrified.

Jung makes a connection with the biblical image of the pool of Bethesda (Jn. 5:3-4) and suggests to his client that the breeze symbolizes the Holy Spirit, who moves wherever He wills. Interestingly, Jung reports that the theologian objected to his correlating psychology to religion and faith. Jung concluded that the client was resisting the integration of his academic pursuits and his manner of living. Jung writes: “All very well to speak of the Holy Ghost on occasions—but it is not a phenomenon to be experienced! … The risk of inner experience, the adventure of the spirit, is in any case alien to most human beings.” (pp. 140-142)

In this final week of this Easter season, we can experience, if we allow ourselves, a new opportunity for taking personal responsibility for our own spiritual lives and delving more deeply in our knowledge and love of God. Since the celebration of the feast of Jesus’ Resurrection, for 50 days; we, as Church, have reflected on the Good News of the Risen Lord through the prism of His Passion, Death and Resurrection. We have been consoled and challenged by the Christ-Light of the Paschal candle so prominent at the place from which the Word of God is proclaimed. After this week is concluded with the Solemnity of Pentecost, the physical flame will be snuffed and the Paschal candle will be placed at the Baptismal font only to be lit again at the celebration of Baptisms and Funerals, until the new Paschal Candle of 2027 is consecrated and lit. Yet, its light is not snuffed out; it is the Light of which St. John writes: “What came to be through Him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it;” (Jn. 1:3-5) it is the light of faith that each of us received at Holy Baptism. This Christ-Light is now entrusted through the gift of the Holy Spirit to all believers, to be kept burning brightly, to be guarded against anything which, or anyone who would, attempt to extinguish it; and to be faithfully handed down to the next generation of believers. As we prepare to recall the Sending of the Holy Spirit upon our Lady and the Apostles and recall the seven-fold outpouring of grace which we received at Confirmation, may we on what Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “The essential and central concept summing up what the Holy Spirit is and what He effects is, in the end, not knowledge but love … The basic criterion of love … the proper work of the Holy Spirit … achieves abiding. Love shows itself by being enduring. … Because it has to do with abiding, it can occur, not just anywhere, but only there where eternity is.”

Be of good cheer and have a blessed week!

Msgr. Grous