Meditation Forty-one, Third Week of December 2003

The Holy Spirit and the Liturgy

Begin with prayer to the Holy Spirit

Readings: John 14:25–31; 15:26–27; 16:1–15; Catechism 1091–1103

It is most unfortunate that despite the great effort to make the liturgy and the sacraments more meaningful to the clergy and the faithful since Vatican II, much of the result seems to be superficial. Great attention can be paid on all sides to the less important aspects of the Mass and the rest of the Church’s liturgy. Arguments rage about who should assist, what language should be used, what hymns should be sung, what to wear, and when to kneel and stand. All these things are of some importance, but it seems that the most important elements are overlooked. This is especially true when it concerns the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the liturgy. Most people could not tell you what the Holy Spirit has to do with the sacraments, although they could tell you that Christ’s presence and action are important.

In order to have a deep appreciation of the reason that Christ promises at the Last Supper to send the Holy Spirit to the Church, we must meditate on chapters 14–16 of St. John’s Gospel, especially the texts indicated above. The Catechism describes the works of the Holy Spirit, and if you examine your own prayer life, you may notice that He has been doing His work in you all along but you did not realize it. When it comes to prayer in union with Christ, the Holy Spirit helps us in the following ways.

1) He prepares us by inspiring us to pray and learn from the Bible—first the Jewish Scriptures, or the Old Testament, and especially the Book of Psalms. He opens our minds to the meaning of the figures or signs of the Old Testament like the Exodus (Baptism), the Paschal Lamb (the sacrifice of the Eucharist), the manna (reception of the Bread of Life). There are many figures, like the Ark of the Covenant. In a Benedictine abbey in California there is a tabernacle built like a replica of the ark.

2) The Holy Spirit brings to our minds the whole mystery of Christ, since the liturgy is a memorial of the mystery of salvation. Always take a few minutes before Mass to pray deeply to the Holy Spirit. In that short time, with His help, the whole mystery of Christ can pass before our minds. This is known as the anamnesis, or the recalling in faith of the mystery of salvation. It takes place at the beginning of Mass. We need to take time, to pray, and recall what we are doing as we prepare for Mass. We must allow the Holy Spirit to do what Christ says He will do: “[He will] bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

In our next meditation we will continue with the two other works of the Holy Spirit—how He actually causes the sacrament to come into being and how He gives us Communion, not only for ourselves but for the whole Church.
 

Quotation for Meditation

From a work by Msgr. Romano Guardini, one of the foremost spiritual writers and theologians of the 20th century.

When Christ for the last time, shortly before His death, assembled His disciples, He spoke to them thus: “But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and brings all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.”

It is impossible to understand and accept Christ in the manner in which we understand and accept other historical figures. In Him the Son of God has become man and dwells among us. This is a mystery so profound that it surpasses the power of our intellect; it is also a judgment on the world which forces us to change our entire mode of thinking and reassess all our values.

Unaided, we cannot understand Christ. The faculty of understanding can be awakened only by the One who is Christ’s equal—the Holy Spirit through whose power the Son of God became man. The Holy Spirit opens the heart and the mind, and our prayer to Him is the prayer by which we ask that we may understand Christ.
As a historical figure Christ is easily blurred by similarity with other historical figures, and also by the fact that man has an instinctive aversion to anything which goes beyond the purely human. The Holy Spirit must grant us the gift of discrimination. The figure of Christ, as well as His message, is surrounded by misunderstandings, distortions, and hostility.
The Holy Spirit must give assurance to our hearts and minds so that we may find the way to Him. Christ is the truth. The Holy Spirit must give this understanding of Christ, which in the words of St. Paul “surpasses everything,” and must awaken our love for Him.

The Holy Spirit teaches us to understand Christ, and in Christ, God and ourselves. It is the kind of understanding which comes from the heart, not from the intellect. It is true comprehension; more than that, it is illumination.

The Holy Spirit gives us the answers to those questions which the mind cannot answer because the mind invariably couples the word why with the word I. “Why must I endure this suffering?” “Why am I denied what others have?” Why must I be the way I am, live the way I do?” These are some of the most essential and decisive questions in the life of the individual, and to those questions men and books remain silent. The true answer comes only when our heart is free from revolt and bitterness; when our will has come to terms with life as it is for us, recognizing in it the working of the will of God.

The intellect may acquiesce readily enough, but this is not sufficient. Instruction must go deeper; acceptance must come from our inmost heart. Only then will we find the answer to the why, and with it, peace, for truth alone brings peace. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. (The Art of Praying, Sophia Institute Press, 2000, pp 93–95. 1 800 888-9344)

Quiet Time and Then Discussion

Questions for Meditation

1 Do I pray to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to prepare me for Mass and the sacraments?
2. Do I read the Bible, especially the Psalms and the Gospels, to help me pray with Christ?
3. Do I encourage others to pray to the Holy Spirit so as to meet Christ in the Mass?
 

Prayer

Holy Spirit, open my mind and heart so that I may pray with Christ. Help me to know how to pray with Him. And Holy Spirit, pray within me so that I may pray well. Amen.