MAY 23, 2017
8:45 AM ORDINARY FORM MASS (4TH, 5TH, 7TH, 8TH GRADES)
In the Gospels for the past few days, Jesus keeps talking about "the Advocate."
This is the Greek word "Paraclete" which means "someone to stand by you." Since English doesn't have a specific word for that, it's sometimes translated "comforter," "helper," "consoler," "mediator," and probably other ways, too.
The "Advocate" is the Holy Spirit, who comes to us in both Baptism and Confirmation.
We hear about, and study the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. But it's more than just a list.
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, perfect the Virtues. So, we need to know about the Virtues, too. But this is more than a list.
Some of the Virtues are "infused" at Baptism. These are Faith, Hope, and Love. But like muscles and brainpower, if you don't exercise these Virtues ... they don't get very strong.
The other Virtues are the "human" virtues – prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice. These we develop by thinking the right way, acting the right way, behaving the right way, and being the way God has created us to be. When we do bad things, think bad thoughts, do wrong things – we don't become "bad" in and of ourselves, but we weaken the ability of God's grace to perfect us.
If we don't build up our virtues, there isn't anything for the Holy Spirit to perfect through His Gifts.
Similarly, there are also the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Another list you have to memorize. But it's more than a list.
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit are a foretaste of Heaven for us, here on Earth. When we build a foundation of Virtue, and through Grace allow the Holy Spirit to act in our lives and perfect those virtues with His Gifts, we will experience the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.
And so, it is like building a house. We build our spiritual "house" on the foundation of the Virtues, and through the Sacraments, receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which build us up by perfecting those virtues, and as we continue to live virtuous lives in God's grace, we begin to experience the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
