MAY 31, 2020
ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASS
Loosely based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; the 1939 movie titled The Wizard of Oz is perhaps the best-known and most commercially successful adaptation of the book. From a box office perspective, it was not much of a success earning only a little over three million dollars and netting less than one-tenth of that in profits.
Due to the technology utilized, namely Technicolor™, it was up to that point the most expensive movie ever made by MGM. Not until 10 years later, when it was re-released in theaters did it begin to be a money-maker for the studio, and 50 years after its release was included in the U.S. National Film Registry, and named the most-viewed movie on television by the Library of Congress.
Many things from the movie have entered our national consciousness – phrases, songs, and characters – leading to many attempts at sequels and reinterpretations … none of them as successful as the original which is over 80 years old.
The four major protagonists are: a young girl, Dorothy – who only wants to get home; a scarecrow – who only needs a brain; a tin woodsman – who needs a heart; and a cowardly lion – who needs courage. After an adventure involving munchkins, flying monkeys, a wicked witch, and ultimately the Wizard of Oz himself … the four discover that what they desired was already within their grasp. With a final clicking of ruby slippers, and a chant of “There’s no place like home,” … everyone lives happily ever after.
Today is Pentecost Sunday. Fifty days since the end of the Paschal Triduum. Pentecost marks the end of the Easter Season.
Pentecost is associated with the coming of the Holy Spirit. And for most of us, we know that there are Gifts of the Holy Spirit and Fruits of the Holy Spirit … and perhaps you can rattle them off like a well-memorized lesson. But how do these affect you in your daily life? What is the place of these gifts and fruits for an Average Joe and Mary Catholic?
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1831) “The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit … complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them.”
Which requires us to take a step back. If these gifts complete and perfect the virtues, what are the virtues?
The “big three” are easy: The theological or supernatural virtues are Faith, Hope, and Love. We receive these in Baptism, and they are strengthened in us through our exercising them in our daily lives; as well as through our worthy reception of the Sacraments, most especially the Holy Eucharist.
So, what do Faith, Hope, and Love do for us?
Like the scarecrow, the tin-man, and the lion – we all need a little boost. Not from a wizard, but rather from God. Faith affects the mind, Hope affects the soul, and Love affects the Heart.
In a similar way, the first three human virtues of Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude allow us to properly apply and use our mind’s thoughts, express moderation in our body and soul, and persevere when things become difficult.
Justice, the fourth of the human virtues allows us to balance the actions within our lives by giving of ourselves to God, and to neighbor … in an appropriate mix and measure
These seven virtues – which we possess in varying quantities – are in turn completed and perfected by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The virtues of the mind are perfected by the gifts of Knowledge, Understanding, and Counsel. Knowledge being what fills our mind, Understanding being how our mind processes what it knows within itself, and Counsel being the application of our mind to help others and affect external events.
The virtues of the soul are perfected by the gifts of Fear of the Lord and Piety. Fear of the Lord allows us to show proper reverence for God, and Piety allows us to respond to God’s grace in serving both God and neighbor.
The virtues of the heart are perfected by the gifts of Wisdom and Fortitude. Wisdom allows us to make appropriate choices in prudently discerning between the desires of our heart, and Fortitude helps us to have courage as well as to follow through and persevere.
And finally, “[t]he Fruits of the Holy Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory.” As we grow in virtue by ordering our minds, souls, and hearts to God … the Holy Spirit perfects and completes our efforts through God’s grace. The end result, then, of living a Christian life is holiness – expressed in the twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.
As we continue in this Holy Mass, offering to God the Father the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit… let us pray for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to be poured out in our lives … to complete and perfect our virtues … and as we conform our lives more and more – day by day – to God’s Holy and Perfect Will, may we experience the Fruits of Holiness in our lives through the Power of the Holy Spirit.
