The Beacon
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THE BEACON - VOL. 24
In the January issue of The Beacon, we were reminded of the overall mission of Divine Renovation, an initiative that Father Dean has encouraged the St. John Neumann community to adopt. Divine Renovation will strengthen our foundation, enabling our parish to fulfill its mission of making disciples called to share the Gospel. Through The Beacon and many other parish initiatives, we hope to encourage all parishioners to own the mission.
The Divine Renovation framework recommends three keys to unlock this mission. In February we reviewed the need for and role of Leadership in our parish to drive this renovation. March’s discussion focused on Evangelization and opportunities for each of us to reach out and share our faith. Today, we will explore how the Power of the Holy Spirit can help champion our mission. According to Catholic Scripture and Tradition, the Holy Spirit is both Advocate and Counselor – and the Spirit comes bearing gifts. The basket of gifts made manifest through the Power of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of God. St. Thomas Aquinas defined these gifts as supernatural aids, enabling people to transcend the limitations of human reason and human nature.
How might The Holy Spirit help us engage the mission of Divine Renovation for St. John Neumann? We have a model in the first Pentecost. Jesus desired that the Apostles be best equipped for their mission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20) so He testified: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:16-17).
The stories that follow - in the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of Saints Peter, Paul and others - testify boldly to the graces that flow from the application of the gifts of the Spirit. And, the impressive growth of the early church - “on that day about three thousand people were added to their number" (Acts2: 41) - speaks to the fruit of those gifts.
How might our parish tap into the Holy Spirit and engage these supernatural aids in our mission?
will give you another Advocate to be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth“ (John 14:16-17).
Let’s begin with a request: A sincere and heartfelt prayer, asking our Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to convict us to share Christ with others. As God sent the Spirit of Truth to inflame the Apostles for evangelization, He will want to respond similarly to us. Julian of Norwich says “God is the Holy Spirit and He wants us to accord ourselves to (the Spirit)”. God desires that we lean on Him. He invites us and reminds us regularly to do so. He knows the heft of the job that He has put on our hearts. As the Apostles learned to surrender, so must we in order to receive an “infusion (of the Spirit) that will so greatly animate that the song of God breaks out” (St. Theophan).
And, after praying, listen. Christ Himself said that we will know the Spirit “because he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). And so, like Peter and the Apostles, we must trust as the Holy Spirit, acting as Counselor, responds to our prayer with advice, guidance and the occasional nudge.
When we trust and rely on the Holy Spirit, we will see the fruits of that trust in our lives: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and chastity. Imagine the gifts of the Spirit and the fruits of those gifts in abundance at St. John Neumann if each of us were to respond to the Holy Spirit taking hold within us. With Pentecost Sunday fast approaching (May 24), let’s also ask the Holy Spirit to come upon us, reactivating the Sacrament of Confirmation, when the Spirit was poured into our souls. Then, pay attention. Take note of slight movements, a change of heart, a still small voice.
What might our parish look like with increased vigor for piety? Standing-room only masses? Hymns raising the rafters during worship? What might St. John Neumann feel like if we became the go-to parish for having a shoulder to lean on or an ear to listen? Deeper friendships? Confession lines that wind out into the narthex? By the way, the ratio of spiritual fruits to spiritual gifts is almost 2:1. That’s the Power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s each commit to asking the Holy Spirit to guide us, revitalizing our Sacrament of Confirmation so that the Power of the Holy Spirit might be ignited within St. John Neumann and for our mission.
I would make this bigger: we should ask the Holy Spirit to guide and help us in all that we do. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit, and believe that he will guide us in our leadership, evangelization, calling, etc.
Your Beacon Team,
Kevin Dwyer
Randy Harper
Pat Flathouse
Karen May
Cathy McGuiness
This month’s Beacon written by Cathy McGuiness
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Stay in the know with our efforts in serving you and our mission on being a beacon of light that draws people home by reading The Beacon! In each volume of The Beacon Newsletter, you will learn more about this mission, our actions and efforts, and ways we want you to share your voice.
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Past Volumes:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
Volume 9
Volume 10
Volume 11
Volume 12
Volume 13
Volume 14
Volume 15
Volume 16
Volume 17
Volume 18
Volume 19
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