Parish Novena to
the Holy Spirit
Day Three: Monday
25th May 2020
The
Gift of Understanding
‘We teach what scripture calls: the
things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of
man, all that God has prepared for those who love him. These are the very
things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches
the depths of everything, even the depths of God.’
(1Cor 2:9-10)
On today’s
Novena journey we will be reflecting on the Holy Spirit’s Gift of
Understanding. Yesterday’s gift of Wisdom allowed us to respond to situations
from God’s viewpoint, today’s gift of understanding helps us to comprehend the
things that are of God. Saint Paul, in the above quote, is writing to the early
Christian community at Corinth. He is reminding them that there are some things
beyond the intellectual grasp of man’s mind. It is only through the gift of the
Spirit that we can truly understand them.
A wonderful
example of this is found in Luke’s Gospel. A few weeks ago, we had the account
of the two disciples travelling along the road to Emmaus where they met the
Risen Jesus, though they failed to recognise immediately.
Their minds
had been darkened with the dramatic and turbulent days of Holy Week. Jesus
their master and teacher had been arrested, crucified and buried. The one they
hoped in appears to have let them down; and now there are the reports that his
body is missing. Their heads are bewildered and their minds fuzzy. However, the
stranger on the road sets them straight:
‘You foolish, men! So slow to
believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ
should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then starting with Moses and going
through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the
scriptures that were about himself...Now while he was with them at table, he
took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them.
And their eyes were opened and they recognised him...’
(Lk 24:25 -28; 30)
What a
wonderful line from St. Luke, ‘And their eyes were opened...’. This
is the effect of the Holy Spirit’s gift of understanding. Our minds begin to
open fully to understanding the things that pertain to God.
A personal example that comes to mind when I saw the Spirit’s gift of understanding bearing fruit was at Lourdes over twenty years ago. During a summer term at university I went on pilgrimage to the shrine as a helper. I was appointed to accompany an elderly lady from her hotel to the Stations of the Cross where the bishop was to lead the pilgrims in prayer.
As a
theology student at the time I knew the concept, symbolism and religious
meaning behind the prayer of the Stations. I’d gone through the motions of this
devotion numerous times growing up, however, on this particular day God spoke
to me through the witness of the old lady I was accompanying.
She would
have modestly said that she went to the ‘University of Fish & Chips’
because everything she knew and learnt in life, she read from the newspapers
that her Friday night chippy tea was wrapped in. She knew a lot more than what
she claimed. It was during the Stations of the Cross that I noticed her crying
quietly to herself and I asked was she okay or should I take her back to the
hotel. Her response was immediate: ‘Why are they hurting him? What has he
ever done to us? Oh, we are bad and yet he still loves us!’ I can still
picture her now, the theologian from Rochdale, who understood a lot more than
me. I was observing the Stations she was living and praying the Stations. I
noticed the statue of Jesus from a distance carrying his cross, she was walking
next to him and noticed every scratch, bruise and drop of blood that came off
his broken body.
My
undergraduate theology course involved three years of formal study which
resulted in being awarded a B.Theol (Hons). My elderly companion had been
studying, praying and serving the Lord for over 75 years of her life. The
result was something better than a certificate or some initials after your
name. The award she received was the peace and understanding of who Jesus
Christ the Son of God truly is. I still receive prayer cards and affectionate
letters from my theologian in Rochdale every year and I know that she is still
studying with her prayers, Bible, religious books and rosary daily.
The Holy
Spirit’s Gift of Understanding allows us the wonderful grace to see beyond the
superficial and delve into the depths of comprehending the truths of God and
His mysterious ways.
Veni Creator Spiritus
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator come,
From your bright heavenly throne!
Come, take possession of our souls,
And make them all your own.
You who are called the Paraclete,
Best gift of God above,
The living spring, the living fire,
Sweet unction, and true love!
You who are sevenfold in your
grace,
Finger of God's right hand,
His promise, teaching little ones
To speak and understand!
O guide our minds with your blessed
light,
With love our hearts inflame,
And with your strength which never
decays
Confirm our mortal frame.
Far from us drive our hellish foe
True peace unto us bring,
And through all perils guide us
safe
Beneath your sacred wing.
Through you may we the Father know,
Through you the eternal Son
And you the Spirit of them both
Thrice-blessed three in one.
All glory to the Father be,
And to the risen Son;
The same to you, O Paraclete,
While endless ages run.
Amen.
In the
silence of our Novena prayer today, let us ask the Spirit for the grace to
nurture the gift of Understanding. The Catholic writer and speaker Mark Shea
wrote:
‘The gift of Understanding comes to
our brains the same way the gift of strength comes to our muscles — by
exercise. Today, ask for understanding
and then roll up your sleeves and crack the books.’
Mark is not
saying that through our own effort we can achieve the gift of Understanding but
that we need to appreciate and foster it so that it can bear fruit in our life.
When a child is given a puppy or kitten at Christmas, they do not neglect it
because the poor creature will die. Instead they love it and care for it and
watch it grow and it brings great pleasure and comfort. The same with the
Spirit’s gift of Understanding. We cannot not be a passive participant in the
relationship but must co-operate with the Spirit so that, like my companion in
Lourdes, we too will see beyond the surface and grasp the truth of God.
How do we
take care of the Holy Spirit’s gift of Understanding? What are we reading? When
are we praying? What are we watching? Who are we listening to?
Come, Holy
Spirit
Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your
faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
V. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be
created.
R. And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who taught the hearts of the faithful by
the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may
be always truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
God Bless
and keep praying.
We continue
on day four of our Novena pilgrimage tomorrow.
Fr.
O’Brien
