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