Sunday, May 11, 2008 Lagura: Pentecost and Mother's Day By Fr. Flor Lagura, SVD in the service of the word
TODAY, many a priest will be faced with a problem. Shall we preach about Pentecost, a difficult theme on itself? But what about Mother’s Day which we also celebrate on this very day?
To satisfy every one I shall try to find a point common to the two, but in doing so I shall pray earnestly to the Holy Spirit for inspiration.
Years ago, a seminarian—let’s call him Frater Tito—had difficulties in his studies, for he was no Thomas Aquinas. Rather, he was more of a John Vianney. But when he received the sacrament of ordination and had to preach in his “canta misa” in his home town on the Feast of Pentecost, he surprised every one, including his seminary professors, when he spoke eloquently on the Holy Spirit. Indeed, Fr. Tito was inspired.
Inspiration came from the Holy Spirit, and that is an important gift or function that the Third Person in the Blessed Trinity gives to us. We no longer use the term, Holy Ghost. For one thing, the word “ghost” has a scary and negative meaning, namely as something belonging to the realm of the dead.
The Holy Spirit, in contrast, gives life. He inspires. The words spirit and inspire come from the Latin root word spirare, meaning to breathe (life) into. And this gift of life giving breath came to the apostles as they huddled lifelessly and in fear in one place. Yet, this band of terrified men got dramatically transformed when the Holy Spirit came down on them from the sky “like a strong driving wind” and appeared “in tongues as of fire.” From that moment on they, so to say, received “a second wind;” their hearts were set on fire.
According to tradition, our Blessed Mother—herself filled with the Holy Spirit during the Annunciation and the Visitation—together with a group of women, were with the band of apostles during the nine days between Ascension and Pentecost as they spent their time in prayer.
Earlier, like any good mother, Mary inspired her son Jesus in many ways, notably to be compassionate and gentle of heart. At one particular moment she did literally inspire her divine son to begin the task the heavenly Father had for him. At Cana, when Jesus hesitated to perform a miracle, for that would have officially started his public life that would end up in the crucifixion in Calvary, His mother gently nudged him on, inspired him to do something for the happiness of the newly-weds and their guests. You all know the rest of the story.
Thanks to the Holy Spirit our Church had its birth, as she received the life-giving breath. And thanks to so many mothers, whom we honor today, so many of us got inspired in life to realize the potentials they saw and to reach the goals they dreamed for us.
