The Same Spirit is Also Upon US!
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…”
Jesus quotes from the prophet Isaiah and announces that the prophecy is fulfilled in his listener’s hearing. Jesus, himself, is the fulfillment of what Isaiah had foretold. Well, of course, the Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus, he is the second person of the Holy Trinity made flesh, the “God-man”.
But it is also true that the Spirit of the Lord is upon you (and me), as well. We all received the Holy Spirit on the day we were baptized and the gifts of the Spirit were strengthened on the day of our Confirmation. The Holy Spirit is indeed upon us all.
Each of us is also a “member” of the body of Christ. St. Paul reminds us that although we are many parts, we are all one body. We are enabled by the gifts of the Holy Spirit to wisely discern, to share knowledge and counsel and to do so with fortitude – to build up the body of Christ and to transform the world. What Christ accomplishes in the world today is accomplished through his body, which means you, me and/or other members of Christ’s Church.
As temples of the Holy Spirit we are called to live “in the Spirit.” To live in the Spirit, is to be open and sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit prompts us as we pray, as we reflect on the Scriptures, as we prayerfully serve others and as we pray with and teach our children.
Jesus said two-thousand years ago that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him as he began his public ministry. Through the Sacred Scriptures he tells you and me today that the same Spirit is also upon us.
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life,
