The Work of the Spirit!
The Work of the Spirit!
When I was reading for this Sunday and reflecting on the work of the Holy Spirit, the story of Venerable Solanus Casey came to my attention. Solanus was born in Wisconsin in 1870 and died in Detroit, Michigan, in 1957. He came from a farming family, but his pioneering spirit led him to travel around the Wild West, taking on various jobs before finally discerning his call to the priesthood. One of those jobs brought him into contact with Jim and Cole Younger, two famous gunfighters who worked for Jesse James and his gang. Solanus' kindness impressed the outlaws so much that Cole Younger gave him a present, a clothing trunk, which the future priest brought with him to the seminary. Solanus was not a good student in the seminary – he failed enough classes and was invited to leave. But he succeeded on a second try when he joined the Capuchin Franciscans in Detroit.
He was ordained in 1904, though his academic performance was so poor that it disqualified him from hearing confessions and giving formal sermons. Solanus spent nearly fifty years as a priest, working as the doorkeeper (porter) in various Capuchin parishes from Harlem to Detroit. He would welcome the poor, the homeless, and the affluent – whoever came to the parish in need. Soon, he also gained a reputation as a healer and started attracting Protestants, Jews, and Catholics. As his reputation spread, people came to him by the thousands, looking for comfort, advice, and healing. The growing demands of his ministry wore him out. Often, after a grueling day of counseling, he would fall asleep on the floor of his office or church or be found at two or three in the morning trying to wind down by playing his fiddle in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Venerable Solanus Casey had significant human limitations but was so filled with grace that his life became a roaring waterfall spreading God's goodness.
The reading reminds us of the work of the Spirit. We have to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit. The first reading is from the book of Numbers, Chapter 11. Israelites had lamented the absence of meat from their diet, comparing the manna and the variety of food items they had in Egypt. Moses approaches God and explains his inability to manage these people. Moses was told to summon 70 leaders to the meeting tent to receive a portion of the Spirit he had been given. Sixty-eight did go to that tent, received the Spirit, and began prophesying. Can we see something similar in the Acts of the Apostles 2? The Apostles were gathered in the upper room, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. Many other passages explain people receiving the Spirit and prophesying, like the Soul receiving the Spirit and joining the prophets (I Samuel 10:10-12). In the first reading from the Numbers, the story takes a turn. Two leaders, Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp and were not in the tent. Still, they also received the Spirit and began to prophesy. So, they were not among those with Moses in the tent but still received the Spirit of prophecy. When this was brought to Joshua’s attention, he wanted Moses to stop them. Moses wouldn’t because he could see that their preaching was authentic. They had the power and the authority of the Spirit of God. Moses’ assistant, Joshua, asked Moses to stop them. Moses asked Joshua, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the Lord be prophets?" and reminded Joshua gently that God is free to choose anyone He pleases as His prophet. Moses gently corrects Joshua.
The first reading compliments the Gospel of Mark 9:38-49. We see Jesus' response to the same kind of jealousy. Apostle John notices a man casting out demons in Jesus’ name. He said, “We tried to prevent him.” Jesus warns his disciples of their jealousy and suspicion. Jesus told them, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa said, "We are to watch with joy, not jealousy, the many who prophesy and cast out demons, thus contributing to authentic human development." So stretch our hands in generosity. Jesus offered lessons on servant leadership and collaboration in ministry. He wants the apostles to rejoice in the good others are doing, for God is the doer of all good.
Jesus warns the apostle against the tendency of causing others to sin. Jesus told them to avoid whatever caused them to sin. Otherwise, they will end up in Gehenna. It is a valley directly south of Jerusalem. Jesus refers to it 11 times to talk about hell. There are two associations made with Gehenna: 1. Greek rendering of the Hebrew place name “Valley of the Sons of Hinnom.” It was the site of a frightful Canaanite cult that worshiped the idols of Malech and Baal by burning children in sacrifice (Jeremiah 7:30-32; 19:1-6; 32:35). 2. In Jesus' time, Gehenna was a smoldering garbage dump and burned continually (Matthew 5:22; 18:9; 23:34). Jesus tells us that if someone stops us from being close to Him and living in holiness, cut that person or situation away from us. The most important thing is being close to Him and doing good.
In the second reading, St. James gives us practical aspects of life. We can be good neighbors, or we can be scandalous. Jesus invites us to share our blessings with others and help each other grow in holiness. Let us be open to the work of the Holy Spirit around us. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide us so we can be a blessing to each other.