The Holy Spirit Works to Bring Us Together

 The love between God the Father and God the Son is so strong that it forms a third person, the Holy Spirit. As the Son is the one who reveals to us the Father, Jesus is our entrance into this love.

The Holy Spirit is the most mysterious person of the Holy Trinity. He reveals Himself to us in many forms. At Pentecost He is wind and fire but He can also come to us by stirring our hearts with a quiet inner voice. In whatever form we encounter Him He always leads us to a deeper understanding of Christ, His word, His suffering, and His life.

John tells us, like the wind, the Holy Spirit blows where He will, we can perceive Him but we do not know from where He comes or to where He goes. The Spirit is the fire and storm that burns our hearts and sets our souls alight with love for God. He impels us to speak, to spread the Truth as we have received it and in turn ignite the hearts of those who hear us.

Through us the Holy Spirit works to bring all of humanity back to God. What was dispersed at the Tower of Babel is brought back together at Pentecost. Each person heard the apostles speak to him or her in their native tongue.

You may have noticed recently a new addition to our “Gate of Heaven” chapel, a full scale reproduction of the image of “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” This was donated by parishioners and is a wonderful addition to our devotion to Our Lady.

The story of how this miraculous image came to be is fairly well known. Even today, almost 500 years later, scientists who have examined it agree that it is not of natural or human origin.

But less well known are the circumstances in Mexico leading up to the image.

Before Columbus arrived in America, Mexico was a naturally beautiful but morally darkened world. Ruled mostly by the Aztecs, the culture made great leaps in engineering, but their civilization rested on a pagan religion that demanded continual, and violent, human sacrifices.

The Spanish, led by Hernando Cortez, conquered Mexico in 1521. They put an end to the pagan worship practices and gratuitous slaughter.

This was a remarkable time when two entirely different cultures lived and worked side by side. But it was not a peaceful time. The devil does not give up so easily and a conquered people as proud as the Aztecs did not easily submit to european rule.

Although there were many dedicated missionaries, the Spanish had a difficult time bringing the Christian faith to the natives. This was because there were a few prominent European colonists who gave a bad personal example and ruthlessly exploited the conquered population. The Bishop of Mexico City even wrote to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, advising him that unless God directly intervened, there would be no way to convert the Mexican people.

Historians believe that by 1531 a revolt among the former Aztecs was a very real possibility. Had this happened it would have set off a chain of violence ending in mass genocide for both Spanish and Aztecs.

Just then the Virgin Mary appeared to a little indian named Juan Diego, and her message and her image touched both the Europeans and the natives so tenderly that a mass conversion followed.

The image itself combines a number of symbols from both Aztec and Spanish culture that drew the two peoples together.

The Holy Spirit truly works to bring man together. Today, both Aztec and Spanish have blended to form one Mexican nation. The shrine that houses the miraculous image attracts 18-20 million pilgrims every year, making it the most visited Catholic shrine in the world.

The Holy Spirit continues to work to bring us together. God may from time to time give us subtle miracles such as the miraculous image of “Our Lady of Guadalupe,” or He may send us more spectacular events such as the wind and fire of Pentecost. But mostly The Spirit works quietly among each one of us. The Holy Spirit works uniquely through each individual so that all who listen hear the message in a language they know by heart.

Each of us have the ability to convey God's message to someone else in a way that no one else can. It may be that our purpose here on Earth is to save one soul, bringing that one person to eternal life.

Pax Vobiscum