17 May 2024 · 2024-05 newsletter
(Sermon by Fr. Joseph Kentenich in St. Michael’s Church, Milwaukee, 6th June 1965)
I would like to introduce my Pentecost sermon with a rule of life Cardinal Mercier wrote down shortly before he died:
I would like to reveal an important secret of holiness and happiness to you. If you manage to apply it, your life will be happy, and you will find consolation even amidst suffering and pain. It is this:
Try to control your imagination for five minutes a day. Close your eyes to all earthly things, close your ears to the noise of the world, in order to enter into your inner self, into the sanctuary of your baptised soul, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Speak to the divine guest dwelling there and say:
Holy Spirit, you are the soul of my soul. I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, comfort me. Unveil your wishes to me, give me your orders. I promise to submit to all your demands, to accept what is to happen to me by your decree. Let me only recognise your will. Amen
If you manage to follow this advice, you will find that you will always receive grace in proportion to your trials and it will give you the strength to get through them. You will arrive at the gates of heaven laden with merit. Such surrender to the Holy Spirit is the secret of holiness. If you want to become holy, you will become happy. If you do not strive for holiness, you will look in vain for true happiness here on earth and in eternity. Accept this rule of life; withdraw daily, even if only for five minutes.
At such times we should veil the pictures of our imagination and close the doors of our souls, in particular, the doors to our eyes and ears. We should gaze deeply into our own hearts in order to become aware that they are truly temples of the Holy Spirit. Let us then confront ourselves with the Holy Spirit, enter into a dialogue with him and say:
"Holy Spirit, you are the soul of my soul. I humbly adore you. Enlighten me, strengthen me, guide me, comfort me. Reveal your wishes to me as far as this is in accordance with the will of the Eternal Father. Show me what Eternal Love wants of me. Show me what I should do. Show me what I should humbly and thoughtfully accept, bear and endure. Holy Spirit, show me your will and the will of the Father, for I want my whole life to be nothing else than a continuous, and everlasting yes to the wishes, to the will of God, the Eternal Father.”
If you try to do this, you will not only be cheerful and joyful, but you will also be happy even in the greatest difficulties and times of suffering. You can be sure that the measure of your suffering will never surpass the measure of grace. Whilst you master life bit by bit in this manner, you will one day reach the gates of eternity filled with an abundance of merit.
Why am I quoting this prayer and this rule of life today? It is most important for us to withdraw daily for five minutes and enter into dialogue with the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son. In explaining this rule of life and its significance, I would like to point to two aspects we should concentrate on. They are:
- Our souls are temples of the Holy Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit is the soul of my soul.
1. Our souls are temples of the Holy Spirit
Our whole person is dedicated, consecrated to the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. We can only understand this truth in the light of faith. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit! When do we grieve him? When we forget him, when we forget to think of him, when we no longer seek him.
We know the example of the boy who wanted to be searched for. His friend was supposed to search for him, but he did not really try. When the boy realised what had happened, he cried and cried. His grandfather then explained that in a similar way God wants us to search for him, yet we often fail to do so. People search for money, for material things, but fail to seek the eternal God.
There is a book which contains a poem entitled, "You – You". it refers to a person who is utterly selfless and never uses the word, "I", but only "you". Only "you" exist, ultimately only the eternal God.
"Wherever I stand – you.
Wherever I go – you.”
It means that I should not circle around myself, indeed not, but only around the one I love.
"Only you, again you,
always you, – you, you, you!
As long as I am well – you.
When I am not well – you.
Always only you. – you, you, you."
I think you will understand what is meant here. Who of us can claim to possess such an attitude? If we are honest, we have to admit that we are always saying I", whilst we should ultimately say, "You. Always only you." Do not grieve the Holy Spirit!
In our practical lives we are not impressed by the existence of the Holy Spirit. His presence does not touch us very much. And yet we should be familiar with this truth. We should live by it as the fish lives in water. We tend to live, eat, drink only in this worldly world.
"You who have received life by the Holy Spirit should live by the Holy Spirit.” The apostle is admonishing us. It is the Holy Spirit who says in us: Abba, dear Father!
Let us ask ourselves to what extent the heavenly Father matters in our lives. Is he a living person for me? God the Father says to me: my dear child. This continuous game of life and love is the deepest meaning of my life.
(Translated by Mary Cole)
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