No One Can Say Jesus Is Lord Except by the Holy Spirit.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini - Dove of the Holy Spirit (ca. 1660, stained glass, Throne of St. Peter, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican)

The following is a talk I gave to confirmation students (today).

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As I start I'd like you to keep in mind St Paul's words, “no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3). It's obvious that anyone can speak the words, “Jesus is Lord” by reading them off a piece of paper. So St. Paul has something deeper in mind.

I'm going to talk about my relationship with the Holy Spirit, and how it developed over time.

Several times, the Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of Truth” and that relates to the first part of my journey back home into the Catholic Church. I was baptized and confirmed in the Church, but after high school I drifted away. I no longer went to Mass. Many years passed. Then as I was watching C-SPAN, a journalist asked a rhetorical question, and I pondered that question. I went beyond the question, and I came to the insight that contraception was morally wrong. That insight did not make me popular; all of my friends at the time would have strongly disagreed with me. The point here is that this was a moment of intellectual honesty. I did not believe this truth because I wanted it to be true. The Catholic Church upholds this truth, and as time went on, I came to discover more truths that the Church upheld.

I came to accept that the Church taught the truth and that she was guided in truth by the Holy Spirit.

Shortly after I returned to the Church and started attending Mass again, I attended a Proud2BCatholic event, where I picked up a plastic Rosary in a plastic pouch. With the Rosary was a set of instructions on how to pray the Rosary. And so I starting praying the Rosary. When at home, I would look up the scripture passages related to the mysteries, and then I would pray the rosary.

A few years later, I was introduced to True Devotion to Mary written by St. Louis de Montfort. I cannot fully express how life changing this was for me. You're probably wondering why I'm talking about these Marian practices of the Rosary and True Devotion to Mary. St. Louis de Montfort writes:

The more [the Holy Ghost] finds Mary, His dear and inseparable spouse, in any soul, the more active and mighty He becomes in producing Jesus Christ in that soul, and that soul in Jesus Christ. [TD no. 20]

And elsewhere he writes,

When the Holy Ghost, her Spouse, has found Mary in a soul, He flies there. He enters there in His fullness; He communicates Himself to that soul abundantly, and to the full extent to which it makes room for His Spouse.[TD no. 36]

I could talk hours about this dimension of my relationship with the Holy Spirit. But I'm going to shift from the Marian topic to that of some of the consolations I've received from the Holy Spirit. These consolations are feelings of well being, and they don't happen all time, and for some, like Mother Teresa, they experience long periods of spiritual dryness.

One time, before confession, I asked the Holy Spirit to help me make a good confession. It was probably my second or third confession since returning to the Church. And this is important, I asked from my heart; I sincerely meant it. It was a cold autumn afternoon, but as I sat down praying the assigned penance after confession, it felt as if a weight were lifted from me, and that a warm blanket had enveloped me.

Another consolation happened a few years ago, as I was taking a course in natural theology. Natural theology is about what people can come to know about God through reason alone. I loved that course. It was awesome. That is, it re-awakened awe and wonder about the Creator and His creation. At the same time, I was scheduled as an adorer at St. George's in Worcester. My hour of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was after midnight on Friday mornings. And on one night, something clicked within me, and I felt the urge to hug Jesus in the Sacrament. I wanted to run across the room to do it. Of course, I didn't. I physically couldn't since Jesus in the monstrance was enclosed by a plastic shield.

That was a temporary feeling, but I have a more permanent one. My soul is on fire for Jesus. And I share with Jesus a desire to spread that fire. Do you remember that “no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit”?

So what might you take away from my experience with the Holy Spirit? 1) Learn to pray. And be honest in your prayers with God. 2) Learn more about Jesus. You can never learn enough. And remember, the Church is your teacher. 3) Go to confession often. Free yourself from sin. And 4) I recommend developing a relationship with Mary through prayer. I pray the Rosary daily.

And finally, let God transform your heart. In the Old Testament, in Ezekiel, God promises:

A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)

Thank you.