"The Holy Spirit Will Teach You"
May
13
Written by:
Sunday, May 13, 2007
6th Sunday of Easter
May 13, 2007
"The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you" (John 14:26)
How can it be that the Holy Spirit will "teach us everything" and "remind us" of what he has told us? Personally, the older I get, the more reminders I need! The Holy Spirit's teaching in our lives takes many forms, but the most authoritative way the Spirit does so is through Sacred Scripture and Church teaching.
Perhaps the real question is, "How open to the Holy Spirit's guidance am I?" We all like to think we are very teachable and open to change when it is needed, but the truth is sometimes quite different. Certainly many people in the world at large, whether it be governments, scientists, the media or other leaders, feel our Church has nothing they want to learn from. Many of these people don't even want believers to be invited to the discussion!
Unlike some of these people, am I open to Church teaching, even when it is difficult to hear? Pope Benedict XVI likes to say that the Church "always invites, never dictates." Is Church teaching welcome to the discussion table of my heart?
Am I willing to learn about how Sacred Scripture can guide my life? Being willing to be taught, whether by the Church, Scripture or others is really mainly about humility. If my spouse, teacher, boss, friend, parent, co-worker or relative points out something that needs correcting in my life, how hostile do I get? Do I feel the need to immediately defend myself? Do I dismiss these concerns out of hand? Is it possible this may in fact mask a certain lack of humility?
Father Gary