Real Life Disciples: The Holy Spirit and Mary

This past weekend, I had the gift of being with our deacons and their wives for a retreat at the Montserrat Retreat House near Dallas. It was a wonderful weekend filled with many graces.
 
During the course of the retreat, I gave a series of talks on the theme of “interior freedom” based on a book of the same title by Father Jacques Philippe. While preparing the talks, I came across a concept that I think connects well with the theme of this column – the unique roles of the Holy Spirit and Mary in the pursuit of the spiritual life.
 
The month of October is frequently called the “Month of the Rosary,” and this year my family decided to pray a daily Rosary together to celebrate it. Consistently praying the Rosary every day leading up to the retreat led me to a deeper connection with Mary, so when I came across Father Philippe’s unique perspective on the Holy Spirit and Mary, it was a huge blessing to me.
 
He develops a concept about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which most people think about as occurring on the Feast of Pentecost, and instead proposes a Marian twist interpreting such outpourings through the mysteries of the Rosary.
 
He says: “Just as the Rosary contains joyful, sorrowful and finally glorious mysteries, it could be said of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that there are ‘outpourings’ that are joyful, sorrowful and glorious. Some outpourings of the Holy Spirit illuminate and reveal, some strip and impoverish, and some confirm and fortify. All three kinds are necessary; the first give birth to faith, the second teach us to hope, and the third give us the courage to love.” (“Interior Freedom,” pg. 98; all other reflections below being drawn from Part III of “Interior Freedom,” pgs. 98-102)
 
To help make his case, Father Philippe looks at three significant events in Saint Peter’s life where these outpourings took place. The first occurred at the moment of his vocation. When Peter first meets Jesus and is convinced of the call on his life. He is impelled to leave everything – job, nets, boat, family, livelihood – to follow Jesus. Responding to Jesus’ call, “Come follow me,” Peter’s life was destined to take a completely new turn, turning everything in his life upside down. This was a joyful outpouring of the Holy Spirit, revealing Christ, awakening faith in Peter, and illuminating the path he should follow (pg. 99).
 
The second outpouring was one that left Peter impoverished. One of the lowest moments of his life was the night that he denied even knowing Jesus. But, through God’s mercy, that denial became the occasion of a deep outpouring of the Holy Spirit. “The Prince of the Apostles wept for his own baseness and sin, but in his tears he received the hope of forgiveness” (pg. 99).
 
Peter’s denial was indeed a terrible fall, but when he met Jesus’ eyes in the courtyard, “he not only understood the full horror of his denial, he also saw that he was not being condemned and that he was loved more tenderly than ever” (pg. 100). Forgiveness leads to hope, and that’s exactly what it did for Peter. Peter wept, and he was forgiven, which gave him hope for the future. Judas on the other hand, turned away in despair. He avoided the glance of Christ and paid dearly for its loss.
 
The third event came at Pentecost, clearly a glorious outpouring, its most beautiful fruit the courage to love. “This was the power of charity, the fire of love, the courage to love God more than anyone or anything else” (pg. 101). Peter goes out of the upper room where he had been hiding for weeks for fear of being arrested. But, now seemingly fearless, he boldly proclaims the truths of Jesus and calls the crowd to repentance. Thousands gave their lives to Christ that day!
 
What a beautiful lens on the work of the Holy Spirit over the course of our lives, yet also connected with the role of Mary, who is a great assist to us spiritually in our pursuit of lifelong discipleship. The more we journey as an archdiocese toward building a culture of conversion and discipleship, the unique roles of the Holy Spirit and Mary stand out as critical.
 
This theme also is present in the closing of Archbishop Coakley’s new Vision 2030 Pastoral Plan. The archbishop says at the end of that document, “In closing, I want to draw our attention to two important and critical ‘sources’ for our efforts – The Holy Spirit and Mary.”
 
Take time in these final days of this liturgical year to reflect on the “outpourings” of the Holy Spirit in your life. And, in prayer, stir up deep gratitude in your heart for the ways the Holy Spirit and Mary have been a part of this journey with you!