“I will put my spirit in you that you may live.” Ezekiel 37:14
Today, we hear of this promise made by the Lord through the prophet Ezekiel, the promised Spirit that will come to dwell in humanity and raise them from the darkness and the ashes that have consumed the human race. Jump ahead several hundred years later, and we find the fulfillment of the prophecy in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. This Spirit is the one that not only raises us to new life but also raises our sight from the pits of death. It’s the Spirit that gives new sight to hearts, a sight that compels us to see Creation, not in it’s fallen nature, but through the eyes of God and how He intended it to be from the beginning. Call it, a new of being – a new way of seeing – a new way of being alive. Not only do we see hope and eternal life after our physical death, but we also see hope and life in this existence through the marvel of God’s creation and through the way that He changes the human heart to act in his love and for the good of his creation. Touched by his grace, those who carry the Spirit change the world, inspire the good, and so build the Kingdom of heaven among us, something that is represented by the Lenten practice of almsgiving. When we give, we’re giving love to the world, and I’m not just speaking of monetary giving but giving of self – of time, talent, and effort – and bringing therefore hope into the lives of others, pointing others then to an encounter with the Holy Spirit, an encounter with Christ. There’s a quote from Saint Mother Teresa that best exemplifies how the Spirit works in us and gives us life: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
This week, we celebrate the Annunciation, an event that shows how this Spirit worked in the Blessed Mother to give of herself, to make a difference, to see the world through a different lens – through one of hope when she said “yes” to God. May her “yes” be our “yes,’ our response to what the Holy Spirit inspires and encourages us to do.
In Christ
Fr Robert