“The eternal Father gave the world a great gift when he gave his only son. But the gift he gives his Church today must be considered the most excellent of all: The Father and the Son send this gift, and it is the Holy Spirit.” – (A Thought for the Day, Saint Francis de Sales, p. 45)
Pentecost 2019
Dear Friend, dear Sister, dear Father,
This thought of Saint Francis de Sales caught my attention because it asks us to consider the Holy Spirit as the greatest of gifts, all the while recognizing the Son’s incarnation as a very great gift from the Father.
In his Pentecost sermon of June 6, 1620, our holy saint patron elaborates on his idea by emphasizing that even though the incarnation was a great gift, it was a secret present, restrained and tied up in the vile and abject lack of our humanity and mortality. This image well illustrates the hostility Jesus encountered and man’s desire to place obstacles in the way of his mission. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. (Jn 1:11-12)
But, Saint Francis de Sales affirms, the gift given to the Church on this day of Pentecost must be considered the most excellent of all as it is the Father and the Son who send it. It was promised by Christ: When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. (Jn 15:26) In fact, as soon as the Son returned to the Father, the Father, as Saint Francis de Sales so well describes, opened his hand to disperse his gifts and his favors upon all the faithful; thus it was written that he poured out his Spirit upon all humankind, all people, and not just the Apostles. The Apostles had already received the Holy Spirit at Jesus’ first apparition (cf. Jn 20), but this act did not bring about the same effects as on Pentecost.
In order the explain the excellence of this gift, the Bishop of Geneva refers to Genesis 42 in which Joseph, who had been sold in slavery by his brothers, becomes viceroy of Egypt. The Hebrews who were threatened by famine were sent to him and Joseph recognized his brothers.Joseph said nothing. Over and over he gave them chariots full of food and supplies so that their clan would not die of hunger. One day he asked them to return with their youngest brother who had remained at home. When the brothers returned to Joseph with the beloved little brother Benjamin, the joy of seeing him again heightened his generosity to the point that Joseph gave them not only what they needed to survive but anything they desired. Joseph, now recognized by his brothers, forgave them.
Just like Joseph, God the Father granted great gifts to his people in need; and then, in the joy of seeing the glory of his beloved Son, he opened his hand and gave without measure.
During Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends in tongues of fire on each one. These gifts, writes Saint Francis de Sales, are valued by the love with which they are presented; yet this does not only mean with great love, rather it is the love itself which is given, because each one must know that the Holy Spirit is the love of the Father and the Son.
Saint Francis de Sales cautions his followers to not disassociate the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son. In the Credo, the Church professes a Trinitarian God; therefore we cannot receive the Holy Spirit without receiving the Trinity. This is how God opens his hand to give us his divinity! With Mary, we can sing The Lord has done great things for me.
With the gift of the holy Spirit, we receive his seven gifts. We certainly know them, but perhaps it is good to recall them here, in a Salesian way:
- The gift of fear of the Lord, which makes us fear God’s judgement and avoid sin and anything which could displease God. Fear is a sentinel at the gate of our heart which ensures that only love lives there, and that nothing is allowed to enter which could cast a shadow on it.
- The gift of piety which makes us no longer see God as a judge but as a loving Father.
- The gift of knowledge which is nothing other than discernment between vice and virtue, between that which pleases God and what does not.
- The gift of fortitude which grants us the means to make our will compatible with the will of God and aspire to perfection.
- The gift of counsel which permits us to choose the virtues which we want to put into practice according to their suitability to our state of life and our own desires.
- The gift of understanding which opens the mysteries of our faith to us through meditation and prayer, leading us to a conversion of the heart, and not simply a pursuit of knowledge.
- The gift of wisdom which gives us the desire to practice the virtues we have discovered through the gift of understanding. This is the gift which enables us to joyously live the beatitudes.
Saint Francis de Sales emphasizes that, even though all have received the Holy Spirit, all have not received his graces in the same way and thus all are not called to preach. But he affirms that there is a way of speaking that does not require to speak a word, that is good example. Good example is a silent prayer, and even if we have not received the gift of tongues for preaching, we can nonetheless do it every day in this way.
Blessed Pentecost!
Spirit of Jesus come into our souls!
Danielle Regnier, General Directress
