5 July 2020
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“If you live according to the flesh, you will die” (Romans 8:13). In order to live, you need more than flesh: you also need spirit. The spirit gives life to the flesh. This is true at the biological level: respiration (the spirit) keeps the human organism (flesh) alive by consuming oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide. The spirit gives life to the flesh. This is also true at many other levels. For example, in politics, the spirit of ’76 is what gave life to the American revolution. Although the spirit of ’76 is often associated with Thomas Jefferson, it is bigger than any one person. Not only does the spirit give life, then, it also lifts us up beyond our particular circumstances and unites us to a loftier reality.
There are many spirits, and some are better than others. Therefore, we must “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1) in order to find the best spirit of all, the Holy Spirit of God himself. “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). Christians receive this Spirit in baptism and especially in confirmation. Jesus said: “how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:13). Even after baptism and confirmation, Christians still pray: Veni Sancte Spiritus, Come Holy Spirit.