the spirit of paradox
“The Holy Spirit has been warning me from city to city that chains and hardships await me. I put no value on my life if only I can finish my race.” —Acts 20:23-24
The Holy Spirit, being God, is paradoxical. The Holy Spirit gives us light to see what we’ve never seen before. We can receive insights about the past and recognize in the present great opportunities which we have never noticed before. At the same time, our life in the Holy Spirit often puts us in the position where we have no idea what will happen to us (see Acts 20:22). We see so much more, but we also see that our “so much more” is nothing compared to the blinding light of the mystery of God.
In the Holy Spirit, we receive not only light but life — abundant life (see Jn 10:10). The Spirit makes us more alive than ever before. Paradoxically, however, we receive this full life by dying to self. “Continually we carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus, so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may also be revealed” (2 Cor 4:10). We have life in the Spirit only because we have death in the Spirit.
Human beings naturally fear paradoxes. Therefore, we fear mystery and the Holy Spirit. Yet the Lord repeatedly commands us not to fear, and He graces us accordingly. Jesus said: “Fear is useless. What is needed is trust” (Mk 5:36). Come, Holy Spirit!
Prayer: Father, on this fifth day of the Pentecost novena, I accept the grace to trust the Holy Spirit.
Promise: “Eternal life is this: to know You, the only true God, and Him Whom You have sent, Jesus Christ.” —Jn 17:3
Praise: The king of Uganda, enraged at the refusal of some of his page boys to submit to his immoral demands, ordered his Christian servants to separate from the non-Christian ones. St. Charles Lwanga and fourteen other young men stepped forward, declared their loyalty to Jesus, and courageously endured martyrdom.
Reference:
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from June 1, 2025, through July 31, 2025. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio September 25, 2024"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.