“Our hearts will be regenerated. And you will renew the face of the earth”  

This is the fundamental hope of Christians living in this world. We believe God will, in fact, “send forth his Spirit”—and continue to send him. We believe our hearts can be regenerated. And will be. We believe the Spirit actually will “renew the face of the earth.”  

That hope takes a lot of faith. 

So we keep professing our faith and our hope with the prayer “Come, Holy Spirit…” We say this prayer to remind ourselves that Jesus has “overcome the world” (John 16:33) and will “come again in glory” to reign over “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1). As faithful stewards of his kingship, we keep working to establish his reign over family and social life, Church, business and politics.  

But to achieve this, “our hearts must be regenerated.” The Scriptural word (Psalm 104:30) is “created,” as in Psalm 51: “Create in me a clean heart”; Ephesians 4:24: “Clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God”; 2Corinthians 5:17: “In Christ, there is a new creation.”  

Reform begins in individuals. Before we can establish a kingdom of peace and justice, each one of us is called to a conversion: to change our way both of living and of thinking. To “sanctify creation to the full,” God first gives us “a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 36:26). 

Then, when our “hearts are re-created,” we believe the Spirit will “renew the face of the earth.” 

— Fr. David M. Knight

View today’s Mass readings on the USCCB website here

Easter season is the time to focus on the Holy Spirit. Starting on Easter Sunday, we will look carefully at how the Spirit is proclaimed, invoked, and presented to us in the Mass. Lex orandi, lex credendi: “As the Church prays, so she believes.”

After that, we will reflect on the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Galatians 5:22), and at how the Spirit enters the life of those who believe.

As you read these reflections, ask for the gift of Understanding. Ask to really understand what you believe, what you see and hear at Mass. Go deeper into understanding the Mass than you ever have before. We experience the Faith when we become aware of its mystery. We hope you reflect deeply on the Mass and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and find yourself more and more drawn into the mysteries of our Lord in the Mass and in His Gifts.