The Spirit Makes Holy 

 In Eucharistic prayer I, the presider holds his hands over the offerings and prays: “Make holy these gifts, by sending down your Spirit upon them.” 

In Eucharistic prayer III, he declares, “You are indeed Holy, O Lord… By the working of the Holy Spirit, you give Life to all things and make them holy… Therefore… by the same Spirit make holy these gifts we have brought to you.”  

Eucharistic prayer IV proclaims, “He sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father… so that, bringing to perfection his work in the world, he might sanctify creation to the full… May this same Holy Spirit graciously sanctify these offerings, that they may become the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  

The root of the Semitic word qodesh, “holy,” is “apartness,” something separate, different from the profane. God, as transcendent, infinitely different from creatures, is “most holy.” But God’s holiness becomes, not just close, but interior to divine (graced) humans by the gift of the Holy Spirit (see Leon-Dufour, Dictionary of Biblical Theology). Christian holiness is the mystery of God’s divine Life in us. It is not measured by good behavior. We are holy because we are divine, one with God in sharing His Life. Paul urges us to conform our behavior to what we already are: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). 

ACTION: Claim, appreciate, and respect your divine value and that of others.  Express this respect in all you say and do. 

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, sanctify me. 

— 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.