Fr. Franco's Letters

The Flame: May/June 2023

Dear Readers of the Flame,

The Holy Spirit has a way of pointing away from Himself. As Jesus said:

He (The Spirit) will not speak on his own, but will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13b-15)

In these words of Jesus, we have a window into the workings of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit speaks…but only what He hears. And where does the Spirit get this word? From the Son, for Jesus said He will take from what is mine…And this Son’s Word? Everything that the Father has is mine…

From the writings of St. Paul we see the work of the Spirit pointing away from himself and empowering our relationship with the Son and the Father.

No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:3b) God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6b)

Again, the Holy Spirit is anointing our relationship with God so that we can unashamedly profess that Jesus is Lord and speak to God the Father as His children, with intimacy and love. These are the workings of the Holy Spirit.

Make no mistake: The Holy Spirit is a Person, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. The Spirit is not an impersonal force. The Holy Spirit guides (Acts 16:6-7 and in verse seven the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of Jesus), speaks (Acts 13:2), teaches, reminds (John 14:26) and empowers (Acts 1:8). These actions describe the works of a Person, not a force. In all these things, the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus.

Oftentimes, the Holy Spirit is at work without ever being acknowledged. The Spirit is simply the inspiration and grace behind the words and deeds of God’s people.

One of my parishes, St. Peter Parish, will be celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2025. I have been reading the history of the parish that was written for its 100th anniversary in 1975. A tradition in the 1950’s was that six first grade flower girls would lead the First Communicants into church. Here is an incident from the First Communion Mass in 1958:

There were dark clouds and heavy rain on May 4 as 39 boys and 27 girls made their First Holy Communion. One of the little flower girls turned to another who seemed a little worried about her dress and the rain and said, “Kathy, your dress isn’t important. It’s Jesus who is important. If we please him, nothing else matters.”

This first-grade flower girl got it right! She was well catechized and brought her fellow flower girl back to what was important: Jesus. What she said and when she said it was certainly a work of the Spirit!

A number of years ago I composed a short prayer that I sometimes give to penitents. At times I pray it myself and would do well to pray it more often: Lord Jesus, help me to forget myself, exalt You and serve others. I believe that short prayer to be inspired by the Spirit because it flows with the mind of the Spirit: forgetting oneself, honoring Jesus and serving other people.

How we need the Holy Spirit to do his work in our hearts in our day! Our prosperity has turned many of us in on ourselves. We have become somewhat narcissistic, thinking and acting like life revolves around us. We need the Holy Spirit to draw us out of ourselves and into the Lord Jesus and Abba Father! We are often concerned about what others think about us. The Holy Spirit is working to help us to forget ourselves and think rightly about other people and their needs, whether their needs are material or spiritual.

On July 22 CRM is sponsoring its 40th annual conference. The theme this year is: Come…Be Filled with His Holy Spirit. The phrase “Be Filled with His Holy Spirit” actually comes from Eucharistic Prayer III. After the Consecration the priest prays:

…that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.

This is the mind of the Church: that the Eucharist fill us with the Spirit of Jesus and impel us into holy unity in Christ.

As we continue our journey through these years of Eucharistic Revival, let us welcome the empowering Presence of the Holy Spirit with every Holy Communion we receive. Then we will be better able to forget ourselves, exalt Christ and serve the people He brings into our lives.


In Christ,
Fr. Bob Franco