The Holy Spirit?

Much mentioned. But undervalued.

Do we invoke Him enough?

“Repent and be baptized, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” says Acts 2:38.

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful: and kindle in them Your Love,” adds the Pentecost Alleluia.

That’s the title of a book by the devout Italian priest, Don Dolindo Ruotolo, who was said to have earned high marks from no less than Padre Pio. Father Ruotolo’s book (one of them), Come, Holy Spirit, starts out by saying, “Any right-living soul, that is, one living to glorify God and to do good, will notice the decline of Christian life and strongly feel its effects. Today, Christians are, indeed, an absolute majority in Italy and many take pride in this.

“It is, however, an undeniable fact that some are perverse, and as such, are actively aggressive within the Church, and in consequence, very dangerous to the Faith. The Christian majority does not succeed in overcoming or eliminating this hostility, despite the fact that a considerable number work zealously to accomplish that very goal.

“Why is this so? When an organization does not succeed in rejecting a sickness or infection that may afflict it, it is considered to be a weak and torpid organism. Antibiotics are vigorously administered and all forms of advanced medical technology are employed to overcome the infection, yet in spite of this, well-being is not restored because the organism is in such an advanced, weakened condition, life itself is wanting. As a result, the illness is virulent, invasive, and life-threatening.”

Evil pervades — when it is tolerated. A solution is the Holy Spirit.

He inspires. He guides. He nurtures. He shoos away “infections” of the soul.

One infection is the continuous warfare against “enemies visible and invisible,” said the priest.

For this, much patience –and vigilance (along with diligence) — are necessary. For this, we must immolate everything to God.

And we must seek the Third Person of the Trinity.

As the Virgin Mary of Medjugorje once said, “The most important thing in the spiritual life is to ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes, the peace will be established. When that occurs, everything changes around you.”

When we have the Holy Spirit, she said, we have “everything.”

[resources: Come, O Holy Spirit. Father Ruotolo’s re-released book, Meditations on the Holy Rosary, is now also available here]