how much more

"How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"


These are the words of CHrist at the end of the gospel yesterday.

Think about all the things, all the gifts we ask of GOd on a regular basis.  Think of the petty requests that fill our ledger of petitions throughout our lives as we raise our voice upward and outward to God above.

Sometimes, we must admit, our request really are pretty low and pretty selfish.

But how often do we ask for the Holy Spirit.  How often do we ask for the very gift of God himself.  God doesn't mind giving us the little things but but he certainly has greater gifts is mind.

To receive the holy Spirit, sometimes God takes away things in order to give things.  Here is something we must be attentive to on a daily basis.

We seek, we knock, we ask.  Our knuckles are often sore because of the continuous knocking going on in our lives and this is okay.  Jesus reminds us the gospel about persistence.  We should not quit too soon.

Yet, every time we go to celebrate the Mass, we should be attentive to the fact that the gift God desires for us comes to meet us.

As we gather around the altar of sacrifice, the priest says those words, "send down your Holy Spirit to sanctify these gifts of bread and wine that they may become the Body and Blood of JEsus CHrist our Lord."

There it is, every time,  We have sought, we have knocked, we have asked and God answers.  The Eucharist is the answer, the answering presence of God in our midst.

How much more will the Father in heaven give us the Holy SPirit.

God always has "more" in mind.  Yet, what could possible be greater than the gift of the Son who comes to nourish us and strengthen us as a companion for the journey.