Location: Church of the Holy Spirit
Dear People of God, on this sacred Vigil of Pentecost, our hearts are filled with expectation, awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us. The words of Jesus resonate in our hearts: “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. As Scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me.’” (Jn). These words point to the promise of the Holy Spirit, who does not come to us from outside, but from the deepest recesses of the heart. The Holy Spirit is the source of our identity and our freedom.
We have already been abundantly nourished with the Bread of the Word of God, and some of you have even participated today in the ordination of four new priests for San Antonio. It will be enough for us to reflect on just one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
His inspiration will enlighten us and open our hearts to receive the other six gifts. Today, I would like to focus only on the gift of piety, which in this historic moment, amidst the abundance of confusion and distrust, stirs within us gratitude and praise, leading to unity among us.
Piety, as Saint Paul teaches, is a divine gift that ignites within us a profound reverence and affection for God the Father, as well as a deep love and compassion for our fellow human beings (Cf. Eph 1:1-6). It is through the gift of piety that we come to appreciate that we are beloved children of God, called to live in communion with Him and with others. As Pope Francis has said, the gift of piety “is synonymous with the genuine religious spirit, with filial trust in God, with that capacity to pray to him with the love and simplicity that belongs to those who are humble of heart.
If the gift of piety makes us grow in relation to and in communion with God and leads us to live as his children, at the same time, it helps us to pass this love on to others as well and to recognize them as our brothers and sisters.”
By the work of the Holy Spirit, we are adopted into God’s family. This realization of our divine filiation fills us with wonder and gratitude, leading us to live with confidence and peace in the providence of our Heavenly Father. In this way, our identity as children of God leads us to live according to the Word with which the Lord nourishes us. Through encountering Jesus in the Eucharist, we are sent to bear witness to who we are.
By recognizing that our dignity as children is equal to that of the rest of humanity, we discover our profound calling to treat one another with kindness, compassion, and generosity, especially towards those in need.
Immediately, piety also extends beyond our relationships with others to encompass our relationship with all of creation. Through the gift of piety, we are called to reverence and respect the world around us, recognizing it as the work of our loving Creator. This awareness inspires us to care for the entire creation, acknowledging our interdependence with all created order.
Let us cultivate within ourselves a deep reverence for God, who sent His only Son into the world so that we might partake in divine life by being adopted as children of God in Christ Jesus. May the love of God lead us to live a profound love for our neighbor and a genuine respect for the world around us.
May Our Lady of Guadalupe teach us to pray and to love as she does, opening our hearts to the gift of piety that makes room for the other gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. Ven, Holy Spirit, Ven!
