Holy Spirit Love Indwelling

Jesus is called Emmanuel, God with us. This would suggest that when Jesus ascended into Heaven, God was no longer with us. But this is not the case at all; in at least two ways, God is closer to us now than at any prior point in the history of Creation. One of those ways we will discuss next week. But the most obvious, and yet most hidden, way that God is with us is in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was and is the Incarnation of God the Son, a human example of Divine Love walking among us. God the Holy Spirit, in turn, lives within us. We who are baptized have received the Holy Spirit; we who are confirmed are strengthened in the Spirit. The disciples had God Incarnate walking among them, but they only became the Apostles when they had God the Spirit dwelling within them.
 
Yet, I must be clear: This is not a magic trick or a form of possession. The love of God does not override our will, but invites us to conform our will to God’s perfect will. This invitation to holiness is possible through the coming of the Holy Spirit, but it is still an invitation. Even those of us who have been baptized and confirmed must still choose, every day, to live out our Christian vocation. And just as God is Love, our Christian vocation is always a vocation to love; whether single or married, with or without children, or in any other state of life, we are called to will the good of our neighbor. That means everyone. This is a challenging vocation, so it is a good thing that we have the Holy Spirit to help us.
 
Challenge: Think of one way you have been resisting your vocation to love others. Pray to the Holy Spirit to open your heart to change.