Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin

and Doctor of the Church

“The wind blows where it wills… you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” — John 3:8

       My friend’s house was about to be foreclosed. “Let’s see who the bank’s officers are,” he said, and then proceeded to google. The bank president’s surname sounded familiar. A call to a distant relative revealed surprise no. 1: His relative is a sister-in-law of the bank president.

       He also approached an uncle, who was a banker, for advice. A week later, surprise no. 2 came: The bank’s acquired assets manager was his uncle’s subordinate at a former job. Both promised to help. Meanwhile, my friend submitted an offer to redeem his house. And then silence. For two years, my friend tried to do everything possible to recover financially.

       January 2013 came, along with a notice to vacate his house peacefully. His wife called a cousin, hoping to sell a piece of property. But before she could make the offer, surprise no. 3 came. Her cousin’s son had just moved to the same bank and was pirated by no less than its president. More help came.

       Coincidences? I don’t think so. Rather, I believe it is God orchestrating everything that happens to fulfill His plan for us. And He sends the Holy Spirit to guide our every step. All we need to do is trust and believe. Tess V. Atienza (svp_tvatienza@yahoo.com)

Reflection: Are you in a tight situation? Trust that God is at work.

St. Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church, pray for us.

Unity is critical to the success of any organization. Any group that is not united will never achieve its full potential. None of us wants to waste our time when serving the Kingdom of God. Let us work together in proclaiming the Gospel, discerning what we do best and doing it, and allowing others to fill in the gaps.

32 The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. 34 There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, 35 and put them at the feet of the Apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need. 36 Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”), a Levite, a Cypriot by birth, 37 sold a piece of property that he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.

R: The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

1 The Lord is king, in splendor robed; robed is the Lord and girt about with strength; (R) And he has made the world firm, not to be moved. 2 Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O Lord. (R) 5 Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed: holiness befits your house, O Lord, for length of days. (R)

The Holy Spirit’s movement in a believer’s life is likened to the wind. The air moves from a higher pressure zone to a lower pressure zone, causing a flow of air (wind). The Holy Spirit moves to where it is needed most — He knows the needs of the Church and directs the resources accordingly. Let us cooperate with the movement of the Spirit as He guides our participation in the work of the Gospel.

The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

7 Jesus said to Nicodemus: “ ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can this happen?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? 11 Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. 12 If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

think:  Any group that is not united will never achieve its full potential.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Numbers 28-30

THE WIND OF GOD

The resurrection of Jesus is the source of our new life in God, a gift that we celebrate in baptism. It is, as Jesus has said, our birth from above. With this birth, God gives us a first installment of His many blessings. This is the Holy Spirit.

       Like the wind that is invisible, the Holy Spirit is invisible. In the same manner that we know there is wind around us, because we feel it, so too with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit manifests its presence in its fruit (cf Galatians 5:22-23) that makes us taste the beauty of life with God, and with its manifold gifts.

       In my travels around Europe, I took note of how people have maximized the wind with the use of modern windmills. Perched on top of rolling hills, modern windmills utilize the movement and strength of the wind to generate power that moves machines and produces electricity. Human genius and labor have transformed the natural gift of the wind to attain progress and development.

       The Holy Spirit is also a gift waiting to be welcomed and harnessed. Even with His best gift, God does not impose. God would always respect a gift He Himself has given us: our freedom. God waits that, in faith, we will respond. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How much do you know of the Holy Spirit? Do you ever pray to Him? When? How?

Let Your Holy Spirit fall upon me, Lord, and empower me with Your gifts.