He does not ration his gift of the Spirit

11 APRIL (Jn 3,31-36)

“He gives the Spirit without measure.” We will understand this statement of the Gospel according to John, if we let ourselves be helped by some passages in the Old Testament.

The Philistines went up and, from a camp in Judah, deployed against Lehi. When the men of Judah asked, “Why have you come up against us?” they answered, “To take Samson prisoner; to do to him as he has done to us.” Three thousand men of Judah went down to the cavern in the cliff of Etam and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are our rulers? Why, then, have you done this to us?” He answered them, “As they have done to me, so have I done to them.” They said to him, “We have come to take you prisoner, to deliver you over to the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.” “No,” they replied, “we will certainly not kill you but will only bind you and deliver you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the cliff. When he reached Lehi, and the Philistines came shouting to meet him, the spirit of the Lord came upon him: the ropes around his arms became as flax that is consumed by fire and his bonds melted away from his hands. Near him was the fresh jawbone of an ass; he reached out, grasped it, and with it killed a thousand men. Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of an ass I have piled them in a heap; With the jawbone of an ass I have slain a thousand men.” (Judges 15,9-16).

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he led me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me in the center of the plain, which was now filled with bones. He made me walk among them in every direction so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain. How dry they were! He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come to life? “Lord God,” I answered, “you alone know that.” Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life. I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you, cover you with skin, and put spirit in you so that you may come to life and know that I am the Lord. I prophesied as I had been told, and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise; it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone. I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them, and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them. Then he said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord God: From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life. I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them; they came alive and stood upright, a vast army. (Ex 37,1-10).

Samson receives only a small flame of the Lord’s Holy Spirit and with he defeats an entire army of Philistines. Simply invoking the Spirit of the Lord Ezekiel ensures that a valley full of bones gets transformed into a multitude of people. There is no comparison with what happens in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit is given in all his power of truth, charity, justice, holiness, hope, love, mercy, intelligence, fortitude, knowledge, advice, wisdom, fear of the Lord and piety. With him in the heart man becomes a creator of holy life as God is holy life.

The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven (is above all). He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.

Today we are witnessing a poor, almost shabby Christianity, without force, deprived of any power of redemption and salvation. This happens because we emptied ourselves of the Holy Spirit. We lack in Him. We do not have him in our hearts. We are rich only of our humanity, which is misery and sin. Yet Jesus gives his Holy Spirit without measure, in abundance, without any restriction or limitation. If we do not renew our contacts with this Divine Omnipotence of truth and grace, never might we operate the works of God and the world will remain in its great poverty and misery of sin. However, the Spirit can given by who possesses him, who produces him from his daily sacrifice offered to the Heavenly Father. To pour the Spirit out, one must be fully in Him.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints fill us with the Holy Spirit.