REFLECTIONS

"Baptism in the Holy Spirit”

When a temple is consecrated to God it is a place set apart for him alone. The greatest possible purity and solidity, the truest art, are used in its construction; and after it is magnificently ornamented, it is offered to God, to be his forever. Now, the Scriptures tell us very plainly that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul says, Do you know now that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

We were consecrated to be temples of the Holy Spirit on the day of our baptism. Before the regenerating water is poured, the catechumen is freed from the empire of the devil and made to renounce satanic works and pomps. Then, when his will is confirmed in consecration to God, he is baptized, and the Holy Spirit takes possession of his temple.

Every Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit; every Christian is consecrated to him. Nothing else may be done in that temple in which God dwells except that which will give glory to him. Saint Paul taught that even the most ordinary actions of the Christian should be done to this end: Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or do anything else, do all for the glory of God. Is not this the ratification of the baptismal offering, the renewal of the promises made at that time, the free and loving acceptance of the life that God infused in our souls when the Church received us into her maternal bosom? True devotion to the Holy Spirit is not something distinct from the Christian life - it is the Christian life thoroughly understood, seriously practiced, and deeply enjoyed. To be a devotee of the Holy Spirit is to comprehend the august dignity of the Christian - the holy mission and arduous duties that are sweetened by love. It is to establish oneself in truth, to be faithful to the sacred promises of baptism, to be what one ought to be, and then to strive for that perfection to which every Christian should aspire ....

True devotion to the Holy Spirit, therefore, is not something superficial and intermittent, but something profound and constant, like the Christian life itself. It is the love of the soul that corresponds to the love of God, the gift of the creature who tries to be grateful for the divine Gift, the human cooperation that receives the loving and efficacious action of God. As divine love is eternal and its action constant, it is our part to have our heart always open to love, ready to receive the unspeakable gift.

SERVANT OF GOD LUIS MARIA MARTINEZ
Archbishop Martinez (t 1956) was a spiritual author and the first official Primate of Mexico. He is the author of the recently translated work Am I Not Your Mother?: Reflections on Our Lady of Guadalupe published by MAGNIFICAT.