Spirit-of-God Sunday
Wisdom 7:7-11, Hebrews 4:12-13, Mark 10:17-30
I don’t know about you, but it surprises me how a simple machine, GPS (Global Positioning System), could lead me to places effortlessly! I can choose the voice I want, male or female; I could indicate my language preference, English, French, etc; all I need do is purchase a GPS, remain obedient to its instructions, and my destination is most of the times guaranteed. Lest we forget, the directions provided by a GPS have been computed into it by a human agency! For Christians, the Spirit of God is our GPS provided by God for the asking.
This Sunday is “Spirit-of-God Sunday”. It goes beyond our cosmetics — the individual virtues that we acquire – to the harmonization of virtues with the Spirit of God. Although the first step, in our journey to God, is the acquisition of virtues, the end-game must be the possession of God’s Spirit — “the Spirit of Wisdom”.
In order to understand our first reading, we need to ask: why was the virtue of “Prudence”separated from the “spirit of Wisdom”? According to our first reading, we need to pray for virtues. An example is the virtue of Prudence: “I prayed, and prudence was given me” (Wisdom 7:7). But then, our first reading adds, “I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me”. Nothing was said about “Prudence”, but many indices show the preference for Wisdom: “I preferred Wisdom to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire”.
First of all, “Spirit-of-God Sunday” is an invitation to go beyond individual virtues; that is, we need to go beyond “Prudence”; should we plead with God, he will give us his Spirit, Holy Spirit; then, God becomes our guide – GPS. The Spirit-of-God Sunday means — stop living at a cosmetic level, move up to the Spirit of God, God’s GPS (God’s Position/Presence Seeking).
Our gospel reading may be understood from cosmetics. But then, notice the two parts to our gospel reading: the acquisition of virtues or the keeping of God’s Commandments by the “rich man”, on the one hand, and the catastrophic failure of the “rich man” to accept the “Spirit of God” that leads to “Godlikeness” because of his attachment to money — the paradox of success and failure.
“Cosmetics” or “make-up” is a serious Christian problem today and always! Today, the difference between women and men, in search of beauty, is marginal. Beauty is sought after either in the number of hours spent in the gym or running or walking out, plastic surgeries, dieting and more. Some people feel they have the right to correct what God failed to shape properly in their looks and shapes, they sometimes preplan the looks and composition of their unborn children (eugenics) as well. What is interesting about these new developments is the discipline, financial investment and conscious efforts individuals put into this new cosmetic venture! Christians may learn from the personal commitment and discipline of aestheticians through the acquisition of virtues. For example, the “rich man” of our gospel wins admiration from Jesus: “‘Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him” — the beauty of virtues!
Beyond keeping God’s Commandments, however, is possessing the Spirit of God! Jesus instructs the “rich man” on the acquisition of God’s Spirit: “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
Jesus’ statement, “then come, follow me”, is our Spirit-of-God or GPS Sunday. All our efforts to acquire virtues make us no better than the rest of humanity seeking to be good people. The distinguishing element of a Christian is the possession of the Holy Spirit of God that enables us to “follow” God’s example in Christ Jesus or to live as Christ lived. To illustrate the possession of God’s Holy Spirit, Jesus says “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38).
The Spirit-of-God Sunday combines our first reading’s emphasis on “Wisdom” as a compound virtue, “all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands”, with Jesus’ invitation “come and follow me”. The new wealth worth acquiring is “Wisdom” (first reading) or “Holy Spirit” (gospel reading).
The Spirit-of-God Sunday underscores the human inability to find salvation without the help of God. Instead of a catastrophe, our gospel reading provides us with the possibility of salvation, after the fiasco of the “rich man”: “Then who can be saved?”, the disciples of Jesus ask, since the “rich man” kept all the Commandments of God but Jesus qualified him for Heaven, “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God’”.
The Spirit-of-God Sunday reminds us of the only way to find and be connected to God — God’s Holy Spirit. Make no mistake about it, money is not the only condition for rejection of God and Heaven; in fact, our addictions to money, power and sex, the three derivatives of all our sins (1 John 2:16) are hindrances. Keeping God’s Commandments or the mastery of all kinds of virtues will fall short of qualifying us for Heaven, except we possess God’s Spirit, the only way to be connected to God and put God first and above all things: “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength’” (Mark 12:30).
Remember that cosmetics, like virtues, do not change the whole person, but parts of a person. The Spirit of God changes the whole person and makes the person GPS (God’s Position/Presence Seeking) compliant. It is everyday that we must renew our seeking and compliance with God’s directives. God speaks to us everyday and expects our constant responses. Our keeping of God’s Commandments and practice of virtues will only lead us as far as God, as it led the “rich man” to Jesus, but only God’s Holy Spirit keeps us attuned to and aligned with God to receive and act on new instructions — “go sell everything, come follow me” or “Go, but sin (fornicate [John 8]) no more”or “Go, resign your job” (henceforth, you’ll become fishers-of-men [Mark 1:17]).
Don’t forget, athletes train so hard, first, to qualify for a tournament; then, to compete for laurels. For you and me, our virtues qualify us to receive and carry out specific tasks and missions from God; only God’s Holy Spirit can sustain us in our mission of winning Heaven. What is indubitably true is judgment. Our second reading puts it this way: “No creature is concealed from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of God to whom we must render an account”. May nothing (money, power and sex) hinder us from possessing God’s Position Seeking (GPS) and arrive safely in Heaven.
Assignment for the Week:
In the midst of the hustling and bustling of daily life, could you attempt to listen to what God’s Spirit is saying to you, what he is asking you to abandon and leave behind?