After my baptism in 1985, I was admitted to St. Clement’s Minor Seminary, Lokoja. In those days, we used to read the lives of saints prior to night-prep (evening studies). The very first one we read was read out to us, in the chapel, by the rector, Fr. Michael Sunday Sasa. It was the life of St. Archibald.
My life changing story came with the reading of the life of St. Mungo, who had a special devotion to the Holy Spirit. The long and short of the story is that Mungo was raised by a monk in a monastery as an orphan. He was loved by the abbot (head of the monastery), but the other children in the monastery disliked him, for that very reason. This dislike for Mungo led to a lot of mean things done to him by the other kids.
In those days, it was difficult to light fire; consequently, children took turns to keep watch so that the monastery fire does not go out. One day, when it was Mungo’s turn to keep watch over the fire, some kids decided to drench the fire-place, and went to bed happy that Mungo will be punished the next day because there will be no fire with which to cook breakfast. When Mungo noticed what happened, he went on his knees and prayed the famous prayer to the Holy Spirit: “Come Holy Spirit and Fill the Hearts of the Faith and enkindle in them the fire of thy love. . . ” At the mention of “Fire of thy love,” the charcoal at the fire-place lighted up.
Another show of meanness to Mungo, by some of the kids who disliked him because they considered him the favorite of the abbot, was the killing of the abbot’s pet bird and putting it into the pocket of one of Mungo’s pants’ hanging on the wall, and making sure that some feathers were sticking out of the pocket. When Mungo saw what happened, he knelt and prayed, with the dead bird in his hands: “Come Holy Spirit and Fill the Hearts of the Faithful and enkindle in them the Fire of thy Love; send forth your Spirit and they shall be recreated . . .” At the mention of “send forth your Spirit and they shall be recreated,” the dead bird came back to life!
Even though Mungo left that monastery, went on to become a hermit and eventually a bishop in Glasgow, I have remained fascinated by the power and efficacy of the prayer to Holy Spirit. It was then I decided, if I must become a priest, there is only one way to go – become a Holy Spirit priest, SPIRITAN, which I am glad I am and pray to remain until death.
Given how I have been touched and continue to be led by the Holy Spirit, I intend to explore with you a spirituality based on biblical passages on the Holy Spirit. May the same Holy Spirit lead us on this quest for holiness of life and spirituality!