Why Mass? We need the Bread of Life! -- Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

The Paschal Mystery, which kicked off this great season of Easter, not only finished with the resurrection of our Blessed Lord, but also culminated in the consummation of the new covenant.  A covenant that Saint Stephen, and countless other martyrs throughout the age of the Church, have willingly sacrificed their lives in their personal response to what God initiated.

Throughout history, the establishment of a covenant required two things: an initiation by one party and a response by the other party.  God initiated a covenant with Adam, and Adam responded imperfectly.  God initiated a covenant with Noah, and Noah responded imperfectly.  God then initiated a covenant with Abraham, and Abraham also responded imperfectly.  God initiated a covenant with Moses, and Moses (as you can probably guess) responded imperfectly.  And, so one and so forth throughout the history of Israel in the Old Testament....until we get to the Last Supper.

At the Last Supper, in the context of the Jewish Passover, Jesus Christ through His divine nature initiated the new and everlasting covenant.  Then, on the cross, Jesus Christ through His human nature offered the perfect response.  On the cross, Jesus Christ drank from the fourth and final Passover cup (which is known as the Chalice of Hallel).  On the cross, Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself as the true Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.  On the cross, Jesus declared the consummation of the new covenant finished.

This transaction between initiation of and response to the new and everlasting covenant is the authentic context of Jesus's role as our one and true mediator with God.  Only Jesus Christ in His divinity could initiate an eternal covenant.  Only Jesus Christ in His humanity could offer a perfect response.

At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, to be our Passover Feast.  The Eucharist is the way Jesus desires us to worship Him.  But more than that:  The Eucharist is the mechanism Jesus gave us that allows us to substantially participate in His one-and-for-all sacrifice on Calvary.  The Eucharist is the mechanism Jesus gave us that allows us to efficaciously (effectively) participate in His perfect response to the new covenant.

This is why the Mass is so important.  Without our active participation in the Mass, our personal response to the new covenant is imperfect at best, and quite possibly not efficacious.  We need the Mass.  We need the Eucharist.  We need to drink from the chalice from which Jesus drank (namely, the Chalice of Hallel that is offered at every single Mass).  We need to eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood in order to have salvation and eternal life.  We need the Bread of Life!

The New and Everlasting Covenant Established

Throughout salvation history, the establishment of a covenant required an initiation and a response. God initiated a covenant with Adam, Adam offered an imperfect response. God initiated a covenant with Noah, Noah offered an imperfect response. God initiated a covenant with Moses, Moses offered an imperfect response. So on and so forth throughout the times of the Old Testament.

At the Last Supper, in the context of the Jewish Passover, Jesus Christ, through His divine nature initiated a new and everlasting covenant [Matthew 26:27-29].  Jesus Christ then, through His human nature, offered the perfect response to the new covenant on the cross as He drank from the fourth and final Passover Cup (the Chalice of Hallel), sacrificed Himself as the true Lamb of God, and declared the consummation of the new covenant finished [John 19:28-30].

This is the true context of Jesus's role of our one true Mediator with God. It really has nothing to do with intercessory prayer (as many mistakenly believe), but rather, the initiation of and response to the new and everlasting covenant. Only Jesus Christ could initiate the covenant in His divinity and also respond to it (perfectly) in His humanity.

At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist to be our Passover Feast [1Corinthians 11:17-33]. The Eucharist is the way Jesus desires us to worship Him. The Eucharist is also the mechanism that He gave to us that allows us to substantially participate in His sacrifice on Calvary and to efficaciously participate in His perfect response to the new covenant.

Without our active participation in the Mass, our response to the new covenant is imperfect at best, and potentially not efficacious. We need the Mass. We need the Eucharist. We need to drink from the chalice from which Jesus drank (namely, the Chalice of Hallel offered in the Mass) [Mark 10:35-40]. We need to eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood in order to have salvation and eternal life [John 6:47-58].

Most precious blood of Jesus Christ, save us and the whole world!

This is not Goodbye (Romans 8:31-39)

 There are few things more tragic than the loss of a young life, especially when the cause of death is something we cannot really understand.  When the cause of death leaves us with so many unanswered questions.  For some of us, the shock of unexpectedly losing a loved one may be such that we cannot even form the questions to ask.  And, that's okay.

Sometimes, walking by faith, rather than by sight, means we don't have the answers and we may not even know the questions.  We simply trust!  We trust as Job did.  When Job lost his family and livelihood, he trusted that God had not abandoned him in the midst of tragedy.  Job trusted that God was still somehow at work and would bring good out of the horrible situation he was in.

And, that is the truth of the Paschal Mystery.  Through the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; the kingdom of sin and death, the kingdom of hurt and pain, is conquered by love, joy, and eternal life.

Our beloved departed encounters the Paschal Mystery in a very profound way as we offer the funeral Mass to unite their death to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary and we commend their spirit into the loving hands of God, the Father.

We too, are part of the Paschal Mystery.  The Paschal Mystery was not a one-time event that occurred in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.  It is an eternal event that is omnipresent to all humanity throughout the ages.  The Paschal Mystery is most substantially present to us through the Mass, but it can be an integral part of our daily walk of faith.  I'd wager that Job knew the Paschal Mystery very well and that he found comfort in it.  The same can be true for us.

Currently, we are going through a passion of sadness, anger, unforgiveness, and a whole slew of emotions.  As part of the healing and grieving process, we must let go of a part of ourselves (let it die, if you will).  If we can do this, ultimately, we will experience a resurrection.  We will be able to look back and see the good God could manifest in the midst of even the most horrible and tragic events.

During a period of grieving, it can be helpful to contemplate on how the Paschal Mystery, through the Mass, is a participation in the great worship of heaven.  We can have great hope that our beloved departed are participating in the same great worship.  We can have great hope that we are sacramentally present to our beloved departed through, with, and in the Eucharist; and she present to us.  This can be of great comfort to those of us that feel like we didn't have the opportunity to say goodbye, since from a certain perspective, there isn't a goodbye to say.  A spiritual hug through the  Eucharist may not feel the same as a physical hug, but it can be every bit as profound.

For those of us experiencing anger and unforgiveness, I pray for the grace of forgiveness.  It may be forgiveness for the driver that caused this accident.  It may be forgiveness for ourselves due to some matter that was left unresolved with our beloved departed.  It may even be forgiveness towards God for allowing the death of our beloved departed in the first place.  Whatever it is, let the process of healing and forgiveness begin with this Mass.  As we enter into the Paschal Mystery of the Liturgy, open yourself to the kindness and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Let go of the negative emotions you carry and nail them to the Cross on Calvary.  Then, open yourself.  Open yourself to the fullness of love, fullness of comfort, fullness of peace, and fullness of forgiveness offered through the person of Jesus Christ - truly present in the Eucharist - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

The shortest verse in the Bible is "Jesus wept".  These two simple words inform the level of empathy Jesus has for those of us in mourning.  We can be confident in how deeply Jesus relates to us when someone close to us passes away.  Allow yourself to be comforted by the fact that Jesus is present, substantially present in the Eucharist, to mourn with us and to walk with us in our hurts and our pains.  Be comforted in the fact that this faith community also mourns with us, walks with us, and is here to love and support us as the mystical body of Christ.

The lives of the saints repeatedly and consistently attest to the truth of the Paschal Mystery and the truth of the Catholic faith.  The end of our mortal life on earth (which is in the womb of the Catholic Church), is not the end; but rather, is our birth into eternity.  To paraphrase Saint Paul, death cannot separate us.  Therefore, this is not goodbye!

Life and Death at Calvary (Luke 23:44-49)

For those who may not be familiar, the Dalmatic is the sleeved vestment that a deacon will typically wear while assisting at Mass. According to tradition, the Dalmatic is a symbol of Christian joy and happiness.

Let's face it, funerals rarely feel joyful and happy.  As such, deacons may elect to not wear a Dalmatic during a funeral Mass as a conscious act of solidarity with the family and friends of the deceased, who are mourning a great loss.

As we contemplate that sense of loss, we remember that the shortest verse in the Bible is "Jesus wept". This occurred at the tomb of His recently deceased friend Lazarus. Those two simple words informs the level of empathy Jesus has for those in mourning as we know Jesus deeply relates to the loss we feel when someone close to us dies. It is comforting for us to bear in mind that Jesus is here, substantially present in the Eucharist, to mourn with us and to walk with us in our hurts and our pains. And, we, as the Church of Jesus Christ, comes together in a special way during the funeral Mass to mourn with each other in solidarity as the mystical Body of Christ.

At the same time, we must remember that in the midst of the sadness and the grief, there truly is joy and happiness. Faith tells us mortal death is not the end, it is only the beginning of eternity. Through death, our baptism is fulfilled. Through death, we undergo the final purgation of our corrupt sinful nature to be brought into total conformity to and freedom with the Son of God...our sanctification is completed. Through death, we gain admittance into the fullness of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb and we are introduced into the love of the Holy Trinity.

As Christians, we live this mortal life in the womb of the Catholic Church. It is at this moment, the funeral Mass, that the Church births us into eternity.  It is at this moment, the funeral Mass, that the Church unites our death to the Sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary. It is at this moment, the funeral Mass, that the Church commends our soul into the hands of God the Father.

Which brings us to the heart of the matter. At the climax of the Paschal mystery, Jesus commends His spirit into the Hands of the Father. It is through the Paschal mystery of Christ that death takes on a certain dignity. In His passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus destroys the kingdom of sin and death.

Therefore, it is important that we strive to always be fortified by the Sacraments of the Church, particularly at the hour of death, so we can die with the merits of Calvary. We must never lose hope that the Sacraments have as their goal the final Passover feast...this Paschal mystery that, through death, leads to eternal life.

For Christians, the Paschal mystery, particularly the Eucharist, is at the center of both our life and our death. As Jesus said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”

It is through the Eucharist (the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ) that we can continue to be in an intimate communion with those that have gone before us in faith. Every time we go to Mass, every single time, we substantially participate in the great worship of heaven. We can have great hope that our dearly departed are participating in the same worship. As a result, we are sacramentally present to each other in the Eucharist. We can continue to pray for our dearly departed in their transition into eternity and they will continue to pray for us as we endeavor to trudge the road of happy destiny. So, in Christian faith, hope, and love; death is not goodbye, but rather, we'll be with you in the Paschal mystery.  A joyful and happy day indeed.

Live Out the Kingship of Christ: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Matthew 25:31-46)

One of my favorite movies is the 1981 film Excalibur. In my opinion, it is simply hands down the best rendering of the legend of King Arthur. The sword in the stone, the knights of the round table, the quest for the holy grail, and other elements of the legend are presented in a particularly enchanting way.

The movie sparked an interest for me, not just in the legend and the lore, but also in the medieval history it came from. I began to have an appreciation the politics of that time period as well as the challenges and temptations most kings likely faced during their reign.

In the history of the Church, the role of a king was to maintain the peace of the realm, oversee the administration of justice, and to uphold the rule of law in the land. The king would provide for the safety and other life essentials of the people in his kingdom, in exchange for their services.

Some Medieval royals, such as Henry II of Bavaria and Louis IX of France, provide good examples of how a king was to provide for his people in charity. Both men are canonized Saints with feast days on the Roman calendar. We celebrate their attention on charity towards the people in their respective kingdoms.

Ultimately, these two holy rulers were simply imitating Christ the King in all things. They allowed the kingship of Christ to inform, shape, animate, and sustain how they approaced their daily responsibilities. They were a dim reflection of Jesus Christ, our true King of kings and our true Lord of lords.

Extrapolating on the prophesy of Ezekiel, it is Jesus that ultimately takes care of our needs: tending to us, feeding us His Body and Blood, giving us rest in the Holy Spirit (particularly on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation), shepherding us rightly through His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

On this, The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, we should recall that we too are baptized into this kingship of Christ, just like Henry II and Louis IX. We should renew our commitment to carry out the kingship of Christ in every aspect of our being. Afterall, we cannot truly love Jesus without loving our neighbor. We cannot truly love Jesus without loving the stranger in our midst.

Our Gospel today gives us a blueprint for how to more fully participate in the Kingship of Christ. It doesn't mean we have to invite total strangers into our home to eat Sunday dinner with us, as Louis IX was known to do. It doesn’t mean we have to have enormous amounts of wealth to donate to the relief of the poor, as Henry II did. But we can endeavor to do whatever is within our means.

More to the point, we can discern how God is calling us to meet this challenge to live out the Kingship of Christ in the particular circumstances of our ordinary world. Maybe God is calling us to help serve a meal to the homeless and hungry at the Saints Peter and Paul Community Services or through the Saint Patrick Center Casserole program. Maybe God is calling us to provide personal assistance to those in need through the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. Maybe God is calling us to visit the homebound or those in nursing homes. These are just a few examples of some of the outreach ministries we offer at the parish that enable us to live out the Kingship of Christ through our time, talent, and treasure.

Our acts of love are ultimately fulfilled in God's love for us. What we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we can do in the Kingship of Christ and for the kingdom that was prepared for us from the foundation of the world. Be Christ the King to those in our midst. Now, let's turn our full attention to the consummation of the Kingdom of God and the love He offers to us in the Eucharist. May the regrets of times we failed to love the least of our brothers and sisters, be transformed into a holy fervor to serve them this day forward...that we may truly go in peace, glorifying the Lord by our lives.

Daunting! - Reflection for Evening Prayer - Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time (Ephesians 3:20-21)

As Christians, we are called to live out the beatitudes; in particular, to perform the corporal and spiritual works of mercy for the least of our neighbors, as well as the stranger among us.  We are called to a life of service to the Church and to the World.  Let's not kid around, that is a daunting thought.  It is one thing live out the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church.  Yet, the fullness of the Christian life includes what happens between Mass.  How we respond to the call: "Go forth, glorifying the Lord by your lives."

As Christians, we called to take on the challenges within the Church head-on.  We are called to increase our awareness of those around us, meeting them where they are, and walking with them in faith.  We are called to help them conquer fear with love, discouragement with hope, and indifference with faith.   We are called to be conduits of the Holy Spirit to shape the culture and heal division.  In a Christian Anthropology class, Deacon James Keating would routinely ask us:  Are you ready for this responsibility?  Are you sure this is what you want?

Daunting!

Be not afraid!  Our reading today reminds us that God will do amazing things through us…things that are well beyond our imagination.  Just look at the examples we have from the past: Saint Augustine, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Catherine of Siena, Therese of Lisieux, and so many others.  These men and women didn't do great things because of their natural intelligence and abilities.  These men and women did great things because they completely surrendered their lives and their wills to God.  Their mission was the mission of God.  Their power was the power of God.  Everything they did was for the glory of God.

The same is true for us.  If we are feeling overwhelmed by certain aspects of the Christian life or by the idea of what we are called to do, you are not alone.  I think most of us have been there at various points of the earthly pilgrimage of life.  What I have learned about myself is that those times I am feeling overwhelmed or inadequate are usually the times I am trying to serve others on my own as opposed to allowing Jesus to serve through me.

God will do great things through us, far greater things than we can possibly imagine, if we can be humble enough to step aside and allow Jesus to serve His people through us.

Whose Image: Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Matthew 22:15-21)

Whose image and whose inscription do I bear? Do I give God all that is God's? If I'm being honest, I've never asked myself these questions, but maybe should.

The Catechism beautifully says: "The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit: Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity."

We may wonder how we come to share in this image of God. Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark (character) of belonging to Christ. But, it is through the Eucharist that we receive the gift of Sanctifying grace and our mortal and corruptible natures are transformed by being joined to the source of eternal life Himself. As our Blessed Lord said, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him". The pilgrim journey in this life is to become fully ordered to Christ in every aspect of our lives.

This is why coming to Mass at least every Sunday and every holy day of obligation is of extreme importance to the spiritual life.

It is at Mass that Jesus mediates on our behalf with the Father.  It is at the Mass the Jesus offers His Body and Blood for our salvation. It is at the Mass that Jesus feeds us his Body and Blood to give us sanctifying grace and to transform us into His image. It is at the Mass that we give our entire selves, along with the bread and the wine on the altar, to be offered up by Jesus Christ and transformed into His Mystical Body.

But, giving of our entire selves is the key, isn't it? No holds barred. Leaving nothing on the field, as some would say. Or, as Jesus put it in our reading today, giving God all that is God's. It is easy to put all of our good qualities on the altar; our love, our desire for holiness, our faith (as weak as it may be). But, God wants our entire self, warts and all. Did someone in the Church hurt us? Do we feel scandalized by decisions we think are being made in the Church?  Do we have emotional scars from divorce or some other family strife? Are we in the dark abyss of grief, depression, or despair? Let's put our hurts and our pains on the altar. Would we rather be home getting ready for the football game? Or would we rather be at some sporting event for our kids? Let's put those desires on the altar. Are our thoughts consumed with achievements at work or pursuit of worldly or material goods? Let's put those dreams on the altar. Do we find ourselves in addictions or some other destructive behavioral pattern. Do we suffer from cancer or some other terminal disease or debilitating condition.  Let's put it on the altar.

Jesus truly takes imperfect bread and imperfect wine transforms it into what? He transforms it into His perfect Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Anything we truly surrender to the Lord and offer to Him on the altar along with the bread and the wine will also be transformed into the image of God. The more of ourselves we offer in the Mass, the more room we will have to receive Sanctifying grace through the Eucharist. The more sanctifying grace we receive, the more ordered to Christ we become, the more the Holy Spirit can dwell within us, and the more in union we can be with the Holy Trinity. Union with the Holy Trinity is the essence of heaven.

Whose image and whose inscription do we bear? Do we give God all that is God's? Let's find out as we offer ourselves , our entire selves, in this Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Reclaiming Oktoberfest

Opportunities to reclaim our Catholic culture in a secular world, especially in the midst of All Things New, are questions that come up regularly in conversation. Reflecting on those opportunities, I'm reminded that our ancestors had rich traditions and customs to bring a more practical sense to their faith and engage their piety in a real and interpersonal way.

Oktoberfest is one such tradition with Catholic roots.  We associate Oktoberfest with festivals that feature beer, food, dancing, and often oompah bands. However, it was originally a celebration of Holy Matrimony.

In 1810, the crown prince of Bavaria, who later became King Ludwig I, married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to participate in the royal event, which consisted of five days of festivities, including a large parade and horse races.  This became an annual event that we now know as Oktoberfest.

"THE Oktoberfest" is held annually at the Theresienwiese (named after Princess Therese) in Munich, Germany during a period of approximately two weeks, traditionally ending on the Sunday following Michaelmas (the first Sunday of October).

Inspiration for the two-week period for the festival comes from another Bavarian royal wedding when Duke Wilhelm V married Renata of Lorraine in 1568.  This event was attended by thousands and the celebrations - which included feasts, music, dancing, and jousting - lasted about two weeks.  The famous Rathaus-Glockenspiel (clock tower) in the Marienplatz square of Munich immortalized this royal wedding and reenacts scenes from it twice a day.

As Catholics, we have an opportunity to celebrate Oktoberfest with the intentions of these Catholic roots.  We have an opportunity celebrate a proud tradition that can enable us to embolden our faith and witness to the world around us.

The invitation to all of us is to take Oktoberfest as an opportunity to celebrate our marriages. We can take the opportunity to witness to and evangelize to others in terms of the importance of Holy Matrimony. We can celebrate the beauty of marriage and share stories to encourage others to embrace the sacramental life of the Church. We can use traditions like Oktoberfest to help others find God in the midst of their struggles and walk with them in the path of grace.

In doing so, we can remind the world of the truth and beauty of humanity. In doing so, we can be an example of what it means to be human, to contemplate the beauty of the human person, and to hunger for our ultimate destiny in Christ. 

Reclaiming our Catholic culture in a secular world involves rediscovering and embracing the Catholic roots of traditions and customs like Oktoberfest and using them to spread the sacramental worldview to others. Oktoberfest can be one stone in the rebuilding of the foundation of our society - a foundation of man and woman in the full dignity of humanity in Christ, modeled after the New Adam and the New Eve.

Devotions to the Precious Blood for July

Devotions to the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ started very early in Christianity as relics related to the bloody passion of our Blessed Lord were preserved and venerated by the early Church.  

“Let us fix our thoughts on the blood of Christ; and reflect how precious that blood is in God's eyes, inasmuch as its outpouring for our salvation has opened the grace of repentance to all mankind.” 

Saint Clement of Rome 

In the Year of our Lord (AD) 96 

Letter to the Corinthians 

For the month of July, which is in a special manner dedicated to the memory of the Precious Blood, the Church has blessed several devotions (many enriched with indulgences) that we should consider practicing at this time:

1. Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood 
• https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1067
2. Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
• https://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2011/07/litany-of-most-precious-blood-of-jesus.html
3. Offering in Reparation to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
• https://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2019/07/7-times-christ-shed-his-blood-for-us.html
4. An Offering of the Precious Blood for Souls
• https://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2006/04/offering-of-precious-blood-for-souls.html
5. The Seven Offerings of the Precious Blood
• https://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2019/07/7-times-christ-shed-his-blood-for-us.html
6. Precious Blood Deliverance Prayer
• https://youtu.be/7cWgJmhyHjs

Even science collaborates the worthy devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ:

https://sacredwindows.com/the-science-behind-jesus-blood-type/

Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, save us and the whole world! 

Let the Fire Fall

I appreciate the imagery of how the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in a way sealed (or confirmed) the Paschal Mystery.  Similarly, Confirmation is the Sacrament where the Holy Spirit puts the seal of Pentecost on the baptized person.

The more we study the history and the theology of the sacraments, the more I come to appreciate the moment of anamnesis associated with each one.  I've come to see our Confirmation is a participation in the Pentecost event.  The same fire of the Holy Spirit descending down upon us in the Sacrament of Confirmation that descended upon Mary and the Apostles in the Upper Room.  The same grace the Apostles received to be fearless witnesses of Him and to be strengthened at every stage of life and against all dangers and invisible enemies is offered to us through Confirmation.

Truly, through the laying on of hands and the anointing with the Sacred Chrism Oil by the bishop (or his vicar), we become anointed priest, profits, and kings through our Confirmation.  At the same time, the Old Testament prophecy of that God's Spirit would rest upon the Messiah to sustain His mission is fulfilled for us personally, in our lives.  We become true soldiers for Christ, ready and true witnesses to the faith and take on the obligation to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.  Indeed, the great commission becomes our mission.

Unfortunately, I didn't have appreciation for such things in my formative years.  Confirmation came and went for me.  While I didn't experience the Flame of Love at the time of the anointing, as intended, I was still consecrated to be a Temple of the Holy Spirit.  The hot embers of Confirmation were preserved in that Temple until such time that impediments to grace could be removed and those hot embers stoked into a Flame.

Now, when I attend Mass on Pentecost or for a Confirmation, I allow myself to truly enter (alongside Mary and the Apostles) into the mystery of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling Trinity, and the seven-fold gifts with which we are endowed.