Our first reading for the next four days will come from Saint Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy, which is one of his “Pastoral Letters”. As we know, Timothy was much younger than Paul and had become his pupil, given that Paul was now considered, and calls himself, one of the apostles.
Paul says that his mission is to pass on the good news of, “…the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.”
He was sent out to share that through Jesus one can live life fully here and now, but ultimately and absolutely in an eternity with God hereafter.
Paul begins by urging Timothy to “rekindle the gift of God” (the Holy Spirit) which had been given to him when Paul laid his hands on him. Again, we are in the days of the Holy Spirit having just celebrated the beautiful feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles with Mary our Mother in their midst—wasn’t the first time for our dearest Mother, but while it is true that Paul is referring to both Timothy’s baptism, but also to his being ordained a Bishop “through the laying on of hands” and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, he is also indirectly reminding all of us to remember that we too, at our own baptism and confirmation (and for us priests, also at our ordination), were given the Holy Spirit by the Almighty Father through our Lord Jesus and that sometimes, unless we allow this gift to manifest through our wills, souls and our love, it can lay dormant within us.
Just to refresh our minds, and for those who may not be aware, these are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit and their meaning as given to us in Sacred Scripture:
Wisdom (Sophia): The gift of wisdom is the ability to understand and discern God's will, and to make wise decisions in life. Understanding (Intellectus): The gift of understanding is the ability to grasp the deeper meaning of Scripture and the mysteries of God. Counsel (Consilium): The gift of counsel is the ability to make wise decisions and to offer guidance and advice to others. Fortitude (Fortitudo): The gift of fortitude is the ability to persevere in the face of adversity, to be brave and courageous, and to stand strong in the faith. Knowledge
(Scientia): The gift of knowledge is the ability to understand and comprehend spiritual truths, and to be aware of God's presence and activity in the world. Piety (Pietas): The gift of piety is the ability to reverence and worship God with a deep sense of devotion and awe. Fear of the Lord (Timor Domini): The gift of fear of the Lord is the ability to have a deep reverence and respect for God, and to recognize His power and majesty.
Saint Boniface, whose memorial we celebrate today, born in 675 and died in 754 at the age of 79 (c. 675-754) was a German Benedictine monk and missionary who played a significant role in the Christianization of Germany and the Netherlands. He is often referred to as the "Apostle of Germany" and is known for his tireless efforts to spread the Gospel and promote spiritual growth among the people.
In his writings, Saint Boniface emphasized the importance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that I just outlined for you, which are essential for spiritual growth and living a virtuous life.
Saint Boniface continuously taught how these gifts can be obtained through prayer, fasting, and meditation. Once acquired from God, he encouraged his followers to cultivate these gifts by seeking guidance from Scripture, seeking spiritual direction from experienced leaders, and practicing acts of charity and mercy. In fact, he taught that through the Holy Spirit we would be able to better understand the Scriptures. In his 43rd letter to the priest Eoban he wrote, "The Holy Spirit is the source of all wisdom and knowledge, and it is through him that we are able to understand the Scriptures." Of course in no way is Boniface saying that the teaching magisterium of the Church is not needed, but rather, that it’s infallible gift to interpret scripture correctly for us comes by way of the Holy Spirit.
In today’s gospel Jesus reprimands his opponents precisely by highlighting the fact that they failed at understanding both the scriptures and the power of God to interpret them. When God told Moses that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, now, in the present, he was saying that they lived on, on the other side of eternity, waiting for their day of liberation from Limbo, which to their great joy, Jesus would announce to them as soon as he descended into the netherworld to bring them that good news. This happened from when he expired on the Cross, to the early hours of Sunday morning. What great feasting my dear friends, would these multitudes of peoples past have celebrated with the Eternal Son of God as they entered into paradise which he had opened through the shedding of his blood and death on the cross!
The Sadducees didn’t believe that the soul was immortal and that there was life after death, so to test Jesus they hypothesised a scenario in which a woman marries one man, he dies, so she marries his brother as Moses commanded. He died, so she marries the next brother, and so on and so forth for several brothers. They then asked him which one of those men would claim her as his wife in paradise. This was Jesus response: “Is not the reason why you go wrong, that you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising again, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him and said: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken.”
How mistaken they were indeed! Not only were souls immortal, but they were, at that very moment, awaiting with eager anticipation the great news of their salvation. Had the persecutors of Jesus accepted the Holy Spirit’s guidance, rather than rejecting him in their refusal to repent, thereby blaspheming against him since he worked so hard in their souls to illicit a confession… they would have understood scripture clearly and trusted more in the power of God. Notice Jesus says they neither understand scripture, nor the power of God. It is God’s power who fused into our bodies a soul. It is God’s power who made that soul eternal and immortal. And it is God’s power who will raise up even our mortal bodies on the last day. Brothers and sisters, believe, for great things shall you witness in the years to come in your lives if you but trust in God.
Saint Boniface, pray for us, and ask our dearest Queen to pray for us. May the Lord give us your zeal, and your courage to withstand, even in our feeble bodies any persecution that may come, out of love for the King of Martyrs who went on before us to prepare a place for us. Our Lady, Queen of Martyr’s, pray for us.
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