Thought of the Day May 1, 2020 Holy Spirit, living water
I share this reflection by St. Cyril of Jerusalem on the Holy Spirit as living water welling up to eternal life.
“The water that I shall
give him will become in him a fountain of living water, welling up into eternal
life. This is a new kind of water, a living, leaping water, welling up for
those who are worthy. But why did Christ call the grace of the Spirit water?
Because all things are dependent on water; plants and animals have their origin
in water. Water comes down from heaven as rain, and although it is always the
same in itself, it produces many different effects, one in the palm tree,
another in the vine, and so on throughout the whole of creation. It does not
come down, now as one thing, now as another, but while remaining essentially
the same, it adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it.
“In the same way the
Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, simple and indivisible,
apportions grace to each man as he wills. Like a dry tree which puts forth
shoots when watered, the soul bears the fruit of holiness when repentance has
made it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit never changes,
the effects of his action, by the will of God and in the name of Christ, are
both many and marvelous. The Spirit makes one man a teacher of divine truth,
inspires another to prophesy, gives another the power of casting out devils,
enables another to interpret holy Scripture. The Spirit strengthens one man’s
self-control, shows another how to help the poor, teaches another to fast and
lead a life of asceticism, makes another oblivious to the needs of the body,
trains another for martyrdom. His action is different in different people, but
the Spirit himself is always the same. In each person, Scripture
says, the Spirit reveals his presence in a particular way for the common
good.“ (St Cyril of Jerusalem)
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
About the Author
0 comments