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"Enkindle in Us the Fire of Your Love"
6-2009
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Homily at the Mass of the Holy Spirit

As on the day of the Pentecost, this morning we are in one place together in prayer, waiting for the one promised us by Christ, the Holy Spirit. But, there is one difference. Unlike the first disciples, we are not afraid, not even of the swine flu. (No one among us wears a "mask").

With confidence we pray together to the Holy Spirit. What are we asking Him to do for us? I am certain each one whispers a prayer to him. What do you expect Him to grant you for the new school year? Is it a "gift of speech" or a "gift of hearing"? Truly the Spirit is the source of all gifts. As Paul proclaims in the second reading, from the Spirit come "different spiritual gifts", "different forms of service" and "different workings". And there are many more! Apart from those charismatic gifts, we know well the seven sanctifying gifts of the Spirit, given us in baptism and confirmation. So what is it that you are asking for? Is it knowledge, understanding, courage, comfort, forgiveness, hope, strength? Or what else do you ask?

Perhaps, for most of us, we do not ask for a new or another gift. All that we ask for is for the Spirit to renew in us a gift/s that we already have received. After all, as Paul says, "to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given." The Spirit blows where he wills. I am sure no one among us is wanting of the grace of the Holy Spirit. No one is without gifts from the Spirit. I trust that we all know and recognize the gifts given us. This is the first step if the Spirit has to work through us, if we have to cooperate with Him to transform us and to renew the face of the earth!

At the personal level, I leave it to each one of you what to ask for. What matters is that each one asks the Spirit for help. He is not only our Creator-Spirit. He is also the Spirit who re-recreates us again and again. He is not only the Spirit of truth, because he proceeds from truth, speaks the truth, and leads us to all truth. He too is the fire of love! He does not only illumine our minds but also direct our wills. He leads us to all good. As our patron, St. Thomas Aquinas, tells us ?not only all truth but also all good comes from the Spirit?. We all need the Spirit to give ourselves to the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Each of us needs Him to fulfill our respective roles in the vision-mission of the University.

But, as one university community, there is one gift of the Spirit that I would invite you to pray with me. What is it? To begin with, we belong to different Faculties, Colleges or Departments. We engage ourselves in diverse academic programs and specializations, in both civil and sacred sciences. Different functions, expertise, talents and gifts abound in the university. Name it, and we have it in UST. Rich diversity and wide differences exist among us. We run the risk of allowing competition, rivalry or polarization to transpire among us. And this could lead us to lack of unity. We need thus to pray to the Holy Spirit to deliver us from the evil of disunity, that unity in diversity may reign among us.

There are two immediate reasons why it is crucial for us to pray hard and work for the gift of unity in diversity. One reason, we are but two school years away from our fourth centennial year, 2011. We have to take care that the preparations for and the celebration itself of our 400th anniversary be above all a wonderful experience and manifestation of unity and solidarity among us, be it at the level of our respective Faculty, College or Department, or at the level of the whole University. It would be a great irony and scandal were the same preparations and celebration led to divisions among us. Another reason is the holding of the forthcoming national elections in the country in 2010. Soon we will find ourselves in the midst of tensions, conflicts and divisions among warring political parties and factions in the land. While the situation will be beyond our control, we are called to witness to unity among ourselves amidst our own diverse views and positions. That will be required of us if UST has to stand and work as one University for truth, justice, peace and unity in our country

How then should we pray today? The passage from St. Paul gives us the clue. He paints before us a powerful image. "All the parts of the body, though many, are one body." Though each part has its own unique function, all the parts work for the good of the whole. It should be the same case for us in the University. Each one of us is irreducibly "other", unique, but everyone is a part of the whole. Each has a particular gift, specialization, expertise, duty or responsibility. But no one is to be considered superior or inferior than another; no one should do it for self-aggrandizement. Each is called to work for the common good. Every gift is to be used for the benefit of the Faculty, College, Department, or entire University. In other words, the finality of any gift, form of service or work coming from the Holy Spirit is the good of the community. A gift is given to one in order to seek the good of the other, the good of the community. A gift is a participation in the grace of the Holy Spirit as Gift-Love. It is a means and instrument of love, of charity. Diverse though our gifts, we should pray and work together for unity, for the good of the whole University.

What prayer then should we make today? I would suggest that we pray the same words of a popular prayer to the Holy Spirit, but packed with new meaning. (And so we now pray.) "Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. Enkindle in us the fire of your love. Yes, with the fire of your love purify us from our pride and selfishness. Enable us to use our gifts only for the good of others, at the service of the common good. Open our hearts to recognize and welcome the gifts of each one. Lead us to fuse together our diverse gifts for the benefit of the whole community. Enkindle in us the fire of your love."

"O Holy Spirit, with the gift, service, expertise, duty or responsibility that each one of us has, empower us to love you and one another with your gift-love; make us all one in your love. Amen."