ON THE HOLY DAY OF PENTECOST.

 

The Spirit of the Lord adorned the heavens (understood adorned the heavens) job 26,13. To then continue, as if specifying which heavens it refers to:  Because it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of the Father who speaks in you. Matt, c. 10

Thus, we see that the divine Savior said them to warn us against the presumption of our strength, he made us know how insufficient human littleness is, and to lead us to trust in his gifts, he suggested to us how influential divine largesse is. And, certainly, come to the conclusion that the word of God is never the harvest of human ingenuity but rather the fruit of divine bounty. Hence it is because, when the words are preceded:  It is not you who speak , it alludes to how insufficient or indigent human littleness is and because, when it is added:  It is the Spirit of your Father who speaks for you, it indicates what it is the divine largesse. Far be it from us, therefore, most dear ones, to be of the number of those who said:   with our tongues we will triumph our lips are ours.  From where it can be deduced that this gift is only exclusive to be given by the eternal Father to those who are truly HUMBLE, a necessary assumption in the soul to receive any of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, only arrogant spirits full of themselves are excluded from these gifts and even the gift of languages. The latter only occurs  when God wants, to whom he wants and when HE wants,  this is said by virtue of the divine donation to which not all are called but those who are chosen by God and  for a SPECIFIC PURPOSE in such a way that not everyone is given as if they were candy. This is said so that the soul is not deceived of having received it because it can easily fall into the illusions of the devil and confuse it as gifts from the eternal Father. So be warned lest the devil surprise you by saying,  It is a gift from God, it is a gift from God when in reality it is a trick of the devil through which he leads you to hell!

On the contrary, let us unanimously beg the Lord, giver of all goods, that by his grace and clemency he please free us from the insufficiency of human littleness, free us from the illusions and deceits of the devil and deign, even if most unworthy, to communicate his divine magnanimity, so that, by virtue of it, we may be given to speak and hear things concerning the praise and glory of the Almighty and the grace and consolation of each one of the listeners.

At first it was said:  The Holy Spirit adorned the heavens.  The Holy Spirit, sovereign artisan as he wanted to enclose in the apostles, his heavens, as in sacred vessels, the name of Christ, delicious as manna from heaven and fragrant as the divine aroma. I adorn them first, on the day of Pentecost with the beauty of forms shaded with celestial splendours. Such is the gift communicated to the Church, and the Church, our mother, remembers it today more solemnly on this solemnity than on other solemnities, when she celebrates it when she says: The spirit of the Lord adorned the heavens  . words that truly describe, and not without order, the grace of the day from three points of view. Considering it in effect, in relation to the effective principle (here the Holy Spirit is named as the cause of all this solemnity), naming him personally; in relation to the receptive subject (Here the apostles are designated as the recipients of the gifts) and in relation to the intermediary act of exorcism (The miracles that were performed through the apostles after the tongues of fire rested on them) . And this is how what was said above fits very well in this order: first,  the Spirit of the Lord; second  The heavens  that, as we said, speaks of the apostles and third; Ornó, that is, adornment. And, truly, excellent and singular were the gifts and virtues with which the apostles were adorned.

Regarding the first point, you should know that the Holy Spirit has three properties within itself, according to which it is the principle and cause of many other gifts, which contribute radically and essentially to the grace of this day. He indeed has infallible truth, communicable charity, and insurmountable power. In this way, being the highest truth, it is the source of the splendor of the believing intelligence when speaking of man, for being the highest charity, since benevolent love proceeds from Him (as it is said in the apostles' creed. I believe in the Holy Spirit that proceeds from  the Father and of the Son...), and benefactor; and, finally, because it is the highest power, it is the source from which comes the manly and constant vigor by virtue of which the will is strengthened. And that in order to be saved these three requirements are necessary in man, whatever his condition, his sex, his age, is something that cannot be denied. The reason is because every adult, if he is to be found in a state of salvation, must believe in what is proposed to him in the Holy Scriptures and this is an act of intelligence, benevolent and beneficent charity, which is an act of the will. and persevering constancy in hope. And these three gifts by which man is similar to the Trinitarian persons, flowed from her, as a most secret source, and were communicated today as the first fruits to the apostles.

Thus, the Holy Spirit, because it is INFALLIBLE TRUTH, produces clear knowledge in our understanding, removing the darkness of ignorance. Where it is said in Saint John:  When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will teach you all the truth c, 16. And this he did by descending, according to the promise of Christ, on the apostles, illuminating them in an excellent and perfect way that raised them, as possible, to know and speculate with a limpid gaze the mystery of divinity. Well, what? Wasn't the apostles' knowledge profound on the day of Pentecost, launched to preach with diaphanous words that Christ is the Son of God and that He rose from the dead, an argument that, under the guise of obscure words, words and enigmas, was predicted? by the prophets? Tell me, then, please, who was the one who taught them to speak of such arcane things with such simplicity and evidence? Perhaps the trade they had as fishermen? The flesh or the blood? No, by the way. Let us conclude, then, that we must give unquestionable assent, not to old wives' tales,

For the Holy Spirit is a doctor and a doctor so versed and verified by ancient experience in all kinds of knowledge, that his doctrine is inaccessible to the condition and to irreducible revulsion at the tight logical moment of reproof, since the Holy Spirit cannot deceive nor can he deceive.

As for the second, which is the highest Charity, works in the affective, call it the will of man, in opposition to malicious envy, with wide and benevolent benevolence, whereby it is said in the letter to the Romans: Because  love of God has been poured out on us by virtue of the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us c. 5.  And the charity of God is poured out in our hearts when, being born from the heart not superficially, but deeply and medullarily, it expands the affection and moves all the forces of the soul to the delight of all the elect, ¡Oh how long and wide of spread throughout the world the charity of the apostles, who in favor of all the elect wished to give their lives, ¡giving themselves up to death! But because by excess of wickedness charity has grown cold in many (¿If in the times of Saint Buenaventura we are told this, how much more so in current times where charity is conspicuous by its absence? Now Masonic and criminal philanthropy supplants it).

As for the third, the Holy Spirit with his insurmountable power in contrast to the morbid impotence, gave invigorating capacity and consistency to all tests, in other words, he gave them sufficient intrepidity and courage, according to what is said in the Acts of the Apostles:  You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit, as if I were saying strength, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he sent the apostles to fight against the violence of tyrants and against the cunning of demons, wanted first to equip them with the gifts of the Holy Spirit with spiritual gifts or weapons and to strengthen them with the power of the Holy Spirit. On this Saint Gregory comments:  "The virtue of heaven was received by the Spirit, so that they would not presume to face the powers of this world without having been consolidated by the strength of the Holy Spirit"

SOURCE: SAN BUENAVENTURA