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The Easter Cycle
Wednesday within the Octave
The Lord has ascended into heaven. The apostles return from Mount Olivet into the city of
Jerusalem. In the upper room, the room of the Last Supper, we find “all these were persevering
with one mind in prayer with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14). Thus
the Lord “commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for
the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). During these days the Church also, with Mary and the
apostles and the holy women, awaits the promise of the Father, the coming of the Holy Ghost.
But an unholy spirit of the world lives and works in us, in spite of the religious exercises which
we undertake, in spite of the prayers we say, and in spite of our confessions and our daily Holy
Communion. A more dangerous enemy than the world, the flesh, or the devil is the so-called
human spirit, our own spirit. This spirit is the enemy of all those who try seriously to practice
piety or make progress in the spiritual life. It is full of treason and treachery and falsehood. It is
unstable, curious, restless, and destroys all repose and tranquility. Sometimes our spirit appears
to be completely subdued and subjected to God, but it is merely masquerading under the guise
of righteousness and a pretended zeal, and is really directed by a satanic spirit. Pretending to
promote the honor of God and to strive after perfection, it is really just hiding its own selfishness
and narrowness. It inspires us to act out of purely human and natural motives, to act apart from
the movements of grace and independently of the will and intentions of God. It cries out for
peace, that is, for ease and untrammeled freedom, and unceasingly strives for bodily comfort. It
seeks itself even in religious matters, although often under the pretense of searching for perfection.
When it strives against evil, or when it serves God or attempts to save souls, it is really only
seeking itself. This natural, human spirit still lives and works all too powerfully in us. Even after
the coming of the Holy Spirit we may with good reason cry out, “Come, Holy Spirit.” “Create a
clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within my bowels” (Ps 50:12).
The Holy Spirit is the spirit of true life. He gives light and faith; He inspires noble ambitions
and undying hope. The fire of the Holy Spirit warms the soul and creates enthusiasm.
It consumes all that is ignoble and evil, and suppresses the spirit of selfishness and worldliness.
It directs all our actions to God and passes a condemnatory sentence on everything in us
that is common or ordinary. It sharpens our ability to detect evil in ourselves, and removes all
drowsiness from our members and from our soul. It gives us freedom of spirit that detaches
us from all that is transitory, and binds our hearts firmly to God. It helps us to face life with a
holy indifference and a noble simplicity, and gives us a freedom that is satisfied with the bare
necessities of life. It uses the goods of the earth and of the world, even the advantages of culture,
only to bring the life of the soul to maturity. We stand very much in need of such a spirit.
During these days, in company with Mary and the apostles, we beg that we may receive this
spirit. Veni, Sancte Spiritus: “Come, Holy Spirit; fill the hearts of Thy faithful and inspire them
with the fire of Thy divine love.”
“Come, Holy Ghost.” He will come to us in the measure in which we desire Him and long for
Him. Our desire and our longing for Him will increase as we become conscious of the degree
to which we are slaves to the spirit of worldliness. How little true spiritual freedom we possess!
How small our degree of living faith! How purely natural our manner of thinking, of judging, of
deciding our problems. How little insight we possess in spiritual matters! How can we be lifted
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