To My Boys: September 2, 2020
Good morning!
Today we celebrate the mass of the Holy Spirit. It is always the first school-wide mass of the academic year. Traditionally, in Catholic schools and universities, this first mass celebrates the third person of the most holy Trinity because of the continuous power of the Spirit’s presence in our lives and the life of the Church. All you have to do is dip into your bible and read the many passages where Jesus refers to the Spirit as coming into the world to do all sorts of amazing things. It was the Holy Spirit that descended on Mary in the little town of Nazareth and by whose power she conceived our Savior and Lord (Luke 1:35). It was the Holy Spirit that descended on Jesus when he was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist and revealed to the world that Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22, John 1:32). And It was the Holy Spirit that descended upon the Blessed Mother and the Apostles in the upper room where they were hiding after the ascension of Jesus (Acts 2:4). Just remember, it was this powerful Holy Spirit of God that gave the courage to go out into the world and preach the gospel.
As you can see, it seems that the Holy Spirit does a lot of descending. He comes down from heaven and infuses the world with His presence, sanctifying all of creation and, especially, filling the hearts of men with courage, knowledge, and wisdom. This is why it is so appropriate to offer the mass of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the new academic year. We ask for the same action to occur. We ask the Spirit to descend on our faculty, staff, administration, and students to infuse us with the courage to do what needs to be done, the knowledge to study and learn, and the wisdom to live our lives humbly and in the presence of the Lord. Like Mary, we want the power of the Holy Spirit to conceive in each one of us the presence of Jesus. Like Jesus himself, we want the Holy Spirit to remind us that we too are sons of God. Like the Apostles, we want the Holy Spirit to give us the courage to go out into our world and preach the gospel.
This is no small task. There are many of us who make up the Belen Jesuit community and we are asking this for every single one of us. This year, the Holy Spirit will have the added task of making this happen virtually. No problem there. Fortunately for us, God is not bound by space or time or distance. The only thing He can’t do is enter hearts that are closed off to Him. The awesomeness of God is that for as much as He wants to, He would never force Himself on anyone at any time. So, I encourage you today to open your hearts to the wonderful, powerful Spirit of God. Allow the descent to happen right into your hearts. Be conscious and aware, invite Him in, let Him take over. I assure you the experience of the Spirit is like no other and it is that experience that makes us Wolverines.
Auspice Maria
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.