27th Week in Ordinary Time

If you . . . know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

Think back to a birthday or Christmas gift that surprised and delighted you as a child. Maybe it was a brand-new bicycle or a building set or dollhouse. Whoever had given you that gift—whether a parent or a close friend or relative—was probably just as delighted by your joyful reaction. As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, we know how to give good gifts to our children (Luke 11:13)!

Yet our gifts to one another, no matter how valuable or cherished, will never compare to the gifts we receive from our heavenly Father. He is the greatest gift-giver of all. When we are lost, for example, God doesn’t just give us a map and hope that we can find our way out of the difficult situation. He comes to us personally and leads us to safety. When we are imprisoned by sin, he doesn’t just pay our bail and send us on our way. He offers to forgive us and wipe our slate clean. Then he goes a step further, pouring out his grace so that we don’t have to be held captive to sin any longer.

All of that would have been enough for us—but it wasn’t enough for God! He also gave us the most amazing gift we could ever imagine: the Holy Spirit. Through the power of the Spirit, God is now present to us in a new way. He is our advocate as we work through our struggles, our guide to knowing the truth, and our comforter in the face of distress. He is present in the sacraments and his word. And he is present in each one of us.

Jesus promised that his Father in heaven would give the Spirit to anyone who asks him (Luke 11:13). You have already received the Holy Spirit through Baptism and Confirmation. Praise God! But this is a gift that keeps on giving. The Lord always has more of his Spirit available to you. He wants to refresh you, renew you, and enliven you so that you can love him and follow him more closely. So “ask and you will receive” (Luke 11:9).

“Lord God, fill me with your Spirit today!”

Galatians 3:1-5
(Psalm) Luke 1:69-75
Luke 11:5-13