Receiving from God . . . And Giving It Away

Word Among Us, Jan 2006

What Is the Message of The Word Among Us?

St. Luke tells us that when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles at Pentecost, a rushing wind from heaven filled the whole house where they were staying (Acts 2:2). In the midst of all the excitement, Peter addressed the crowd that had gathered outside in what was the public preaching of Christ. Peter explained to the people what was happening, but he also invited them to receive the Holy Spirit as well. It's as if Peter knew instinctively that this gift of God was meant for everyone, and he was more than happy to "give it away."

This rhythm of receiving from God and then giving it away runs throughout the New Testament and has been a hallmark of the church ever since. We see it in the lives of the saints, in the teachings of the church on evangelization, and in die witness of millions of everyday believers who are willing to step out of their comfort zones to share the love of Christ with those around diem. In fact, it was out of the same desire to give away what God has given us that we began The Word Among Us twentyfive years ago. So what is it that we first received and are now trying to "give away"? It's really quite simple.

As our publisher, Joe Difato, explained in the previous article, it was through the outpouring of grace in the Charismatic Renewal that the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us in a new and penetrating way. And this revelation changed our lives. We all felt as if God had awakened us to the possibility of an intimate, personal relationship with Christ-something many of us had originally thought was reserved only for the great saints. Then, as our relationship with Jesus blossomed, we began to learn what it meant to "live in the Spirit" so that our initial experience of Jesus could grow and deepen (Romans 8:5).

These two dimensions-growing closer to Jesus and living in the Spirit-became the central message of The Word Among Us. To this day, our goal is still to help all our readers establish a personal relationship with Jesus themselves and to help them be open to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Let's take a closer look at both of these themes.

A Personal Relationship. Probably the first question we should ask is how can we even know that God wants his people to have a personal relationship with him? The best way to answer both of these questions is to look at the Scriptures.

In its very first chapters, the Bible portrays us humans as having been created with a unique capacity for God. Above all the other creatures on earth, only men and women are made in God's image and likeness. And the man, Adam, is described as a "living being" only after God himself breathes life into him (Genesis 1:26; 2:7). These images of intimacy and Godlikeness tell us that God had something special marked out for his people.

Later, especially through the prophets, God made it clear that he wanted more for us than sacrifice and obedience: He wanted a relationship. Through Jeremiah, he promised a new covenant in which he would write his law on our hearts, and in which every one of us can know him, "from the least to the greatest" (Jererm'ah 31:3334). Through Ezekiel, he promised not just to give us a new spirit but to fill us with nothing less than his own Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27). And finally, through his greatest prophet, John the Baptist, he promised that Jesus would baptize-fully immerse-us in this Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; John 1:33).

Then, at the Last Supper, Jesus went so far as to call us his "friends" and to tell us that we really could abide in his love in a deep and intimate way (John 15:4,7-9,10,15). All of these passages-and so many more-point to God's deepest desire to pour his life and his love upon us all.

Living Witnesses. Beyond the Scriptures, we felt the Spirit also led us to some of the greatest saints in the church. People likejohn of the Cross, Bernard of Clairvaux, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and Thomas Aquinas had a dramatic effect on our lives. Their life stories as well as their teachings resonated closely with our own experience and confirmed what we were learning over and over again.

We can see the theory in Scripture and the saints, but what does it mean for us, everyday men and women in the twenty-first century, to experience these promises ourselves? It means encountering Jesus in an intimate way and experiencing a taste of his love, joy, and mercy in our lives. It means a growing desire to hear him speak to us through Scripture. It means experiencing the Mass, Confession, and all the sacraments of the church coming to life for us and lifting us into the presence of God. In short, it means experiencing an exchange of love with the God who has loved us from before time began.

Spiritual Transformation. As wonderful as it is, developing a living relationship with Jesus is only one part of what we sensed the Spirit was showing us. Equally important-and equally promising-is his desire to transform us. In fact, we can't have one without the other. We need to be in touch with Jesus if we want to be transformed. And, likewise, any transformation from God means primarily growing closer to Jesus and becoming more like him.