Holy Zeal

Last updated on: December 26, 2014 at 8:03 am by Fr. Dwight Longenecker

Holy Zeal 2014-12-26T08:03:45-05:00 Fr. Dwight Longenecker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Yesterday was the feast of Pentecost and I didn’t have the chance to post because I’m still running around doing the house husband thing and cooking and cleaning and getting the fantastic four to clean the house so that when Mrs Longenecker returns from the damp lands tomorrow she’ll think the whole place was spic n span the entire two weeks. Appearance is everything don’t you know?

Well, it occurred to me during Pentecost that one of the most wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit is a kind of energy that the saints exhibit. Have you ever noticed this? Consider St Maximillian Kolbe. The man lost a lung to tuberculosis when he was young, so he’s sort of firing on only four cylinders, yet he founds a new religious order, starts a newspapers that takes his country by storm, plan to start a radio and TV station–and this is in the 1930s, then scoots out to Japan to learn Japanese, endure unbelievable persecution and only returns to Poland under obedience for the sake of his health. They were living on turnip broth or something equally austere. Then he heads back and takes on the Nazis, ends up in Auschwitz and offers himself instead of another prisoner, and even then, lying naked in the starvation cell he ends up singing and encouraging other prisoners and they have to resort to an injection of carbolic acid to finish him off.

Its the same with all the saints. It’s like they are living on the fire of the Holy Spirit. Yikes! This is powerful stuff and its something I want. Who was the person who said, I don’t want to rust out I want to burn out? This is powerful stuff, and it only comes when a person is totally sold out to Our Lord and is not just filled with the Holy Spirit, but the fire of the Holy Spirit enters them. St Therese, that little fireball, said that it was like the cold, hard, black iron that the blacksmith puts into the forge. Eventually the fire enters the iron and it glows red hot. The fire has not just warmed it, but entered into it and made it something different. Most importantly, now the iron is malleable and able to be made into something useful.

So the other day I’m going along and I see one of these ads advising me to plan for my retirement. Forgive me if I criticize the American Dream, but how stupid is retirement? How many people have scrimped and saved and contributed to their company pension plan only to find that some crook has invested the lot in some shady deal and there’s nothing left? Then they have to end up at the age of seventy two working at Home Depot and sending their wife out to work at Burger King. Sad.

Retire? Not me. I want to keep going like those other old priests and keep on trucking to the end. Even if I’m drooling in a nursing home I want them to give me an altar, a stole, a chalice and paten, a sacramentary and some bread and wine. Retire? Fugeddaboudit.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

May 24, 2010

Old New Books

Next Post

May 24, 2010 Give Us This Day

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Anglican Matters Apologetics Architecture Blobble Study Book Reviews Brideshead Caitlin O'Rourke Catholic Art Catholic Culture Church Politics Chust for Nice Contemporary Culture Duane Mandible Ed Blanch Film Reviews Fr Harvey Nicolaitan Frank Viola Mantilla the Hon More Christianity Mrs Brady Catholic Old Lady Mystery of the Magi Norman Anderson Queen Hillary Saints and Supernatural Spirituality The Inklings The Vicar Theology Todd Unctuous Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz