The Spirit Falls

For John, BLUF:  The Holy Spirit falls far and wide.  As Christians we should be open to what the Spirit wishes to empower us for.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading (Numbers 11:25-29):

The LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses.
Taking some of the spirit that was on Moses,
the LORD bestowed it on the seventy elders;
and as the spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied.

Now two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad,
were not in the gathering but had been left in the camp.
They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tent;
yet the spirit came to rest on them also,
and they prophesied in the camp.
So, when a young man quickly told Moses,
"Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp, "
Joshua, son of Nun, who from his youth had been Moses' aide, said,
"Moses, my lord, stop them."
But Moses answered him,
"Are you jealous for my sake?
Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets!
Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!"

I think this is an importnt passage from the Old Testament, about the new Christian church.  Saint Paul lists the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as (1 Corinthins 12, Douay-Rheims):

8 To one indeed, by the Spirit, is given the word of wisdom: and to another, the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;
9 To another, faith in the same spirit; to another, the grace of healing in one Spirit;
10 To another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the discerning of spirits; to another, diverse kinds of tongues; to another, interpretation of speeches.
11 But all these things one and the same Spirit worketh, dividing to every one according as he will.

So the 72, including Eldad and Medad, received, from the Spirit, the gift of prophecy, just as Saint Paul tells us, Christians who received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit may receive, amongat several gifts, the gift of prophecy.  Thus, as one should expect, there is continuity between the Old and New Testament.

And the infilling of the Holy Spirit is something each Christian should strive for.  And they shoould be open to exercising the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Regards  —  Cliff