May 10, 2026

Dear Parishioners,

I mentioned in a recent homily that my favorite prayer over the last few years has become the simple, short prayer: “Come, Holy Spirit.” That’s it. Just those three words. Yes, that counts as a prayer. I have a lot of favorite prayers–the Memorare, the Suscipe, the Anima Christi, to name a few–but "Come, Holy Spirit" cuts the deepest to my heart. Let me explain.

First, I like its brevity. I think you know that about me by now. I’m pretty economical. There’s something about a short prayer or a short homily that narrows one’s focus. The words and message pack a punch. The shortness of the experience also grounds one in the present moment. We don’t have time to wonder where the prayer or the homily is going when it is short. We don’t have time to reflect on something else that was said. We have to be attentive and receive what is being offered. Come, Holy Spirit. That’s it. You can easily take those three words, all of which are profound, and be present with them. Any prayer that allows me to be in my body and mind in the moment is a good prayer. Sometimes long prayers, like the rosary (which I also love), can lead to my mind wandering.

“Come, Holy Spirit” is also a very affective prayer. It stirs my affect, my senses. That’s because it’s an invitation. We’re saying “Come.” That means something. We’re not just praising God or acknowledging something. We’re really inviting someone in, like opening the front door to someone.

The Our Father has several invocations–hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, give us our daily bread, etc. But, again, perhaps because we are so used to that prayer and because of its length, those invocations don’t move my spirit the way “Come, Holy Spirit” does. When I say “Come, Holy Spirit” I feel it in my body. I feel myself grounded in the moment. I can feel the Spirit descend upon me, like a warm shower from above. I can feel a deep peace enter into my soul. I can feel hope and comfort about whatever lies ahead.

On that last point–receiving comfort about what lies ahead–I find myself praying “Come, Holy Spirit” just about before everything I do. I said it before sitting down to write this bulletin article. I’ll say it before I celebrate Mass. I’ll say it before I start my homily after I kiss the Gospel. I’ll say it before a meeting or before I give spiritual direction or before I give a talk. I might seem confident when I’m preaching or running the parish or meeting with you, but–I’ll give you a little secret–I’m really not. I honestly don’t know what I’m doing. But I’ve got to do it (whatever ‘it’ is), and the Holy Spirit helps me do it. The Holy Spirit shows me the way and leads the effort to its proper conclusion.

Saying “Come, Holy Spirit” consecrates the effort. It’s no longer me doing this thing, but God. The bulletin letter, the homily, the meeting, etc. are all in God’s hands. If it fails, well, then, I can be detached. God will do something good with the effort, even if I can’t see what exactly that is. If the effort goes well, then, again, it’s all for God’s glory. I can also be detached from it. It wasn’t me and it wasn’t for me or about me.

I know this can seem contradictory–I’m saying it’s not about me while talking entirely about me. My point is more to reflect on the Holy Spirit. I could speak theoretically about the Holy Spirit, but perhaps a personal example and witness can make the Holy Spirit more concrete.

I like in our first reading how we hear that Peter and John “went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:15). The apostles truly wanted the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit. The apostles could have prayed for anything else: an end to illnesses, an end to hunger, an end to injustice. The apostles understood that the gift of the Holy Spirit would give the people something more important, more substantial, more life-giving than any of those other things.

It is my prayer that you too might receive the Holy Spirit. “Come, Holy Spirit” doesn’t have to be your favorite prayer, like it is mine. You don’t have to say it as frequently as I do. But you might examine your other prayers and see if they give you the mindfulness, the comfort, the hope and peace that this prayer does for me. You might ask the Holy Spirit to sanctify your other prayers.

The Holy Spirit is real and is alive. He wants to come to you and make your life better. May we open our souls to him. May the Holy Spirit take us peacefully through this life and sweep us one day up to the Trinity in heaven.

+

Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you to all of the women in our parish for their wonderful example of holiness and for their love. We need you and appreciate you. May you continue to model the Blessed Mother. As we’ve done the last several years, we will have a reflection after communion at all the Masses this weekend from a mother. A special thank you to Julie G. (4:30pm), Pam P. (7:30am), Virginia E. (9am), Karen M. (10:30am HFC), Paula V. (10:30am UC), and Kim K. (12pm) for their witness.

This weekend is the annual Mother’s Day Collection for Catholic Charities. Envelopes can be found at the entrances of the Church. This is from our Archbishop: “Your generosity to the Mother’s Day Collection for Catholic Charities sustains this essential mission. For more than a century, Catholic Charities has served as the Archdiocese’s hands and feet in caring for our neighbors throughout Cook and Lake counties, responding to the hardships faced by nearly 300,000 people each year. This extraordinary reach is possible only because of the faithful support you so consistently provide.”

On Wednesday, May 13th, our school will have a May Crowning. Congratulations to the 8th graders and the Court of Honor. That same night at 7:30pm will also be a Candlelight Rosary.

We will have the second of our First Communion services this Saturday, May 9th at 10am and 1pm. We have over 200 First Communicants. Congratulations to all of our children and their families, and thank you to Anna Mae Parkhill and all the catechists and teachers for preparing our students.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Wallace