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Student Reflection: All-School Mass
Dominican Preaching Team member Patrick Gilboy '25 provided the student reflection at Fenwick High School's first all-school Mass of the 2024-2025 school year.
Hello Friars, my name is Patrick Gilboy from the Class of 2025. Welcome to another year, or the first, in your high school journey. The start of any school year is anxiety-filled and expectation-induced. The same anxiety and expectations that we will be reminded of before every test or quiz, concert or game. Maybe even the feeling you felt last night trying to finish your summer reading. Regardless, everyone of us will experience a moment, or a couple moments, of feeling stressed or overwhelmed this year. These are the moments we wish we could have a sense of peace, clarity, or a "spirit of truth." These are the moments which the readings speak of today.
In today’s gospel, Jesus refers to The Advocate as the “Spirit of truth." He is talking about the ever mysterious Holy Spirit, the 3rd person of the Holy Trinity. The trinity is 3 persons in 1 God. The first of which is the Father; perhaps the man in the clouds that we so often think of Him. Secondly, the Son, the Word incarnate, Logos, Jesus Christ. Finally, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not some distant and mysterious figure that is incomprehensible. The Holy Spirit is love. It is the love that the Father and the Son share, in all of us. It is anything but distant. In the second reading, Paul writes: “To each individual; the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit." So we all see the way God works in our lives differently. The Holy Spirit is what makes our faith, ours. It is the most personal existence in each of our lives. It is the feeling of love toward our loved ones, the random intuition that leads to our spontaneous acts of kindness everyday. It’s the courage that we have to answer a question in class, or the need we feel to talk to God.
The Holy Spirit acts upon all of us individually, through the gifts that Saint Paul mentioned in the second reading. Those gifts are the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit that we received in Baptism and were sealed in Confirmation. They are Wisdom, Understanding, Council, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. They are our Faith, which we need to rely on in trial and tribulation. Faith will be necessary in high school, there are too many anxieties to get through it alone. Simply asking the Holy Spirit to guide you, and watching it work silently is often the best prayer.
The Holy Spirit will be your advocate in times of anxiety and adversity, I know it is for me. Some of the people that I have resented became my best friends by simply asking the Holy Spirit to open my heart. Countless times that I have gotten asked about my faith, and had words spill out of my mouth that defended it. Even asking for help to focus during Mass then hearing the Gospel convey the perfect message. We can count on the Holy Spirit to guide our lives in faith, our relationships, and even academically. The Holy Spirit will help you in your faith life by giving you the gifts to recognize God in everything. Whether that be praying before your games, your concerts, the first time you hang out with new people, your hardest class, or even on your summer reading quiz. Although perhaps recall the wise words of Father Matt, “Prayer will help for this exam, but studying will help a lot more." Thank you.
In today’s gospel, Jesus refers to The Advocate as the “Spirit of truth." He is talking about the ever mysterious Holy Spirit, the 3rd person of the Holy Trinity. The trinity is 3 persons in 1 God. The first of which is the Father; perhaps the man in the clouds that we so often think of Him. Secondly, the Son, the Word incarnate, Logos, Jesus Christ. Finally, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not some distant and mysterious figure that is incomprehensible. The Holy Spirit is love. It is the love that the Father and the Son share, in all of us. It is anything but distant. In the second reading, Paul writes: “To each individual; the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit." So we all see the way God works in our lives differently. The Holy Spirit is what makes our faith, ours. It is the most personal existence in each of our lives. It is the feeling of love toward our loved ones, the random intuition that leads to our spontaneous acts of kindness everyday. It’s the courage that we have to answer a question in class, or the need we feel to talk to God.
The Holy Spirit acts upon all of us individually, through the gifts that Saint Paul mentioned in the second reading. Those gifts are the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit that we received in Baptism and were sealed in Confirmation. They are Wisdom, Understanding, Council, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. They are our Faith, which we need to rely on in trial and tribulation. Faith will be necessary in high school, there are too many anxieties to get through it alone. Simply asking the Holy Spirit to guide you, and watching it work silently is often the best prayer.
The Holy Spirit will be your advocate in times of anxiety and adversity, I know it is for me. Some of the people that I have resented became my best friends by simply asking the Holy Spirit to open my heart. Countless times that I have gotten asked about my faith, and had words spill out of my mouth that defended it. Even asking for help to focus during Mass then hearing the Gospel convey the perfect message. We can count on the Holy Spirit to guide our lives in faith, our relationships, and even academically. The Holy Spirit will help you in your faith life by giving you the gifts to recognize God in everything. Whether that be praying before your games, your concerts, the first time you hang out with new people, your hardest class, or even on your summer reading quiz. Although perhaps recall the wise words of Father Matt, “Prayer will help for this exam, but studying will help a lot more." Thank you.
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