The Holy Spirit is the spirit of prophecy

December 24, 2006 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent

By Fr. Michael Stubbs

	Fr. Mike Stubbs

Every once in a while I will search without success for an idea to write on for this column. I will rack my brains, but not come up with anything. It's a classic case of writer's block.

And then, all of a sudden, an idea will pop into my head. It's pure, unexpected inspiration.

A d v e n t
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That's the image we see in Sunday's gospel reading, Luke 1:39-45. When Mary visits Elizabeth, Elizabeth experiences a moment of pure, sudden inspiration. "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice."

Under the Holy Spirit's inspiration, Elizabeth is able to know several items. She characterizes Mary as blessed among women. She discerns that Mary also is pregnant, although, at that point, Mary would not be showing her pregnancy. She predicts that Mary's child will be her Lord, when she says, "And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" And finally, Elizabeth interprets the movement of her unborn child within her as a joyful reaction to the presence of Mary's unborn child. Elizabeth says, "The infant in my womb leaped for joy."

These are all items that Elizabeth could not otherwise know, except through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In theology, this is sometimes referred to as "infused knowledge." It is as though the Holy Spirit poured these facts into her head. In this case, inspiration goes far beyond arriving at a deeper insight in life.

In speaking this way, Elizabeth is functioning as a prophet, that is to say, she is speaking on God's behalf. That is appropriate, since her son, John the Baptist, will also function as a prophet. In fact, throughout the gospel of Luke, prophets will figure prominently. Jesus himself will assume the role of prophet. That is also why the Holy Spirit plays such an important role in Luke's gospel. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of prophecy.

Like the prophets before him, Jesus recognizes that he and his message will be rejected. "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place." (Luke 4:24)

Furthermore, Jesus anticipates that this rejection will lead to his death. The prophet must die for the cause of truth. "Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem." (Luke 13:33)

At the same time, despite his rejection by the crowd, Jesus' disciples will acknowledge him as prophet and preserve his memory. "Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people." (Luke 24:19)

Both Jesus and John the Baptist will shine in Luke's gospel as prophets. It is appropriate that their mothers, Mary and Elizabeth, celebrate their future in this moment of prophetic zeal. As a prophet, John the Baptist will prepare the way of the Lord. But beforehand, his mother Elizabeth has prepared the way for him by herself prophesying.

(Fr. Stubbs, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, has a master's degree in theology from Harvard.)