Posted by WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Florencio Lagura SVD – New Jersey, USA
Solemnity of the Descent of the Holy Spirit – Pentecost Sunday / B
Early that morning the makeshift chapel of the Holy Spirit Novitiate reverberated with the full-throated voices of thirty or more brothers and clerical novices as these young men sang, “Veni, Creator Spiritus”(Come, Holy Spirit). Their spiritual leaders, Fr. Josef Bette, Fr. Jose Vicente Braganza and Fr. August Smarzly silently joined the song in which they prayed that the Holy Spirit fill their hearts, kindle in them the fire of love and renew the face of the earth.
In truth, renewal was sorely needed, for the place where the novitiate was built in the early ‘60s was notorious for violence. Powerful long firearms were reportedly the status symbol if not the means of survival then.
The novices’ prayer and faith got sorely shaken when one day a truck came inside the compound and the driver and his companions, without even saying “hello,” proceeded to pile into their truck still very good pieces of lumber from the construction site.
Fr. Bette, despite his frailty and age, mustered enough courage to confront the driver and voice his complaint. What ensued was a torrent of ghastly words of attack coming from the driver. Red-faced at the volley of foul language, Fr. Bette kept his peace.
That same day the good padre went to the office of a high ranking official to file his complaint. The official assured him saying, “Don’t worry, Father, I’ll take care of this matter.”
That he did, but to Fr. Bette’s rue and shock. Some days later news reached the novitiate that a body was found in a garbage dump. The bullet-riddled body turned out to be that of the driver’s.
The news greatly saddened the priest. Together with the novitiate community he prayed for the eternal repose of his former enemy while asking the Holy Spirit for the gift of peace.
Over the years the once lonely and dangerous place has become a booming center for many religious. Attracted to the quiet and the balmy weather several religious communities have set up their convents in this place. Among them are the Holy Spirit Sisters and the Pink Sister of Perpetual Adoration. These spiritual powerhouses pray without ceasing, “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, kindle in them the fire of divine love, and renew the face of the earth.”
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