Today’s video session, Spirituality: Piety Come Alive, delves into possibly the most denigrated (yes, denigrated!) gift of the Holy Spirit.

http://youtu.be/B8QEAlu3ufE

Too often we share Fr. Freeh’s childhood impression of piety, and our impulse is to reject the constricting notion of fitting into the “pious mold” of a plaster saint.

We forget–or never really understood–that Piety is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And whatever else the Holy Spirit is, “constricting” He’s not.

Here’s a quote to ponder:

…Everyone who has joined the ranks of Christ must be a glowing point of light in the world, a nucleus of love, a leaven of the whole mass. He will be so in proportion to his degree of spiritual union with God…

– Blessed Pope John XXIII, Pacem in Terris (1963)

As Fr. Freeh points out, Piety is the nucleus of holiness, our “spiritual union with God.” Through the gift of Piety, the Holy Spirit invites us to become the vibrant individuals God the Father created us to be.  How do we know this? Take a hard look at the calendar of saints of the Catholic Church, and you’ll see no two are alike. Our age touts “diversity” as the foremost virtue. The Catholic Church is way out in front–2000 years out in front–with the largest collection of the most varied, dynamic, and downright colorful individuals ever celebrated.

Clearly, Piety leads us away from imitating plaster saints. It even leads us away from being pale imitations of ourselves. Through Piety, we become our best selves.

There’s something radical about this. There’s a reason Thoreau said “Most men live lives of quiet desperation.” In every daily decision, we choose our lives, and often our choices make us smaller than we should be. We do the least we can to get by; we pursue our own narrow self-interest. We hug the shore, and don’t cast out into deep water. As deeply as we might regret where our choices have led us…our fear still keeps us from choosing differently. With the gift of Piety, God challenges us to collaborate with Him, to surrender our will to Him and trust the destiny He has in mind for us, to live with confidence in His promise,

“I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Yeah, I know. Surrender. Trust. Confidence. Easier to write or read about than do.

But here’s another thing to think about. What would you do…what would your life look like…how would the world be different…if you knew you could be your best self?

The Easter season leads to Pentecost, the feast when the Holy Spirit comes to give us gifts. This year, I’ll be praying hard for the gift of Piety.