Dextrae Dei Digitus

FRIDAY OF THE TWENTY–SEVENTH WEEK OF THE YEAR II
Galatians 3:7–14
Psalm 110:1–2, 3–4, 5–6 (R. 5b)
Luke 11:15–26
The Finger of God
“If it is by the Finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” (Lk 11:20). Today, the only–begotten Son speaks to us of the Holy Spirit. The Finger of God is none other than the Holy Spirit. It is by the Finger of God, the Holy Spirit Who alone can touch the soul’s most intimate wounds, that the Son liberates from evil, restores to wholeness, and sanctifies.
Dextrae Dei Digitus
The Church, ever attentive to the words of the Word, calls the Holy Spirit by this very name, the Finger of God’s Right Hand, Dextrae Dei Digitus, in the Veni, Creator Spiritus, the solemn hymn by which she invokes the Holy Spirit.
Thou Who art seven–fold in Thy grace,
Finger of God’s Right Hand,
His Promise, teaching little ones
To speak and understand!

Divine Delicacy of Touch
Our Lord Jesus Christ accomplishes no work apart from the Holy Spirit. The action of the Holy Spirit is especially evident when a certain divine delicacy of touch is required. The Finger of God’s Right Hand can touch the most sensitive places in our lives without exacerbating the pain. The touch of the Finger of God brings healing.
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit
How does one discern the touch of the Finger of God? By looking for the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit. You remember them, I am sure, from the Catechism. If you see evidence of charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self–control, and chastity, know that the Finger of God is there.
Evidence of Beelzebul
How does one discern the interference of Beelzebul? By looking for the opposite of each of the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit. If you see evidence of hatefulness and spite, of sadness, agitation, impatience, meanness, aggressiveness, selfishness and stinginess, harshness, inconstancy, immodesty, lack of self–control, and impurity, know that Beelzebul is busy about leaving his mark there.
In Due Season
The fruits of the Holy Spirit appear first as fragile buds. The buds blossom into flowers. In due season, after the flowers come the fruits. Sometimes a long period of patience is needed before one begins to enjoy the fruits of the Holy Spirit. There are buds that perish before opening. And there are flowers that never give fruit.
The Fruits of the Rosary
Ceaseless invocation of the Holy Spirit obtains the sunshine, the gentle rain, and breezes indispensable to the development of the twelve fruits. So too does the ceaseless invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary because, where Mary is, there the Holy Spirit delights to dwell. Those who persevere in the humble prayer of the Rosary know from experience that the fruits of the Rosary are, in fact, the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Supplication
One who neglects the humble prayer of supplication to the Mother of God will find himself attacked by the minions of Beelzebul. They will interfere with the work of the Holy Spirit and try, by every means, to sabotage the soul’s cleansing, healing, and fruitfulness. God does not ask us to produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit by dint of will power and human effort. He asks us to ask them of Him. “Ask and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Lk 11:10).
Recourse to the Blessed Virgin
Anyone who has struggled against a particular sin to the point of exhaustion knows that, in the end, deliverance comes not from hand–to–hand combat with the sin itself, but from humble and persevering recourse to the Mother of God. The Finger of God, the Holy Spirit, touches every heart presented to Him by the Virgin Mary, His Most Pure Spouse.
The Triumph of Divine Mercy
One who perseveres in the humble prayer of supplication, especially in the prayer of the Rosary, will rejoice in the triumph of Divine Mercy over every obstacle. One who neglects prayer risks becoming like the man of today’s Gospel whose “last state was worse than the first” (Lk 11:26). Pray then, pray always, and wait for the unmistakable touch of the Finger of God.