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| St. Peter's Basilica Holy Spirit Window |
There's not much to see visually on Pentecost Sunday. But the description I like best is “breath of God” or “gush of wind.” Not destructive like a hurricane, but life-giving. It's “catching” the Spirit of God. It's feeling the Spirit moving wherever it wants to recreate whatever it touches.
The vitality of the Spirit is within us. It inspires us, moves us, so that we can be a channel of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-discipline.
Pentecost concludes the Easter season and begins the mission of the Church, the people of God, you and me, to continue the saving work of Jesus Christ until he comes again. We can continue that work by embodying the gifts of the Spirit: wisdom (to recognize what truly matters in life), intelligence (to discern what's true), courage (to stand up for what's right), compassion (for the needy), good judgment (to do right), and wonder and awe (to worship the great God of this universe).
“Pentecost” is a Greek word meaning “fiftieth” – the fiftieth day after Passover. The Hebrews initially celebrated after harvesting the spring wheat. Later they associated the festival with the covenant God made with their forebears on Mt. Sinai. Pentecost gradually celebrated one aspect of the entire paschal mystery.
The Book of Acts describes how the Jews had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival. Suddenly the Spirit -- described in images of wind and fire (symbolizing power and energy and vitality) -- was poured out and emboldened the disciples to preach the Gospel fearlessly in Jerusalem and throughout the known world.
The letter of Paul to the Christian community at Corinth in Greece speaks about the gifts the Spirit bestows upon us: all for the common good.
The Gospel according to John describes a post resurrection appearance of Jesus where he breathes upon the disciples (as God breathed life into us in the Book of Genesis) and in that gesture bestows the Spirit.
It’s an awesome truth of our faith: the God of the universe, the triune God, lives within us. So we are new creatures, with a destiny beyond this earthly life: eternal life with God. That life has already begun. And to see what the Spirit can do, look at the early disciples: transformed from cowards locked in an upper room into heroes proclaiming from the rooftops that Jesus Christ is gloriously alive.
Let us pray that the Spirit will empower us to live the results of the Spirit’s presence. The same Spirit of God who spoke through the prophets, overshadowed the Virgin Mary, enlivened the disciples, and lives within the Church community and guides human history toward its ultimate fulfillment—a new heaven and a new earth—that same Spirit lives and breathes within us and can transform us ever more fully into "living temples of God."
So we pray today,
“Come, Holy Spirit anew into our lives,
and re-energize us so that we can see God more clearly, love God more dearly and follow God more nearly. Amen.”
