Feast of Pentecost
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Today we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, sometimes called the birthday of the Church. We commemorate the disciples’ reception of the Holy Spirit, the shedding of their fears and how they boldly went into the world to proclaim the Good News of Jesus.
Shortly after his election as Pope, Francis gave a homily based upon the reading we heard today from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1-11). In it, he reflected on three words that he believes are linked to the working of the Holy Spirit. The words are newness, harmony and mission. I will try to summarize his message.
Francis says that newness can make us uneasy because we feel more secure if we have everything under control, if we do the planning within our own comfort zones. He says this is also the case when it comes to God, that we follow and accept him only to a certain point. It’s hard to abandon ourselves to God with complete trust and allow the Holy Spirit to guide our every decision. Francis invites us to ask ourselves if we are open to what he calls “God’s surprises.” Do we have the courage to go out along the new paths that God’s newness sets before us? Have we lost the capacity for openness to what is new?
The Holy Spirit is the spirit of unity, leading everything back to harmony. When we try to close ourselves up in what makes us different from others, we bring about division. Francis calls us to ask if we are open to the harmony of the Holy Spirit, overcoming exclusivity in all its forms. Do I really trust the Holy Spirit to guide me, living in the Church and with the Church?
The Holy Spirit impels us to open the doors and bear witness to the Gospel, to communicate the joy of faith, the encounter with Christ.
The Holy Spirit is at the center of mission. So again, we ask: do we tend to stay closed in on ourselves or our group, or do we let the Holy Spirit open us to mission… to going out from what is familiar and into the unknown for the sake of spreading the message of Jesus?
Remember the Gifts of the Holy Spirit we received at Confirmation? Wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord? Sometimes I wonder if we forget that we have received these gifts for the building up of the Church. Archbishop Keleher, when speaking to our young people at their Confirmation, encourages them to pray for the gift they feel they need most at this particular time in their lives. I think that is good advice for all of us. And remember the Fruits of the Holy Spirit? “...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.” (Galatians 5:22-23). It is a good practice to step back occasionally and look at ourselves in light of these fruits to see how we are manifesting the presence of the Holy Spirit.
There have been discussions about whether we are to be about “maintenance” or “mission.” In other words, is the Holy Spirit calling us to maintain the status quo or reach out? Is it enough to say our prayers, keep the lights and air conditioning on so we can come to Mass and have our needs met and fulfill our obligation? Or do we as Catholics have the privileged responsibility to truly live out the teachings of Jesus, genuinely relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to provide the vision and the courage for us to do the will of God; to reach out in love to all of humanity- feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, being peacemakers…
It’s Tuesday morning as I type, and it looks as if this may be the week that Monsignor Jim returns to us. Hopefully all the bumps on his road to recovery are behind him! I pray that we will be the community enlivened by the Holy Spirit, rejoicing and united with him, as - together - we continue to build the Kingdom of God on earth!
“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!” 
