Scripture Reflection, May 27: The Feast of Pentecost

Scripture Readings:
Acts of the Apostles 2: 1-11
Psalm 104
1 Corinthians 12: 3-7; 121-13
John 20: 19-23

Pentecost!! We hear about the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples of Jesus. The story is filled with memorable details: strong, driving winds that shake the house where the disciples are staying; tongues of fire that suddenly appear; the bold fearless preaching of disciples who had been locked away in fear; a famous sermon delivered by Peter; the conversion of 3000 people in a single day. The first Pentecost must have been quite an event!!

All of these powerful, almost spectacular, events and signs are recounted as part of that first Christian Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples, filling them with the presence of God and empowering them to give bold witness to the presence and power of the Risen Christ. It was a memorable and impressive beginning for the apostolic proclamation of the good news. For us today, though, I suspect that it is often more difficult to detect the presence of this Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God seems to move in quieter, more subtle and gentle ways in our lives. Sometimes the Holy Spirit seems so mysterious that it is a challenge for us to discern the Spirit’s presence and action.

You and I may listen to the Scripture readings for Pentecost and wonder what they mean to us today, in May of 2007. How do we discover the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in our lives? How do we get into touch with this Spirit of God given to us in Baptism and strengthened in Confirmation? These are questions that are very important to us at Catholics on Call, as we try to help young adults discern their vocation.

As I thought about these questions, I re-read a prayer that is traditionally part of the liturgy for this feast. It is the “Sequence” of the Mass for Pentecost. It was originally a hymn, and it is often sung or recited before the Gospel. In this prayer we ask that the gift of the Holy Spirit be renewed in our lives. It is a quite beautiful and compelling prayer:

How do you and I discover the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in our very ordinary, unspectacular lives? Perhaps this beautiful prayer offers us some hints. The Spirit of Jesus moves within us when we are weary with toil. It may just be that we are weary with the seemingly endless routine of work and other responsibilities that never let up. There is always more to be done. College students are often both going to school and working a demanding job. Young and middle-aged couples often manage households with both spouses working outside the home. Sometimes it is tempting just to “pack it all in.” Yet when we are given the strength to stay the course another day, another week, because we are trying to be faithful to our responsibilities, the Spirit of Jesus is at work in our lives. This is the Spirit who gives us energy and initiative that we do not have on our own.

In the heat of temptation, the grace of the Spirit cools our souls. Each of us at times is drawn toward actions that would mean being unfaithful to God and to others. We may be lured toward infidelity to those to whom we are most closely committed. In those moments, it is the help of the Holy Spirit that we need. When we are able to step back and realize what it is we are about to do, when we recognize the harm that we may cause if we act in a certain way and are empowered to make the right moral choice, there the Spirit of Jesus is at work in our lives.

The Pentecost Sequence tells us that when we are sorrowful, the words of the Holy Spirit bring us consolation. It may be sorrow over a disappointment at school or in a job. It may entail grief over a rift in an important relationship in our lives. It may be the distance we feel from a family member we are trying to love or the feelings of loss because of the death of a loved one. The words of the Holy Spirit may well be spoken to us through another person, who simply assures us of her understanding and her presence with us at that moment. The “words” of the Holy Spirit may not even be spoken words; they may be communicated simply through a loving embrace or a compassionate glance. But when this happens, when we are able to experience consolation even in the darkest times, we can be sure that the Holy Spirit is at work.

In this prayer, we ask the Holy Spirit to “soften the hard heart, cherish and warm the ice-cold heart.” Let’s face it – the experience of life has a way of hardening our hearts. It happens to all of us. We grow cold and hardened toward those who have hurt us, disappointed us, or whom we just cannot seem to understand. And it seems a lot easier just to stay that way. We protect ourselves by remaining cold and hardened inside. But sometimes we find ourselves able to pray for that person who has hurt us, to take a step closer to forgiving them. Sometimes we make the effort to try to understand that person who perplexes us, to keep the door of our hearts open even a little. When we do those things, it is the Holy Spirit who is present and at work in our lives.

We look for direction in our lives. We undertake the hard work of making decisions about a college major, a career path, a place to live, married life or single life. Our culture instructs us to make such decisions purely with our own advantage in mind – purely out of self-interest. But then we realize that we need to pray about these decisions, to seek not just our own interests but the will of God. We begin to think of our decision in terms of vocation – a call from the good God who has given us life. We realize that this is a call to serve and we begin to consider the pathways of service that are open to us. Even though God does not usually give us a “spiritual global positioning system” that tells us the precise route to take, when we sincerely listen for God’s call we can be sure that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives and that we will discover where we are meant to be.

We may not see tongues of fire or feel the building shake but the Holy Spirit is indeed present and active in our lives. We need only to be in touch with the presence of the Spirit. Let us listen for the Spirit today. And, as we celebrate Pentecost this Sunday, you and I are invited to pray that God rekindle the fire of the Spirit in our hearts. We need this Spirit because each one of us is so often weary with toil, gripped by sorrow, struggling with temptation, confronting our ice-cold hearts, searching for direction. It is the gift of the Spirit that makes us God’s daughters and sons, confident to call on God as Father, to ask for what we need. Most of all, the Holy Spirit dwelling within reminds us of the depths of God’s love for us, a love beyond any of our imaginings. “Come, Holy Spirit, and from heaven direct on us the rays of your light. Come, Father of the poor; come giver of God’s gifts; come, light of our hearts.”

Robin Ryan, CP