Homily for Pentecost May 23, 2021

 Readings for today can be found here.

I have a spiritual director that’s fond of asking, “how are you and Jesus doing?”  That’s a good question to get you thinking about your relationship with Jesus at that moment.  At the Feast of Pentecost, we focus our readings on the Holy Spirit.  So, that begs the question, how are you and the Holy Spirit doing?  Seems like an odd question, doesn’t it?  After all, how many of us think about our relationship with the Spirit?  As a member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is God, in the same way that Jesus is God.  However, I believe many of us tend to focus on either God the Father or Jesus.

But who is the Holy Spirit?  We know that the Holy Spirit is one of the persons of the Trinity.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church says the word we use for Spirit is translated from the Hebrew word ruah, which means breath.  The Holy Spirit has also been described as the mutual love between the Father and the Son. Scripture describes the Holy Spirit in many different ways.  In today’s readings, the Spirit is portrayed as tongues of fire that rested on each of the Apostles.  Paul describes the Holy Spirit as manifesting itself in each of us through the spiritual gifts we’ve received.  In our Gospel, Jesus breaths the Spirit upon the disciples.  In other parts of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit is portrayed as a dove, or as the personification of wisdom.

            How do we see the Spirit?  Paul refers to the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit.  These are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.  Do we ask the Holy Spirit to bless us with any of these gifts?  I’m sure there are times in our lives we may need one of them.  I certainly pray for wisdom when preparing a homily!  Jesus and the disciples relied on the Spirit to guide them in their ministry.  In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is led into the desert by the Spirit after being baptized in the Jordan.  The Acts of the Apostles have many examples of the disciples either being led to a certain place or praying to the Spirit for guidance.  Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked to heaven and saw a vision of Jesus seated at the right hand of God.  Peter also had visions provided by the Spirit.

            We can view the Spirit as a giver of gifts, or a guide for our lives, or as a giver of insight into the mind of God.  Who is the Holy Spirit to each of us and what does that mean for us?  Personally, the Holy Spirit has been my guide through life, both in my spiritual and personal journey.  The Spirit has guided me in my career choices and in my discernment in ministry.  I firmly believe it was only through the insight provided by the Spirit that I went down the path to ordination as a deacon.  I often pray to the Spirit to help to know God’s will for me.  Then I listen carefully and pay attention to the little things going on in my life to understand where the Spirit is leading me.  But more than that, I see the Spirit as my protector.  It’s difficult to express but it’s as if the Spirit surrounds and embraces me, protecting me from harm.

            There are many ways in which the Spirit interacts with us and works through us.  How is the Spirit revealing itself to you in your life?  Perhaps you’ve had a big “aha” moment like the disciples did in the upper room.  You may think you haven’t had an experience of the Spirit at all.  But I would venture to say that if we look carefully enough, we’ll see those times the Spirit was there for us, to give us comfort, to counsel us, to give us strength, to protect us.  This week, take some time to reflect on those experiences.  Ask the Holy Spirit to draw near to you.  Pray on how you and the Spirit are doing.  I think you’ll be surprised by the answer.