Pentecost Sunday
Do you have any holiday traditions? My family certainly does. Thinking back on growing up, I remember these general traditions and routines for each Christmas or Easter, even Halloween or the Fourth of July. And because of that, the years when something DIFFERENT happened stand out even more. Maybe it’s the same for you; the year the power went out on Christmas Eve. The year your whole family had a stomach bug and couldn’t go to your grandparents for Easter. The year it rained so hard on July 3rd, you watched fireworks from a mud puddle where a field once was.
The Apostles had a similar experience with Pentecost, or the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which we hear about this Sunday. But unlike the times when you had an unusual holiday followed by a normal one the next year, this experience would change the Apostles’ experience of Pentecost forever.
They are gathered together, then out of thin air, the house is filled with strong, gusty winds, and a single flame appears over each of their heads. They have been filled with the Spirit and are able to shout proclamations in languages previously foreign to them. What in the world is happening? They gather together in a crowd and wonder how this could be, as they are all native to other lands. Mystified, they attribute this to the mighty workings of the Lord.
The Apostles had received the gifts of the Spirit, and began to show the fruits of the Spirit in their lives; which we hear about in the various options for the Second Reading for Pentecost. Gifts like courage, that sent them out into the streets, even though they had previously been afraid. Fruits like faithfulness, as they stuck with their call and mission preaching the Gospel around the world, most of them even unto death.
We, through Baptism and Confirmation, receive the same Holy Spirit that the Apostles and disciples did at Pentecost. We may not be called to be martyred for our faith, but in many small ways the gifts and fruits of the Spirit can have an impact on our daily lives. Think of your closest family and friends. Your grandmother constantly baking may be a natural gift and talent she has, but perhaps the Holy Spirit has supercharged her desire for that, and your family experiences the spiritual fruits of generosity and charity, which bring your family closer together and helps them experience the love of God. Maybe you thought of your brother’s strength and unwavering belief in the Lord’s goodness that gives him a joy even in tough times, and that’s an inspiration to you and your own faith. Perhaps you have a friend with great dedication to their physical fitness, barely breaking their routine, and you notice that natural self-control and discipline they have, carrying over into their spiritual life, where the Holy Spirit helps them stay consistent with prayer. All of these are examples of living a Spirit-Filled life, and this Pentecost, we should pray that the Holy Spirit can help us do the same.
Jesus tells his disciples in the Gospel of John, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit.” Whether you are taken up in an indoor windstorm and blessed by this gift of new languages or given a bit of extra patience with someone frustrating in your life, the Spirit is with you and in you. Lean on Christ, ask the Spirit to fill your heart, and pray for guidance to love like the Father.
