Pentecost Sunday C

Image: "Tongues as of Fire," 
©Jan Richardson.

May 15, 2016

Scripture readings

I was once accosted by a fundamentalist Christian in the street.

He asked me whether I had given my life to Jesus Christ.

I have.

He asked me if I spoke in tongues.

I can, but don't.

He asked me if I had made the necessary sacrifices for the Holy Spirit to come into my life.

At this point I said that as a priest I was doing okay, but definitely not rich,

I was chaste and obedient for Christ, which I think is a decent effort in that direction.

Mind you, in saying I take the vow of poverty I always think of cousin who is not Catholic, who, on seeing Jesuit rectory one time said,

"If this is poverty, I'd like to see how you guys live chastity—it all seems pretty loose and fast to me."  

The problem with our evangelical brothers and sisters is that they often think the Holy Spirit can be reduced to external signs.

We know, however, from the first Pentecost and from our own experience that the Spirit works in unpredictable AND ordinary ways.

From the Acts of the Apostles we learn that where the Spirit of God is active all sorts of gifts are present:

            boldness to stand up for what we believe;

            the ability to hear and listen;

            an end to fear that locks us in on ourselves;

            confidence in the salvation won for us in Christ;

            fidelity to Jesus' commandment to love;

            clarity about what's true; and

an “at home-ness” with God.

The problem for many of us is working out where the Holy Spirit is leading us.

This requires the gift of the discernment of spirits.   

St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, left the church a guide for working out how we can tell if and where the Holy Spirit is leading us.

One summary of them goes like this:

1.  Don't make a decision when you're down. Let the crisis pass and take time to weigh all the options.

2.  The Holy Spirit enables us to let go of our unhealed past and not live in the unknown future. The Holy Spirit draws us to deal with the here and now, as it is, not as we may like it to be or think it should be.

3.  The Holy Spirit frees us up to bring out into the open anything we keep buried in the dark. There is nothing that has ever happened to us that is beyond the Spirit's healing.

4.  The Holy Spirit breaks down isolation and draws us into community with other people.

5.  Be careful of things that appear too perfect, they sometimes have a sting in the tail and can be destructive.

6.  Be guarded about all things that are urgent. The Holy Spirit brings a sense of perspective to problems.

7.  The Holy Spirit is always present where compassion and forgiveness are demonstrated.

Not bad for a guy who died in 1556.

So Pentecost is not the charismatic movement's birthday.

It is God's promise to abide with us come what may.

And living in the power and love of the Spirit and claiming her direction is an intensely practical affair.

It is with this type of confidence that can sing the ancient chant,

"Come O Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and we will be recreated and you will renew the face of the earth."

On this Feast of Pentecost, may our hearts be open to the Spirit’s fire so that we may live our baptismal promises by doing our part to renew the face of our earth.