Dear Friends,

Pentecost was originally a Jewish celebration, a thanksgiving to God for the first fruits of a season’s crop. Christianity adopted the name to celebrate the great moment of the Holy Spirit’s coming upon the disciples because it occurred at the same time that Jewish festival was taking place in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1). Symbolically, the life-giving infusion of the Spirit into that timid group of disciples did indeed bring forth a new crop, a “first-fruit” of the resurrected Christ; we call it the Church. Jesus had promised a new presence, another Advocate, a Spirit of Truth who would “teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you”. And it happened. Strong winds, shaking walls, tongues of fire and the ability to speak foreign languages were all ancient signs (apocalyptic) of a divine manifestation and, in this case, a transformation of persons in the process. Nothing quite so dramatic happens in our time when the Holy Spirit infuses us at Baptism or in Confirmation – but sometimes it comes later. Do not discount the fire; it can simmer for a long time before it bursts into full flame.

I have seen many examples of people “on fire” with zeal and with passion for a cause. I suspect that you have too. I have seen many right here in our parish community. Sometimes the fire is intense; sometimes it simply burns as a steady flame. You can see it in RCIA candidates after their baptism, you can see it in committed marriages, you can see it in tireless caregivers of handicapped children or aging parents, you can see it in eager volunteers, you can see it in young people who come alive through a powerful retreat, you can see it in returning Catholics who have had a fresh awakening and have rediscovered home. I often hear people tell me that they feel an energy in the STM community that is different from their experience of church elsewhere. We should not under-appreciate the Spirit’s movement – in them or in us. Forgiveness is another undeniable gift of the Spirit and so in understanding. From the smallest gesture to the multi-level, multi-lingual efforts to dialogue and to communicate, the pulse of the Spirit is at work. Who of us can deny the changes we see in people who have faced down their demons or fought their way through a serious illness. Courage was the first gift to the Twelve – and it can still be for those who feel threatened or beaten down.

In the letter to the Galatians St. Paul writes that the fruits of the Holy Spirit are: peace, love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are the “first fruits” that the presence of the Spirit produces; they are the clear signs that the Spirit is at work. These are different than the seven “gifts” of the Holy Spirit; the fruits are what happens when the gifts take hold. Which of these do you recognize in your own life? Which do you crave? Which of these do you see in the community of STM? As we celebrate Christian Pentecost this year, let us reverence the fruits that the Spirit is generating among us – and let us open our hearths of our souls for the kindling of new fire.

Fr. Pat Render, csv