Focus on the Holy Spirit
From the Desk of Father David
Dear Friends in Christ,
Next weekend we celebrate the great Feast of Pentecost. This Feast not only celebrates the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles but also our receiving of the Holy Spirit at baptism and confirmation. Let us pray for each other especially for our parishioners who will be confirmed this Thursday.
In his book, Invitation To Acts: A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, Robert Karris describes the Pentecost experience as “Exploring this passage (Acts 2:1-13) is like viewing a brilliant sunset. Colors crowd in upon one another with such rapidity, leaping across the length of the spectrum, exploding, and dissipating, that it is difficult to secure a vantage point from which to appreciate the beauty of the sunset in its entirety.” I believe that this also describes every time we encounter the Holy Spirit. Just as it is so easy to miss the beauty of a sunrise or sunset, we can also miss the actions of the Holy Spirit. God’s actions are seldom big and flashy. God prefers simple and lasting effects. When you look at the Gospels, most of Jesus’ actions are simple. Look to the crucifixion, most people saw it as just another criminal dying. Yet that action saved a world and gave us eternal life.
As a way of preparing for next week’s celebration, I am asking you to focus on the Holy Spirit all week. Every day ask the Holy Spirit to show you his presence in your life, the lives of those you care about, and in the world. Also ask for the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, to take root in the core of your being. Write down any experiences you have of the Holy Spirit no matter how small it may seem. Sometimes the smallest things in life have the greatest effects.
Lord Jesus in Your tremendous love pour out your Spirit upon us and tune our ears to Your voice and enable us to see Your Spirit who keeps us connected to You.
In Easter peace,
Fr. David
