Morning Message: June 1
On Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus received the power of the Spirit, which empowered them to go out and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? In our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
Think about this silently in your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you do something that feels hard or impossible to do.
The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity. God comes to meet us in differing ways: in the form of Jesus, whom the disciples could see and touch, share a meal with, listen to. But now God comes to them in another way – not limited by space and time, but present to everyone, everywhere, always! If Jesus is the visible form of God, the Holy Spirit is the opposite. The Spirit dwells within our hearts, and operates from deep within us. So although we never see the Spirit, we do experience movements of the heart that draw us toward God. That’s enough to assure us that we possess the Spirit, or even better, that the Spirit possesses us.
When you feel an inner urge to be kind, constructive, forgiving or compassionate, that’s the Spirit at work in your heart.
When you settle down to pray, that’s the Spirit bringing you into the world of God.
When you take up a demanding task because you feel it is the right thing for you to do, that’s the Spirit.
When you’re searching with others for the best thing to do in a difficult situation, that’s the Spirit using you as a spokesperson.
When you find yourself watching out for the needy, that’s the Spirit.
When you protest against injustice or falsehood, that’s the Spirit protesting in you.
When you stand for gospel values and try to be inclusive, that’s the Spirit.
When you experience deep-seated joy without any special reason, that’s the Spirit. After all, we have high connections; we belong in the best of company. We are VIPs who truly share God’s DNA!
Once you begin to catch on, you find that the Spirit is everywhere. You begin to attend to your inner promptings, asking, ‘Is this a nudge from the Good Spirit?’ Life takes on new color, and ceases to be boring and predictable. You become free to dance with the Spirit.
O God, we pray for the gift of understanding. May the Holy Spirit open our hearts to all people, especially those who are different from us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.