I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will guide you to all truth.
Someday -- I predict -- Pentecost will be right up there with Christmas and Easter. Perhaps "the world" will join us in the celebration, though I wouldn't count on that. But there will be greeting cards and gifts among the faithful, and perhaps a round of visitations among relatives and friends, especially to the shrines where large numbers of people will generate a special gladness. Red and whites will be the colors, and party favors like whirligigs and kites will catch the wind.
Preachers, of course, will be of mixed mind about the joyous celebrations; glad that the faithful notice the fiftieth day since Easter but unsure that they have caught the true spirit of Pentecost.
This Saturday marks the end of the Easter season. We hear the last readings of Saint Luke's Acts and Saint John's Gospel. Saint Paul has arrived in Rome, the center of the world as he knew it, and "the ends of the earth." The Gospel has come from the hinterland to the heart of the Empire. John's Gospel ends with an implicit question, "How long must we wait?"
The answer is the Lord's promise, "I will send to you the Spirit of Truth." If we consistently want an external fix to our problems -- some solution that will ease our minds and comfort our bodies -- the Lord consistently gives us what we actually need, the grace of perseverance. We might think we could hang on until that day if we knew the time and place of His Coming. The Lord knows we cannot wait even one hour without his Spirit.
On this Pentecost Eve we remember the anguish of the disciples as Jesus ascended into heaven. They were left wondering what would happen, where would they go and what would they do?
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.