In this week's readings, we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. Our readings speak of the gift of the Holy Spirit and what that means for the Church. Pentecost is a celebration of God entrusting the life of His Son to the members of the Church. Our First Reading says: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues.” This particular quote from the first reading emphasizes that, in an instant, they were gifted by the Spirit to boldly speak the Good News of Jesus Christ in ways they never knew they could, and in languages they never previously understood. And thus, we celebrate the great birthday of the Church.
As I continue my faith journey, an example of the presence of the Holy Spirit was at the Catholic Heart Workcamp that I attended in the summer. People around the country came together in faith to deliver and serve residents who needed help. Through the songs and Mass every day, we sensed the presence of the Spirit of God, as we sang and prayed and rejoiced. The Holy Spirit was evident and alive wherever we were, whether that be at our resident’s site where we worked, in the cafeteria where we ate, or simply when we were gathered together for daily meetings. We felt the presence of God’s Spirit, comforting, strengthening, consoling, and inspiring us to remember and continue the work of Jesus. Our mission was not only to serve those in need of help, but to learn to connect with others who were there for the same reason, all coming from different backgrounds and different parts of the country. We were all united to serve Jesus, and we were there to spread the goodness of the Holy Spirit, to embrace the never ending love of Jesus Christ Himself.
The Spirit transforms and gives life. The Spirit is not seen directly, but is powerful in the ways the Spirit manifests the presence of God. At this time of the Coronavirus, we need to find the strength to continue our lives in seeking out the Holy Spirit. We should not let outside forces limit our abilities. Some ways to follow through are to pray for people working at the front-lines who at times give up their lives to save us, to keep in touch with relatives whom we are not able to see, and to cherish the time spent with family and make the best out of being at home. We are all in this together, so let us pray and continue the path that God has paved for us, and live life everyday with a positive attitude. The Holy Spirit has bestowed upon us confidence and oh how that power gives us the potential to live extraordinary lives of faith.
~ Kira Hutchinson-Lundy
Leader on our Teen Advisory Board, Peer Leader Team, and Mission Team