We celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, the feast that marks the birth of the Church, writes Fr. Patrick Render, CSV, Pastor, in this weekend’s bulletin at St. Viator Parish in Chicago.
He describes Pentecost as that experience when the Spirit of God came upon Jesus’ gathered disciples (and his mother) and infused them with divine power and energy, transferring his mission into their hands.
But what infusion of the Holy Spirit does the world require today, he asks. And how would we even recognize that “Pentecost” moment?
Here are some of his reflections, which he suggests are food for thought as the country begins to emerge from the constraints of the pandemic.
“Has the pandemic created a sense of spiritual hunger or do global concerns challenge a status-quo complacency,” Fr. Render asks. “Is ‘nationalism’ consistent with a Catholic understanding of ‘the living body of Christ?’ And what role do economics play within the mission of Jesus today?
“What inspires today’s art and where do we look to for creative energy? Where is truth and meaning for others searching,” he adds. “What is worth dying for – and who is worth living for?
“Questions can be fertile soil for the Spirit’s stirring,” Fr. Render says. “Don’t be afraid to ask your own.”
He concludes with these simple words: “Come, Holy Spirit!”