Wait'in for the Holy Spirit

This weekend is the sixth Sunday of Easter. In our church most of the Lilies are gone, and we are slowly replacing the flora with green plants. The Baptismal font water is looking old, and it is harder to get out that Alleluia at the end of Mass. Some of the really neat feasts, like the Body and Blood of Christ and Trinity Sunday, are much later as Easter was later. So keeping up the enthusiasm is really a lot of work.

But this difficulty to retain the spirit of celebration and Easter joy is good to feel and even better to reflect on. So much of what we do as Church certainly seems passe or nonsensical to those who are not firmly established in a life of Faith, and of the Church. There are times at funerals, when I am talking about the Paschal Mystery or the salvation and peace we have through Jesus Christ, I realize that I am using words and terms that are foreign at the very least. The temptation is to follow the words of many today who would suggest we change what we are doing so as to be relevant.

In his farewell discourse Jesus speaks a lot of the Holy Spirit and refers to that same Spirit as the Spirit of Truth. As our Easter decorations quite literally wither away, it is good to go back and once again reflect on what we are doing and why. If our Church experience is that like cattle who come in and out, lining up along the trough, then we have missed something very important. This is the reason that I get really nervous when we take out the same tired old binders for our parish programs and liturgical celebrations.

When stuff becomes tedious then its time to ask for the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not this one time celebration or the gifts at Confirmation, but an ongoing source of renewal and strength in the way we do Church. To be sure the Spirit cannot be reserved for liturgical celebrations but is part of inspiring every aspect of our life. Watch little kids sometimes. They excitedly enter into every situation with joy and wonder. Imagine coming home from work with great glee and excitement.

The power of the Holy Spirit brings us back to the joy of our youth. Through the Spirit we are encouraged to grow deeper into that relationship with God and our brothers and sisters. May the good works that God has begun in us be brought to completion.