Has our experience of the Holy Spirit been life-changing? Think about it for a moment. Is there evidence that our lives have been transformed by the Holy Spirit dwelling within us? Maybe your honest answer is “no, not really” or maybe your answer is “yes.” Either way, I think it is safe to say we could all use more Holy Spirit in our lives as I don’t know anyone who is suffering from too much Holy Spirit.
To better understand and believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives, let us put ourselves in the Apostles sandals on Pentecost 1,985 years ago. Imagine this scene. We’re in Jerusalem in a large upper room in someone’s house. Our best friend who we just spent three and a half years of our lives with has just been crucified, was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, which we witnessed with our very own eyes. But before he left, he told us he was going to send us the Spirit. We’re not sure who this Spirit is that we are waiting for nor do we know how much longer we still have to wait. Then, suddenly, this rushing wind fills the room and tongues of fire come down to rest on each of us. We’re filled with the Holy Spirit and start talking about God in all these different languages which we had never spoken before. Now, flash back for a moment to just about 50 days earlier when Jesus was arrested and we all scattered in fear. Yet today is different, this Pentecost everything has changed as we were filled with the Holy Spirit. Each of our lives are completely transformed. In fact, later this day, Peter preaches and 3,000 people were baptized and received the Holy Spirit.
From this birthday of the Church on, all 12 Apostles dedicate their lives to Jesus and boldly preaching his Gospel, even if it costs them their lives. James the greater did so and was stabbed with a sword. James the lessor was stoned to death for his preaching. Thaddaeus was filled with arrows for his faith. Thomas was thrust with a spear for proclaiming the Gospel. Matthew was stabbed with a sword. Paul was beheaded. Bartholomew was flayed and beheaded. Andrew, Philip, and Simon were crucified and so was Matthias. Peter was crucified upside down. Only John died a natural death. For these believers, after they were filled with the Holy Spirit, their faith was not a lukewarm, safe, comfortable only when it’s convenient Christianity. The Holy Spirit’s fire had lit a spark in their hearts and fanned the flames to create a passionate unquenchable love for Jesus and his church. Because of the Apostles life-changing experience with the Holy Spirit, there are 2.2 billion Christians alive today.
So what about us Christians today, how do we know when the Holy Spirit is alive and active inside us. Our second reading from Paul tells us of some of the fruits of the Spirit that give glory to Jesus and build up the Church. So we can recognize how the Spirit might want to work in our lives, it is helpful for us to see how the Spirit has manifested some of these fruits in the lives of others.
The first fruit of the Spirit is love. When I was 18, little did I know at the time, but there was a beautiful 16-year old girl who was praying for God to bring a good guy into her life. I was surprised to find out that the Holy Spirit thought I fit this description. All I knew at the time, was that I had a feeling that the Holy Spirit was pulling me to ask this beautiful sophomore named Julie to my Senior Prom. She said “yes” and the last 21 years have been filled with love.
The second fruit of the Spirit is joy. On September 17, 2013, I had just started the first year of the four-year Deacon schooling program. At this point in my life, I had only been to a weekday Mass a few times in my life. But that morning at work, I felt a pull as if there was a magnet placed in my heart and the other attracting magnet was at Church and God had something to say at Mass this day that he wanted me to go hear. When I pulled in the parking lot, I was eight minutes late and thought about not even going in as it would be embarrassing to walk in so late. But I followed the Holy Spirit and went in and as soon as I walked in the doors of the chapel one of only a few readings about deacons in the Bible began to be read. This re-affirmation of God’s call to become a Deacon brought great joy into my life.
The third fruit is peace. About two years later, I got the deacon school equivalent of being called into the principal’s office. I was told I was at risk of flunking out of deacon school if I didn’t ace the two remaining papers and exams I had to complete over the next month. The following morning, I remember laying in bed and saying this prayer “God, if it is your will for me to continue on the path of becoming a Deacon, give me a sign and make it obvious so I am not trying to read into every little thing a message that might not really be there.” That day, I went home from work a different route than I normally do as I had to go to the bank to deposit a check. As I pulled onto Heatherdowns Blvd., a church sign caught my eye with a message I hadn’t seen before and haven’t seen since. The message on the sign said, “if you’re looking for a sign from God, this is it.” My heart went from being troubled to being at peace.
The fourth fruit is patience. If we want an example of the power of the Holy Spirit’s patience to change lives, look no further than Saint Monica. Her son, Augustine, was a very accomplished sinner. He was lazy, he didn’t believe in Jesus, he slept around, the list goes on and on. To make matters worse, Monica’s husband also didn’t share her Christian beliefs and cheated on her. She wept and prayed daily for her son and husband’s conversion to become Christians and change their ways. After weeping and praying night and day for years, Monica’s husband was baptized and received the Holy Spirit. After patiently praying daily for her son for 10 years, Augustine was baptized, became a Bishop and Saint.
The next fruit is kindness, St. Therese of Lisieux was known for her small acts of kindness; greeting others with a smile and saying something kind to them. Making this fruit of the spirit visible in our lives is something each of us can easily do today.
When I think of generosity, I think of Dorothy Day who you can see a wood sculpture of in the back by the baptismal font. She felt like she had very little to give after having had an abortion, a failed marriage, two suicide attempts and a child born out of wedlock. Yet, the Holy Spirit took her mess and made it the Holy Spirit’s message; a message of transformation and generosity. In the midst of the Great Depression, Dorothy co-founding the Catholic Worker Movement which, in part, opened the first house of hospitality to feed and house the homeless and unemployed. Today, there are 240 such communities in operation.
For Faithfulness, we need to look no further than our own Deacon Jim Moncher who today is celebrating his 23-year anniversary of faithful service as a Deacon to the Church.
Gentleness, A few months ago, I was at the Cathedral for a confirmation Mass and I was standing next to the Bishop holding the Chrism oil for the Bishop while he was using it to anoint the 8th graders. As they came up to the Bishop one by one, I was moved by the gentleness of the eyes as they looked in the Bishop’s eyes as he said looked into their eyes, called them by name and said, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Self-control, when we’re tempted to gossip, to eat too much, or we’re tempted to look at something on our computer or our phones that we know we shouldn’t, let us ask the Holy Spirit to give us the self-control we need by simply saying the four words we sung earlier, “Come, Holy Spirit, Come.”
May each of us today and every day say “Come, Holy Spirit, Come” and follow where the Holy Spirit is leading us. Then Jesus will be glorified, the Church will be built up, those to whom the Holy Spirit is invisible will have the Holy Spirit made visible to those we encounter and our experience of the Holy Spirit will truly be life-changing.