Send Out Your Sprit

“Send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth”

Our church is having a community parish celebration, complete with a potluck meal, a celebratory Mass presided by the archbishop, who will bless our new large parish center designed for large numbers of people. The feast is on the Sunday after Pentecost. The timing is approximate to the timing of the Old Testament Jewish celebration of “the Feast of Harvest,” celebrating the harvest of wheat, the end of the spring harvest.

It was also called the Feast of Week’s, celebrating what happened on the 50th day after the children of Israel left Egypt. It is the day the Lord appeared to them on Mt Sinai in fire, smoke, the sound of His trumpet, lightning, thunder, voicing the Ten Commandments. In Canaan, the prosperous land harvested wheat for bread; the best of first fruits were given back to the Lord; now one gives thanks for the bounty of the Lord.

The church too celebrated the first full harvest of a newly converted congregation born in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit came with a loud wind, immersing himself within the heart of each one belonging to him, filling, influencing, identifying each one, and they became witnesses to the truths of the Lord; becoming “baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, and one in the Spirit.” Each heard the message in his own tongue; a new beginning where each was welcomed; no longer sojourner from far away, no longer strangers, a new community of believers, fellow Christian pilgrims giving thanks for all the gifts they received.

Here in our church community building we will have fellowship, classrooms for ministry of faith, offices for spreading the word, and groups who will testify to the truths of Christ. “Having become of one mind, being led by the Holy Spirit we will be “of one heart and soul,” of one mind, a new community of believers.” Here Hispanics and Caucasian, today’s Jew and Gentile, snowbirds and locals, will be the new temple of the Spirit; here grace from the Spirit will flow into our bodies and souls and all will know we are Christians by our love for the Lord, faithfulness to Him and love for each other.