The Spirit Says
I spent this past Monday with the eighth grade class at Christ the Teacher School, leading about sixty 14-year-olds in a morning retreat as they were preparing to graduate and move on to high school. Considering it was their last full day – and knowing that a Mr. Softee ice cream truck awaited them once they were finished with me – the students were actually more attentive than I imagined they would be.
At one point in the conversation, I threw out the question: What are young people really struggling with these days?
Their candidness, quite frankly, surprised me. Without hesitation, they began compiling a list of those things that weigh heavy on their hearts: jealousy, technology misuse, peer pressure, lust, lack of forgiveness …
And then one young lady from the back of the social hall said out loud what most of us try to ignore or bury: “I feel like we are just afraid all the time.”
God bless her for her boldness.
We are afraid.
The list is long, and your fears may be somewhat different from my own in this present moment. But in some ways – and at different times on our life’s journey – we all would rather live protected and safe behind closed doors, just as the Apostles did after the Crucifixion.
They believed that locked doors would keep them from having to face the hurt, the hate and the brokenness of the world. They believed it was better to hide themselves away than allow themselves to be vulnerable to what could possibly happen.
I don’t blame them. I would totally do the same. In some ways, I still live behind locked doors. Do you?
If we do, that’s exactly what Jesus does NOT want: for you, for me, and for us – the Church.
His resurrected appearance that first Pentecost Sunday in the Upper Room – His desire to manifest His love and power to his fearful followers – was God’s way of crying out to our hearts: “Be not afraid. I am with you.”
When He showed them his hands and sides, He reminded them that sin and suffering do not have the final word. Wounds turned over to resurrected love are used to heal others, and in the process, heal ourselves, too.
Many years ago now, I met a beautiful young lady who struggled daily with extreme mental health issues. The harm that others caused her would be enough to make you weep, and she spent most of her 20s and early 30s living in fear and shame. The lock on the door of her heart and life was tight, but that same lock was strangling her.
When she came to me for spiritual direction, I will never forget what she shared from the depths of her brokenness: “If I don’t somehow use this pain to help others, it will drown me.” In time, she found a way to unlock the door and step out into the unknown. In so doing, she won the battle.
For me, Pentecost – the outpouring of the Spirit of Love – is exactly that: the courage and boldness needed to unlock the door and face the fear. Notice that Jesus did not unbolt the door or force them out after he appeared to them in the Upper Room. Rather, he offered His Spirit and gave them the desire to do it themselves.
The Spirit of God whom we celebrate today is One who invites us to unlock, not chain. The Spirit is One who gathers together, not excludes. The Spirit is One who heals, not shames.
We need the Spirit now more than ever – in our own hearts, in our Church and in our world.
As pastor of two very special parishes and ministries – and thinking of those eighth graders from Christ the Teacher School – I want today to be the beginning of a beautiful challenge for us: To call upon the Spirit of Healing, Hope and Challenge.
Why aren’t we calling upon the Spirit of God to banish our fear? Why aren’t we asking the Spirit to use our redeemed wounds to heal and help others?
The world – even our Church – is crying out for a Voice that proclaims the victory of love over hate – a voice that all can hear, no matter what their life experience may be. The world and our Church need to see living witnesses who unbolt the door and face the fear with love, which only the Spirit can truly give. Jesus told us frequently: You will do even greater things in my Name and through my Spirit. He wasn’t kidding.
As the eighth graders and I were discussing their fears last week, an inspiration came to me – which, again, I can only claim to be from the Holy Spirit. Now don’t laugh, but in order to show how the Spirit moves us to unlock doors, I had them stand to play a rousing game of Simon Says.
Imagine 60 teens playing such a childish game. And yet … within the game, it tells us everything we need to know about the Spirit of God at work in our lives. Think about it:
In order to win at Simon Says, one first has to be “all in,” listening intently and focused on “Simon.” No other distractions can enter in, and should they try, the player must ignore them. Can we not say the same with the Spirit? Is He not the One we should listen to and follow – through the Scripture and through the Magisterium of the Church? Is the Church not the voice of the Savior, His beloved Bride who guides her children back to eternal victory?
The second Simon rule is of equal importance: when one plays by the rules, one must be completely honest. When you mess up, take a seat. No shame in living the truth, for when we do, we actually win. Be honest with the sins in the Sacrament of Confession. Don’t let the wounds and brokenness keep you living in a space of darkness and fear. When we are true, we are free. When we live in the honesty of Christ’s Gospel, we become His light and are emboldened by the Spirit.
Finally, and this is key: in order to win the game of Simon, you can’t be afraid to look like a fool. (Think about the postures you are asked to hold!) St. Paul said it: we must be fools for Christ. Being a fool means being Spirit-led and Spirit-filled. It involves being counter-cultural: forgiving in a world of revenge; offering mercy in a world of hatred. Foolish is what many called Jesus. As He, so must we.
This Pentecost, be a fool: let the Spirit help us to unlock the doors and face the fear. Imagine where God wants to take us!