Provocative images: a strong, gusty wind and fire. Whatever one makes of the historical event of the first Pentecost, the results are undisputable: a corps of followers (disciples=learners) moved out from behind locked doors—of wood and of mental smallness—into the public square with words and deeds that were bold and restorative. The richness of these images is precisely that, like wind and fire, the first disciples were animated and energized with the message of the kingdom of God afoot in the world.

The Pentecost explosion was an initiative that they did not derive on their own. It was prompted by the astounding witness of the Risen Lord—something rather difficult to describe, yet actually experienced by a host of folks—and of sharing in the fruit of his New Life (i.e., the Holy Spirit). By the references of the Acts of the Apostles, these disciples were only living out the implications of this new joy and hope rooted in the Risen Jesus. There was no marketing strategy, no product experimentation, no survey of customer receptivity. They just lived! And that was enough to make heads turn…

The disciples were not the same persons they had been beforehand (There is no dispute about that.). Try to summarize what are the qualitative differences between the disciples “beforehand” and the disciples “in the presence of the glorified Lord.” This is a worthy exercise for each of us to do because it will begin to unmask our particular lives in Christ today. It might be difficult to imagine life “before Christ (B.C.)” for those of us who were baptized as infants. But I beg us to reconsider: although baptized, receiving Communion and Reconciliation, and even being Confirmation, it is possible that my heart has not been moved by the reality of the Risen Lord standing before me, gazing upon me, and speaking to me, “Peace be with you.” I’m afraid for many Catholics (and other Christians), we have not stood before the Lord without preconceptions blocking the image of that Risen Lord. Those first disciples struggled with preconceptions about the Messiah, how this Anointed One should be powerful, triumphant, conquering, and severe. Jesus Christ, bejeweled with nail marks and a lance mark in his side, appears to offer peace and reconciliation. What a turnabout! What a cosmic shift! Grace was being unleashed like it never had been before. THIS is the energy and the message of the apostles…of the early church…of the Church today…of you and me.

Celebrating Pentecost is not a nostalgic walk in the past. It is a celebration of the present work if Christ through the Spirit…to those who are vulnerable enough to drink in the new life in Christ. We are not called to be some kind of spiritual rock stars. We are invited to hear, see, and respond to the prompting of the Spirit within the lives we have. HOWEVER, if the Spirit is my guide, I won’t be living life in a perfunctory manner. I will discover twists and turns that I would never have imagined. I will witness graciousness and hope where I least suspected it could occur. I will discover a capacity to forgive and a joy in reconciliation that I hoped could be. This life is not my life…only; it is, as St. Paul expresses, “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). What a communion! What a team! What a marvel! What a consolation!

Let Pentecost shine through you and me today and all our days.