COME HOLY  SPIRIT! 

LIFE  TAKES TIME,  

HAVING  THE  TIME 

OF OUR  LIFE 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Come Holy Spirit! Life Takes Time, Having the Time of Our Life.”

Traditionally, these 9 days before Pentecost, which we celebrate next Sunday, we had the Novena – 9 days of prayers for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Novenas have somewhat fallen out – and with Ascension Thursday being moved to Sunday – yesterday – in this diocese – the stress is lessened even a little bit more.

Yet this week is a good week – as well as next Sunday and next week – to focus on the Holy Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit!

TODAY’S FIRST READING

In today’s first reading – Acts 19:1-8 – we have this moment in Ephesus – when Paul discovered some disciples. Surprise! So he asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”  And they answered, “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Paul then asks, “Well, how were you baptized?”

And they answer, “With the baptism of John.”

It tells me: faith takes time.

It’s a telling scene. It’s telling us that Paul has his work cut out for him – to proclaim not only the Holy Spirit – but also Jesus Christ as Lord – as well as God as Our Father.

It’s telling  us that Christianity comes to folks in bits and pieces.

The Acts of the Apostles is a remarkable document. It gives us glimpses of the Early Church and  the growth and development of these early Christians.

It connects me to all the times I’ve sat with someone who wants to explore the Catholic – Christian Faith – a bit more.

My favorite moment was with a couple in my first assignment on the Lower East Side of New York. It was in the late 1960’s  not too long after I was out of the major seminary.  I was going through the Bible with them and the guy says, “But when do the Vikings come in?”

It connects me with a talk which a Redemptorist Missionary from Thailand gave us. He said his parish was a river. He would go up and down a river – sleeping in a boat – his rectory - all night. He would arriving in a village in the morning. The whole day would be spent catechizing –  baptizing, marrying, hearing confessions, saying Mass – and then getting in the boat – and during the night motoring to the next village . They would get there the next morning – and go through the same thing day after day.  Each place was hit a few times every year. Year by year they learned – and grew as Christians – sort of like these communities we hear about in the Acts of the Apostles.

CONCLUSION

So too us. We’re all in different places as Christians and Catholics on the river of life.

In the meanwhile – “Come Holy Spirit” is a good daily prayer.