Dear Friends,
There is so much rhythm and richness in our liturgical year, and Pentecost is one of our favorite ‘moments’ in the liturgical sequence. For starters, as The Spirit of Life Community, Pentecost is our Feast Day, and the message of inclusivity and the indwelling of the Spirit speaks to our spirits and is the core of who we are as community….inclusive, open, affirming and interactive…. What could be more representative of the spirit of Pentecost OR “Pentecostal!”
I love the imagery of the natural elements in this story: the “wind” ….the Spirit truly blows where she will, moving us from a place of fear or complacency out into the world to speak our truth; and the fire… stirring our hearts to move toward justice, so that our words will not be ‘empty’ words, but words enfleshed by our actions. Ted Loder, writing in his Guerrillas of Grace writes movingly of the Spirit’s power in his prayer: "Touch Me With Truth that Burns Like Fire," our 2nd Reading this Sunday shared with you below…enjoy the reflection!
Loving God,
send the gift of your Spirit
to fill this place
and ourselves
and the world.
Touch us
with truth
that burns like fire,
with beauty
that moves us like the wind;
and set us free,
free to try new ways of living;
free to forgive ourselves and others;
free to love and laugh and sing;
free to lay aside our burden of security;
free to join the battle for justice and peace;
free to see and listen and wonder again;
at the gracious mystery of things and persons;
free to be,
to give,
to receive,
to rejoice as children of your Spirit.
And,
teach us how to dance,
to turn around
and come down where we want to be,
in the arms and heart of your people
and in you,
that we may praise and enjoy you forever.
Ted Loder, Guerillas of Grace (adapted)
The Spirit of Life is presently engaged in a ‘movement of the Spirit” as we join in the nation-wide effort in support of women religious taking shape as prayer vigils across the county. Here in Boston, we will be gathering in prayer on Tuesday evenings throughout the month of May at 5:30PM in front of Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross, 1400 Washington St., Boston. We invite you to join us for this time of prayer together. We have a growing presence each Tuesday…despite the rain…. and we hope for sunshine next Tuesday, and hope also that you will join us. These actions are meant to offer prayerful public support for Women Religious who educated many of us and serve as profound models of social justice for all. Next Tuesday May 29 has special significance as the LCWR leadership gathers to discern a response to the Vatican and we gather to beam them our loving prayer support.
At The Spirit of Life, through our time of prayer and sharing together, we work together to grow in our self-understanding and in our relationships with God and with God’s people. We celebrate the gift of our faith and the responsibility that is ours as followers of Jesus Christ. It is our prayer that what we as a community experience in our praying together will overflow into the rest of our lives, making us more fully human and more ‘whole’….holy! We invite you to join us in this endeavor and journey with us as we seek to grow in our love of God and to grow in our capacity to be living expressions of God’s loving peace and justice in our world.
May you experience the Spirit’s fire in your heart and may it move you to speak your truth with clarity and with hope!
Blessings,
Jean & Ron