Readings: Pentecost Sunday | USCCB 

Come Holy Spirit 

Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth! The Feast of Pentecost for Christians marks the gift of the Holy Spirit to the nascent church – a gift that was truly transformative. You can see this in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles – the post-Pentecost church is dynamic, growing, courageous, fueled by diverse gifts, and on fire with the love of God. Pentecost also celebrates the continuing gift of the Spirit in today’s life of faith – in the here and now.  

In the Nicene Creed, Christians profess our belief in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. Indeed, God’s Spirit is life-giving. When I pray in the mornings, I take time to praise and thank God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When I praise the Holy Spirit, these characteristics have come to me in prayer: the one who vivifies, sanctifies, and unifies. New life, holiness, and unity are so integral to the Church’s mission of continuing the saving work of Christ. Opening up to the dynamism of the Spirit can make great things happen in individual lives and in communities of faith. 

One of the challenges, though, is that praying to the Holy Spirit can be hard for some people of faith. Prayer to God the Father or Jesus can seem more concrete and accessible, whereas prayer to the Holy Spirit can seem more abstract and distant. If you find it challenging to pray to the Holy Spirit, take me up on a Pentecost invitation – take a week and intentionally pray to the Holy Spirit for just a few minutes each day. “Come Holy Spirit, renew my life – use me as an instrument of God’s grace and love.” Intentionality regarding our openness to the Spirit will bear good fruit. 

In a world that is broken and yearning for new life and hope, renewal for Christians in the life of the Spirit is needed more than ever. Two thousand years ago, Jesus’s disciples were broken and scattered. Through the light of the risen Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit they were transformed into a Church full of life and grace. This can happen again. Come Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth. 

Fr. Daniel Griffith 

Pastor and Rector of the Basilica of Saint Mary 

Wenger Family Faculty Fellow, St. Thomas School of Law