The Spirit-Charged Field

Dear Friend,

The insight of theologian Anthony Kelly about the Ascension of the Lord points us directly to the hope of Pentecost: “The ascension of Jesus leaves not a void but a Spirit-charged field of limitless expansion opening to the fullness of the mystery of Christ.” The letter to the Ephesians assures us: Jesus Christ was given to the church, that the fullness of his love, healing, and renewal might “fill all things in every way.” 

What might sound very abstract becomes tangible at Pentecost, and in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians the words become personal: “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” On this feast of the church’s coming to birth, I see the gifts of leadership, proclamation, prayer, healing, teaching, and reconciliation alive in the community of the Mission. At our liturgy, and in the hospital, in the Virgil Cordano Center, and in the planning process for the future of the parish, members of the parish community are sharing their gifts for the benefit of others.  

With Pentecost, the “Spirit-charged field” becomes the very same territory we walk every day in sharing those gifts. Through the presence of the Spirit, the “field” of the hospital room, the meeting room, the kitchen and gathering room of the Cordano Center, and the plaza in front of the Mission - all become places of encounter, where the Spirit can bring to life some dimension of the new creation inaugurated by Jesus Christ.

Our Collect for Pentecost Sunday will gather us with these words: “O God, pour out the gifts of your Spirit across the face of the earth and with the divine grace that was at work when the Gospel was first proclaimed, fill now once more the hearts of believers.”  AMEN!

Gratefully,

Fr. Dan ofm, Pastor