The Spirit’s Joy

I was having a conversation with a well-educated Catholic  layman, who asked me what I was writing about. I said, “Mission.”  His eyes lit up. “You should go talk to Father M.; he spent a lot of  time in Africa!” I grinned. Mission: the word evokes exotic places  and visiting priests or nuns telling hair-raising stories. Many people  of faith still interpret “mission” as something someone else does  somewhere else. What is expected is to give money to the “missions.” 

Yet mission also means “purpose.” Researchers tell us that a  personal sense of purpose leads to greater well-being. A famous  saying is, “The two most important days in your life are the day  that you were born and the day that you find out why.” Where does  Christian purpose come from? Why are we here? 

Jesus promises that the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will be with  us always. As we are washed with that indwelling tender Spirit,  we in turn fall in love. Daily life is no longer the same. We may  be fishermen or computer programmers, students or professionals,  preachers or lay ministers, parents or grandparents—when we  encounter the friendship of the living God, we are changed. We are  filled with radiant joy. Mission is not just something someone else  does somewhere else. Mission is what we do, right here, right now.  It doesn’t matter so much what we do in daily life, but how we do it.  The Holy Spirit’s joy gives us purpose. 

As Pentecost approaches, we can prepare to be empowered  and sent out into our ordinary twenty-first–century lives to be  extraordinary people. This is our calling, our obligation. This is also  our delight. We are to be an enthusiastic people of purpose, with  determination, resolution, drive, tenacity, and commitment to living  Jesus’ joy-filled way of life.

Consider/Discuss 

• One of the tensions in the last five weeks of the Easter season is the  contrast between the first readings from Acts, which tell stories of what  happens after Pentecost, and the Gospels which are rich with Jesus’  admonitions to help the disciples get ready for Pentecost. How do our lives  dwell within that paradox—living in the Spirit now while also waiting for the Spirit’s fullness to come?
• We are given a mission to be light for the world. We are filled with the  Spirit to accomplish that mission. To live for Jesus—is that our joy or our  obligation—or both? What do we see as our purpose in everyday life? 

Living and Praying with the Word 

Come, Holy Spirit! We need a new Pentecost, a revival of faith.  Our world needs renewal. We cannot do this by ourselves. We need  you. Come with your rushing wind. Come with your mighty power.  Come, hidden joy of the world. We pray together in deep need: come,  Holy Spirit and renew the hearts of your faithful.