Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

 Today, the gospel takes us into the land of fearlessness. Jesus appears behind locked doors and offers the disciples peace. Calm and tenderness fall upon them. The doors open and their hearts have hope. The Church is born.

Today, fear meets the Holy Spirit. Our hearts carry the same, fear and Spirit. Today, let us recognize that within us is born something new where hope and love create a home. 

Faith is an art form. The complete, sin-free, structured, organized Church did not fall from the sky. The Church is human and divine. We all must grapple with how we pass on faith, how we live hope in our world, how we design service to the poor and how art reflects our worship and praise. We put one step forward in each generation because we are co-creators with God. The Church is based on our ability to be creative, prayerful people.

 I received a letter from a California prisoner this week. He read my article in Give Us This Day about creativity and art. He explained to me that he has found new skills and talents behind bars. His life is full of art and he is now teaching art to other prisoners and invites other artists to help him. He is the Church behind bars. His fear has met the Holy Spirit. 

 Pope Francis in an interview last week said, “An artist is an apostle of beauty.” Our creative lives, our self-expressions, our true voices in the world, all come from the Holy Spirit. We are caretakers of hope, we are instruments of the beauty of faith, we are doers of peace, making us all artists of the Divine.

 Holy Spirit, free us from fear. Unlock our jaws so we may give you praise. Free our creativity so we may all bring forth hope and love in our world. Holy Spirit, bring fire to our souls, energy to our faith and strength to our voices of worship.

 Come, Holy Spirit, Come!