The Challenges of Finding the ‘Breath of God' - May 31, 2020

On this Pentecost Sunday, concluding this most unusual Easter season, we are breathed upon again and reminded of the great gift of the Holy Spirit.

As we don the red to remind ourselves of the flames of fire that appeared on the Apostles, hear the beautiful and unusual Sequence sung after the second reading and before the Alleluia at Mass, we hear the amazing story of that
first Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit.

After many statements to the early Church during His resurrection appearances that He would be leaving this earth and Ascending to the Father, but would be sending another Advocate, Jesus fulfilled that promise in a breath.

One of the many things I missed from the season was watching the Archbishop breathe into the Oil of Chrism to consecrate it. A beautiful sign of the breath of God which so few are able to witness. Ruah is the Hebrew word for ‘wind’; the natural force which represents in its extended and spiritual meaning the breath of life given by God to humanity in the creation account in Genesis, and the infilling power of God and His Spirit.

I always remember in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, that scene in the Temple of the Sun as they approach the end of their search for the Holy Grail. Jones must face a series of challenges designed to prevent most from ever reaching the room that contained the Chalice of Christ. One of the challenges is the ‘Breath of God’ where the only way to conquer the challenge is to kneel when the wind (breath) blows, because only the penitent man will pass.

How else might we react to the breath of God? How should we react to the Word of God? What about our reaction to the path of God? To conquer each challenge one must know God and to be able to decipher God in the puzzle of options presented to us in our lives and in our world

God freely gives us life. He breathed the spirit into us and breathed life into our lungs even in the womb. God in the grace of our baptism and the sacraments extended his grace to strengthen our lives and our living. God gives all these things and desires us to have these things, but it is still a challenge for us to choose. The final challenge that Jones was faced once he entered the room full of many chalices was to “choose wisely”.

Let us pray that God will breathe on each one of us and our parish and our world new life. Breathe on us, breath of God, fill us with new life. That we may love what You love, and do what You would do.

Happy Pentecost!