From Pentecost to Ordinary Time

The joy of Easter and Pentecost must have felt like breaking to the surface to gasp for air after a long plunge beneath the cold water of Jesus’s arrest and trial and execution. First the pure shock of rushing air, then the head-shaking joy of surprise, and finally the wonder-struck delight of rejoicing in Joy itself: He is here? It must have felt like a happy, heaving breath with the heart racing and lungs aching after being pressed to their limits.

What if the Holy Spirit’s rushing wind on Pentecost felt the same as the breath of Jesus in the Gospel of John? The disciples might have recognized it immediately and looked at one another in amazement: It is the Holy One again! We know this is the breath of God.

…There is no epilogue to Easter. If Resurrection has taught us anything, it is that what looks like the end is only the beginning. Ordinary Time now unfolds before us, brightened by the holy flames and rushing wind of Pentecost. Jesus beckons, inviting us to join him on the way of discipleship, deepening our practice of Easter joy every day.

May the Living God draw close today, even within locked doors. May you feel the breath of the Holy Spirit, the mighty wind hovering over chaos to create anew. May you see Christ’s wounds and know that your own suffering is held within them. May the joy of God carry you onward, every day.

(Laura Kelly Fanucci, Living Easter)

Grace and peace,

Anita Sorenson
Pastor for Spiritual Formation