By Fr. Dennis Chriszt, C.PP.S.
A mighty wind or a gentle breath,
the Spirit comes as it wills.
Sometimes a mighty wind
that opens shuttered windows and locked doors
and fills the frightened with new courage
sending the silent into the streets
with loud voices
that proclaim Good News.
Sometimes a gentle breath
brings peace to troubled hearts
and sends the brokenhearted
to be messengers of mercy.
We never quite know how the Spirit will come.
We never quite know when the Spirit will come.
But we do know this much:
the Spirit will come
when we least expect it,
when we need it the most.
A mighty wind or a gentle breath,
the Spirit comes,
and once it comes,
things will never be the same.
Whole crowds will suddenly hear and understand.
People will learn to forgive sins,
and far greater wonders than these.
Good News will spread far and wide,
by word of mouth,
faster than social media.
When the Spirit comes
only God knows what’s possible.
A mighty wind or a gentle breath,
we need the Spirit more than ever.
Locked behind shuttered windows and locked doors,
we seek to build walls that separate
rather than bridges that bring us together.
Locked within our own fears,
we withhold mercy
from those who need it the most.
Afraid to speak up,
we need the Spirit once again.
We need the Spirit to blow
like a mighty wind
in a world filled with fear of the other
and senseless violence,
a world that in many ways is destroying itself.
We need the Spirit to blow
like a gentle breath
in a world where it is too easy to hold on to ancient prejudices
that too often divide peoples by language and race.
We need a Spirit that will transform us once again,
that will help us to hear with open ears
the cry of the poor,
the call of the blood,
and the Good News of our salvation.
We need a Spirit that will help us forgive ourselves
when we have failed
and continue to hold onto our guilt.
We need a Spirit that will help us forgive others
who have hurt us, our loved ones or our world.
We need a Spirit that will make all things new.
We need a mighty wind and a gentle breath
that will make us anew.
Lord, send out your Spirit
and renew the face of the earth!
Fr. Dennis Chriszt, C.PP.S., is the director of advanced formation for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. He also directs Precious Blood Parish Missions (pbparishmissions.org).