A homily for Pentecost, June 5, 2022
Acts 2:1-11, 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13, Jn 20:19-23
Inhale.
Exhale.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Take a deep breath.
Let it out slowly.
The process is called respiration.
Respiration keeps us alive.
Respiration involves inspiration and expiration — breathing in and breathing out. In goes the good air; out goes the bad air.
But we all know another definition for inspiration. Inspiration is the aha! moment. Inspiration is when we understand something we never did before. Inspiration is the spark of genius, with genius being 5 percent inspiration followed by 95 percent perspiration.
Inspiration comes out of nowhere, right?
Poof! Whoosh! And all the other sound effects, right?
Hmmm…
When we look at the core syllable of the word, we realize that inspiration is a glorious gift to us from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the source of in-spir-ation, the invisible yet fully tangible provider of scientific and mathematical insight, artistic and verbal creativity, and passion for justice.
The Holy Spirit inspires.
The Spirit is in every breath we take.
The Holy Spirit reveals truth to us and builds in each of us a fully formed conscience and a drive to make the world better than we found it, to extend and enhance God’s creation.
If Elijah heard God’s voice in the tiniest breeze, we hear God’s Spirit in near silence and simultaneously in the blare of trumpets. We hear the Spirit in every language, in every corner of the world, because the Holy Spirit cannot be caged, cannot be blocked.
Inspiration from the Holy Spirit is as subtle as butterfly wings or as subtle as a train wreck.
Inspiration from the Holy Spirit is a tsunami.
And once inspired, we must Go. Tell. Do.
We must breathe in more inspiration. We must welcome the Spirit, again and again and again.
We must follow the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and live the Gospel until we expire.
