Solemnity of Pentecost
Fr. Ben Riley
One of my favorite things to find on the internet is Catholic memes. Those funny images with captions that usually involve satire, irony, or poking fun at Catholic life.
One of my favorites is easy to imagine. It is a picture of two dinosaurs standing on a rock surrounded by water. In the distance you can see Noah’s Ark sailing away into the sunset. One dinosaur looks over at the other and says, “Well darn… was that today?”
I think it is hilarious. Maybe there still would be dinosaurs today if they didn’t miss the boat.
I have dozens of these memes saved on my phone. Most of them are just goofy and funny. But every once in a while, I come across one that is surprisingly insightful.
Recently I saw one that was so accurate I have been thinking about it ever since. There was no image, just text referencing an old song lyric from the early 2000s. It said:
“I had 99 problems, and then: I got a good night’s sleep, went to confession, exercised, and prayed the Rosary… and that solved like 98 of them.”
As funny as that meme was, it actually points to something very important about the spiritual life. And it connects deeply to what we celebrate today on this great Solemnity of Pentecost.
Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. We celebrate the moment fearful and broken men were transformed by the very life and power of God. The same apostles who were hiding behind locked doors in fear suddenly burst out into the streets proclaiming Christ boldly to the world.
These tongues of fire that burned over the apostles’ heads and burn in our hearts today, by virtue of our sacrament of baptism and confirmation, they are not only symbolic.
The Holy Spirit truly changes us.
The Holy Spirit heals us.
Strengthens us.
Draws us closer to God.
Fills us with His gifts of: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
The Holy Spirit is not merely a symbol or vague spiritual force. The Holy Spirit is the very love that is shared between the Father and the Son. And through Baptism and Confirmation, we are invited into that divine life.
But I think, there is a pendulum that many people swing back and forth between in the spiritual life.
On one extreme is the belief that our spiritual life alone should magically solve all our problems. If I simply pray enough, trust enough, or have enough faith, then God should remove every struggle without requiring anything difficult from me.
On the other extreme is the belief that everything is entirely up to me. I have to fix myself. I have to heal myself. I have to control my life through my own strength, my own plans, and my own power.
But Pentecost reveals that both extremes are incomplete.
The Holy Spirit does not call us into passive spirituality, nor into anxious self-reliance. The Holy Spirit unites these two realities. We are called to trust completely in God while also being willing to do the difficult, uncomfortable, and practical things necessary for healing and growth.
One of the dangers in the spiritual life is that we begin separating things that God Himself has united.
Yes, we are spiritual creatures.
Yes, we have immortal souls.
That is why prayer matters.
The sacraments matter.
Confession matters.
The Eucharist, devotion, trust in God, all of it matters.
But Christianity has never taught that we are merely souls trapped inside bodies. God created us as both body and soul. Our bodies are not accidental to salvation. They are part of salvation. Scripture tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and every Sunday we profess our belief in the resurrection of the body. God does not discard our humanity. He redeems it.
And God has also created us with minds, emotions, relationships, wounds, and psychological struggles. The mind, body, and soul are deeply connected. You cannot completely separate one from the others.
That is why growth in the spiritual life often involves caring for all three.
Sometimes healing requires deeper prayer and trust in God.
Sometimes it requires confession and repentance.
Sometimes it requires forgiveness.
But sometimes it also requires rest.
A good night’s sleep.
Exercise.
spending time outdoors.
Healthy friendships.
Counseling.
Therapy.
Medical care.
Healthier habits.
These things are not separate from a deeper spiritual life. Often they are some of the very means through which God brings healing.
That is one reason why I am such a strong believer in good Christian counseling and therapy. It is not weakness to ask for help. It is humility. It takes strength to admit that we cannot carry everything alone. I can say personally that I have benefited greatly from good counseling, and I think it is unfortunate that our culture often treats therapy or counseling as something shameful.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit heals us through prayer.
Sometimes through the sacraments.
And sometimes through the wisdom, support, and guidance of other people.
Even many of the saints recognized this connection between the spiritual and physical life. Saints like Philip Neri and Teresa of Ávila spoke about the importance of rest, joy, recreation, and caring for the body. Some spiritual problems are helped tremendously by a good night’s sleep and time walking outdoors.
There is an old joke that makes this point very well.
A man was trapped in a flood. As the waters rose higher and higher, he climbed onto the roof of his house and began praying earnestly for God to save him.
A little while later, a man in a fishing boat came by and shouted, “Do you need help?”
But the stranded man yelled back, “No thanks. I prayed for God to save me.”
Later, as the floodwaters continued to rise, a rescue helicopter came overhead and dropped down a rope ladder.
But the man waved them off and shouted, “It’s okay. I prayed for God to save me.”
Eventually the man drowned.
When he arrived in heaven, he was upset with God. He said, “Lord, I trusted you. Why didn’t you answer my prayer?”
And God responded, “I sent you a fishing boat and a helicopter. What more did you want?”
Many people live their spiritual lives like that.
We pray for healing but resist counseling.
We pray for stronger marriages but avoid difficult conversations.
We pray for freedom from addiction but refuse accountability.
We pray for peace while continuing to live with chaos, exhaustion, isolation, and unhealthy habits.
We pray for holiness while resisting repentance and surrender.
The Holy Spirit is real.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are real.
God truly desires healing for us.
But Pentecost does not mean we become passive.
The Holy Spirit does not replace human effort. The Holy Spirit transforms and empowers human effort.
The apostles did not receive the Holy Spirit and remain hiding in the upper room waiting for life to magically improve. The Holy Spirit sent them out into the world. He changed them. Strengthened them. Sanctified them. Transformed them.
And the same Holy Spirit has been given to us.
As we celebrate this great Solemnity of Pentecost and remember the incredible gifts of the Holy Spirit, may we never fall into either extreme. May we never believe that everything depends entirely upon us. And may we never become so passive that we refuse to cooperate with the grace God is giving us.
So may we pray deeply.
Trust radically.
Receive the sacraments faithfully.
And may we also have the humility to seek help when we need it, the courage to face difficult truths, and the strength to take the practical steps necessary for healing and growth.
Come Holy Spirit.
Fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.