Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost Sunday. At the heart of this celebration is an acknowledgement of the presence and energy of God in our lives. We often limit the Holy Spirit to our Confirmation day. But even back then we didn’t fully understand what it was all about. The real meaning of our Confirmation never really got a hold in our spiritual lives. We limit the Holy Spirit to one day in our lives and forget that the significance of the Holy Spirit is ongoing throughout our lives.

The Holy Spirit is the greatest energy or presence in our world. It is alive, active, creative and prompting us always to God’s special presence in our world. As soon as a yacht lifts up its sails to catch a breeze it becomes alive and moves through the water full of purpose, energy and delight. If the sail is taken down and put away the yacht is almost lifeless and just drifts along. It is the same with the Holy Spirit we sometimes forget to put up our sails to catch and harness a unique presence in our world today.

As we pray to the Holy Spirit we get so much back in return. A few words come to mind: light, love, hope, peace, courage, understanding, acceptance, calm, a sense of direction in our lives, energy, creativity, new beginnings, strength, clarity and much more. The following is the beautiful traditional prayer to the Holy Spirit: “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen”