As I write this, I contemplate the printed message on my tea bag as it steeps, sending effervescent, enticing aromas of cinnamon, orange and cloves into the air.
“When the dreadful past calls, let it go to voicemail. It has nothing to say.”
Although we do learn from our past, our failures, our disappointments, losses and our historical tragedies, we cannot allow the past to be the force that drives us into our future. Dwelling in the dreadful past paralyzes us, whereas patient waiting in joyful hope enables the Holy Spirit to guide us in the ways of truth.
In Saint Pope John Paul II’s Ascension Homily, 1979, he says:
“In the providence of God – in the eternal design of the Father – the hour had come for Christ to go away. He would leave his Apostles behind, with his Mother Mary, but only after he had given them his instructions. The Apostles now had a mission to perform according to the instructions that Jesus left, and these instructions were in turn the faithful expression of the Father’s will.”
The Apostles were further instructed to “wait for the Holy Spirit,” to teach and proclaim the Good News, sharing Christ’s promise of Salvation and that he would come back again. Jesus said these things in 33 A.D., and among others, Saint Pope John Paul reminded us in 1979.
In 2021 we find ourselves yet in the midst of a dreadful pandemic, the likes of which most of us have never know in a lifetime. Yet, Jesus reminds us in Scripture, and in the wisdom of our Clergy, that He is still with us and that the Holy Spirit will come into and through our own prayerful reflection and patient waiting.
Being patient in the Holy Spirit could be like waiting for a nice cup of tea to steep. Each day is a new day and a new opportunity to welcome the Holy Spirit into our life journey to find our way along the path.
Lord Jesus, bless us as your Joyful Missionary Disciples as we embark on our daily mission with fresh resolves for the future through the power of your Holy Spirit.
